• The Promise and Power of BRICS+: A Conversation with Professor Brian Wong

    The Promise and Power of BRICS+: A Conversation with Professor Brian Wong

    Jonathan Chin, SSI Editor-in-Chief, speaks to Brian Wong, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at the University of Hong Kong. Brian’s research examines the ethics and dynamics of authoritarian regimes and their foreign policies, historical and colonial injustices, and the intersection of geopolitics, political and moral philosophy, and technology. As a geopolitical…

  • Echoes of 2018: Understanding Trump’s Renewed Tariff Offensive on China

    Echoes of 2018: Understanding Trump’s Renewed Tariff Offensive on China

    The hardened stance of President Trump’s second administration toward China—manifested in aggressive tariff threats, export controls, and trade investigations—closely echoes the US trade strategy of 2018–2020. Then, what began with duties on several billion dollars of imports swiftly escalated into an unprecedented tit‑for‑tat tariff war that rattled global markets, exposed…

  • Trump’s Gaza Plan Sparks Outrage in Southeast Asia, Paving Way for Chinese Diplomatic Gains

    Trump’s Gaza Plan Sparks Outrage in Southeast Asia, Paving Way for Chinese Diplomatic Gains

    On February 4th, President Trump declared that the United States would “take over the Gaza strip,” and “own it.” The announcement, made at a White House press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sparked global shock and condemnation. Southeast Asian countries, several of which have sizable Muslim demographics, have…

  • China-Southeast Asia Relations — What’s in Store for 2025?

    China-Southeast Asia Relations — What’s in Store for 2025?

    China-Southeast Asia relations is best defined in terms of the plurality of interests, incentives and capabilities characteristic of the diverse states that make up the region. It is perhaps not the most useful, therefore, to refer to a “China-Southeast Asia relationship,” since such a label lacks nuance and conveys the…