MYANMAR: STOP THE STEAL. RESPECT DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS
LAMA ALTAHER WRITES – Although the recent military coup in Myanmar saw a democratically elected government overthrown, the events were reminiscent of the Arab Spring protests across Asia and Africa in 2010. The Myanmar military junta has a long history of using excessive force to crack down on protests, which…
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NORTH KOREA: NUCLEAR ORIENTALISM AND THE HERMIT KINGDOM
VALERIA GURROLA WRITES – Nuclear Orientalism deeply permeates US media. In December 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un warned the US of a “Christmas gift” dependent on the outcome of nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. Days after the announcement, satellite images uncovered new activity at the previously dormant Sohae…
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CHINA: CHINESE FEMINISM AT HIGH TIDE
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES – With the recent international headlines about a Beijing divorce case ruling in which a man was ordered to pay his ex-wife for years of housework, now is perhaps a good time to reflect on the recent rise of feminism in China. 2020…
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SOUTH KOREA: ‘SEOUL-SEARCHING’ MEETS ‘THE BREAKFAST CLUB’
YOLANDA NOSAKHARE WRITES — Have you ever wondered what your favorite John Hughes film would look like if it took place at a summer camp in South Korea? This is just what Korean-American filmmaker and writer Benson Lee channeled when he melded John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club” to his 2015…
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JAPAN: HOCKEY? NEVER HEARD OF IT
GREGORY BENNETT WRITES — Hockey, in Japan? Never heard of it. Until now, the sports scene in Japan has been mainly dominated by baseball and soccer. Yet with the possibility of an NHL star being drafted to the top junior league in the United States, ice hockey in Japan is…
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US-CHINA RELATIONS: COLD WAR CONTAINMENT OBSESSION MUST BE DITCHED
TOM PLATE WRITES — America must understand that China is different, emphasised the late Lee Kuan Yew when some 25 years ago I asked Singapore’s iconic modern founder whether my new newspaper column on Asia, then in the Los Angeles Times, might possibly do some good. His counsel was to…
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INDIA: THE PUBLIC HARVESTS PROTEST AGAINST NEWLY PROPOSED AGRICULTURAL REGULATIONS
KATIE SHIEH WRITES — Millions of Indian farmers are taking to the streets, having organized one of the largest protests in modern history. Activists are fighting to overturn new legislation regarding the agricultural sector that would make it more market-based instead of state-controlled. The market-based approach means that farmers’ crops…
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KOREAN PENINSULA: HOPES AND FEARS ABOUT BIDEN’S NORTH KOREAN POLICY
MOON CHUNG-IN WRITES — While it doesn’t appear that the Joe Biden administration has completed its review of North Korea policy yet, the outlines of that policy seem to be slowly taking shape. Ned Price, a spokesperson for the US State Department, said on Feb. 12 that the North Korean…
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CHINA: HOW THE RACIALLY-CHARGED MYTH OF MSG HAS TAINTED AMERICANS’ PERCEPTION OF CHINESE CUISINE
ALEX DASHWOOD WRITES — There exists a myth in the United States that the addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) to food, which is predominantly used in Chinese cuisine, is a health risk causing negative side effects. Some consumers of it purport to experience symptoms such as dizziness and palpitations after…
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CHINA: IS TIK TOK AN INNOVATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA APP OR A GLOBAL SECURITY THREAT?
HEATHER CREAMER WRITES — While Chinese-based social media app Tik Tok is changing the social media landscape, world leaders are growing concerned about the effect it may have on national security. Even as the app was under almost constant threats of banishment by the former U.S. president due to the…
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ASIAN AMERICANS: AS COVID-19 SURGED, ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT INFECTED AMERICA
SHAE KUROKAWA WRITES — Nearly a year since the United States began experiencing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, violent attacks against Asian-Americans have alarmingly increased. At the start of this new year, San Francisco’s Bay Area reported a handful of xenophobic assaults against Asian-Americans, many of whom were elderly.…
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TAIWAN: LINSANITY AND THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION
ANDREW DAHI WRITES – Jeremy Lin. Five foot three. A freshman in high school. And a dream. A dream to play basketball at the highest level, on the biggest stage in the world, the NBA. By the time Lin, a Taiwanese-American, was a senior in high school, he had grown…
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ARMENIA: TIKTOK BRINGS LIGHT INTO A CULTURE OF DARKNESS
MELANIE MARGARYAN WRITES — If you don’t know much about Armenia, that’s not really surprising. Armenia is a tiny country in the Caucasus, where nothing interesting really happens. Well, besides war and really sad stuff. But let’s talk about something great that’s been happening for Armenians, for once: TikTok. If…
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CHINA: THE NEW, LUXURY LINE OF MAHJONG: NO DICE FOR CULTURAL DECIMATION
SOPHIA JARAMILLO WRITES — Recently, three women of Dallas, Texas took it upon themselves to launch a ‘refreshed’ version of the traditional Chinese tile-layering game, Mahjong. This event definitely sparked controversy, as none of the women involved in the project of The Mahjong Line are of Chinese descent, but rather,…
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JAPAN: SLAMMING THE OLD-SCHOOL BASKETBALL ‘TABOO’ OFF THE CULTURAL COURT
KATHERINE PETERSON WRITES- ‘Slam Dunk,’ a 1990’s Japanese anime, tells the story of a high school basketball team from Shōhoku High. Critics believed the program would lack viewers, as editors claimed that “basketball was a taboo in this world.” But without manga viewers, the No. 8 draft pick and Japan…
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JAPAN: SOMETHING’S FISHY IN THE SEAFOOD RESTAURANT BUSINESS
MILES WHITTINGHAM WRITES — Japanese cuisine is among the most popular in the world. But the Japanese fish market has been hit especially hard among the multitude of things affected by COVID-19. The most extensive wholesale fish trade located in Tokyo, Toyosu, has seen its sales halved in recent months.…
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