Mary is a staff writer for the HIR interested especially in the intersection between global politics, energy, and climate change.

Every year, US citizens collectively consume 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate. While this sweet and indulgent treat is a staple for Valentine’s Day and Halloween, its colorful and shiny packaging ...

Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal peace treaty to end World War II. Both nations’ reluctance boils down to their dispute over a string of islands stretching from Hokkaido, Japan’s ...

A leader in exile. Children forced into cultural assimilation. A barrage of failed protests. For more than 50 years, China, a global superpower with a population over 400 times that of Tibet, has ...

In 2023, trade between China and Russia reached US$240 billion, a 26.3 percent increase from the previous year and more than double from 2018 (US$107 billion). Collaborations like the 2012 ...

How does overpopulation change a country? Though China and the United States have similar land surface areas of 3.6 million square miles and 3.5 million square miles, respectively, the two global ...

Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russian elites have repeatedly called on Moldova to avoid Western influence, referring to the autonomous region as “the next Ukraine.” In the aftermath of the Ukrainian ...

The dichotomy of different individuals’ experiences when a popular city surges with tourism is striking. For the vacationer, the experience is full of excitement: a chance to forget the tensions in ...

Neonicotinoid pesticides are complicated—and not just to pronounce. The name literally means “new nicotine-like insecticides,” for their chemical make-up resembles that of nicotine. Since their ...

Why has a remote, frozen island seen rising interest and involvement from foreign powers in recent years? The answer most certainly is not the weather or the snow. Located in the Arctic Circle, ...

Little of the cobalt mined in the DRC is processed domestically or on the continent. Instead, the raw material is shipped to China for refining. The journey between these mining and refining hubs is ...

Have you ever thought about selling your kidney? A piece of your liver? For many people in Asia, these difficult questions are an everyday reality. Organ trading is a huge industry. Including illegal ...