Writer
Kari McKern
Kari McKern, who lives in Sydney, is a retired career public servant and librarian and IT specialist. She has maintained a life time interest in Asian affairs and had visited Asia often, and writes here in a private capacity.
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Australian wheat and the BRI: The economic geography of the world’s grain trading
The global wheat trade is undergoing a transformation, shaped by geopolitical shifts, strategic investments, and historical legacies. Central to this evolution is China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its expected impact on traditional trade relationships, including those with Australia. Continue reading »
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Lessons from history: The urgent need for diplomacy in Ukraine
Two years ago, as the conflict in Ukraine escalated, I felt compelled to write about the parallels between this war and previous Western interventions, namely the Vietnam War and the Polish-Soviet War of the early 20th century. It seemed that the world had forgotten the lessons of my young adulthood – that there is a Continue reading »
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The shadow of empire: how the dream of global dominance undermines American democracy
The notion of American exceptionalism — that the United States is uniquely destined to lead the world due to its superior values and capabilities — has been deeply embedded in the national consciousness for generations. This belief, cultivated by political, business, and intellectual elites, frames the US as a force for good, a beacon of Continue reading »
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Pearl or Irritation? The Kantian imperative and the case for dissent
The Pearls and Irritations platform, with its commitment to fact-driven critique, exemplifies dissent as a profound act of civic engagement. Immanuel Kant, the renowned Enlightenment philosopher, offered a powerful defence of this kind of loyal, evidence-based dissent. Continue reading »
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China’s open source revolution: innovation through collaboration
While Western nations often celebrate private ownership as a driver of innovation, China’s traditional focus has been on how intellectual property can best serve the collective needs of the nation, particularly in economic development and technological self-reliance. In recent decades, however, China’s approach has undergone a significant transformation. It has shifted from imitation and adaptation Continue reading »
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The geopolitics of cyber espionage
In March 2024, the United States government and its Five Eyes allies issued dire warnings about a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon.” They alleged a shadowy entity had compromised thousands of devices worldwide to target critical infrastructure in Western nations. Continue reading »
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How China’s ancient “Mandarin” class inspired 19th century reforms in the British bureaucracy and influenced the new China
Throughout history, ideas and innovations have flowed between East and West, with each civilisation learning from the other. One profound exchange was the transmission of Chinese civil service notions to the Western world in the 18th and 19th centuries. This adoption and adaptation of Chinese administrative practices shaped the development of modern governments globally. Continue reading »
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Western decline and media bias: The uneven narratives of Gaza and Ukraine
The stark contrast in media coverage of the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine reveals a troubling pattern of bias that shapes public perception and policy in profound ways. Continue reading »
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The Tao of Terra: the fate of East and West are intertwined as never before
In our highly interconnected world, the fates of both the East and West are intertwined as never before. In the face of existential challenges, it becomes imperative for humanity to work together for the common good. Our survival now hinges on our ability to foster mutual understanding, promote global cooperation, and embrace our shared humanity. Continue reading »
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Bridges, not walls: Xi Jinping and the Australia-China relationship
The relationship between Australia and China, once characterised by regard and mutual curiosity, has recently been extremely turbulent. However, it was not always this way. Continue reading »
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Narcissus at war
The manipulation of truth and the acceptance of self-fabricated narratives can have devastating consequences, akin to the fate of Narcissus in Greek mythology, who, entranced by his own reflection, was consumed by self-love to the point of destruction. Similarly, the propagation and strategic use of misinformation as a political tool has serious consequences. Continue reading »
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Chips and geopolitics part two: China’s semiconductor resilience
In my previous article, I discussed how the AI chip sector has become a critical battleground in the ongoing rivalry between the United States and China. Continue reading »
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Chips and geopolitics: the unexpected rise of Huawei in AI technology
In 2023, Nvidia held a 90% share of China’s AI chip market, with sales of $7 billion. Now, less than a year later, Nvidia is cutting prices to compete with Huawei in China and move its “Made for China” H20 AI chipset off the shelves. What went so wrong, so fast? Continue reading »
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John Pilger on the war in Ukraine
The Guardian obituary of John Pilger last year did not mention his views on the war in Ukraine. John Pilger, the renowned Australian journalist who passed away in 2023 at age 84, was a vocal critic of Western foreign policy and media propaganda. Continue reading »
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Driving the dragon: China’s adaptive policymaking
China’s economic policymaking over the past few decades is a fascinating example of adaptive planning and strategic foresight. From pivoting away from reliance on globalisation to emphasising domestic infrastructure and poverty alleviation, tilting towards the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and now focusing on “high-quality development” (simultaneously upscaling advanced manufacturing while deflating the property bubble), Continue reading »
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The sin of “hubris”
The sin of “hubris” is to shame and humiliate others for pleasure or gratification. Such narcissistic pleasures were considered offensive to the gods of ancient Greece; a case of breaching the boundaries between the human and divine realms. Continue reading »
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Unraveling the myths of the Ukraine conflict
In my first piece for Pearls and Irritations, I cautioned about Australia’s involvement in Ukraine and alluded to the strikingly similar circumstances of the conflict to the war in Vietnam. Continue reading »
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China’s EV industry future reflects solar power’s extraordinary past growth
It is a serious mistake to underestimate the strength and capacity of China’s commitment to its green new dream. Continue reading »
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The cost of lies: radical honesty has never been more urgent
“Every lie owes a debt to the truth, sooner or later that debt is paid.” – Soviet nuclear engineer Valery Alekseevich Legasov on the consequences of deceit and denial. Continue reading »
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The mirage of China’s offensive nuclear strategy
In previous articles, I’ve articulated why I adopted a skeptical and analytical mindset from a young age, particularly in the realm of geopolitical claims made by nation-states in the nuclear age. Now, let’s shift our focus to China’s nuclear strategy. Continue reading »
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The empire breaks down
The West’s decline is no triumph, but nor is it a tragedy. It’s just the latest reminder that all organising systems, even empires, are transient, that success always brings complacency, but that the best of human civilisation is renewed and transformed even as the old order fades away. Continue reading »
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Ukraine and the battle for Skaro
Over the past eighteen months, I’ve often found myself under scrutiny for not outrightly condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Any acknowledgment of Russia’s stance—that the hasty expansion of NATO played a role in the current conflict—earns labels: indifferent to Ukraine’s plight, a “Putin” apologist, a victim of Kremlin misinformation. Continue reading »
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In the 1930s, scholars made remarkably accurate predictions on the China of 2030
“This nation, after three thousand years of grandeur and decay… exhibits today all the physical and mental vitality that we find in its most creative periods… Very probably such wealth will be produced in China [by 2030] as even America has never known and once again, as so often in the past, China will lead Continue reading »
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Chat GPT4 on the necessity for dissent in times of war
The new House Select Committee on China is currently blaming China for every problem in America. Those who appeared and suggested improving Sino-American relations were accused of giving comfort to the enemy. Continue reading »
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Do China’s COVID-19 numbers add up?
Now that China is opening up, it’s a good time to reflect on their pandemic response. Continue reading »
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The story behind China’s fourth generation nuclear reactors
The fact that only China has implemented a Small Modular Nuclear Reactors is a testament to the skills and capacities of Chinese nuclear engineers and the policy makers that the West, despite renewed interest in the idea, will find difficult to match. Continue reading »
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The West fought a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine 100 years ago and failed
One hundred years ago, a Western proxy war against Russia had just been lost. It was fought in Poland, Ukraine and in Russia. That war has lessons for us today. Continue reading »
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Sixty years and twenty-seven days ago Australia sent 30 advisors to Vietnam
That war has lessons for us today. Continue reading »
