Royal Society for Asian Affairs

Catch up on yesterday's fascinating discussion between Sophie Ibbotson and author and journalist Joe Luc Barnes, exploring his new book, Farewell to Russia: A Journey Through the Former USSR. Link in the comments.

Martin Purbrick investigates the murky tale of an alleged deal between the British authorities in Hong Kong and triad organised crime groups during the Japanese invasion in 1941. Link in comments.

Shakar Ibrahim of the University of Sulaimani - زانکۆی سلێمانی and Zhilwan Tahir of IIUM argue that the historic power struggle between different groups in Kirkuk could gradually develop into a more effective political process that encourages collaboration. Link in comments.

Panch Rishi Dev Sharma of the University of Lucknow and the University of Victoria examines every invocation of ‘president’s rule’ over the past 75 years and finds it’s largely used to ‘discipline’ states ruled by different parties from those in power in Delhi. Link in comments.

Adam Burakowski of the Instytut Studiów Politycznych Polskiej Akademii Nauk tells the story of the Aam Aadmi anti-corruption movement that swept to power in Delhi in 2015 only to be swept away again in 2025. Link in comments.

Baurzhan Rakhmetov of Maqsut Narikbayev University and Cardiff University explains the hybrid working of internet censorship in Kazakhstan, combining laws with harassment. Link in comments.

Bakhytzhan Kurmanov of the University of Central Asia and Gaziz Abishev of Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre at the University of Oxford show how President Tokayev is slowly undoing the previous consensus on nationality issues and creating a new, more Kazakh-focused, state. Link in comments.

In a ground-breaking article, Rakhmanali Bekmirzayev of Fergana State University, Uzbekistan shows how the architectures of different social media platforms has contributed to improving or worsening inter-ethnic relations in the Fergana Valley of Central Asia. Link in comments.

Yao Bowen of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies argues that the failure of China to capitalise on Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs stems from its inability to provide allies of the US with a credible long-term alternative offer. Link in comments.

The latest issue of Asian Affairs is out with authors from across Asia looking at politics, international affairs and society from Beijing to Kirkuk. Link in comments.