Settler colonialism helps explain current events in Xinjiang and Ukraine – and the history of Australia and US, too
- Written by John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Demonstration for the rights of the Uyghurs in Berlin, 2020.Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SAGlobal flashpoints, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Chinese actions in Xinjiang, share a common background: a previous history of invasion and occupation.
The northwestern region of Xinjiang, for example, became an autonomous region...

