How China’s Mandate of Heaven redefined legitimacy Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波  20.08.2025 Qing Dynasty (Taoist) painting of the Chinese pantheon, Hunan Museum For millennia, rulers have sought divine justification for their power but none framed it as conditionally as China’s Mandate o ...

The ideologies we embraced don’t even begin to make sense in light of real-world evidence. Alex Krainer 15/07/2025 This article is re-published with the approval of Alex Krainer, the author of “TrendCompass” For generations now, western economic thought e ...

How Western audiences reveal their programmed biases when confronted with objective analysis of Chinese politics Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波  22.07.2025 The whole situation with the awkward questioning after my lectures bears a strong resemblance to what happened to Marco Polo on ...

When language becomes a weapon The Frontier Man (Larry Johnson) 08/07/2028 Artwork: Rebellion of the Soul. The Frontier Man August 2024 This article is re-published here with the approval of the author at “Sonar21” On 5 February 2003, U.S. Secretary ...

The immense cultural differences between China and the West make the discussion about the technology competition pointless. Peter Peverelli • 15 july 2025 Chinese vs American application of AI; cartoon RedNote (disclaimer) Culture What most Westerners fail to understand is that the ...

How truth decays in a world of tribal narrative.     Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波  23.06.2025 Trust, but verify, lessons in healthy scepticism When my father-in-law boasted of shooting 23 German soldiers in World War II, I didn’t take his word for it. Digging into archives ...

and no light at the end of the tunnel … guest author Jaak Peeters 26.05.2025 Glenn Diesen The Norwegian political scientist Prof. Glenn Diesen regularly brings conversations with interesting people from the West and the East. Some people take the latter amiss, because he ...

A plea for a fundamental rethink of Europe’s approach to the conflict in Ukraine. Guestauthor: Steven Arrazola de Oñate 09/05/2025 Steven Arrazola de Oñate served his country in the Belgian army.He was stationed in Kandahar (Afghanistan),an experience about which he wrote his most r ...

One constructed by the west, one lived by the Chinese   Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波  12.05.2025 A mirror divided A friend asked me last week: “Are there two Chinas then ?” His question, while simple, struck at the heart of a deeper truth: our view of China is often not shaped by e ...

National identity as a catalyst for collective progress Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 11.04.2025 A synthesis of cultural heritage and modern nationalism Introduction The interplay of peace (和平, hépíng), harmony (和谐, héxié), and happiness (幸福, xìngfú) in China is deeply rooted in its ...

Chinese students, scientists, professors and researchers leaving the US en masse. Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 06.04.2025 China’s scientific rise: a new era of Chinese talent returning home In recent years, a growing number of Chinese scientists, researchers, and students have made the si ...

The Silent Triumph Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 06.03.2025 A Conflict of Shadows and Light In recent years, the world has witnessed an evolving battle, one that few predicted would change the course of history so dramatically. Images of fraying supply chains, rising tariffs, and the splin ...

Assessing Dominance, Policy Impacts, and the Future of Human-Machine Strategic Competition Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 04.03.2025 This is perhaps a too academic research report for many on the current state of AI compared to high IQ people. In this article the focus is on AI and IQ in relat ...

The War on Young Minds. Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 03.03.2025 The Theft of Innocence The phrase “stolen children” typically evokes images of physical abduction; a horrific crime that dominates headlines and ignites public outrage. Campaigns like Pam Palmater ‘s Justice for Our Sto ...

Aristotelian Realism vs. Humanity’s Futile Flinching. From Locomotives to Nuclear Power, the Future Refuses to Kneel. Frans Vandenbosch 方腾波 24.02.2025 Intellectual inertia Humanity’s intellectual inertia—the stubborn urge to cling to comfort over truth—has always faltered before th ...