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Boom & Bust: The Laotian Malaria Epidemic in an Economic Context
Since the turn of the century, Lao PDR has been on a bullet train to graduate from its “Least Developed Country Status” by 2020....
chiefofstaff1
Dec 9, 20176 min read


A Kyrgyz Democratic Revolution?
The Kyrgyz Republic, a small mountainous country in Central Asia, has been through multiple violent revolutions, in both 2005 and...
chiefofstaff1
Dec 8, 20174 min read


To Cash or Not to Cash: The Future of Mobile Pay in India
On November 8th, 2016, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced the demonetization of the Indian economy. This move, ostensibly...
chiefofstaff1
Dec 3, 20174 min read


‘Modi’fying Their Middle East Strategy
Up until recent years, India-Middle East relations were largely driven by economic considerations. In the latter half of the 20th...
chiefofstaff1
Nov 29, 20178 min read


Too Little, Too Late
Beijing has been notoriously indecisive in resisting North Korea’s missile deployments, mostly operating through diplomatic means to...
chiefofstaff1
Nov 13, 20177 min read


The Ghost of China’s Past: How the “Century of Humiliation” Influences China’s Naval Buildup
Late May, 1841. A Chinese army, desperate to retake Canton from British forces, launches fire ships at the British ships parked in its...
chiefofstaff1
Nov 7, 20176 min read


Steps to a Secular India
The summer of 2017 was a historic one for India’s judicial system, marked by two high-profile rulings: the ban of triple talaq and the...
chiefofstaff1
Nov 4, 20176 min read


Changing Course: The Strategic Flaws of the Chinese Government’s Treatment of the Uyghur Minor
While narratives of anti-Islamic sentiments continue to dominate the American media, little airtime is given to how other parts of the...
chiefofstaff1
May 11, 20175 min read


AIDS in the Archipelago: How the Philippines can Tackle its HIV Epidemic
In the wake of last year’s election of President Rodrigo Duterte, populism is far from the only rising danger in the Philippines: Around...
chiefofstaff1
Apr 17, 201710 min read


Rex Tillerson Returns to the South China Sea
Rex Tillerson has brushed up against China before. So have his competitors. In 2006, Chevron executives thought they had spotted a golden...
chiefofstaff1
Apr 16, 20175 min read


On Arctic Governance: Successes and Lessons for the South China Sea
A 2005 headline for The Guardian reads: ‘The end of oil is closer than you think.’ A more recent example from the Christian Science...
chiefofstaff1
Apr 16, 20177 min read


Scenes from the Edge: Protest and Performative Identity in Contemporary Russia
A journalist investigates a government official and loses his job. He returns to find police have raided his home. Later, they beat him....
chiefofstaff1
Apr 11, 20174 min read


Urban Pollution in India: Short-Term Fixes for a Long-Term Problem
In January 2015, the government of New Delhi decided to run a unique 15-day experiment. Under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam...
chiefofstaff1
Mar 16, 20176 min read


Wading in the Water: How a Maritime Dispute can Derail Development
A curious David-against-Goliath story is unfolding in disputed Southeast Asian waters. In late September, the small nation of Timor-Leste...
chiefofstaff1
Mar 12, 20178 min read


The Art of Discipline: The Unintended Consequences of Xi’s Anti-Graft Campaign
In 2012, Zhou Yongkang enjoyed political success as both the chairman of the Central Political and Legislative Affairs Commission and a...
chiefofstaff1
Mar 6, 20176 min read


China’s Time to Shine as US Withdraws from International Effort to Combat Climate Change
When it comes to President Donald Trump’s Twitter page, there is no shortage of inane posts, particularly in relation to global warming....
chiefofstaff1
Mar 4, 20175 min read


The Cost of Wealth
Xi Jinping was already set to make headlines as he stepped up to the podium at the Davos World Economic Forum in January. No Chinese...
chiefofstaff1
Feb 25, 20175 min read


Steppe by Steppe: Nursultan Nazarbayev and Incremental Systems Change in Kazakhstan
In the wake of Yahya Jammeh’s arrest at the hands of Senegalese forces, Vladimir Putin’s return to one of his alleged favorite pastimes,...
chiefofstaff1
Feb 24, 20176 min read


Populism and the Pill
In recent months, “populism” has become an international buzzword as the de-facto explanation for unanticipated political events. Used...
chiefofstaff1
Feb 24, 20178 min read


Asia’s Unstable Power Vacuum
Since coming into office, US President Donald Trump has signed multiple executive orders attempting to repeal the policies enacted by...
chiefofstaff1
Feb 21, 20177 min read
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