Asia and the Pacific
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Soviet Collapse, Chechen Wars, Ethnic Relations. A Discussion With Alexander Verkhovsky
BY CYRIL BABEEV – Cyril Babeev interviews SOVA Center director Alexander Verkhovsky on ethnic relations after the Soviet Union’s collapse, and the two Chechen Wars that were closely linked to questions of national identity in the early days of the Russian Federation.
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Xi Faces Mounting Problems as CCP Issues His Strongest Mandate Yet
BY VICTORIA JONES & CAROLINE SUTTON – China’s human rights record has led Western countries to boycott the 2022 Beijing Olympics. As China alienates those abroad, the CCP signals with a “historical resolution” that there will be no change in leadership.
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A History of the Saudi-Sino Relationship and Its Future Aspirations
BY ADNAN NASSER – China and Saudi Arabia have worked diligently to look beyond their bitter history defined by Cold War politics. As the global balance of power continues to shift, this relationship is one to watch.
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Zalmay Khalilzad’s Troubled History With Afghanistan
BY SAJJAN M. GOHEL & VICTORIA JONES – In light of Zalmay Khalilzad’s recent resignation as US Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Sajjan M. Gohel and Victoria Jones trace his problematic role in American diplomacy across decades.
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“Nobody Knew We Existed:” LGBTQ Voices From Afghanistan
BY VICTORIA JONES – The Afghan LGBTQ community has always faced hardship, but the return of Taliban rule has put their lives in even greater immediate danger. Victoria Jones speaks with activists Najib Faizi and Artemis Akbary about the path that LGBTQ Afghans are charting for themselves in this latest reality.
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When Do Americans Give Up?
BY CAROLINE SUTTON – America’s haphazard withdrawal from Afghanistan has allies questioning whether the US will honor its defense commitments. Caroline Sutton explains what this means for Taiwan and the threat of war with China.
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America Is Going the Same Way as the Soviets in Afghanistan
BY SAJJAN M. GOHEL & VICTORIA JONES – The Soviet withdrawal was a disaster. The U.S. version looks eerily similar.
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Alaska: The Watershed for Pacific Diplomacy?
BY DAVID TANG – Face-to-face talks between top American and Chinese diplomats are being held this week in Alaska, of all places. David Tang examines the deeper symbolism behind the location, 80 years after a failed attempt to avert war between the US and Japan.
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Was the Soviet Union Racist? A Discussion With Alexander Verkhovsky
Was the Soviet Union racist? We ask Alexander Verkhovsky, a member of Russia’s Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights, whose organization “SOVA” is registered as conducting activity of a foreign agent under Russian law.
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Migrant Voices in a Global Moscow
Central Asian migrant labor has fueled Moscow and other major Russian cities since the oil boom of the 2000s—a pattern dating back to the Soviet era. As Jeff Sahadeo demonstrates, Cold War Moscow was more than just “spies and hockey players, ballerinas and babushkas.”
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