Zenel Garcia
@zenel25.bsky.social
Associate Professor of National Security and Strategy
at the U.S. Army War College. Indo-Pacific & Eurasian Security, Strategy, and Development Politics.
at the U.S. Army War College. Indo-Pacific & Eurasian Security, Strategy, and Development Politics.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
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 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...
chinaglobalsouth.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:22 PM
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.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
It’s behind a paywall, but I wanted to share my latest article in War on the Rocks. warontherocks.com/2025/11/sout...
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
warontherocks.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:14 AM
It’s behind a paywall, but I wanted to share my latest article in War on the Rocks. warontherocks.com/2025/11/sout...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
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
Watch - tinyurl.com/3apasck6
November 19, 2025 at 8:15 AM
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
Watch - tinyurl.com/3apasck6
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
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.
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...
chinaglobalsouth.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:43 AM
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.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
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.
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens
The U.S. is becoming an Nvidia-state.
www.theatlantic.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:25 PM
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.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! This time we explore what it means to come of age in China today, at a moment when the paths to adulthood are increasingly uncertain, yet the pressure to succeed remains relentless. Download the whole issue at madeinchinajournal.com/2025/10/27/b...
October 28, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The new issue of the Made in China Journal is out! This time we explore what it means to come of age in China today, at a moment when the paths to adulthood are increasingly uncertain, yet the pressure to succeed remains relentless. Download the whole issue at madeinchinajournal.com/2025/10/27/b...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
What does it mean to come of age in a society where the paths to adulthood are increasingly uncertain, yet the pressure to succeed remains relentless?
Find out more in the latest issue of ‘Made in China Journal’: doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Find out more in the latest issue of ‘Made in China Journal’: doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
October 27, 2025 at 11:10 PM
What does it mean to come of age in a society where the paths to adulthood are increasingly uncertain, yet the pressure to succeed remains relentless?
Find out more in the latest issue of ‘Made in China Journal’: doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Find out more in the latest issue of ‘Made in China Journal’: doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
AAS and Lahore University of Management Sciences are teaming up to co-host the AAS-in-Asia 2026 conference in Pakistan! We are now accepting proposals for organized panels and roundtables; submit yours by November 13.
aasinasia.org
aasinasia.org
October 21, 2025 at 1:04 PM
AAS and Lahore University of Management Sciences are teaming up to co-host the AAS-in-Asia 2026 conference in Pakistan! We are now accepting proposals for organized panels and roundtables; submit yours by November 13.
aasinasia.org
aasinasia.org
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Washington thought coercion would keep China down. But as @yelingtan.bsky.social @Mark Dallas @himself.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social show, it did the opposite. Dependence became danger — and China learned to turn US pressure into its own power. geoeconomic.substack.com/p/america-th...
America, the Bumerang Master
How Washington Built Chinese Leverage Over...Washington (on Tan, Dallas, Farrell, Newman)
geoeconomic.substack.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Washington thought coercion would keep China down. But as @yelingtan.bsky.social @Mark Dallas @himself.bsky.social & @abenewman.bsky.social show, it did the opposite. Dependence became danger — and China learned to turn US pressure into its own power. geoeconomic.substack.com/p/america-th...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
This upcoming issue of ‘Made in China Journal’ dives deep into how a generation is navigating constraint, competition and creativity, from digital platforms to poetry and from co-living to basketball courts.
Register your interest to learn more doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Register your interest to learn more doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
October 13, 2025 at 2:44 AM
This upcoming issue of ‘Made in China Journal’ dives deep into how a generation is navigating constraint, competition and creativity, from digital platforms to poetry and from co-living to basketball courts.
Register your interest to learn more doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Register your interest to learn more doi.org/10.22459/MIC...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Even as Chinese state banks pull back, Chinese construction firms are thriving across Africa. Their edge? Flexibility, local alliances & deep networks that let them win projects, with or without Beijing’s money.
Chinese Companies Are Changing the Way They Operate in Africa
By Elisa Gambino and Costanza Franceschini For most of the past 25 years, Chinese construction companies operating in Africa could count on generous financial backing from Chinese banks. Between 2000 ...
chinaglobalsouth.com
October 12, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Even as Chinese state banks pull back, Chinese construction firms are thriving across Africa. Their edge? Flexibility, local alliances & deep networks that let them win projects, with or without Beijing’s money.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Proud to launch the Digital Library of Chinese Classics! 510 texts, 20 years of research, 500 scholars, 282 vols, in one comprehensive digital collection, empowered by Brill’s renowned dictionaries. Check it out:
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_DLCC?utm...
scholarlyeditions.brill.com/product/dlcc/
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_DLCC?utm...
scholarlyeditions.brill.com/product/dlcc/
October 1, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Proud to launch the Digital Library of Chinese Classics! 510 texts, 20 years of research, 500 scholars, 282 vols, in one comprehensive digital collection, empowered by Brill’s renowned dictionaries. Check it out:
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_DLCC?utm...
scholarlyeditions.brill.com/product/dlcc/
marketing.degruyterbrill.com/DGB_DLCC?utm...
scholarlyeditions.brill.com/product/dlcc/
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Chinese infrastructure projects in Africa are often seen as rigid, but host governments can shape terms. Skilled negotiation on loans, resources, and repayment helps determine whether deals drive development or increase fiscal strain.
Latest article in the series - tinyurl.com/4sdnrbp5
Latest article in the series - tinyurl.com/4sdnrbp5
We launched a new series that unpacks how Chinese-backed power projects in Africa work.
We hosted Naa Adjekai Adjei, CGSP’s non-resident fellow for Africa and the lead on this series, about her findings so far and what to expect next.
Watch - tinyurl.com/yum3r982
We hosted Naa Adjekai Adjei, CGSP’s non-resident fellow for Africa and the lead on this series, about her findings so far and what to expect next.
Watch - tinyurl.com/yum3r982
September 28, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Chinese infrastructure projects in Africa are often seen as rigid, but host governments can shape terms. Skilled negotiation on loans, resources, and repayment helps determine whether deals drive development or increase fiscal strain.
Latest article in the series - tinyurl.com/4sdnrbp5
Latest article in the series - tinyurl.com/4sdnrbp5
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
The truth about China’s port empire isn’t in the headlines — it’s in the messy details.
Ports, Politics, and Power: The Messy Reality of China’s Overseas Port Investments
What if China’s global port empire isn’t the master plan Washington fears, but a patchwork of messy deals shaped as much by local politics as Beijing’s
warontherocks.com
September 11, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The truth about China’s port empire isn’t in the headlines — it’s in the messy details.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
In @warontherocks.bsky.social @zenel25.bsky.social & I argue that Beijing may have strategic aims for port investments, but #SOE, provincial, & host-country goals & rivalries keep things complicated & not guaranteed. States retain #sovereign power to steer & control what happens tinyurl.com/4ratufkz
Ports, Politics, and Power: The Messy Reality of China’s Overseas Port Investments
What if China’s global port empire isn’t the master plan Washington fears, but a patchwork of messy deals shaped as much by local politics as Beijing’s
tinyurl.com
September 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
In @warontherocks.bsky.social @zenel25.bsky.social & I argue that Beijing may have strategic aims for port investments, but #SOE, provincial, & host-country goals & rivalries keep things complicated & not guaranteed. States retain #sovereign power to steer & control what happens tinyurl.com/4ratufkz
In @warontherocks.bsky.social Dr. Meise and I argue that China’s port investments aren’t a single, coherent strategy for global dominance. Beijing has strategic aims, but projects are shaped by SOEs seeking profit, provincial rivalries, and host country politics. warontherocks.com/2025/09/port...
Ports, Politics, and Power: The Messy Reality of China’s Overseas Port Investments
What if China’s global port empire isn’t the master plan Washington fears, but a patchwork of messy deals shaped as much by local politics as Beijing’s
warontherocks.com
September 11, 2025 at 4:55 PM
In @warontherocks.bsky.social Dr. Meise and I argue that China’s port investments aren’t a single, coherent strategy for global dominance. Beijing has strategic aims, but projects are shaped by SOEs seeking profit, provincial rivalries, and host country politics. warontherocks.com/2025/09/port...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
The Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (Scopus-indexed) seeks reviewers for: 1) Geopolitics at the Internet’s Core (Springer, 2025) & 2) Innovation-Development Detours for Latecomers (CUP, 2024). Reviews: 3–5 pp. Info: jceasia.org Volunteer: jceabooks@gmail.com
Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
A Peer-Reviewed Journal on Convergence and Future Studies in Asia
jceasia.org
September 5, 2025 at 11:47 AM
The Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia (Scopus-indexed) seeks reviewers for: 1) Geopolitics at the Internet’s Core (Springer, 2025) & 2) Innovation-Development Detours for Latecomers (CUP, 2024). Reviews: 3–5 pp. Info: jceasia.org Volunteer: jceabooks@gmail.com
In our piece for @madeinchinajournal.com, @pguer.bsky.social and I examine the paradoxes of China’s hydropower: a technology meant to solve problems that often deepens them. Using the lens of technopolitics, we show how technology reshapes power itself. madeinchinajournal.com/2025/09/04/t...
The Technopolitics of China’s Yarlung Tsangpo Dam Project and the Paradox of Hydropower | Made in China Journal
Three years after announcing their intent to construct a mega-dam along the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River as part of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, Chinese officials gave their approval to proce...
madeinchinajournal.com
September 4, 2025 at 12:15 PM
In our piece for @madeinchinajournal.com, @pguer.bsky.social and I examine the paradoxes of China’s hydropower: a technology meant to solve problems that often deepens them. Using the lens of technopolitics, we show how technology reshapes power itself. madeinchinajournal.com/2025/09/04/t...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
From Sanmenxia and Three Gorges to the Yarlung Tsangpo Dam, China has long relied on monumental hydropower to prove state capacity. @zenel25.bsky.social and @pguer.bsky.social show how such projects, while promising development and security, often deepen the very insecurities they claim to resolve.
The Technopolitics of China’s Yarlung Tsangpo Dam Project and the Paradox of Hydropower | Made in China Journal
Three years after announcing their intent to construct a mega-dam along the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River as part of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan, Chinese officials gave their approval to proce...
madeinchinajournal.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:42 AM
From Sanmenxia and Three Gorges to the Yarlung Tsangpo Dam, China has long relied on monumental hydropower to prove state capacity. @zenel25.bsky.social and @pguer.bsky.social show how such projects, while promising development and security, often deepen the very insecurities they claim to resolve.
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Excited to be offering our bespoke fieldwork methods course "Doing Fieldwork in Challenging Contexts" with @xiananj.bsky.social for @komex.bsky.social next February, alongside a truly fantastic line-up of courses - with something for every methodological persuasion!
Registration is NOW OPEN for #KOMEX2026
✨ Excellence. Affordability. No flights.
In-person @uni-konstanz.de or online via #ekomex
Learn from top scholars in:
🧠 R, Python, NVivo, QCA, Process Tracing, ML, SNA & more
🗓️ Feb 2026
🔗 Join: afww.uni-konstanz.de/en/komex/kon...
@methodsnet.bsky.social
✨ Excellence. Affordability. No flights.
In-person @uni-konstanz.de or online via #ekomex
Learn from top scholars in:
🧠 R, Python, NVivo, QCA, Process Tracing, ML, SNA & more
🗓️ Feb 2026
🔗 Join: afww.uni-konstanz.de/en/komex/kon...
@methodsnet.bsky.social
August 26, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Excited to be offering our bespoke fieldwork methods course "Doing Fieldwork in Challenging Contexts" with @xiananj.bsky.social for @komex.bsky.social next February, alongside a truly fantastic line-up of courses - with something for every methodological persuasion!
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
Studying philosophy does make people better thinkers, according to new research on more than 600,000 college grads theconversation.com/studying-phi...
Studying philosophy does make people better thinkers, according to new research on more than 600,000 college grads
Philosophers are fond of saying that their field boosts critical thinking. Two of them decided to put that claim to the test.
theconversation.com
August 22, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Studying philosophy does make people better thinkers, according to new research on more than 600,000 college grads theconversation.com/studying-phi...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
NEW ANALYSIS: Record solar growth keeps China's CO2 falling in H1 2025, extending a decline since Mar 2024
☀️212GW added in H1 alone (US only has 178GW, in total)
⚡Power CO2 down 3%
🏗️Steel/cement falling too
🏭Coal-chemicals only sector to rise
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/8
☀️212GW added in H1 alone (US only has 178GW, in total)
⚡Power CO2 down 3%
🏗️Steel/cement falling too
🏭Coal-chemicals only sector to rise
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/8
August 21, 2025 at 9:46 AM
NEW ANALYSIS: Record solar growth keeps China's CO2 falling in H1 2025, extending a decline since Mar 2024
☀️212GW added in H1 alone (US only has 178GW, in total)
⚡Power CO2 down 3%
🏗️Steel/cement falling too
🏭Coal-chemicals only sector to rise
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/8
☀️212GW added in H1 alone (US only has 178GW, in total)
⚡Power CO2 down 3%
🏗️Steel/cement falling too
🏭Coal-chemicals only sector to rise
www.carbonbrief.org/...
1/8
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
A new flyer and promo code for 20% off my forthcoming book at the @stanfordpress.bsky.social website: www.sup.org/books/politi...
August 19, 2025 at 8:09 PM
A new flyer and promo code for 20% off my forthcoming book at the @stanfordpress.bsky.social website: www.sup.org/books/politi...
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
🚨Open Session submitted for the upcoming RSA & ANZRSAI Conference 🚨
S01: Rethinking Talent Geographies in Shrinking and Peripheral Regions: New Methods, Global Patterns, and Policy Innovation
For more information on this session and the conference:
💻 bit.ly/4okCnlk
Abstracts by: 19 September
S01: Rethinking Talent Geographies in Shrinking and Peripheral Regions: New Methods, Global Patterns, and Policy Innovation
For more information on this session and the conference:
💻 bit.ly/4okCnlk
Abstracts by: 19 September
August 19, 2025 at 10:40 AM
🚨Open Session submitted for the upcoming RSA & ANZRSAI Conference 🚨
S01: Rethinking Talent Geographies in Shrinking and Peripheral Regions: New Methods, Global Patterns, and Policy Innovation
For more information on this session and the conference:
💻 bit.ly/4okCnlk
Abstracts by: 19 September
S01: Rethinking Talent Geographies in Shrinking and Peripheral Regions: New Methods, Global Patterns, and Policy Innovation
For more information on this session and the conference:
💻 bit.ly/4okCnlk
Abstracts by: 19 September
Reposted by Zenel Garcia
🚨Abstract Deadline Day for 2025 Regional Futures Conference 🚨
⌛18 August
Join the RSA community in 🌎London, UK 🗓️13-14 November.
For more information and to submit your abstract:
🔗 bit.ly/4lgfLj3
😀🔁
⌛18 August
Join the RSA community in 🌎London, UK 🗓️13-14 November.
For more information and to submit your abstract:
🔗 bit.ly/4lgfLj3
😀🔁
August 18, 2025 at 8:41 AM
🚨Abstract Deadline Day for 2025 Regional Futures Conference 🚨
⌛18 August
Join the RSA community in 🌎London, UK 🗓️13-14 November.
For more information and to submit your abstract:
🔗 bit.ly/4lgfLj3
😀🔁
⌛18 August
Join the RSA community in 🌎London, UK 🗓️13-14 November.
For more information and to submit your abstract:
🔗 bit.ly/4lgfLj3
😀🔁