Four Questions About the So-Called ‘Shadow’ Fleet In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, or the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet.

In recent months there’s been a lot of talk about the ‘dark’ fleet, the ‘shadow’ or the ‘ghost’ fleet. For a while now I have felt that people use these terms without really examining their origins nor the assumptions that come with invoking them, so I wrote about why I think this is a problem:

Job vacancy announcement for a postdoctoral position at the University of Vienna Department of Government, starting August/September 2026. Research focus includes political representation, party competition, political institutions, political economy, political behavior, or related fields. Application deadline: 29 April 2026. Full details are also available through the shared link.

🚨 Job Alert 🚨

We have an opening for a 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 @stawi-univie.bsky.social starting Aug/Sep 2026!

Focus: political representation, party competition, political institutions, political economy, political behavior, or related fields

📅Apply by 29 April 2026

jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...

Lecturer - Canberra / ACT, ACT, Australia Classification: Academic Level BSalary package: $121,598- $137,870 per annum plus 17% superannuationTerm: Full time, Continuing (Contingent Funded) This position is continuing (contingent funded). The...

Job! the IR Dept at ANU is hiring an entry-level position to teach both at ANU in Canberra and, intermittently, into our joint program with Ritsumeikan University in Osaka. Details in the ad. Happy to answer questions. jobs.anu.edu.au/jobs/lecture...

China and African Sovereignty: Beyond the Digital Silk Road Narrative African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

How China Reinvented the BRI Western tariffs accelerated its transformation into a sophisticated extension of China’s industrial policy.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative hasn’t just returned; it has also been fundamentally repurposed.

China and African Sovereignty: Beyond the Digital Silk Road Narrative African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

How China Reinvented the BRI Western tariffs accelerated its transformation into a sophisticated extension of China’s industrial policy.

In our piece for @foreignpolicy.com, Jessica Liao and I argue that Western tariffs didn’t slow the BRI, they helped transform it into a powerful tool of China’s industrial strategy: reshaping supply chains and deepening ties across the global south. foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/03/c...

Come work with me at the IISS' London headquarters! This is a one-year position with the possibility of renewal. We are unable to sponsor visas, but you may be eligible under the Youth Mobility Scheme visa. Please apply by April 20. www.iiss.org/careers/jobs...

China and African Sovereignty: Beyond the Digital Silk Road Narrative African states have considerable agency to shape their own digital governance and are not simply accepting models imposed on them by China or other external actors.

In our new @thediplomat.com piece, @alexmarino.bsky.social and I argue that China–Africa digital ties are too often reduced to “Digital Silk Road” narratives. In reality, African states are actively shaping outcomes and asserting their own digital sovereignty. thediplomat.com/2026/04/chin...

The West continues to misread China’s partnerships Viewing China’s partnerships through the lens of US alliance politics risks fundamentally misunderstanding how Beijing manages risk abroad.

My latest for @eastasiaforum.bsky.social examines why Western analysts keep misreading China’s partnerships, especially as events in Venezuela and Iran unfold.
eastasiaforum.org/2026/04/02/t...

The Washington Quarterly Spring 2026 issue cover

How do US elites and the public think about competition w/ China? And who finds what Chinese diplomatic signals reassuring/ threatening, and by how much?

Alex Yu-Ting Lin and I have a new article in @twqgw.bsky.social that answers these questions. Open access www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

I’m pleased to share my recent piece, which highlights the growing traction of South Korean air defense systems as alternatives to their Western counterparts. www.iiss.org/online-analy...

In 2025, investment in China’s domestic manufacture and deployment of clean electric power, transportation, and industry reached $849 billion, a slight decrease of 3% from the 2024 peak, but a tripling of levels seen only seven years ago.

Text: Thank you to our volunteers! ISA logo. Background: Columbus, Ohio.

As #ISA2026 comes to a close, we want to give a special thank you to all our #Volunteers for their hard work and dedication!

China Is Squeezing Southeast Asia As imbalances grow, a backlash is brewing.

Read Jessica Liao and @zenel25.bsky.social on how China is suffocating Southeast Asian economies—and what regional leaders can do about it:

China Is Squeezing Southeast Asia As imbalances grow, a backlash is brewing.

Southeast Asia's economic relationship with China has deepened, but not always on favorable terms. In @foreignaffairs.com , Jessica Liao and I look at how the region is responding and why domestic institutions matter more than ever. www.foreignaffairs.com/china/china-...

We are hiring! Assistant Managing Editor @ JCEA (2026–2028)

The Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia invites applications.

🗓 Deadline: April 28, 2026
📩 CV + short motivation letter

🔗 drive.google.com/file/d/1gbId...

Please share!

From Concealment to Partial Acknowledgment to Tactical Policy Shifts: China’s Response to International Pressure Regarding Xinjiang Re-Education Camps - Jan Švec, 2026 This article explores China’s responses to the international pressure regarding the mass detention of Uyghurs in re-education detention camps in Xinjiang. To un...

From Concealment to Partial Acknowledgment to Tactical Policy Shifts: China’s Response to International Pressure Regarding Xinjiang Re-Education Camps - Jan Švec, 2026 journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Peru and the Limits of Alarmism About Chinese Investment Legal, political, and sovereign constraints make the militarization of the Chinese-operated Port of Chancay far less plausible than critics suggest.

Legal, political, and sovereign constraints make the militarization of the Chinese-operated Port of Chancay far less plausible than critics suggest.

Peru and the Limits of Alarmism About Chinese Investment Legal, political, and sovereign constraints make the militarization of the Chinese-operated Port of Chancay far less plausible than critics suggest.

My recent article in the @thediplomat.com argues that claims of inevitable strategic or military conversion of the Port of Chancay overlook key legal, political, and sovereignty constraints. thediplomat.com/2026/03/peru...

We are thrilled to issue the call for applications (global.upenn.edu/future-of-us...) for our fourth fellowship cohort, made possible by generous support from @carnegie.org and the Henry Luce Foundation.
Applications are due March 17.

Cover of the "European Journal of International Security" featuring the hashtag #OpenAccess on a dark background.

#OpenAccess from @ejisbisa.bsky.social -

Rethinking survival in IR: Ontological security and narrated statehood - https://cup.org/4qrdmVN

- Eteri Tsintsadze-Maass

#FirstView

The Chinese Province Reshaping AI in Southeast Asia - China Media Project Guangxi represents the most concerted government effort so far to push the nation’s AI products abroad. A chatbot created for the Malaysian government is evidence of how AI can help reshape the region...

China's Guangxi province is spearheading the most concerted government effort yet to export Chinese AI abroad.

A chatbot built for Malaysia's government reveals how these ventures can help reshape Southeast Asia as a Chinese sphere of influence.

New Special Issue competition for @risjnl.bsky.social just dropped:

www-cambridge-org.eux.idm.oclc.org/core/journal...

Deadline 3 February 2026. If you have a cool IR idea + a diverse (but cohesive) collection of topics and authors, send it our way!

@mybisa.bsky.social @edinburghpir.bsky.social

Associate Professor of Chinese politics (290742) | University of Oslo Job title: Associate Professor of Chinese politics (290742), Employer: University of Oslo, Deadline: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

My department is hiring an associate professor in contemporary Chinese politics. Come and join me in Oslo! www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

South Africa and China Launch Joint African Modernization Initiative South Africa and China announced a new joint initiative aimed at boosting African modernization. The initiative was announced on Sunday during the closing of the G20 summit in Johannesburg. The text o...

South Africa and China launch an Africa-China Modernization Initiative aligned with Agenda 2063/AfCFTA, prioritizing African ownership, mineral value-addition, skills transfer, and peace-and-security cooperation.

South Korea's Flirtation with Nuclear Latency In 2024, Lami Kim wrote “South Korea's Nuclear Latency Dilemma,” where she argued that while South Korean attitudes toward nuclear latency were growing

It’s behind a paywall, but I wanted to share my latest article in War on the Rocks. warontherocks.com/2025/11/sout...

China’s manufacturing edge isn’t just low-cost labor; it’s the sheer density and speed of its industrial clusters. China has built ecosystems where inventors can source every part they need within a day.

Watch - tinyurl.com/3apasck6

Chinese versus U.S. Foreign Direct Investment in Africa Deborah Brautigam, a prominent expert on Chinese global financing flows, responded to recent discussions about comparisons in Chinese and U.S. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Africa. It was spark...

Deborah Brautigam’s 2024 data challenges claims that US FDI to Africa beats China’s, revealing volatile flows and the difficulty of tracking real investment.

Here’s How the AI Crash Happens The U.S. is becoming an Nvidia-state.

so @matteowong.bsky.social & I wrote on data centers: arguably the most important buildings in the world & are, in a way, holding the economy hostage. Byzantine financial instruments, private equity, depreciating tech, hype, $trillion valuations. it’s all there. an ai crash prob starts here.