By Eric Zhang In late January, the world’s attention was drawn towards what was deemed by many as a possible turn of events in Korean politics. Mr. Kim Jong-un has for the first time addressed Moon Jae-in as the president of South Korea in his 2018 New Year speech, and proposed a senior-level talk about…
Everything you need to know about the meeting between Trump and Xi
By Eric Zhang On 6 November, Donald Trump went on the first state visit to China of his presidency, and it is considered the most important stop in both strategic and economic terms in his visit to five Asian countries. Let us take a look at what the most pressing and pertinent topics were in…
The Politics of Passion – the Catalonian Referendum
By Eric Zhang This October has not been a peaceful month for Catalonia and Spain. On October 1st, Catalonia held a referendum as to whether it should become an independent country. The majority of the vote supported independence, but the turnout rate for this referendum was only 43%. The Spanish king addressed the nation two…
Powergames, History, and Identity – a Ukrainian Perspective on Crimea
By Eric Zhang and Maryna Parfenchuk Ukraine has always been a nation torn apart by different superpowers and identities. For centuries, Austro-Hungarian Empire and Poland had governed its west, whereas its east had been under the control of Russia. That Ukraine falls within Russia’s influence is of major strategic importance for Russia, since Ukraine provides…
The Grim Realism Underlying the Puzzle of North Korea
In recent weeks, the Hermit’s Kingdom – North Korea has raised the security concerns throughout the globe again. Following the belligerent verbal confrontation between Kim and Trump in August, North Korea’s KCNA just declared the country’s newest success in their hydrogen bomb test, posing new threats to the world’s security. However, the decade-long effort to…