At The Jamestown Foundation, we focus most of our efforts on understanding the world from the Bering Strait and the South China Sea to the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. The strength of our work comes from our analysts who reside in more than 30 countries and who have direct, first-hand experience with the countries and developments they analyze. Too often, however, the presentation of analysis follows the pursuit of objectivity in sanitizing the writing and removing the analyst’s experience.

To help draw out the experiences and observations that enrich our understanding, we are launching Jamestown Perspectives. It will serve as a vehicle for articles that do not necessarily fit the traditional mold of our publications and incorporate observational and experiential data.

Latest Articles

The Evolution of Political Survival: from Syria to Russia

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Executive Summary: As regimes change, politicians often change their political stances to survive and fit the shifting political climate. This has been seen most recently in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime and the transformation of de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa’s image. Numerous... MORE

Guns For Hire: Private Security and Mercenary Industries in China and Russia

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Executive Summary: Mercenaries have existed since ancient times but have evolved into modern private military and security companies (PMSCs) focusing on training, logistics, and protection, especially in Western practices. Russian private military companies (PMCs) and Chinese private security companies (PSCs), however, operate differently from both... MORE

Open Source and Our Crises of National Understanding

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The challenges that face the United States and our allies require greater understanding on the parts of both government and society. Democratic governance means shared responsibilities. Citizens are not subjects. Open source is the only way to share information and develop a common understanding between... MORE

PRC Positive Messaging Frames Successful Colonization in Xinjiang

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Executive Summary: Through television broadcasts overseas, like Jongugu Sapar in Kyrgyzstan, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) presents an image of ethnic harmony and economic development in Xinjiang, downplaying or omitting signs of colonialism, forced labor, or suppression of Turkic cultural identity. The PRC’s positive... MORE

Beijing Pushes Local Censorship to Protect PRC Companies in the Kyrgyz Republic

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Executive Summary: Beijing pressures the Kyrgyz government to censor voices criticizing the People’s Republic of China (PRC), its companies, and its citizens within the Kyrgyz Republic. As PRC companies have expanded in country—particularly in the mining sector—extensive environmental damage has provoked local protests. Some cultural... MORE

PRC Manipulation of Information Gatekeepers in the Kyrgyz Republic

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Executive Summary: Beijing aims to enforce censorship outside its borders by targeting the gatekeepers of information and manipulating narratives that it does not currently monopolize. Over the past two hundred years, groups like the Uyghurs, Dungans, and ethnic Kyrgyz have fled China for the territory... MORE

China’s Public Memory Management in Kyrgyzstan

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Executive Summary: Beijing practices public memory management beyond its borders to neutralize critics by coopting elites and suppressing independent voices. Despite protests, Kyrgyzstan has consistently supported Beijing’s interests, particularly regarding a land transfer and the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Beijing continues to incentivize ruling... MORE

Introducing Jamestown Perspectives

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At The Jamestown Foundation, we focus most of our efforts on understanding the world from the Bering Strait and the South China Sea to the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. The strength of our work comes from our analysts who reside in more than 30 countries... MORE