history
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Power Without Commitment: China’s Geopolitical Constraints in the Middle East
In recent years, China has sought to portray itself in the Middle East as a power fundamentally different from the West—one that emphasizes trade, investment, diplomacy, and respect for state sovereignty rather than military intervention. This image was reinforced following Beijing’s mediation of the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement. Yet the security crises…
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On the Offensive: China’s K-Visa and the Global Race for Talent
Historically, China experienced a sustained exodus of its brightest minds, as students, researchers, and entrepreneurs left for countries offering greater academic freedom and professional opportunity. For decades, Beijing focused on internal reform aimed at stemming its persistent brain drain. On October 1st, 2025, China introduced the K-visa, joining the ranks…
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Competition in the Ocean: China’s Vertical Expansion and India’s Horizontal Dominance
As China deepens its strategic footprint through vertical port development and energy corridors, India counters with a horizontally expansive maritime network rooted in historical connectivity. Both powers have increasingly prioritized the Indian Ocean as a geopolitical landscape, where ancient trade routes meet modern rivalries. In their ancient maritime treatises, “Bahr…
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Neo-Colonialism and the Entrenchment of Palm Oil Exploitation in Indonesia
In July 2025, Indonesia transferred 400,000 hectares of seized plantation land to a state-owned palm oil company. Just weeks earlier, President Prabowo Subianto urged the country to expand palm oil production without worrying about deforestation. At first glance, this may seem like a routine economic decision to support a key…
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May Fourth and Modern China: Nationalism, Memory, and the CCP’s Security State
What kind of country is China going to become? China continues to dominate headlines and remains a central focus for policymakers, analysts, and commentators in the West. Yet, scholarly opinions are more divided than ever on how to address the so-called “China Challenge.” As China grows markedly more powerful—while maintaining…
