War and Nationalism: How North Korea Forges a National Identity from Loss
The upcoming anniversary of the Korean War is a reminder of the United States’ first military loss after 1945. Although the conflict ended with the Korean Armis...
Category: Asia
Nuclear Pacific: Ballistic Missile Defenses Drive an Arms Race in the Pacific
American military leaders’ argument is simple: Pacific adversaries (particularly North Korea) have large and growing ballistic missile arsenals. To combat this ...
The Price of Progress: Indonesia’s Omnibus Law and the Environmental Sacrifice of Economic Expansion in Asia
On October 5, 2020, the Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (MPR) — Indonesia’s main parliamentary body—passed a long-awaited “omnibus bill” amending existing produc...
How Buddhist Nationalism Defines Myanmar’s Politics
The military-led coup in Myanmar has met with widespread protests by people of diverse backgrounds, including Buddhist monks. The demonstrations by the monks ho...
Tyranny of the Majority: Sri Lanka and Buddhist Majoritarian Politics
Buddhism as a religion is a proponent of equality and typically condemns discriminatory and hierarchical structures in society. However, the involvement of Budd...
Battle in the Himalayas Strains India-China Relations
Where is Ladakh? When conflict on the disputed mountain border between China and India broke out last summer, international spectators took quick notice. But th...
The China-India Dispute and its Geopolitical Implications
India and China are at the worst diplomatic relations as of now. The current Galwan border dispute is worse than the 72 days long Doklam stand-off in 1967. It h...
India’s Political Institutions Grapple with Misogynistic Culture as Sexual Violence Persists in the Country
The fatal gang rape of a woman in 2012, later to be known as the Nirbhaya case, horrified the nation and sparked national protests. These protests spurred a lon...
Culture of Torture and Intimidation: The Military in Thailand
In 2019, Thai authorities confirmed that four more people were killed in a late-night attack by Muslim insurgents in Southern Thailand. The insurgents assaulted...
Putting the Best Art Forward: the Power of Art Over Military Conscription in the Republic of Korea
How can art protect a nation? The Republic of Korea’s Military Service Act [1] stipulates that once men turn eighteen, they have roughly ten years to complete ...