In the aftermath of the Cold War, the resurgence of Russia and the swift ascent of China have reignited an era of intense great power competition. The United States’ National Security Strategy 2017, which formally identified Russia and China as strategic competitors, marked a pivotal moment in the crystallization of this moment. The pursuit of technological supremacy is at the heart of the competition, with the US and China moving beyond bilateral disputes to exert global influence through alliance formation, setting technological standards, and competing for control in key regions like the Indo-Pacific, Southeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula, and South Asia. Bernard F. W. Loo and James Char’s Strategic Currents: China and US Competition for Influence presents a timely and empirically grounded analysis of the US–China strategic rivalry, with a particular emphasis on Southeast Asia’s adaptive responses within an increasingly contested international order.
President Trump’s tariffs have reinforced the importance of BRICS as a platform for collective bargaining and the pursuit of alternative institutional frameworks.
Political violence in the US has increased in recent times, with Charlie Kirk’s killing the latest instance of rising extremism in the US body politic.
A new Executive Order signed by US President Donald Trump on 24 April 2025 calls for enabling US access to vast reserves of mineral resources on the deep seabed space.
