Editors' Pick
In an attempt to tighten the screws on Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin, on April 24, signed a decree, simplifying the procedure for granting citizenship to the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk. This was followed by another decree signed on May 1 which widens the scope to include the...
U.S. Extended Deterrence and the Korean Peninsula’s Changing Threat Environment
From the perspective of the average South Korean, the Weapons of Mass Destruction threat from North Korea is as ubiquitous as a typhoon and...
Towards a Neo-Monroe Doctrine: American Hegemony in the Trump Era
A profound change was taking place across the Americas in the 1820s. The gigantic realm of New Spain, once a pinnacle in the European...
Confucius Institute: Another Example of Canada’s Dysfunctional China Strategy
In the Analects, Confucius famously says: “In practicing the rules of propriety, it is harmony that is prized.” Harmony has been a central tenet...
The Geopolitics of the Venezuelan Crisis
A great game is gaining momentum in Venezuela pitting the US against the entrenched interests of China and Russia. Over the years, as Hugo...
On Monday, May 13, China submitted its “Proposal on WTO Reform”, a synopsis of the Chinese government’s latest thoughts on how the World Trade Organization (WTO) should adapt to a number of challenges. As observers were quick to pick up, China described the WTO as being in an “existential...
China's ambitions for world domination under the presidency of Xi Jinping are well known. In 2013 Xi Jinping, who aims at permanent power, unveiled his huge project for the New Silk Roads (or Belt and Road Initiative), which are no more and no less than new axes of Chinese conquest...
On March 24, Thais went to the polls for the first time in eight years. Most Thais approached the election with a mix of apprehension, scepticism, and hope. After nearly five years of military rule, there was little doubt that the junta and its leader, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha,...
Under the leadership of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the only opposition party in parliament, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), was arbitrarily dissolved in 2017 and its leader, Kem Sokha, arrested. This set the scene for rigged elections in July 2018, with all of the seats in the...
