The “Lost Decade(s)” that have beleaguered the Japanese economy are rarely lost on anyone. In 1985, the Plaza Accord strengthened the Japanese yen. This, alongside overzealous financial deregulation, fueled an asset bubble that eventually burst i...
Note: This piece was written between October-November 2025. Politics are constantly evolving, and so there may have been multiple developments by the time of publication. Most notably, Andrej Babiš was sworn in as Czechia’s prime minister on Decem...
Albania’s newest cabinet member is pregnant…with 83 babies. But do not worry, she is not human. Meet Diella, Albania’s “AI minister.” Diella was “born” on January 19, 2025, with the job of managing Albania’s ‘e-Albania’ platform, ...
If you randomly select five people across the globe, statistically, one of them will be Chinese. According to the Seventh National Census conducted in 2020, China has 1,411,778,724 inhabitants, making it the most populous country in the world. But ev...
If you randomly select five people across the globe, statistically, one of them will be Chinese. According to the Seventh National Census conducted in 2020, China has 1,411,778,724 inhabitants, making it the most populous country in the world. But ev...
As Hurricane Ian pounded Florida, we in the United States were once again reminded of the devastating impact of climate change. With hurricanes in the East, cold snaps in the Midwest, and wildfires along the West Coast, the United States is no strang...
As Hurricane Ian pounded Florida, we in the United States were once again reminded of the devastating impact of climate change. With hurricanes in the East, cold snaps in the Midwest, and wildfires along the West Coast, the United States is no strang...
In 1994, the world applauded as Nelson Mandela won the presidential election in South Africa. His landmark victory signified the end of 46 years of apartheid, the system of institutionalized racial segregation between the minority whites in power and...
In 1994, the world applauded as Nelson Mandela won the presidential election in South Africa. His landmark victory signified the end of 46 years of apartheid, the system of institutionalized racial segregation between the minority whites in power and...
In 2019, some Chinese viewers relaxing at home may have been surprised upon turning on their televisions. The ears of some of the men on their screens were blurry. No, this wasn’t a smudge or a result of bad vision, but a deliberate political choic...
In 2019, some Chinese viewers relaxing at home may have been surprised upon turning on their televisions. The ears of some of the men on their screens were blurry. No, this wasn’t a smudge or a result of bad vision, but a deliberate political choic...
The death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian, in Tehran on September 16, 2022, has triggered a series of protests and demonstrations throughout the country. She was held in police custody for three days prior to her passing, arrested by th...
The death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian, in Tehran on September 16, 2022, has triggered a series of protests and demonstrations throughout the country. She was held in police custody for three days prior to her passing, arrested by th...
Images of the 2022 Shanghai Lockdown sent ripples through the world. The lockdown — one which brutally dragged on for over two months — froze a city with over 25 million citizens. Scenes of trapped residents screaming from their balconies, street...
Images of the 2022 Shanghai Lockdown sent ripples through the world. The lockdown — one which brutally dragged on for over two months — froze a city with over 25 million citizens. Scenes of trapped residents screaming from their balconies, street...
As the French election cycle came to a close this April, Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron emerged victorious with 58.5 percent of the vote. He did so despite significant concerns surrounding his popularity as a candidate. Nevertheless, when...
As the French election cycle came to a close this April, Incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron emerged victorious with 58.5 percent of the vote. He did so despite significant concerns surrounding his popularity as a candidate. Nevertheless, when...
As Putin carries out a military campaign against Ukraine, he’s also driving one of disinformation. Russia has called for the “denazification” of Ukraine, claiming that the country brims with neo-Nazis who are “hiding behind civilians as a hum...
As Putin carries out a military campaign against Ukraine, he’s also driving one of disinformation. Russia has called for the “denazification” of Ukraine, claiming that the country brims with neo-Nazis who are “hiding behind civilians as a hum...
Serena Fadel ’25 does not recognize the streets of her hometown in Beirut, Lebanon. Crumbling infrastructure, the result of the August 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, remains neglected. Pharmacies’ supplies of essential medicines are shrinking by the...
Serena Fadel ’25 does not recognize the streets of her hometown in Beirut, Lebanon. Crumbling infrastructure, the result of the August 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, remains neglected. Pharmacies’ supplies of essential medicines are shrinking by the...
“If there is no alternative and no option, then the next option would be dissolve yourself altogether,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UN Security Council in early April. Zelenskyy’s blunt comments and clear frustration with t...
“If there is no alternative and no option, then the next option would be dissolve yourself altogether,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the UN Security Council in early April. Zelenskyy’s blunt comments and clear frustration with t...
This past March, South Koreans elected former anti-corruption prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol as their next president. Yoon, an opposition candidate from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), narrowly defeated Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Par...
This past March, South Koreans elected former anti-corruption prosecutor Yoon Suk-yeol as their next president. Yoon, an opposition candidate from the conservative People Power Party (PPP), narrowly defeated Lee Jae-myung of the ruling Democratic Par...
I would like to acknowledge the support and inspiration of Vietnamese Professor/Visiting Lecturer Trần Diễm Trang from the East Asian Studies Department, without whose tireless work this article would not have been possible. From 1558 until...
I would like to acknowledge the support and inspiration of Vietnamese Professor/Visiting Lecturer Trần Diễm Trang from the East Asian Studies Department, without whose tireless work this article would not have been possible. From 1558 until...