51吃瓜

What We Cover in This ePublication

Our e-magazine, 51吃瓜 Monthly, enables you to take stock of our ever-changing world one month at a time. We compile 15 of our best original articles from the past month for you. In keeping with our ethos, we bring you insights from diverse voices around the world on a multitude of subjects. Our goal is to give our FO掳 Community a snapshot of the past month. The perspectives in our monthly will inform and educate you. They will take you away from echo chambers, and you will disagree with some. For the discerning reader, 51吃瓜 Monthly is a good way to make sense of the world at a time of polarization, sensationalism and fake news. So, download our monthly now.

The March 51吃瓜 Monthly examines geopolitical instability and cultural transformation across the globe. The Iran War and its global repercussions took the spotlight, with former US diplomat Gary Grappo arguing that a war with Iran risks a broader regional conflagration while offering no clear strategic resolution. Along with Grappo, retired CIA officer Glenn Carle and Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh explore the dangerous implications of a deepening US鈥揑srael鈥揑ran conflict, warning that political hubris could entrench instability rather than resolve it. Analyst Alan Waring echoes these concerns, likening the current trajectory of President Donald Trump鈥檚 US policy to a cautionary tale of overreach. Political risk expert Daniel Wagner assesses how the conflict exposes the limits of China鈥檚 global influence despite its ambitions to act as a counterweight to US power. Journalist I.M. Manava uses metaphor to dissect the asymmetrical US鈥揑srael relationship, offering a critical perspective on alliance politics and strategic dependency.

Global dynamics and cultural shifts

Beyond the Middle East, Japanese economist Masaaki Yoshimori describes a 鈥淕1.5 world,鈥� where the US remains dominant but no longer unchallenged. Political scientist and international law scholar Joanna Rozpedowski examines the erosion of international law, arguing that major powers are increasingly willing to sidestep norms in pursuit of strategic interests. Environmentalist and project expert Luiz Villares highlights tensions between political ideology and environmental governance in the battle over climate science and regulatory authority in the US. 

In South Asia, research associate Saume Saptaparna Nath analyzes whether Bangladesh鈥檚 Nationalist Party can redefine the country鈥檚 foreign policy amid competing regional pressures, while geopolitical analyst Tommaso Franco uncovers the shadowy networks enabling Myanmar鈥檚 ongoing humanitarian crisis through illicit oil flows. ICARE, a group of academics, jurists and concerned citizens, raise concerns about India鈥檚 democratic backsliding thanks to an overzealous Supreme Court that banishes even mention of judicial corruption in school textbooks.

Cultural and societal developments round out the month. Resident sociologist Ellis Cashmore revisits Madonna鈥檚 enduring influence who began life as a provocateur and reshaped popular culture by challenging social norms. Last but not the least, Spanish academic Laura Pav贸n celebrates Bad Bunny鈥檚 global rise, analyzing the success of his Super Bowl Halftime Show as evidence of growing Latino cultural influence across the Americas.

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Content of Publication

Can Bangladesh鈥檚 Nationalist Party Transform the Country鈥檚 Foreign Policy? – Saume Saptaparna Nath

A War to End All (Middle East) Wars? – Gary Grappo

Undoing the Endangerment Finding: Science, Policy and the Fight Over US Climate Authority – Luiz Villares

The Time Is Out of Joint: Power, Misalignment and the G1.5 World – Masaaki Yoshimori

What the Iran War Reveals About the Limits of Chinese Power – Daniel Wagner

Inconvenient Fictions: The Deliberate Dismantling of International Law and Norms – Joanna Rozpedowski

Should India鈥檚 Supreme Court Have Banned a Grade 8 Social Science Textbook? – ICARE

The Tale of the Elephant (the US) and the Mahout (Israel) – I.M. Manava

Madonna 鈥� Diva Provocatrix – Ellis Cashmore

FO Live: Iran War Analysis 鈥� Will the Trump Administration Put Boots on the Ground? – Gary Grappo, Glenn Carle, Atul Singh

Andaman Sea 鈥淕host鈥� Fleet: The Invisible Oil Fueling Myanmar鈥檚 Genocide – Tommaso Franco

Bad Bunny鈥檚 Record-Breaking Popularity Proves That Latinos are Paving the Way in the Americas – Laura Pavon

Hormuz Constrains the US Administration, but Won鈥檛 Save the Regime – Gary Grappo

Beware Hubris: Trump鈥檚 Iran War Has an Ozymandias Flavor – Alan Waring

FO Exclusive: The Dangerous Implications of the New US/Israel鈥揑ran War – Glenn Carle, Atul Singh