Indonesia Faces New Protests
On August 25, protests sprung up throughout Indonesia after reports were released detailing increased salaries for parliament members, at a time when many Indonesians face adversity and poverty.
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North Korea Showcases Nuclear Capable Submarine, Threats of Nuclear Confrontation Grow
North Korea’s news agency released photos showcasing nuclear-capable submarines under construction, The Associated Press reports. The pictures released by the state’s media, show President Kim Jong Un visiting a shipyard where crews appear to be working on a massive nuclear-capable submarine.
Read MoreThailand Faces Scrutiny Over Uyghur Deportations and Human Rights Concerns
On February 27th, Thailand sent back 40 Uyghur male detainees to China. The detainees had been in Thai custody since fleeing persecution in China in 2014. They are among 48 of 300 Uyghurs who fled persecution in China and were headed to Türkiye before being intercepted in Thailand. The Associated Press reports that in 2015, 170 women and children detainees were sent to Türkiye, while a little more than 100 men were sent back to China.
Read MoreToyota Builds “Woven City” to Test Futuristic Mobility
In 2021, Toyota celebrated and began its ambitious “Woven City” plan. Named to honor Toyota’s beginning in automatic textile looms, Sakichi Toyoda simply wanted to help his mother who toiled on a manual loom. A $10 billion project, Toyota does not want to profit from its eco-friendly research hub. Instead, Toyota plans to foster innovation and future mobility located under the beautiful Mount Fuji.
Read MoreSoutheast Asia’s Movement Towards Nuclear Energy
Southeast Asia is taking historic action with its ambitious movement towards nuclear power to create a sustainable energy source for the region—one that has never applied nuclear power before. This movement is not the first time Southeast Asian nations have sought nuclear energy. According to The Associated Press, Southeast Asia’s only nuclear power plant was completed decades ago, about 40 miles from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. However, the plant was left idle due to fears of corruption and never even produced a single watt of nuclear energy.
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Myanmar’s Course Towards Chaos
Advocacy for the restoration of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic government should become a focal point of the Biden administration’s Southeast Asian foreign policy agenda. If it does not, the U.S. becomes complicit in the demise of yet another potential democracy.
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Taiwan Elects Pro-Independent President Lai Ching-te
Now instead of calling for an independence movement, Lai has adopted the more nuanced view that Taiwan does not need to declare independence in order to be its own democratic state, according to The New York Times.
Read MoreMyanmar Junta Faces International Response Following Attack on Refugee Camp
The military junta in Myanmar faces a plethora of international responses following an attack on a refugee camp in the Kachin region, killing 29 people including children. Varying sources have provided various figures; however, the confirmed number of deaths remains at 29, with an additional confirmed 59 wounded, says Reuters
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India’s Neutrality at G-20 is Justified
While the war in Ukraine is incredibly important for the future of the international system and will have serious consequences based on the outcome, it is not the only important issue unfolding in the world.
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FOCUS on Global Summits: ASEAN
From November 10 through 13, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit took place in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the two topics that loomed largest were the U.S.-China rivalry and Myanmar’s ongoing political crisis.
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