Cold War

How civilisational politics fuels today’s wars

Academic Ma Haiyun traces the history of civilisational conflict narratives in Western strategic thinking, built on Jewish intellectual foundations, long before the rise of Samuel P. Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Such approaches have had a profound effect on influencing the US’s behaviour in the Middle East and spillover effects in the region.

Ma Haiyun

Why Chinese hawks cheer Takaichi's win

Takaichi’s landslide win and Japan’s hardline turn are not just Tokyo’s story. In Beijing, it gives hardliners moral cover, reframes tension as destiny and turns miscalculation into a dangerous new logic for East Asia. Commentator Deng Yuwen analyses the situation.

Deng Yuwen

Israel’s great power playbook is tempting Taiwan’s leaders

Israel has long turned great power rivalry into strategic leverage. Taiwan’s leaders now appear tempted by the same logic. But applying Israel’s playbook in East Asia could distort deterrence — and make Taipei the testing ground for escalation, cautions academic Ma Haiyun.

Ma Haiyun

Trumpism’s racial turn: From civilisation to whiteness

In its second phase, Trumpism has evolved into a racialised political project — a 21st century reinterpretation of Aryanism — redefining American identity not through ideological conflict, as in the Cold War, but through a rigid racial ordering, argues academic Ma Haiyun.

Ma Haiyun

Inside Xi Jinping’s push to reshape global governance

China’s recently unveiled Global Governance Initiative (GGI) differs from earlier calls to reform the global order in terms of the scope and drive for change. Beijing now seeks a leading role on the world stage either with the US playing a diminished role or without the US. But global reception to the GGI hinges on Beijing matching its words with action.

Lye Liang Fook

The clash of civilisations has finally begun?

As the US abandons universal norms, civilisational powers are rising. Ma Haiyun warns this shift risks a new era of global conflict — not between nations, but between entire ways of life, where diplomacy gives way to identity and survival.

Ma Haiyun

China’s unfinished battle: Why Beijing can’t let go of Japan’s past

China’s struggle to move past historical trauma with Japan reveals deeper challenges in perception. Misconceptions must be separated from culture, history from present, emotion from reason, says commentator Wei Da. Time and civilisation demand that former mortal enemies learn to look beyond hatred, rebuild friendship and pursue lasting development. 

Wei Da

[Video] ThinkChina Forum 2025: China’s future and navigating a changing world order

At the inaugural ThinkChina Forum on 28 March 2025, Professor Wang Gungwu, University Professor, National University of Singapore, joined Professor Yasheng Huang, Professor of Global Economics and Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, in a panel discussion themed “China’s Future: Navigating a Changing World Order”. Moderated by ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping, the discussion covered topics such as China-US rivalry, Trump 2.0 and China’s development. Associate Professor Ngeow Chow Bing from the University of Malaya also offered his thoughts from the satellite event in KL. The following is an edited transcript of the panel discussion and Q&A session.

Chow Yian Ping

In the shadow of giants: Europe’s fate in a US-Russia world

As the world continues to seek a resolution to the war in Ukraine, it seems that Mao Zedong’s categorisation of the “Three Worlds” still applies today, albeit under different names, with some countries wielding the power while others struggle to survive. US academic Wu Guo gives his take on the current global situation.

Wu Guo

A familiar rift: Why US-Europe tensions shouldn’t alarm you

The recent conflict between the US and Europe is nothing new and nothing to be alarmed about, says academic Guo Bingyun. He lays bare the true dynamics of US-Europe relations and argues that tension and resentment have always plagued the relationship.

Guo Bingyun

The ‘impossible trinity’ in China-US relations

Among a powerful China, an unchanging Chinese political system, and continued friendly cooperation between China and the US, an “impossible trinity” has formed. What would this mean for US-China relations in Donald Trump’s second term? Academic Fei-Ling Wang explores the issue.

Fei-Ling Wang

Could the quest for a new world order ignite major conflict?

Former journalist Goh Choon Kang notes that the US hegemonic mindset has led to the expansion of NATO, which in turn sparked the war in Ukraine. As China and Russia are unwilling to play second fiddle, is a clash of wills with the US inevitable?

Goh Choon Kang