Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
Academic with an interest in authoritarian regimes, democratisation, conflict, genocide and environmental politics particularly in Myanmar, Thailand and the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Political science
33%
Communication & Media Studies
13%
Born to be a little wild: Who is Japan’s first female PM?
She plays drums for fun, barely sleeps – and is popular right now. What challenges does Sanae Takaichi face in the top job?
www.smh.com.au
I was interviewed for this great long-form article in the Age/SMH on new Japanese PM: ‘The sight of a woman leading a government for the first time offers some hope for younger women that they may be able to make an impact in Japanese politics, and Japanese society’
www.smh.com.au/world/asia/b...
www.smh.com.au/world/asia/b...
Geopolitical shifts are consolidating Myanmar’s military rule, even as anti-junta forces maintain control over parts of the country’s borderlands, writes Adam Simpson.
Myanmar faces permanent Balkanisation as the world tilts towards authoritarianism
Geopolitical shifts are consolidating Myanmar’s military rule, even as anti-junta forces maintain control over parts of the country’s borderlands, writes Adam Simpson.
eastasiaforum.org
Just had this article on Myanmar published in EAF: ‘[Opposition forces] are likely to retain control over most of the de jure and de facto autonomous regions they have carved out … The permanent Balkanisation of Myanmar into predominantly ethnic statelets now looks inevitable.’
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Myanmar faces permanent Balkanisation as the world tilts towards authoritarianism
Geopolitical shifts are consolidating Myanmar’s military rule, even as anti-junta forces maintain control over parts of the country’s borderlands, writes Adam Simpson.
eastasiaforum.org
Geopolitical shifts are consolidating Myanmar’s military rule, even as anti-junta forces maintain control over parts of the country’s borderlands, writes Adam Simpson.
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Oct 22
Japan’s economy needs foreign workers, not the nationalist approach pushed by its new leader
Sanae Takaichi has voiced anti-immigrant policies at a time when Japan’s population continues to fall, threatening economic stagnation.
theconversation.com
My thoughts on the new Japanese PM - she might be more pragmatic once in office but with a conservative coalition partner there will be pressure to toe the right-wing populist line
theconversation.com/japans-econo...
theconversation.com/japans-econo...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Sep 8
In a surprise move, a progressive party threw its support behind the conservative Anutin Charnvirakul in exchange for promises of reform.
Thailand has another new prime minister and an opening for progress. But will anything change?
theconversation.com
Thailand has a new PM, again. Here’s my analysis in @aunz.theconversation.com published a few minutes after the parliamentary vote on Friday. It took around 47 different drafts last week following the usual twists and turns of Thai politics
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Thailand has another new prime minister and an opening for progress. But will anything change?
theconversation.com
In a surprise move, a progressive party threw its support behind the conservative Anutin Charnvirakul in exchange for promises of reform.
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Aug 13
Is the new South Korean president’s softer approach to the North wise in a challenging new security environment?
Read more: theconversation.com/with-ne...
Read more: theconversation.com/with-ne...
I’m currently in Seoul. My new article in the Conversation has just come out: ‘These developments mean #SouthKorea & its allies will need to deal with a much more battle-hardened and technologically advanced #NorthKorea military … its antiquated systems are being rapidly transformed’
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Is the new South Korean president’s softer approach to the North wise in a challenging new security environment?
Read more: theconversation.com/with-ne...
Read more: theconversation.com/with-ne...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Aug 7
Myanmar’s generals are planning an election, but the opposition says it's a sham. Trump’s interest in the country risks being interpreted as legitimising the polls.
👉 theconversation.com/as-trum...
👉 theconversation.com/as-trum...
My article just published in the Conversation on latest shenanigans regarding #Myanmar’s deeply flawed elections, its rare earths and the (no real) options for extraction by the #Trump administration
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Myanmar’s generals are planning an election, but the opposition says it's a sham. Trump’s interest in the country risks being interpreted as legitimising the polls.
👉 theconversation.com/as-trum...
👉 theconversation.com/as-trum...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Jun 2
Though the president has few powers, one of them is vetoing legislation. This means Karol Nawrocki’s win will be felt keenly, both in Poland and across Europe.
Pro-Trump candidate wins Poland’s presidential election – a bad omen for the EU, Ukraine and women
theconversation.com
My thoughts for the Conversation on Sunday’s result in #Poland’s presidential vote: ‘As in other recent global elections, women and those with higher formal education voted progressive (#Trzaskowski), while men and those with less formal education voted conservative (#Nawrocki)’
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Pro-Trump candidate wins Poland’s presidential election – a bad omen for the EU, Ukraine and women
theconversation.com
Though the president has few powers, one of them is vetoing legislation. This means Karol Nawrocki’s win will be felt keenly, both in Poland and across Europe.
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· May 8
The future of nuclear after Coalition's election loss - The Wire
Labor’s opposition to nuclear energy, and push to renewables, was one defining policy of the election, reflecting broader shifts in...
www.thewire.org.au
I gave a short interview for The Wire radio program on the #Coalition’s #nuclear policy - the party room is moving regional and conservative. ‘Unelectable’ would be another word for it. www.thewire.org.au/story/the-fu...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· May 8
Is nuclear dead? Signs Coalition's policy isn't buried despite election loss
The Liberals and Nationals will review their policy platforms as they assess their sweeping election defeat, which resulted in Labor claiming a majority government.
www.sbs.com.au
I was interviewed by SBS News on the #Coalition’s #nuclear policy: if they keep a pro-nuclear policy for 2028 I argued ‘it would cause "further devastation" within its remaining metropolitan seats and push the Coalition into the "electoral wilderness" for a generation’
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· May 7
Nuclear should be dead after the Coalition loss. But it might live on
If conservative Nationals prevail, we may well see nuclear policy survive the election post-mortem and be resurrected for the next poll.
www.thenewdaily.com.au
A nice republish of my post-election nuclear policy article by The New Daily www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· May 5
Coalition support for nuclear power in Australia may survive their devastating election loss.
Pie in the sky? After the Coalition’s stinging loss, nuclear should be dead. Here’s why it might live on
theconversation.com
Here’s my analysis in the Conversation on the wash up after the Australian election. The final point is that ‘given the new power of the Nationals and regional Liberals in the party room, we may not have seen the last of nuclear fantasies in Australia.’
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Pie in the sky? After the Coalition’s stinging loss, nuclear should be dead. Here’s why it might live on
theconversation.com
Coalition support for nuclear power in Australia may survive their devastating election loss.
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Apr 17
The law against insulting the Thai monarchy has become a common tool for silencing Thai activists. Now, a foreign academic has been targeted.
Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic
theconversation.com
My latest for the Conversation on academic freedom under attack in Thailand and the links to Trumpland: ‘In the future, universities in Thailand, as in the US, will find it harder to attract international talent. Universities – and the broader society – in both countries will be worse off for it’
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Thailand’s fragile democracy takes another hit with arrest of US academic
theconversation.com
The law against insulting the Thai monarchy has become a common tool for silencing Thai activists. Now, a foreign academic has been targeted.
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Apr 2
'Puny': US sends three-person disaster team to Myanmar after USAID gutted
The United States is sending a three-person disaster response team to earthquake-stricken Myanmar, days after much larger contingents from China and Russia began pulling people out of the rubble.
www.abc.net.au
I was interviewed by ABC News on the impact of #USAID cuts and US response to the #Myanmar earthquake: Dr Simpson said the US would remain a major global power and economy 4 some time
“but the evidence of its trajectory towards isolation and diminution is irrefutable”
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...
“but the evidence of its trajectory towards isolation and diminution is irrefutable”
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Mar 29
Thousands are feared dead in Myanmar’s quake. Trump’s USAID cuts will cause even more unnecessary deaths
USAID accounted for a third of Myanmar’s foreign aid last year. Now, this funding is gone as the country grapples with a devastating earthquake.
theconversation.com
Just had this published analysing the disastrous earthquake that hit #Myanmar and its neighbours. We all know that Trump’s #USAID cuts mean more people will die. #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar theconversation.com/thousands-ar...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Mar 2
Four years Post Coup, Myanmar's Opposition Forces score Strategic Victories
As Myanmar’s civil war continues, new reports reveal opposition forces have scored major territorial victories over the military junta.
Coupled with a full-blown economic and humanitarian crisis, the...
4zzz.org.au
Here’s the full version of my recent interview on #Myanmar which played on 4ZZZ. It allowed more time to delve into the details of the current conflict as well as the historical background, e.g. British colonialism and democracy 4zzz.org.au/news/four-ye...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Feb 24
‘We have nothing now’: Myanmar’s exiled media face existential crisis after Trump severs aid
Organisations that take extreme risks to document atrocities, corruption and war crimes fear for their future after USAid cuts
www.theguardian.com
Brilliant work by the Trump administration supporting free speech and democracy www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Feb 24
Four years after the coup, Myanmar still in the grips of civil war - The Wire
As Myanmar’s civil war continues, new reports reveal opposition forces have scored territorial victories over the military junta. Coupled with...
www.thewire.org.au
I was recently interviewed by The Wire current affairs radio program for this episode on the 4th anniversary of the Myanmar coup. The program is available to more than 200 radio stations around Australia www.thewire.org.au/story/four-y...
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Feb 13
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Feb 6
Consequences:
Tesla's sales plummet across Europe
Registrations in Germany fall 59% amid consumer backlash against Musk's political activism
Tesla’s drop came as the German EV market in January grew more than 50 per cent YoY, pushing its market share down from 14 to 4%
Tesla's sales plummet across Europe
Registrations in Germany fall 59% amid consumer backlash against Musk's political activism
Tesla’s drop came as the German EV market in January grew more than 50 per cent YoY, pushing its market share down from 14 to 4%
Reposted by Adam Simpson
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Feb 4
Go Zoe! 🤗
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Jan 28
My latest on the 4th anniversary of the #Myanmar coup: ‘Even if the junta can be ousted, creating a workable federal system that involves power-sharing among the complex patchwork of ethnic groups will be a difficult task. How to reintegrate nearly a million Rohingya is another daunting challenge.’
Adam Simpson
@simpsonaj.bsky.social
· Jan 20
Nuclear tactics pitch politics over policy, say experts
With the coalition's nuclear policy facing staunch opposition from the scientific community and state governments, experts debate its...
www.canberratimes.com.au
I was interviewed by AAP about the Coalition’s #nuclear power policy and gave it the treatment it deserved, arguing the plan is unlikely to "ever see the light of day in Australia". The article was published in the Canberra Times & 75 regional outlets. www.canberratimes.com.au/story/886965...