Maura Elizabeth Cunningham

I should have known that there was no way I’d get a Sunday post done just as the AAS Annual Conference was wrapping up, but I persisted in that belief nonetheless. And then it was going to be for Monday … then Tuesday … and now, here I am, writing this on a train to Chicago and admitting that I should never expect to get anything else done just before, during, or immediately after the Annual Conference. I’ve worked at AAS for eight years, but I’m still learning.

The conference went really well, I barely saw anything in Columbus outside the convention center and conference hotels, and I’m still catching up on sleep. This trip to Chicago is so my brother and I can hang out and relax there for a few days, plus see the Flyers play on Sunday afternoon. By then, I hope, I’ll be back on track with my regular reading, writing, and posting schedule.

Thanks for joining me this week.

New Goodreads Reviews

Recommendations

China Stories

Chris Buckley, “What Slowdown? Xi Says China Must Win the Global Tech Race.”

Eliot Chen, “To Achieve Food Security, Xi Turns to the Private Sector”

Christopher Chivvis, “U.S.-Soviet Détente and the Future of U.S.-China Relations”

Yimou Lee, “Taiwan fears Beijing is taking independence crackdown overseas”

These influencer trips, organized from the central level down to a new generation of state-run local “international communication centers,” are part of a sophisticated Chinese soft power strategy to reshape its image in Indonesia, where historical skepticism toward China persists despite growing economic ties. By leveraging the voices of popular Indonesian figures with massive online followings, China aims to complement traditional diplomatic channels and create a more nuanced narrative that portrays China as a modern, culturally rich partner while potentially shifting attention away from more complicated questions about its regional influence.

— Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat and Yeta Purnama, “Influencer Diplomacy”

Vivian Wang, “‘Let’s Not Talk About It’: 5 Years Later, China’s Covid Shadow Lingers”

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, “Thailand’s deportation of Uyghurs to China has echoes of 10 years ago”

Wanderings Around the World

Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, “‘I was so close’: Fired federal workers lose student loan forgiveness”

Olivia George, “Funding freeze leaves Fulbright and study-abroad scholars stranded”

Featured photo: High Street in the Italian Village of Columbus, Ohio, March 16, 2025.