Adam Simpson

Environmental activism and authoritarianism in Myanmar: interrogating assemblages across three political epochs After a decade of semi-democracy, the 2021 coup returned much of Myanmar to military rule. This development provides an opportunity to understand the (re-)configuration of environmental activism as...

New Open Access article in @environmentalpol.bsky.social with my fantastic collaborators Tom Kean and Susan Park looking at Myanmar’s environment movement over the last quarter of a century through the prism of assemblages doi.org/10.1080/0964...

New Open Access article in @environmentalpol.bsky.social with my fantastic collaborators Tom Kean and Susan Park looking at Myanmar’s environment movement over the last quarter of a century through the prism of assemblages

My new article on the disappointing Thai election results: ‘In a small silver lining for progressive forces, a referendum on amending the constitution passed easily. But Anutin and the conservatives are now in control of the drafting and approval process, which they could draw out for years.’

My article on Takaichi’s election win in Japan: ‘voters will now expect to see a return on their investment … Improving living standards in a country with a rapidly shrinking workforce and ageing population without mass immigration will test her political skills much more than winning an election.’

Our new article on the fifth anniversary of the Myanmar coup

5 years on from the junta’s coup, Myanmar’s flawed elections can’t unite a country at risk of breaking apart Far from being free and fair, the elections lack any meaningful resemblance to democratic practice.

My latest in the Conversation with Nich Farrelly on the 5th anniversary of the coup in Myanmar. Elections just held are ‘devoid of meaningful democratic practice. They will entrench the junta … and … major powers will further normalise relations’ theconversation.com/5-years-on-f...

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?

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...

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.’

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.

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...

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’

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)’

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.

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.’

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’

'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.

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

‘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

Brilliant work by the Trump administration supporting free speech and democracy www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

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...

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...

Some good exposure for my earlier article eviscerating #Dutton’s #nuclear policy which has a full page spread in the Conversation’s Quarterly Impact Report after a follow up interview with AAP and use by GetUp! in their social media campaign

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%

Go Zoe! 🤗

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.’

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...

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’’

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