Ideology

Fukuyama: A superpower at war with itself

Political scientist Francis Fukuyama tells Lianhe Zaobao video producer Audrey Jiajia Li that America on its 250th anniversary is divided and polarised as never before, but there is still hope if it can believe in itself again.

Audrey Jiajia Li

13 Jul 2026

Is Ai Weiwei a figure of the past?

By embodying recognisable themes of political dissent, ideological trauma and cultural memory, early Chinese contemporary artists like Ai Weiwei acted as interfaces that helped the West understand China. But the milieu has changed, requiring new-gen artists to reexamine their identity and their art. Lianhe Zaobao visual journalist Fio Zhang gives her take on the issue.

Fio Zhang

29 May 2026

Why bombs don’t break Iran

The domestic issues and fragile regime in Iran would have led one to believe that an attack by the US would result in a quick defeat. Commentator Tao Ray offers a perspective on why Iran remains resilient: not because of its military strength or strategy, but the strong sense of “us versus them”.

Tao Ray

26 May 2026

Trump in Beijing: Why China may miss Trump after 2029

Even as US-China rivalry deepens, Beijing may look back on Trump’s transactional unpredictability as a rare stabiliser in an increasingly ideological and uncertain post-Trump world, argues Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei.

Sim Tze Wei

14 May 2026

Can Trump survive a fourth political assassination attempt?

Reflecting on the assassination attempts against US President Trump, commentator Deng Yuwen argues that institutions once seen as sources of public confidence have weakened, while repeated gunfire in symbolic spaces of power shows external hatred increasingly penetrating the system’s boundaries. This is especially dangerous when the US president becomes a highly symbolic figure embodying political conflict.

Deng Yuwen

28 Apr 2026

Bamboo diplomacy no more? Vietnam’s growing comfort with China

Amid the complex dynamics of China-Vietnam relations, the balancing act between strategic autonomy and economic dependence is becoming increasingly precarious. Academic Alexander L. Vuving explains why. 

Alexander L. Vuving

23 Apr 2026

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

22 Apr 2026

Cheng Li-wun and the ‘Taiwanised’ KMT: A story Taiwan may not buy

Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun’s visit to mainland China and her Sun Yat-sen mausoleum speech mark an attempt to reframe the KMT as a “Taiwanised” party, but the narrative faces scepticism at home as elections loom. Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Han Yong Hong examines the concept.

Han Yong Hong

10 Apr 2026

The West’s moment ends, a multi-civilisational world rises

Two centuries of Western dominance are giving way to a world shaped by multiple civilisations. China, India and others assert distinct models, signalling a future of coexistence, negotiation and multipolar competition. Professor Tan Kong Yam assesses the future world order.

Tan Kong Yam

27 Mar 2026

Armageddon politics and the Iran war

Apocalyptic rhetoric invoked during the US-Israel war on Iran creates a powerful ideological bridge between Israel’s narratives and the mobilisation of American troops, observes academic Ma Haiyun. Such framing and shaping of the civilisational narrative is dangerous as it draws the US deeper into conflicts in the Middle East.

Ma Haiyun

09 Mar 2026

Will Trump become America’s Deng Xiaoping — or its Gorbachev?

Trump exposes America’s deep political and strategic dysfunction. His disruption could either spur institutional renewal and recalibration — like Deng Xiaoping — or deepen division and decay, like Gorbachev, observes academic Tan Kong Yam.

Tan Kong Yam

13 Feb 2026

The polytunity of the post-2025 world order

In a multipolar world where neither the US nor China is the single hegemon, strides in AI and reconfigured globalisation will dominate global transformation. To best harness change, people need a new mindset, says Professor Yuen Yuen Ang.

Yuen Yuen Ang

29 Jan 2026