Asia

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – In July, China reached an unprecedented inflection point for an industrialized society, with more electric cars purchased than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. William Gavin at Quartz points out that 3 years ago, only 7% of cars sold in China were EVs. Just this year, EV sales are up 37%. […]

Afghanistan

The Push To Recognize ‘Gender Apartheid’ As A Crime

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

Written by Michael Scollon with reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi | – (

Afghanistan

The World’s Nod to Taliban Misogyny

Foreign Policy in Focus

By Tarique Niazi | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The United Nations recently hosted a third round of talks on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar, to weigh the prospects for the country’s return to the international system. The talks were attended by special envoys on Afghanistan from 30 world nations, including the United […]

Australasia

Blinded to all but the Anglo-Saxon “Five Eyes:” The Bias of US Policy toward Asia

Michael T. Klare

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Wherever he travels globally, President Biden has sought to project the United States as the rejuvenated leader of a broad coalition of democratic nations seeking to defend the “rules-based international order” against encroachments by hostile autocratic powers, especially China, Russia, and North Korea. “We established NATO, the greatest military alliance in […]

Afghanistan

Khorasan: why many Afghanistan Citizens are pushing back against the Term’s association with Terrorism

The Conversation

By Magnus Marsden, University of Sussex | – Gunmen attacked Moscow’s Crocus City Hall concert venue in March, killing 137 people. The four suspects were purportedly aligned to the militant terrorist organisation Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K). IS-K is an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group and seeks to create a territorially unbound caliphate. Its militants […]

Climate Crisis

The Delhi Heatwave is Testing the Limits of Human Endurance, in an Omen for us All

The Conversation

By Liz Hanna, Australian National University | – (The Conversation) – Delhi is reeling from the most extreme heatwave India has ever seen. While the record-breaking maximum recorded temperature of 52.9°C has been called into question by India’s Meteorological Department, it’s entirely possible. The city has been sweltering, with top temperatures ranging from 45.2°C to […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Emergency: India’s Massive Heat Wave Signals extreme Danger for an Aging Global Population

The Conversation

By Deborah Carr, Boston University; Enrica De Cian, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice; Giacomo Falchetta, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Ian Sue Wing, Boston University | – (The Conversation) – A deadly heat wave gripped large regions of Asia for weeks in spring 2024, sending temperatures in India’s capital region over 120 degrees Fahrenheit […]

Climate Crisis

Extreme Heatwaves in South and Southeast Asia are a Sign of Disasters to Come

The Conversation

By Neven S. Fučkar, University of Oxford | – (The Conversation) – Since April 2024, wide areas of south and south-east Asia, from Pakistan to the Philippines, have experienced prolonged extreme heat. Covering some of the most densely populated regions in the world, the series of heatwaves has affected everything from human health and wellbeing […]

China

Why are U.S. Sanctions against Iran’s Oil Exports Ineffective?

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Kian Sharifi ( RFE/RL ) – Iran is one of the most sanctioned countries in the world. But restrictions imposed by the United States have largely failed to stymie Iran’s oil exports, the backbone of its flailing economy. U.S. sanctions have cut off Iran from most of its traditional customers, forcing Tehran to find […]