Incidents of sudden disappearance of celebrities have been common in China. But Qin Gang’s case is special. Not only has he disappeared but his public records are also being erased.
The second part of the article seeks to understand the side of the Chinese youth specifically students- who "call attention to issues" that require states to change their behaviour by "carving in external pressure" to conform. There are "critical junctures" in every norm cycle- comprising of norm emergence, diffusion and internalisation- where an entrenched norm can be uprooted and replaced and China is clearly heading towards one (Bloomfield, 2016) - The question remains whether the youth will seize it or continue living in the permanent liminality of living on the limit despite being at the gate of social reaggregation because crises have the ability to break down roles and overturn culturally sanctioned functions and relations. (Mälksoo, 2012). Involution and Laying Flat is examined by looking at it in the field of education, as the critical juncture.
What stands between the West and a new world order dominated by rising China is India. India cannot be alienated. Rather, it must be wooed, and its support ensured, to guard against violent conflict heralding the new order
With the actions of the Chinese state, one can understand how misplacement is so deeply internalised as a matter of routine and daily life but can be sought to be navigated through the counternorm of Laying Flat. The article seeks to understand involution in China as an international norm and its unique trends and external influences impacting her historically and presently misplaced identity.
India needs to consider the political and military consequences of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and formulate a policy to support Taiwan's freedom
West Asia's strategic landscape is riddled with geo-political, geo-economic, and geo-religious contests, making it a hub for global hotspots like Palestine, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. The region is affected by internal conflicts, foreign interventions, and competition among powers such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and superpowers like the US. However, the area is witnessing certain positive socio-economic changes and attempts for rapprochement among countries. Amidst the complex regional dynamics, the role of China and Russia is expanding, potentially leading to further competition and destabilization.
In this age when geopolitics is in an overdrive, several assumptions of the past about the global order’s evolving nature have fallen by the wayside. The world is grappling with multiple challenges and yet there is no framework in place as of now that allows us to assess the rapid change in any meaningful manner. Nations, big and small, are struggling to cope with this flux with extant institutions, both domestic and international, exposing their limitations with each passing day. New ideas and arguments are being tested in real time as new possibilities emerge for countries trying to retain their strategic space to manoeuvre.