By Lexi Dean The proliferation of scam operations and illegal cyber-ploys across Southeast Asia gave rise to a wave of concern back in 2023. This concern led to crackdowns on these operations, which have continued this week, as Thailand received over 250 victims of human trafficking from a Myanma militia who freed workers from scam... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks Central Asia’s open doors have increasingly welcomed foreign investment over the decade. Though China throws large swaths of money at the region, the West (the U.S. and Europe) are not sitting the bench in this great game. Western interests and investments in Central Asia reflect the increasingly globalized nature of the... Continue Reading →
By Lauren Ho Thirty-one Maoist rebels were killed by Indian security forces on February 9, 2025 in Chhattisgarh. Beginning in the 1920s, India’s communist political movement has grown but it was not until the 60s did it experience its first armed uprising. As the movement grew, it was re-termed by the Indian government as Left-Wing... Continue Reading →
By Lexi Dean After student-led protests ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last summer for corruption and human rights abuses, Hasina fled to India. Over 800 people were killed and 20,000 were injured by government authorities under Hasina in these uprisings. Last week Hasina gave a controversial speech from India attempting to discredit the July... Continue Reading →
Sam Dantzler Following Election Day 2024 in the United States, China has braced for the impact of Trump 2.0. In the months between November 5th and Inauguration Day, Beijing’s leadership has been evaluating the outcome of Trump’s election and its implications on broader Chinese grand strategy. Trump’s first term was defined by aggressive diplomatic posturing... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks The first few weeks of President Trump’s second term have produced substantial changes to the foreign policy of the United States. Tariffs imposed on the US’s largest trading partners and the drastic cutting of funds for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have begun to build an American future... Continue Reading →
By: Sam Dantzler Early this week, the Hangzhou-based, Chinese startup, DeepSeek released its AI model causing a stir in the larger global tech industry. Historically, American tech firms have stayed at the forefront of the AI arms race. DeepSeek has disrupted this norm, however, as the company claims its model was developed more efficiently and... Continue Reading →
By: John W. Parks Following recent industrial trends, China has begun the expansion of an innovative market into the Central Asian region. Kazakh Invest, a nationalized investment company of Kazakhstan, signed agreements with two Chinese drone producers to build manufacturing hubs in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. As of January 2025, Yesil Technology Company and... Continue Reading →
By Lauren Ho On January 31, 2025 the Myanmar military, or the junta, extended its state of emergency amidst its continued state of conflict. The conflict began in 2021 when Aung San Suu Kyi, the Myanmar national leader was arrested by his military. A state of emergency was promptly declared and catapulted the nation into... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks As war in Ukraine continues to damage Russia’s credibility and economic security, other Eurasian producers have been forced to utilize alternative avenues of trade. In response, China, along with Turkey, the European Union, and Central Asian states have dedicated increasingly more resources to the development and expansion of a bypass route.... Continue Reading →
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 