WIMAYA

A Comparative Study of Syrian Immigrants in Gender Equality Discourse and Integration in the UK and Sweden

Dias Pabyantara Swandita Mahayasa — 2025-07-01

A significant number of migrants arrived in Europe in 2015, with Syrian refugees accounting for a disproportionate share of these new arrivals. Syria has a poor level of gender equality compared to other European countries such as Sweden and the UK. With an emphasis on the disparities in gender norms between their native country and host nation, this study aims to examine the phenomena of gender discourse and the integration challenges Syrian populations face. Strong patriarchal beliefs in Syrian communities make integration complicated and fuel many discussions about gender roles in these groups. This research uses a comparative method to analyze the gender equality discourse and integration experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK and Sweden. Through policy analysis and secondary data from journal articles, the research investigates how gender equality is perceived, communicated, and implemented within Syrian immigrant communities and the broader societal frameworks of both countries. The study reveals distinct national approaches to gender equality and integration, highlighting the impact of these differences on the lived experiences of Syrian men and women.

South Sumatra's Opportunities in Accessing ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Syuryansyah Syuryansyah — 2025-07-01

This study aims to explore the role of local government policies in South Sumatra in accessing and enhancing economic cooperation with countries in the Southeast Asian region, particularly within the framework of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Although economic cooperation among ASEAN nations has advanced significantly over recent decades, there is still untapped potential by local governments in Indonesia, including South Sumatra, in contributing to regional economic integration. The research investigates how local economic policies in South Sumatra can strengthen its involvement in the AEC, with a focus on trade, investment, and infrastructure development that fosters connectivity among ASEAN nations. A qualitative approach with policy analysis is employed to understand the strategies adopted by the South Sumatra government in promoting economic collaboration with ASEAN countries. The findings are expected to identify crucial factors influencing the success or failure of accessing ASEAN market and offer recommendations for improving coordination between central and local governments to enhance South Sumatra's role in the ASEAN economic network. Ultimately, the study aims to contribute to the development of more effective regional economic policies that support regional integration and elevate South Sumatra’s standing in the ASEAN economic landscape.

Globalization and Marginalized Groups: Finding Durable Solutions for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Heavy Nala Estriani — 2025-07-01

Globalization does not automatically align with equitable growth and development. Its progress has often been exclusionary, as reflected in the growing number of marginalized groups overlooked by global development dynamics. Among these groups, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remain particularly neglected, receiving limited support and attention from the international community. This causes IDPs to experience more social vulnerability, exclusion, and deprivation in various sectors. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has one of the largest IDP populations worldwide. Conflict and violence, and frequent natural disasters, have become the main reasons for displacement. This paper aims to discuss the most feasible durable solution to be implemented in handling prolonged displacement in the DRC. Using qualitative methods, this paper used the concept of Internally Displaced Persons and also the concept of Durable Solutions in addressing these matters.

Narrative, Identity and Terrorism: A Constructivist Analysis of the Pahalgam 2025 Attack in the Escalating India–Pakistan Conflict

Neola Hestu Prayogo — 2025-07-01

The terrorist assault on Pahalgam in 2025 signified a new chapter in the enduring conflict between India and Pakistan. This study analyses how the governments of both nations produced official narratives in reaction to the occurrence and how these narratives embody and promote their distinct national identities. The research used a constructivist method to examine the production of identity and meaning through political speeches, government pronouncements, and media framing. The analysis relies on qualitative interpretation of secondary sources, such as diplomatic briefings, ministerial speeches, and reports from esteemed foreign media sites. Evidence suggests that India characterized the assault as an instance of cross-border terrorism, supporting its self-perception as a secular and democratic nation under threat and justifying retaliatory measures. Pakistan, in response, dismissed the claims and sought to recast the episode as a contrived crisis intended to divert attention from Indian persecution in Kashmir, portraying itself as a victim rather than an aggressor. This study illustrates that identity formation and story creation are essential strategies in perpetuating the competition between India and Pakistan, distinguishing this research from earlier studies mainly concentrating on strategic, legal, or security aspects. It contends that absent a shift in one state's perception and representation of the other, future crises will likely follow analogous discursive patterns.

Behind the Seams: Unveiling the Hidden Threads of Cambodia and Vietnam’s Garment Industry

Maxine Denise Q. Mababangloob — 2025-07-01

This article examines how labor exploitation among garment workers in Cambodia and Vietnam arises from the interaction of legal governance, economic development strategies, and cultural belief systems. Despite contrasting political regimes, Cambodia’s fragmented pluralism and Vietnam’s centralized authoritarianism, both countries produce similar exploitative outcomes: weak enforcement of labor protections, constrained worker representation, and persistent precarity. Using a most different systems design supplemented by an assemblage approach, the study analyzes how export-oriented growth and integration into global supply chains exert downward pressure on wages and working conditions. It also explores how religious and ethical worldviews, such as karmic endurance in Cambodia’s Theravāda Buddhism and moral restraint shaped by Mahāyāna Buddhism and Confucianism in Vietnam, inform how workers interpret, endure, and sometimes symbolically resist their conditions. These belief systems function as informal mechanisms of governance, sustaining compliance where institutional safeguards fail. By deploying assemblage theory in a comparative analysis of Cambodia and Vietnam, this article challenges reductionist accounts of labor exploitation by presenting how it emerges through the contingent alignment of fragmented legal authority, transnational economic imperatives, and internalized moral frameworks.

Dictators and Their Secret Police: Coercive Institutions and State Violence by Sheena Chestnut Greitens

Maria Indira Aryani — 2025-07-01

China’s Cultural Diplomacy in Indonesia: The Case of a Transnational Singing Contest by Chang-Yau Hoon and Ardhitya Eduard Yeremia

Agnes Tresia Silalahi — 2025-07-01