Soviet Union
Politics
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
Politics
Eyes on the great powers: How North Korea navigates China, Russia and the US
Kim Jong Un zeroes in on China, Russia and the US, balancing alliances and flexing nuclear power as he shapes North Korea’s future on the global stage. Japanese academic Atsuhito Isozaki examines the possibilities.
Atsuhito Isozaki
25 Sep 2025
Politics
Trump’s war on Hollywood, Harvard and soft power
From US-educated international students to pirated copies of American films and music, soft power once gave the US an edge in geopolitical rivalries. However, US President Donald Trump’s recent assault on academia and popular culture is sabotaging the impact of American soft power at a time when it is most needed, says Chinese academic Han Heyuan.
Han Heyuan
23 Jun 2025
Politics
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
14 Mar 2025
Politics
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
15 Oct 2024
Politics
Putin: The ‘uncrowned new tsar’ holding together a fractured empire
Academic Yerkin Nazarbay says that the core of the issue of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is neither the “new Russia” long occupied by Moscow nor the “new Ukraine” seized by Kyiv’s counterattacks. Rather, it is a key geopolitical strategic proposition evolving from the new power balance in the heartland of the Eurasian continent.
Yerkin Nazarbay
24 Sep 2024
Politics
FBI targets ‘Linda Suns’: Is Chinese infiltration threatening US politics and trust?
Commentator Qinglian He takes a look at the recent cases of Americans being accused of spying for China, and compares it to what happened in the Cold War era. Is history repeating itself?
Qinglian He
17 Sep 2024
History
[Photos] Collapse of the Japanese empire’s ‘Manchu dream’ in northeast China [Eye on Dongbei series]
Northeast China, also known as Dongbei, has always been a crucial region for China’s development, with every move affecting the entire Northeast Asia. Historical photo collector Hsu Chung-mao shares the historical events that impact us even today. This article may contain some visually disturbing images.
Hsu Chung-mao
06 Sep 2024
