GABY RUSLI WRITES — We all carry the power to take charge of our destinies and choices. Empowerment of oneself and those around us is the key to unlocking this power. In Letters to Singapore (2022), author Kelly Kaur tells the story of Simran, a twenty-year-old Indian-Singaporean girl who narrowly escapes an arranged marriage by…
Full Article BOOK REVIEW: LETTERS TO SINGAPORE (2022) — INDIAN GIRLS ARE MEANT FOR MORE THAN ARRANGED MARRIAGES
JONAH AGLUBAT WRITES — On October 3, a bloody clash ensued at a farmers’ protest in the Northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh that resulted in 8 deaths. Police are currently investigating the incident that is layered with controversy. Farmers on one side say that a convoy led by Ajay…
Full Article INDIA: WHERE AGRICULTURAL REFORM HURTS ‘THE LITTLE GUY’
TOM PLATE WRITES — Marvellously, sharp streaks of sunshine are starting to break through America’s Covid-19 cloud cover, but the fog over US foreign policy seems heavy. It involves India, China and Russia. Let’s start with India and employ the British poet W.H. Auden’s words – “the gates of hell are…
Full Article US-CHINA RELATIONS: FOREIGN POLICY AIMED AT OBSTRUCTING CHINA WON’T SUCCEED
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH — First it was Hong Kong and Taiwan. Then it was Thailand. And now Myanmar. What’s going on in Asia? Perhaps the Milk Tea Alliance can help you understand the situation in the region. The Milk Tea Alliance began with a tweet by Thai…
Full Article ASEAN: THE MILK TEA MOVEMENT BREWS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
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…
Full Article INDIA: THE PUBLIC HARVESTS PROTEST AGAINST NEWLY PROPOSED AGRICULTURAL REGULATIONS
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…
Full Article CHINA: IS TIK TOK AN INNOVATIVE SOCIAL MEDIA APP OR A GLOBAL SECURITY THREAT?
ZANE KRPAN WRITES — The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, has been received extremely well since he won the 2014 election. His approval rating in August of 2020 was an astounding 78% and it has actually been higher in the past (Poll). In comparison to other world leaders, this…
Full Article INDIA: HIGH APPROVAL RATINGS FOR THE PRIME MINISTER, LOW STATUS FOR THE MUSLIM MINORITY
NAWAF AL-SABAH WRITES- Although Colombia is the world’s top source of illicit drugs, traffickers have now made Asia a hub for both transportation and consumption. Interestingly, a few years ago, South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka became vulnerable regions for human trafficking due…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: IS THIS THE WAY TO RUN A DRUG WAR?
SOPHIA JARAMILLO WRITES — As newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris will be endlessly discussed for her diplomatic relations and duties, her fashion will also be discussed, as it should be. It is necessary to bring light to the impact of all areas of her identity. Being of South Asian…
Full Article SOUTH ASIA: VICE-PRESIDENT ELECT KAMALA HARRIS CUTS A STRIKING FIGURE ON THE WORLD STAGE
ZANE KRPAN WRITES — On the 16th of June, 2020, Chinese and Indian soldiers engaged in a conflict over their disputed border for the first time since 1975. India reported twenty of its soldiers dead, but China did not release any information about casualties. The tension between China’s western border…
Full Article INDIA: WHY IT HAS BECOME SO IMPORTANT TO THE UNITED STATES
SARA ALTUWAIJRI WRITES – India is one of the world’s poorest countries, with 68.8 percent of the population living on less than 2 dollars a day and more than 30 percent earning less than $1.25 per day. India’s women and children suffer the most. Is there any hope? Maybe. India aims…
Full Article INDIA: IS MODI 2.0 STILL GOING STRONG?
PATRICK POLESHUK WRITES — If the Covid-19 catastrophe has benefited us in any way, it is in teaching us that humanity is never absolved from vulnerability. In the wake of global pandemic panic, thoughts about what is going to happen soon are beginning to overshadow thoughts on our long-term existence. How will…
Full Article U.S. AND ASIA: A NEW WORLD ORDER OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
LIAM ROGERS WRITES — On June 30, 2020, the 14th corps. commander Lt-General Harinder Singh (of India) and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Lui Lin (of China) launched a third round of de-escalation meetings while The Indian Times reported that India will, among other things, be pushing for…
Full Article SINO-INDO RELATIONS: PAKISTAN’S COMPLICATED INVOLVEMENT
ASSOCIATE EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES – When Albert Einstein warned about the danger of nuclear weapons, he famously said: “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Recently, tensions between Chinese and Indian…
Full Article CHINA AND INDIA: THE STICKS AND STONES WAR
ANNALISA DEL VECCHIO WRITES – Would it be right to describe the visibility of the Himalayas for the first time in thirty years as a good thing? Yes, in a way. The snow-covered peaks have been obscured by air pollution for decades, but the coronavirus pandemic has helped reduce pollution…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: CLEAN THE AIR, FLATTEN THE CURVE
Picture from “Four men have been executed over rape and murder. It’s no victory for women.” by Sud (2020), showing a recent gunning down of four sexual violence offenders in Delhi, India. KHALID ALGHUNAIM WRITES – The current state of sexual abuse in India is not just shameful but deeply…
Full Article INDIA: A COUNTRY BATTERED BY SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN