 Rojak is a colloquial Malay word for “eclectic mix,” and is the name for a Javanese dish that typically combines sliced fruit and vegetables with a spicy dressing. Meet ‘SASEA’ There’s a new geographic bloc in town. It’s called SASEA, and stands for South Asia and Southeast Asia — which would include countries like India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Pronounced like “SAZ-ee-uh,” the term was coined by writer Noah Smith, who makes a compelling case for why this region makes sense as a grouping, and why we should keep an eye on it: It holds a third of the world’s population, which is relatively young, its economies are growing, and it’s receiving a flood of foreign investment. The region will also benefit from the geopolitical tensions surrounding China, with many companies — including some Chinese ones — diversifying away from Beijing to avoid Western tariffs. While some say developed countries’ protectionist policies against China threaten to reverse globalization, Smith argues in his newsletter Noahpinion that it actually accelerates globalization. “Without developed countries’ de-risking and protectionism, SASEA might have had to wait for several more decades before cost pressures finally forced Chinese firms to invest abroad.” Plunging into the swamps To understand the mood of the UK’s general election this week, one must understand a fundamental truth about Brits: They love to be disappointed. Sam Kriss argues in Persuasion that the UK’s penchant for feeling crummy goes beyond politics, from lackluster public events — remember the viral Willy Wonka “Chocolate Experience” fiasco in Glasgow? — to the weather. It’s not a new phenomenon: The Roman historian Cassius Dio wrote that Britons “can endure hunger and cold and any kind of hardship; for they plunge into the swamps and exist there for many days with only their heads above water.” It’s only recently that the rest of the world has caught onto the Brits’ situation. “Friends in other countries started asking if I was ok, if I was surviving out there,” Kriss writes. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to be pitied by a Belgian?” When it comes to the election, a massive Labour victory isn’t necessarily attributable to enthusiasm for Labour policies, but rather that “nobody could possibly expect anything” from the ruling Conservatives anymore. An unambiguous message A recent outburst of violence in China showed the sensitivity of issues related to Japan, and the limit of institutions’ tolerance of anti-Japan nationalism. In late June, a Chinese man armed with a knife attacked a Japanese school bus in the Chinese city Suzhou; a bus attendant, a Chinese woman, died from injuries sustained from trying to stop the attack. The Chinese internet quickly lit up with discourse around the incident, with some anti-Japanese hate speech. “If it involves Japanese people, oh boy, you are destined to see a pile of ugly mess here,” Robert Wu writes in China Translated. But the government wasted no time in declaring the woman a hero, and it didn’t dwell on the different nationalities of those involved. And almost all major online platforms — which are closely monitored by the government — announced they would crack down on hate speech against Japan. “The message sent to all corners of our society is unambiguous,” Wu wrote. “You may want to dislike Japan, you may even want to do some indecent stupid acts and we can’t stop you. But violence is a big no-no.” |
