A review of Christopher Andrew’s history of intelligence, considering the move from spy stories to institutional research, the opening of archives, political decision-making and the limitations of a Western perspective.
Using Chiang Kai-shek’s diaries, personnel decisions and Nationalist factional relationships, this article examines the political crisis surrounding the Wu Shi case and its consequences.
A review of le Carré’s posthumous novel, following its intertwined stories of a small-town bookshop and a counterintelligence investigation to consider loyalty, betrayal and personal moral choices.
An analysis of the 2025 Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest, the candidates’ political bases and campaign strategies, and the coalition problem that would remain after the vote.
Beginning with the attempted palace coup on the eve of Japan’s surrender, this essay examines the separation of power and responsibility, wartime decision-making and postwar memory.
A review of John Cooper’s study of Francis Walsingham, placing his intelligence activities within Elizabethan court politics, religious conflict and structures of power.
A review of Mark Riebling’s Church of Spies, examining its account of Pius XII, anti-Nazi intelligence networks and the controversies over the pope’s wartime role.
From John Buchan to John le Carré, this essay considers the relationship between British spy fiction, intelligence institutions and imperial decline. An extract from Sha's book on Cold War espionage.
A review exploring how commuters, machines and urban institutions shape one another in Tokyo’s railway system, and the human cooperation and pressures behind punctual services.
Starting with “pseudo-Chinese” on Tsuita, this essay considers the role of Chinese characters in online exchanges between Chinese and Japanese speakers, the history of written conversation and the differences hidden by apparently shared writing.
An analysis of the obstacles to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of US Steel, corporate expectations of the US–Japan relationship, domestic political pressures and the tensions between industrial policy and alliances.
A review of Shunya Yoshimi's study of postwar Japan's attitudes toward America, tracing how dependence becomes an almost invisible part of everyday life.
A review of Eiji Otsuka's study of wartime media, examining how comics, audience participation and cross-media storytelling became instruments of mobilization.
A review of Shunya Yoshimi's history of Heisei Japan, considering the failures inherited from Showa and the relationship between reform, disappointment and collective memory.
A review of Hisashi Maki's account of Japanese National Railways, using its breakup and privatization to explore politics, organized labor and the postwar economic order.
A review of Edwin O. Reischauer's memoir, examining the connections and tensions between his Japanese upbringing, scholarship and service as an American diplomat.
A review of Tim Blanning's biography of Frederick the Great, exploring how critical biography challenges heroic myths and later appropriations of Prussian history.
An essay on the wartime experiences of Tsurumi Shunsuke and Maruyama Masao, and their reflections on institutions, obedience, resistance and responsibility.
An essay on the Gouzenko affair and the political reactions it provoked in Britain, the United States and Canada, examining intelligence operations, public opinion and the construction of enemy images.
A review of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Refugees, considering family memory, contested identities and Vietnamese lives beyond familiar American narratives.
A reading of The Nazi Seizure of Power alongside contemporary German electoral disputes, examining local society and the erosion of democratic institutions.
A review of Zhang Yang's study of American China scholarship during the Cold War, examining the traffic between universities and policymaking institutions.
A review examining the distance between the historical Sakamoto Ryoma and his heroic afterlife, including his complex relationship with the movement against the shogunate.
Co-written with Xu Jing, this essay explores the traditions of Koshien high-school baseball and their relationship to youth, local identity and collective memory.
A review of Joby Warrick's Black Flags, examining its reconstruction of the rise of ISIS through individual lives, intelligence material and local politics.
A review of Bernard Wasserstein's Secret War in Shanghai, weighing its evidence against the limitations of a narrative centered on Western intelligence officers.
A review of Susan Greenhalgh's research on the making of the one-child policy, examining scientism, policymaking and the limits of historical explanation.
An essay on John K. Fairbank under McCarthyism, considering the political setting of American China studies and the historical perspective of The Great Chinese Revolution.
A review of Blackwater founder Erik Prince's memoir, examining private military contracting, the business of war and the author's defense of his company.
A survey of five books on Edward Snowden and surveillance, beginning with No Place to Hide and considering intelligence agencies, state power and personal privacy.
From Spy Legends to Serious Scholarship
沙青青评《情报战三千年》｜从间谍传奇到严肃学问
A review of Christopher Andrew’s history of intelligence, considering the move from spy stories to institutional research, the opening of archives, political decision-making and the limitations of a Western perspective.
John le Carré’s Last Mission
勒卡雷的最后一次任务
An essay on John le Carré’s life, work and correspondence, considering how he wrote about the secret world and shaped his own public image.
The Wu Shi Case and Chiang Kai-shek’s Political Crisis
“吴石案”与蒋介石的政治危机
Using Chiang Kai-shek’s diaries, personnel decisions and Nationalist factional relationships, this article examines the political crisis surrounding the Wu Shi case and its consequences.
Silverview: A Spy Novelist’s Final Work
沙青青评《银景》︱“老间谍”的遗作
A review of le Carré’s posthumous novel, following its intertwined stories of a small-town bookshop and a counterintelligence investigation to consider loyalty, betrayal and personal moral choices.
Three Scenarios for the LDP Leadership Election
自民党总裁选举的三个剧本，都无法回避选后一大难题
An analysis of the 2025 Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest, the candidates’ political bases and campaign strategies, and the coalition problem that would remain after the vote.
Why Grew Described Japan’s Course as National Suicide
美国驻日大使格鲁，为什么会说日本选择了一条“民族切腹”之路？
Beginning with the attempted palace coup on the eve of Japan’s surrender, this essay examines the separation of power and responsibility, wartime decision-making and postwar memory.
Elizabeth I’s Spymaster
沙青青评《都铎谍影》｜暗中守护女王伊丽莎白一世的“间谍头子”
A review of John Cooper’s study of Francis Walsingham, placing his intelligence activities within Elizabethan court politics, religious conflict and structures of power.
The Vatican’s Secret War
沙青青评《间谍教廷》｜暗地运营反纳粹情报网的“间谍大师”
A review of Mark Riebling’s Church of Spies, examining its account of Pius XII, anti-Nazi intelligence networks and the controversies over the pope’s wartime role.
British Spy Fiction and the Fortunes of British Intelligence
英国间谍小说的发展与英国情报部门的兴衰之间有种微妙的关系
From John Buchan to John le Carré, this essay considers the relationship between British spy fiction, intelligence institutions and imperial decline. An extract from Sha's book on Cold War espionage.
The Human–Machine Commute
沙青青评《通勤梦魇》︱“人机组合”的通勤之路
A review exploring how commuters, machines and urban institutions shape one another in Tokyo’s railway system, and the human cooperation and pressures behind punctual services.
Written Conversations in the Twenty-First Century
二十一世纪的汉字笔谈：“对多”上的“伪中国语”
Starting with “pseudo-Chinese” on Tsuita, this essay considers the role of Chinese characters in online exchanges between Chinese and Japanese speakers, the history of written conversation and the differences hidden by apparently shared writing.
Nippon Steel’s Misreading of America
日铁遭“背刺”，高估了自己也高估了美国
An analysis of the obstacles to Nippon Steel’s acquisition of US Steel, corporate expectations of the US–Japan relationship, domestic political pressures and the tensions between industrial policy and alliances.
Review: Pro-Americanism and Anti-Americanism in Postwar Japan
沙青青评《亲美与反美》｜日本主流社会“亲美”态度的“无意识化”
A review of Shunya Yoshimi's study of postwar Japan's attitudes toward America, tracing how dependence becomes an almost invisible part of everyday life.
Review: Remembering Japan's High Treason Incident
沙青青评《大逆事件》｜如何记忆一场百余年前的国家犯罪
A review of Nobumasa Tanaka's account of the High Treason Incident, focusing on its victims, survivors and the struggle to preserve historical memory.
Review: The Wartime Roots of Japan's Media Mix
沙青青评《战时日本的媒体组合》｜日本漫画、同人文化的“黑历史”
A review of Eiji Otsuka's study of wartime media, examining how comics, audience participation and cross-media storytelling became instruments of mobilization.
Review: The Heisei Era as a Museum of Failure
沙青青评《平成时代》｜“失败博物馆”
A review of Shunya Yoshimi's history of Heisei Japan, considering the failures inherited from Showa and the relationship between reform, disappointment and collective memory.
Review: Japanese National Railways and the End of Showa
沙青青评《昭和解体》｜日本国有铁路与一个时代的落幕
A review of Hisashi Maki's account of Japanese National Railways, using its breakup and privatization to explore politics, organized labor and the postwar economic order.
Review: My Life Between Japan and America
沙青青评《我的两个祖国》︱“两个祖国”与百分之百的美国人
A review of Edwin O. Reischauer's memoir, examining the connections and tensions between his Japanese upbringing, scholarship and service as an American diplomat.
Review: Takahashi Korekiyo, a Reluctant Pragmatist
沙青青评《日本的凯恩斯》｜无可奈何的实用主义者
A review of Richard Smethurst's biography of Takahashi Korekiyo, examining fiscal pragmatism and its collision with Japan's military expansion.
Review: Frederick the Great and the Making of False Heroes
沙青青评《弗里德里希大王》｜“我们崇拜的假英雄太多了”
A review of Tim Blanning's biography of Frederick the Great, exploring how critical biography challenges heroic myths and later appropriations of Prussian history.
Baseball in American Literature
沙青青｜美国文学中的“棒球传统”
An essay on baseball in American literature, from The Catcher in the Rye to the sport's place in national identity and nostalgia.
How Should the History of War Be Remembered?
沙青青：战争的历史应该如何被记忆？
An essay on the tension between personal memory and historical research, and on how wartime experiences are narrated, commemorated and reinterpreted.
Tsurumi Shunsuke and Maruyama Masao in Wartime
沙青青︱战争中的鹤见俊辅与丸山真男
An essay on the wartime experiences of Tsurumi Shunsuke and Maruyama Masao, and their reflections on institutions, obedience, resistance and responsibility.
Constructing the Enemy: Undercurrents of the Gouzenko Affair
敌人的构建：古琴科事件背后的暗流
An essay on the Gouzenko affair and the political reactions it provoked in Britain, the United States and Canada, examining intelligence operations, public opinion and the construction of enemy images.
Review: A Sympathetic Portrait of Ito Hirobumi
沙青青评《伊藤博文》︱对“日本俾斯麦”的善意解读
A review of Kazuhiro Takii's biography of Ito Hirobumi, examining its interpretation of the statesman often described as Japan's Bismarck.
Remembering Hando Kazutoshi and His Histories of War
沙青青︱“我不希望战争的历史被人遗忘”：悼半藤一利
A remembrance of Hando Kazutoshi, tracing his wartime experiences, editorial career and writing on Showa history.
From John Buchan to John le Carré
沙青青｜从约翰·巴肯到勒卡雷
An essay on British spy fiction, intelligence institutions and the changing relationship between imperial politics and the public imagination.
Review: The Refugees and Another American Story
沙青青评《难民》︱另一群人的美国故事
A review of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Refugees, considering family memory, contested identities and Vietnamese lives beyond familiar American narratives.
Review: The Nazi Seizure of Power and German Elections
我读︱《纳粹掌权》：德国选举的七十年前和七十年后
A reading of The Nazi Seizure of Power alongside contemporary German electoral disputes, examining local society and the erosion of democratic institutions.
Review: Cold War Politics and American China Studies
沙青青评《冷战与学术》︱美国“中国通”的象牙塔与旋转门
A review of Zhang Yang's study of American China scholarship during the Cold War, examining the traffic between universities and policymaking institutions.
Review: Through John le Carré's Pigeon Tunnel
沙青青评《鸽子隧道》︳穿越间谍世界的“隧道”之旅
A review of John le Carré's The Pigeon Tunnel, exploring the people and intelligence experiences behind his literary world.
Review: Sakamoto Ryoma and the Other Side of the Meiji Restoration
沙青青评《坂本龙马与明治维新》︱站在“明治维新”反面的人
A review examining the distance between the historical Sakamoto Ryoma and his heroic afterlife, including his complex relationship with the movement against the shogunate.
Review: The Sorrow of War
沙青青评《战争哀歌》︱古来征战几人回
A review of Bao Ninh's The Sorrow of War, placing Vietnamese experience at the center of a discussion of trauma, memory and literary expression.
From the Paramount Ballroom to Manuela
沙青青︱从“百乐门”到“曼努埃拉”
Adapted from a lecture on Shanghai's cultural map, this essay follows urban spaces and individual lives from the Paramount ballroom to Manuela.
Review: The Sympathizer and a War That Never Ends
沙青青评《同情者》︱“我们的越战永远不会结束”
A review of Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer, examining divided loyalties and the struggle to tell the Vietnam War from Vietnamese perspectives.
A Century of Koshien: Youth, Passion and Nostalgia
徐靖 沙青青︱百年甲子园：青春、热血和乡愁
Co-written with Xu Jing, this essay explores the traditions of Koshien high-school baseball and their relationship to youth, local identity and collective memory.
Empire and Baseball: The Darker Side of Koshien
李思园 沙青青︱帝国与野球：甲子园的暗面
Co-written with Li Siyuan, this essay examines Koshien's connections to imperial expansion, colonial teams and wartime mobilization.
The Historical Fate of Japan's China Hands
沙青青：“支那通”的历史宿命
An extract from Sha's writing on modern Japan, examining the relationship between expertise on China, political commitments and military aggression.
Local Politics in Your Name and Hyouka
沙青青︱《你的名字。》与《冰果》中的日本地方政治
An essay using the local settings of Your Name and Hyouka to explore Japanese municipal politics, family networks and regional society.
Baseball in Modern Japan and Murakami the Fan
沙青青︱近代日本棒球热与球迷村上春树
An essay on Haruki Murakami as a baseball fan, set within the history of baseball in modern Japan and its connections to literary life.
Cold War Memories Across the Taiwan Strait
沙青青｜海峡对岸的冷战往事
A review of Hsiao-ting Lin's account of Taiwan during the Cold War, read alongside memoirs and debates about the island's strategic choices.
Brzezinski: The Man Who Cracked the Kremlin
沙青青︱布热津斯基：砸裂克里姆林宫的人
A reflection on Zbigniew Brzezinski's strategic thought and Cold War career, drawing on Between Two Ages and The Grand Chessboard.
Ouyang Ge's Death and the Republic's Naval Rivalries
沙青青︱民国海军的“内战”：欧阳格之死
An essay using memoirs and archival material to examine Ouyang Ge's execution, naval factionalism and Chiang Kai-shek's personnel decisions.
The Banker Who Practiced Intelligence on the Side
上海书评︱沙青青：把情报工作当副业的银行家
An essay on Sun Yaodong, tracing the intersections of banking, Shanghai society and intelligence work through his life and recollections.
How Japan's China Hands Became Agents of Invasion
“支那通”如何成了日本侵华的急先锋
A review of Ryoichi Tobe's study of the Japanese army and China, examining expertise, prejudice and the making of expansionist policy.
Review: Reconstructing the Rise of ISIS
美国最资深中东研究者，用细节拼出了IS的骇人全貌
A review of Joby Warrick's Black Flags, examining its reconstruction of the rise of ISIS through individual lives, intelligence material and local politics.
Beyond Bridge of Spies: James Donovan and Castro
五十年前，《间谍之桥》主角差点搞定卡斯特罗
An essay on James Donovan beyond Bridge of Spies, reading his memoir alongside declassified records of his negotiations with Cuba.
Review: Secret War in Shanghai
没有硝烟的战争：中外情报部门如何在上海滩斗法
A review of Bernard Wasserstein's Secret War in Shanghai, weighing its evidence against the limitations of a narrative centered on Western intelligence officers.
Review: Science, Politics and the Origins of the One-Child Policy
西方学者解读计划生育缘起：科学主义赢得人口政策之争
A review of Susan Greenhalgh's research on the making of the one-child policy, examining scientism, policymaking and the limits of historical explanation.
Japan's Longest Day and the Memory of Surrender
用《日本最长的一天》纪念“终战”：“明君”裕仁拯救日本
An essay on the book and film Japan's Longest Day, examining narratives of surrender, the portrayal of Hirohito and postwar memory.
John K. Fairbank's China Studies Under Suspicion
“美共分子”费正清的中国研究靠谱吗？
An essay on John K. Fairbank under McCarthyism, considering the political setting of American China studies and the historical perspective of The Great Chinese Revolution.
Review: Blackwater and the Business of Counterterrorism
做反恐生意的黑水公司：“我们出兵，不需要国会同意！”
A review of Blackwater founder Erik Prince's memoir, examining private military contracting, the business of war and the author's defense of his company.
Reading Putin Through Five Recent Biographies
危机时刻的俄罗斯：5种新版传记解读救世主普京和窃国者普京
A comparative reading of five books about Vladimir Putin, examining their different accounts of Russian power, political experience and leadership.
Five Books on Snowden, Surveillance and Privacy
丑闻·秘密·监听·隐私：5本有关“斯诺登事件”的书
A survey of five books on Edward Snowden and surveillance, beginning with No Place to Hide and considering intelligence agencies, state power and personal privacy.