Luc is an undergraduate International Relations student at the University of Edinburgh, where he has been heavily involved in elevating research-based political discourse through Leviathan, the universities student-led political journal. A passionate international relations enthusiast committed to the study of the economic and security dichotomies of the Asia-Pacific region. Luc’s primary interests are China, the defence industry, geostrategic relations and national security policy.
Does Russia Possess Soft Power?
Joseph Nye defined soft power as the ability to shape other actors' preferences through co-optation and attraction rather than through force or the threat of force. All major powers possess…
Russian Nuclear Policy – A Review of ‘The Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence’
The 'Basic Principles' was an executive order published on 2 June 2020 by President Putin. It is noteworthy because it is the first stand-alone articulation of nuclear policy. The 'Military…
Hong Kong’s Electoral Crackdown
This article was written as part of an application for the Financial Times Paul McClean Graduate program. On January 6th, the Hong Kong Police Force arrested more than 50 prominent…
The Ideational Forces that Constitute the ‘China Threat’ to Asia-Pacific Stability
The literature that deals with a ‘rising China’ has been asymmetrically focused on material gains over the last 40 years and the subsequent threat to the status quo of international…
Nationalism in Xi’s China
The prevailing consensus when discussing Chinese nationalism is that it is ‘rising’. The term ‘rising’ to describe the trajectory of Chinese nationalism has been advanced by many scholars, including Carlson…
The World’s New Largest Navy: The PLAN
The recent ‘China Military Power Report’ released by the Pentagon has recognized a huge milestone for the PLA: they now boast the largest navy in the world. The 2019 report…
The State of Taiwanese Defensive Capabilities
Contemporary context China has used the COVID-19 pandemic to increase pressure on the self-ruled island of Taiwan. This aggressive posturing by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has taken the form…