Views from Down Underer
Analysis, news commentary, and opinions on the international relations of the Indo-Pacific and beyond as seen from the region by people from the region. An initiative of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs (www.indopac.nz) in Christchurch, New Zealand, the podcast is hosted by Professor Alex Tan of the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) with panelists Dr Juhn Chris Espia of the University of the Philippines Visayas, Associate Professor Nick Khoo of the University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand), Dr Orson Tan and Neel Vanvari of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs.
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Episodes
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Monday Dec 23, 2024
We share about how the news we were watching out for in early 2024 transpired, what news caught us by surprise, and what are some of the news that we are watching out for in 2025.
Thursday Dec 19, 2024
Thursday Dec 19, 2024
Syria's Assad regime suddenly collapse after 50 years of brutal rule. What's next? European politics is volatile these days. French president Macron has appointed a fifth prime minister to head a fragmented National Assembly. German chancellor Scholz's government suffered no-confidence vote. Many other problem spots within Europe. So what's happening?
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
Saturday Dec 14, 2024
South Korean President Yoon declared martial law and then had to rescind it once the National Assembly voted it down. Impeachment motion failed to pass the National Assembly leading to continued demonstrations in the country calling the president to resign. At the moment, a political stalemate seems likely to linger as the president refuses to step down.
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
In this episode, our special guest Prof Youngho Cho of Sogang University in Seoul, Republic of Korea, discusses his research on why South Korea's presidential system is plague by a tit-for-tat political witch hunt.
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
Sunday Dec 01, 2024
This episode is a chat from what we have learned in our study tour of Taiwan.
Monday Nov 18, 2024
Monday Nov 18, 2024
We chat about the plausible foreign policy implications of the results of the 2024 US elections.
Friday Nov 08, 2024
Friday Nov 08, 2024
The US election has finally occurred and the Republicans seem like the big winner -- winning the presidency, the Senate, and in line to win the House of Representatives.
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
We discuss Prof Yuen Yuen Ang's article on the clash of the US and China as that of two gilded ages rather than clash of civilizations. We then talk about the polls just a few days before the US presidential election and how the election is still too close to call.
Recommended reading list:
https://www.noemamag.com/the-clash-of-two-gilded-ages/
Luebbert, Gregory M, Liberalism, Fascism, or Social Democracy: Social Classes and the Political Origins of Regimes in Interwar Europe (New York, NY, 1991; online edn, Oxford Academic, 31 Oct. 2023), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195066104.001.0001, accessed 3 Nov. 2024.
Rogowski, Ronald. 1999. Commerce and Coalitions. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203518588-26/commerce-coalitions-trade-affects-domestic-political-alignments-ronald-rogowski
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
Sunday Nov 03, 2024
In this episode we discuss reports that North Korean soldiers are fighting in Ukraine. We then talk about an essay published by the Royal United Services Institute about the possible of betrayal of Ukraine and why this betrayal is likely to happen. We discuss the Foreign Affairs article about the problem of depopulation that the world is facing today and what this means. Lastly, the snap election in Japan backfired for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party as it lost its parliamentary majority.
Wednesday Oct 30, 2024
Wednesday Oct 30, 2024
Is Musk offering money to voters considered vote buying? Months after the presidential election, the new Indonesian president is finally sworn in. Donald Trump apparently worked in a MacDonald's for a day, but did he really?
Views from Down Underer
Kwentuhan/Talakayan -- Tagalog words for 'telling a story' and 'discussion' -- describe what our podcast is all about. We are a barkada (group) of political science and international relations geeks based in New Zealand that analyses, comments, and discusses global and regional affairs. As scholars, we bring our academic expertise to help listeners make sense of the news we all watch, read, and listen. Being born and raised in the region, we bring our unique backgrounds to bear to provide perspectives of and from down underer (P.S. It is not a typo. New Zealand is further south of Australia -- the land down under).
About Us
Alex Tan (host) is professor of political science and international relations at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, honorary professor of the NZDF Command and Staff College, university chair professor of political science at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan. He holds a PhD in political science from Texas A&M University.
Nick Khoo (panelist) is associate professor of international relations at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand and received his PhD in political science from Columbia University.
Juhn Chris Espia (panelist) is assistant professor of political science at the University of the Philippines at Visayas. He holds a PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Canterbury.
Orson Tan (panelist) is senior research fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs. He holds a PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Canterbury.
Neel Vanvari (panelist) is research fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs. He is a PhD candidate in political science from the University of Canterbury.