Aurko Chakrabarti is currently an independent scholar who worked at the Advanced Study Institute of Asia (2022-2026), where he worked since the organization’s founding as an Applied Geopolitical Researcher, and served as the editor of the quarterly Decypher Journal. He began his professional career in 2022 as a Narrative Designer at the Sanrachna Foundation, following an internship with the Economic Times in 2020 and earlier volunteer work in Kolkata. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication from Swansea University. Aurko has more than four years of research experience working on a range of projects and contributing to various conference discussions.
Philip George is a solicitor, cross-border jurisdiction lawyer, former international sportsman, writer, and global traveller. Born in Malaya and educated in England, he has spent five decades navigating law, culture and politics across continents. Now based in Tuscany, he writes on geopolitics, identity and power, blending lived experience with historical insight to explore how nations and individuals adapt in an unsettled world. He has published Racket Boy: Where’s My Country (with Geetha K.), and Ruta 40 at 72.
Eric Henry was born in 1943. He obtained a PhD in Chinese Literature at Yale University in 1979, and subsequently taught at Dartmouth from 1980 to 1982, and at the University of North Carolina from 1982 to 2011. He was employed as a freelance keyboard musician from 1961 to 1980 and was in the United States Army from 1968 to 1971. His army service included a one-year intensive course in Vietnamese at the Defense Language Institute at Fort Bliss, Texas, and a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam (1970–71). His publications include: Chinese Amusement: The Lively Plays of Li Yu (Archon Books, 1980), In Whose Eyes, a translation of the memoirs of the film director Trần Văn Thủy, and The Garden of Eloquence (Shuoyuan 說苑), a bilingual version of a Chinese Han Dynasty compendium of historical anecdotes. He has prepared for publication a bilingual edition of another ancient Chinese work, Tales from the Principalities (Guoyu 國語). He has published various articles on early Chinese history and culture in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies and other journals, and articles on Vietnamese literature and historical legend in Vietnam Forum, Crossroads, and the Michigan Quarterly. He is a Guest Editor of Rising Asia Journal. For the journal, he has translated “The Creators of South Vietnam: At Home and Abroad,” (Volume 5, Issue 2), and “Tales from the Principalities: Ancient Chinese Stories,” (Volume 5, Issue 3). He has been retired since 2011.
Manashjyoti Karjee is an independent scholar. With a postgraduate degree in International Relations & Area Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Ramjas College, University of Delhi, he brings a strong academic foundation to his work. Manash has contributed extensively to publications on security dynamics, Indian political developments, cross-border terrorism, the geopolitics of the Arctic, and global geopolitical shifts. He has also collaborated with leading Risk Management firms, applying his expertise to real-world challenges. Beyond his academic and professional pursuits, Manash is passionate about sports journalism and grassroots development, reflecting his diverse interests and commitment to making an impact across multiple sectors.
Van Thien Nguyen (Nguyễn Thiên Văn) is currently a graduate student at North Carolina State University, where he formerly was an undergraduate with a visual arts concentration moving to a Master of Liberal Art Studies. An American raised in Vietnam, he likes his fair share of manga books and video games, and does drawing and walking in his spare time. He hopes to visit Japan or Belgium in the future.
Vinod Kumar Pillai is an independent scholar with an interest in literary fiction, development studies, popular science and short-story writing. He regularly publishes book reviews in the Rising Asia Journal (www.rajraf.org) on topics related to the literatures and politics of Southeast Asia. His chapter has appeared in the edited book, Between Homelands in Michael Ondaatje’s Fiction, published by Routledge in 2024. and is a reader for the Bengal Club Book Club. He holds a graduate degree in Agricultural Sciences, and worked for over thirty years in banking, specializing in industrial credit, training, behavioural science, and counseling. Besides literary fiction, development studies, popular science and training, he also devotes time to jyotish, podcasting and stock photography.
Salikyu Sangtam is a Fellow, Geopolitics and International Relations, at the Logdrum Foundation in Dimapur, India. He is also concurrently an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tetso College in Chumoukedima, India. His research focuses on Indian and Chinese strategic traditions, political theory, and non-western political thought. He is a regular contributor for the Rising Asia Journal.
