East Asia

Illicit drugs

How opium became a pillar of the British Empire

Britain’s East India Company ran a highly profitable, but brutally exploitative narco-state in the Gangetic plains and exported highly addictive opium to China.

International Criminal Court

Why Mongolia’s legal failure to arrest Putin has only limited political impact

Mongolia is a small nation sandwiched between two geopolitical giants and unable to stand up to either of them

Landlocked nation

Nepal is sandwiched between two BRICS members

Keeping relationships with India and China good is necessary, but challenging for the government in Kathmandu.

China

How China is causing global shifts

China’s development over the last 40 years has been unparalleled. Hundreds of millions of people have escaped absolute poverty. Now the country is engaging in international development affaires – and using the BRICS+ as a platform.

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Russia and China

BRICS-members are not coordinating their West-Africa strategies

Ghanaian scholar assesses Russia’s role in ECOWAS and speaks of new scramble for Africa

The Hindu Kush Himalaya region

Nature is changing rapidly in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Glaciers, snow and permafrost are undergoing rapid transformation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, with disastrous consequences for water and food security

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Readers’ opinion

Letters to the editor

Two letters from readers deal with rural development in Nepal, agriculture in China and the variety of natural ecosystems

Global governance

Cooperation that benefits developing countries

A recent conference examined how China and the West cooperate with partner countries and the impact this can have on democracy promotion

Political economy

How Xi Jinping is exacerbating China’s economic misery

Market dynamism requires the rule of law and freedom of speech, so authoritarianism limits economic growth

Traditional agriculture

Traditional agricultural ecosystems harbour remarkable biodiversity

Examples from China illustrate the exceptional value of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)

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