Read more about our Contributors

Chysanti Arumsari is a lecturer in English language subjects in Universitas Indonesia, with a current teaching focus on English for tourism. She holds MAs in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of Hull, UK, and in Arts and Culture from Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Her research experience spans science, technology, and society studies; Chinese-Indonesian studies—particularly the Cap Go Meh celebration and community dynamics across Indonesia; as well as the latest on soft power, Russia, and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. In addition to her academic work, she has extensive professional experience in public relations and international engagement at Universitas Indonesia.

Reynaldo de Archellie is an Assistant Professor in Russian Studies and a PhD candidate in history in the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia. His current research encompasses the diplomatic history of Indonesia-Russia bilateral relations, nationalist elements in Russian history, and Russian soft power in the East Asia region. He has been involved in research on Chinese communities in Indonesia over the last 5 years and on Indonesia’s local leadership over the last 3 years.

Akshit Tyagi is an intern at Australian Outlook at the Australian Institute of International Affairs. He is a postgraduate student in International Relations at the Australian National University, Canberra, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism. He previously worked as a business reporter in New Delhi and has written for The Canberra Times, Woroni (ANU student media), The Hill, and other publications.

Dr Marida Nach is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Nelson Mandela University, specialising in Economics and Development Finance, with a focus on International Economics, Finance, Trade, and the Digital Economy. Her research interests include South-South cooperation, particularly BRICS and AfCFTA integration. 

Nick Hordern is a former diplomat and journalist. His next book, 'Loyalty: Australians, Japanese and Espionage on the eve of the Pacific War,' will shortly be published by Australian Scholarly Press.

Amit Ranjan is a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Bian Sai is a Ph.D. candidate at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University and academic visitor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Mobeen Jafar Mir is a Research Officer at the Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS), Islamabad. His research focuses on U.S. foreign policy, particularly in the areas of strategy, technology, and arms control. He is currently pursuing an M.Phil. in International Relations at the School of Politics and International Relations, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad. He can be found on Twitter @jafar_mobeen.

Dr Anthony Bergin is an expert associate at the National Security College at the Australian National University and senior fellow at Strategic Analysis Australia.

Dr Garima Sarkar is a political scientist specializing in gender and politics, party systems, and the formal and informal dynamics of candidate selection in South and Southeast Asia. She holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from McMaster University, where her dissertation, Barriers to Women in Politics: Candidate Selection and Informal Party Politics in India, examined how party institutions and informal practices shape women’s access to political candidacy. She is currently developing this research into a book with Oxford University Press South Asia series. Her research interests include gender and party politics, political recruitment, informal institutions, electoral systems, comparative public policy, ethnic politics, and representational politics. She has contributed to major research initiatives, including the SSHRC-funded Ethnic Quota Project, studies on democratic backsliding in Asia, and comparative research on gender quotas in South and Southeast Asia. Currently, she teaches at O.P. Jindal Global University, where she offers courses on Comparative Democratization, Globalization and World Order, Comparative Party Systems, and Elections and Identity: Comparative Perspectives. In addition, she serves as the Co-Director of the Centre for Analytical Research and Engagement (CARE), a research Centre housed at her current school, where she works as a Principal PI on multiple projects focused on India’s party politics and electoral campaigns. With over 12 years of teaching and research experience in India and Canada, her work bridges empirical research, policy analysis, and academic teaching, with a focus on understanding how institutions and political behaviour shape representation and how reforms can foster more inclusive political systems.