Entering the May 18th Memorial Center in Gwangju’s quiet 5.18 Memorial Park under the gray sky of a late winter afternoon is political freedom in a
Box Office Flop: The World Watches as the Jimmy Lai Show Trial Bombs
There are many things that Xi Jinping-era Beijing has proven terrible at: diplomatic human resource management, property markets, forced labor-free
Free Market Fall: Hong Kong’s Investment in Security and Its Dire Economic Returns
China is often held to be an exception to the rule that economic performance and human rights are inextricably bound. In fact, it proves the rule: Its
China & Human Rights, February End 2024: Tibet Rises and Volkswagen Crashes as Daring Filmmakers Break a Censorship Blockade
Beijing’s global reputation as a green energy leader collides with brutal realities in Tibet. Volkswagen has a head-on smash with the truth about
Hong Kong & Human Rights, February 2024: From ‘One Country, Two Systems’ to One Voice, No Dissent? Not So Fast
China’s determination to transform Hong Kong into an ultra-restrictive mini-me that stomps on any perceived or actual challenge to its authority has
What If … Hong Kong’s Government Didn’t Concern Itself With Lionel Messi’s Inflamed Adductor
An already strong contender for the most absurd news story of 2024 became one of the outstanding favorites for the title this week when Lionel Messi,
Beijing Anger-ometer, February 2024: Trade Tantrums, Summit Slights and a Messi Mess
Every sports fan gets disappointed when their favorite player cannot take to the field. Not everyone, however, flies into such a solipsistic fury that
China & Human Rights, Mid-February 2024: Western Carmakers and the Long Xinjiang Shadow
In the land where the state has to censor the hashtags to its own propaganda to avoid its new year messages of optimism being shot down by the
Red Carpet Redacted: Nicole Kidman and Lionel Messi Expose Hong Kong’s Image Charade
Hong Kong authorities and their Beijing backers have a quixotic vision: They want a city composed of 7 million servants who shut up, smile, beaver
Beyond Equality: Why Democracies Must Reclaim the U.N. From Autocrats
“We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war,” begins the preamble to the U.N. Charter. It
Hong Kong & Human Rights, January 2024: New Law to Silence Hong Kong’s Whispers
After months of threats on the part of Secretary of Security Chris Tang Ping-keung (鄧炳強) to criminalize the vague concept of “soft resistance,” a.k.a.
China & Human Rights, January End, 2024: U.N. Review Bends to Beijing’s Power
In the land where one of the state’s main concerns about children dying in fires is that citizens might talk about the reasons why such incidents keep