The Politic

Yale's Political Publication Since 1947

Asia-Pacific

Australia’s Digital Detox: The Politics of a Nationwide Social Media Ban

Lena Cassidy

On December 10th, 2025, Australia became the first country to implement a nationwide social media ban. At midnight, the Social Media Minimum Age Act came into effect, deactivating millions of accounts belonging to anyone under the age of 16. Zoe, a teenager from Brisbane, described the chaos that ensued the day the ban was passed: “We’d all heard about it, but nobody thought it was going to happen,” she said. “Everyone was shocked.”

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“They Control the Sky”: The Burmese Junta’s War Against the State

Kushan Mahesh

Stirrings begin before dawn. Rice is eaten by the fire while it is still dark. People move quietly, carrying only what they can, riding on horseback or on four-wheel drive trucks when danger requires it. There is a short pause around midday for some packed rice by a stream, then they continue on. Camps are temporary, fires a luxury for when the Burma Army is far enough away. No one stays anywhere long enough to feel secure. 

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New Leaders: Japan’s Dormant Conservatism and the Rise of Sanae Takaichi

Isabella Nascimento

On August 15, 2025, hundreds filled the broad walkways of Yasukuni Shrine for the annual commemoration of the official end of World War II. The line moved slowly—but the conversations did not.
Visiting the site for academic research, Ryne Hisada ’27, a Japanese-American student at Yale University, expected a quiet, somber atmosphere in respect for the deceased.
Instead, he found himself surrounded by raised voices. Visitors weren’t whispering about politics, but arguing about it in full volume.

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