In The News

Who Lost Hong Kong on June 30? Japan Times

Kuni Miyake July 6, 2020
Impatient after a year of massive protests, China enacted a national security law for Hong Kong on June 30 with vigorous enforcement. “That was the day when the long-eroding fiction of ‘One country, two systems’ finally disappeared in Hong Kong,” writes Kuni Miyake for the Japan Times. While multiple players contributed to Hong Kong’s plight, the author concludes that Xi is largely responsible...

Banks Warn Britain and EU of Chaos: Express

Manon Dark July 6, 2020
The transition period for Britain’s relationship with the European Union and membership privileges end in December, and Brexit talks are at a stalemate. “Any future direct EU access after the transition period is over will be decided by whether Brussels feels the UK regulation is ‘equivalent’ to the standards set in the trade bloc,” reports Manon Dark for the Daily Express. The Association for...

Failed Democracy in Thailand: Asia Sentinel

Pithaya Pookaman July 3, 2020
A bloodless coup transformed Thailand’s absolute monarchy into a constitutional system in 1932, yet the country does not enjoy full democracy today. Thailand’s elite do not trust citizens with decision-making, and there is a “reinvention of modern-day authoritarianism in the form of a triumvirate consisting of the military establishment, bureaucratic elite and business conglomerates,” explains...

Vandalism Against Multilateral Systems: El País

Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León June 29, 2020
The United States has withdrawn from many global organizations, reducing its own leadership role while enhancing influence for China and Russia. Latin American governments could respond to the Trump administration’s efforts to place a US citizen in charge of the Inter-American Development Bank, disrupting traditional governance. The administration often selects individuals who reject the mission...

Chile’s Constituent Assembly: La Tercera

June 27, 2020
Chile has formed a Constituent Assembly, charged with proposing a new constitution. Bruce Ackerman, constitutional law professor of Yale University, offers guidance and maintains that the assembly should not include delegates who are members of the existing government. “If you allow the existing regime to control half of the seats, these members won’t be very interested in correcting the status...

Is the Virus Wrecking Democracy? Chatham House

Marjorie Buchser June 24, 2020
Most of the world's population has lived with some travel restrictions and social-distancing requirements at some point since the start of the year to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Economic recovery is a priority. Digital technologies allowed many people to safely communicate and work. The pandemic deepened dependence on technology tools and programs, explains Marjorie Buchser for Chatham...

Teens, K-Pop Stans Claim Trump Rally Tickets: NYT

Taylor Lorenz, Kellen Browning and Sheera Frenkel June 22, 2020
Teenagers and K-pop fans claim they signed up for a million ticket requests to attend US President Donald Trump’s first post-pandemic rally. The Trump campaign planned for overflow crowds in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city with rising numbers of Covid-19 cases, but the stadium was about two-thirds empty. “TikTok users and fans of Korean pop music groups claimed to have registered potentially hundreds of...