Topic
Society
Uttarakhand’s Civil Code Breeds an Indian Surveillance State
By Sadaf Javed and Reecha Das
Efforts to address social issues risk being co-opted for political gain or used to further divisive agendas.
Banning TikTok Won’t Solve the US Social Media Problem
By Matt Dagher-Margosian
While the Biden administration seeks to aggressively regulate TikTok, it has given up attempting to control disinformation on domestic social media companies.
Uzbekistan Aims to Allow Private Medical Institutions to Deliver Babies
By Niginakhon Saida
Child delivery and abortion are among the very few medical procedures that are exclusively conducted by state medical entities. That could change soon.
Malaysian Firm Removes Shoes From Sale Over Religious Complaints
By Sebastian Strangio
Just weeks after the "Allah socks" scandal, a Malaysian shoe company has found itself at the center of another conservative culture war controversy.
Turkey Ends Visa-Free Access for Tajik Citizens
By Catherine Putz
In the aftermath of the Crocus City Hall attack, Tajiks find their world shrinking further.
Caught in the Crossfire: India and Pakistan’s Fishing Communities
By Safina Nabi and Kunwar Khuldune Shahid
Fisherfolk in India and Pakistan are the victims of a turbulent mix of politics, economic crises, and climate change.
Self-kidnappings by Chinese Students Abroad: Mystery Solved
By Magnus Fiskesjö
The puzzle presented by these incidents can only be understood in the context of China’s police brutality and growing transnational repression.
Challenges Ahead for Indonesia’s Interfaith Couples
By Hartini
An Indonesian Supreme Court decision in 2023 made it harder for interfaith couples to have their marriages recognized.
Rating the Media: A Conversation With David Armstrong
By Luke Hunt
The veteran editor speaks about the media's changing role and declining influence in both Australia and Southeast Asia.
In West Papua, the Birth of a ‘Lost Generation’
By Klas Lundström
As the world closely watches Gaza and Ukraine, a source reaches out from another enclosed area of prolonged armed conflict: West Papua.
Are We Bugs? The Geopolitics of Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’
By Brandon Valeriano
The geopolitics of first contact is an interesting question. Does it really matter who speaks for humanity first?
Myanmar’s Intensifying Conflict Taking Massive Rights Toll: UN
By Edith M. Lederer
According to the global body, 18.6 million people in Myanmar will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 – a nineteen-fold increase since the 2021 coup.