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
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...
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
November 18, 2025 at 12:48 AM
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...
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.’
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
November 16, 2025 at 12:56 AM
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.’
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...
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
October 22, 2025 at 10:21 AM
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...
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
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
September 8, 2025 at 12:40 AM
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
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’
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...
August 13, 2025 at 8:27 AM
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’
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
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...
August 7, 2025 at 2:37 AM
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
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)’
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
June 2, 2025 at 8:17 AM
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)’
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...
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
May 8, 2025 at 10:21 PM
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...
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...
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
May 8, 2025 at 10:09 PM
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...
A nice republish of my post-election nuclear policy article by The New Daily www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic...
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
May 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
A nice republish of my post-election nuclear policy article by The New Daily www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/politic...
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.’
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
May 5, 2025 at 5:22 AM
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.’
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’
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
April 17, 2025 at 4:43 AM
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’
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...
'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
April 2, 2025 at 7:37 AM
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...
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...
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
March 29, 2025 at 6:43 AM
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...
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...
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
March 2, 2025 at 10:57 PM
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...
Brilliant work by the Trump administration supporting free speech and democracy www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
‘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
February 24, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Brilliant work by the Trump administration supporting free speech and democracy www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
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...
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
February 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
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...
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%
February 6, 2025 at 8:53 PM
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%
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.’
January 28, 2025 at 8:20 PM
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.’
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...
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
January 20, 2025 at 6:29 AM
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...
My latest with esteemed colleague Juliette McIntyre in @eastasiaforum on the ICC Prosecutor’s #Myanmar decision: ‘this case demonstrates that a measure of justice still might be achieved through international courts in a world increasingly driven by nationalism & the principle of ‘might is right’’
The ICC shows that international courts still have teeth as it moves to hold Myanmar's junta accountable for crimes against humanity, write Juliette McIntyre and Adam Simpson.
Legal noose tightens on Myanmar junta
The ICC shows that international courts still have teeth as it moves to hold Myanmar's junta accountable for crimes against humanity, write Juliette McIntyre and Adam Simpson.
eastasiaforum.org
December 19, 2024 at 8:47 AM
My latest with esteemed colleague Juliette McIntyre in @eastasiaforum on the ICC Prosecutor’s #Myanmar decision: ‘this case demonstrates that a measure of justice still might be achieved through international courts in a world increasingly driven by nationalism & the principle of ‘might is right’’
My latest article in @aunz.theconversation.com on #China private security companies in #Myanmar: As the recent fall of the Syria regime demonstrates authoritarian regimes facing widespread militant opposition can fall quickly .. backing a brutal regime can leave military and economic assets stranded
China wants to use private security contractors to protect its investment projects in the war-ravaged country.
Chinese security companies are putting boots on the ground in Myanmar. It could go disastrously wrong
China wants to use private security contractors to protect its investment projects in the war-ravaged country.
theconversation.com
December 11, 2024 at 2:49 AM
My latest article in @aunz.theconversation.com on #China private security companies in #Myanmar: As the recent fall of the Syria regime demonstrates authoritarian regimes facing widespread militant opposition can fall quickly .. backing a brutal regime can leave military and economic assets stranded
Just reposting my recent article on elections in #Moldova and #Georgia since AusNZ @aunz.theconversation.com is now on BlueSky 😊
My latest article for @theconversation.bsky.social on the important elections in Georgia and Moldova this week: ‘These elections in Georgia and Moldova are crucial for reinforcing democratic rights in vulnerable former Soviet states.’ theconversation.com/whats-at-sta...
What’s at stake in elections in Georgia and Moldova this week: a stark choice between Russia and the West
While many people in Moldova and Georgia support closer integration with Europe, Russia’s efforts to interfere in the votes has the potential to destabilise both countries.
theconversation.com
November 28, 2024 at 8:38 PM
Just reposting my recent article on elections in #Moldova and #Georgia since AusNZ @aunz.theconversation.com is now on BlueSky 😊
Some good news
Australia is on track to reach the Albanese government’s 43% emissions reduction target by 2030, according to the most recent analysis by the f Climate Change department.
Australia on track to meet 2030 43% emission’s reduction target, on latest figures
Australia is on track to reach the Albanese government’s 43% emissions reduction target by 2030, according to the most recent analysis by the f Climate Change department.
theconversation.com
November 28, 2024 at 8:19 PM
Some good news