Category: South & Central Asia

South & Central Asia

Taiwan – A lesson on how to adapt to power imbalances

Marius Būga is a 2nd year International Relations student in the War Studies Department in King’s College London. He is particularly interested in the historical, geographical background of state relations and the economic soft power exerted by trade. He is currently focusing on the Asia-Pacific region for research. Most of the coverage Taiwan gets in the general news and academic discourse is related to it … Continue reading Taiwan – A lesson on how to adapt to power imbalances

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Eurasia, Europe, North America, South & Central Asia

The COVID Pivot: Why the West stopped listening?

Marcus is a final year International Relations student and the East Asia Regional Editor for KCL International Relations Today. He currently serves as the President & Senior Editor at King’s College London Geopolitical Risk Society. His research interests include historical and modern-day imperialism, British imperial policy and decolonisation movements in the postwar period. Read more of his work here. Following Asia’s ongoing successes of managing … Continue reading The COVID Pivot: Why the West stopped listening?

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South & Central Asia, The 'Unstringing' of a String of Pearls

The ‘Unstringing’ of a ‘String of Pearls’ Part Two: The Dragon At The Elephant’s Doorstep

Marcus is a final year International Relations student and the former East Asia Regional Editor for KCL International Relations Today. He previously served as the President & Senior Editor at King’s College London Geopolitical Risk Society. His research interests include historical and modern-day imperialism, British imperial policy and decolonisation movements in the postwar period. Read more of his work here. SIX PART SERIES: THE ‘UNSTRINGING’ OF … Continue reading The ‘Unstringing’ of a ‘String of Pearls’ Part Two: The Dragon At The Elephant’s Doorstep

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Africa, Asia-Pacific, South & Central Asia, The 'Unstringing' of a String of Pearls

The ‘Unstringing’ of a ‘String of Pearls’ – Part One

Marcus is a final year International Relations student and the former East Asia Regional Editor for KCL International Relations Today. He previously served as the President & Senior Editor at King’s College London Geopolitical Risk Society. His research interests include historical and modern-day imperialism, British imperial policy and decolonisation movements in the postwar period. Read more of his work here. SIX PART SERIES: THE ‘UNSTRINGING’ OF … Continue reading The ‘Unstringing’ of a ‘String of Pearls’ – Part One

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South & Central Asia

Belt and Road Initiative: Chinese Energy Security and Trade Policy

Mengtao is a second year student, studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics with a focus on global energy and international relations. He is also serving as the KCLSU International Finance Network Organizer and research assistant at Department of Political Economy. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is perhaps the most famous diplomatic proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping, inspired by the ancient Silk Road linking Asia … Continue reading Belt and Road Initiative: Chinese Energy Security and Trade Policy

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South & Central Asia

From ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’: India’s Rising Regional Power

Yashaswinee Raje Singh is a final year International Relations student from India studying at King’s College London. She is International Relations Today’s South & Central Asia Editor as well as the President of the South Asia Development Society at King’s. EVOLUTION In the early 1990s, the government of Prime Minister Narsimha Rao launched a diplomatic initiative called the ‘Look East’ policy. The end of the Cold … Continue reading From ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’: India’s Rising Regional Power

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South & Central Asia

Interest vs. Identity: Why Do States Become Nuclear Powers?

-A case study on Pakistan S. Rania Mohiuddin is a 2nd Year International Relations BA student at King’s College London. She writes about why different countries nuclearize themselves by specifically focusing on the case study of Pakistan.  The International Committee of the Red Cross calls nuclear weapons ‘the most terrifying weapon ever invented’ and seeks their complete elimination.[1] The negative effects of nuclear weapons go … Continue reading Interest vs. Identity: Why Do States Become Nuclear Powers?

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South & Central Asia

Changing cultural dynamics in China: from the Chinese empire to the PRC

Zilin Tu, a second year IR student, writes about the contrasting strategic culture demonstrated by the PRC and the Chinese traditional empire respectively and how that affects China’s foreign policy.  China’s unprecedented leap from a pariah state to an economic and military powerhouse in the post-Cold War international system has generated contentious debate on whether its rise to prominence should be perceived as a global … Continue reading Changing cultural dynamics in China: from the Chinese empire to the PRC

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Asia-Pacific, South & Central Asia

The Belt and Road Initiative: Is it changing Sino-Indian Relations?

Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury is in the final year of an MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford.  The Belt and Road Initiative China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) was announced by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in 2013 as a new connectivity network spanning Asia, Europe and Africa with the primary goal of enhancing regional integration on an enormous scale. The project includes … Continue reading The Belt and Road Initiative: Is it changing Sino-Indian Relations?

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South & Central Asia

Crisis in Paradise: How a Political Confrontation in the Indian Ocean has sown the seeds for Asia’s coming Geopolitical Conflict

By Will Marshall, a 2nd year IR student at King’s College London and our very own in-house, Middle East and North Africa Editor.  Image Source:  http://asiantribune.com/node/62490 Newly elected Maldivian President Ibu Solih took advantage of the opportunity provided by his inauguration on Saturday 17th November to advocate for closer ties with the Indian Government, in a significant departure from the pro-Chinese policy pursued by previous … Continue reading Crisis in Paradise: How a Political Confrontation in the Indian Ocean has sown the seeds for Asia’s coming Geopolitical Conflict

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