The Milk Tea Alliance

Name: The Milk Tea Alliance
Price: 18.00 USD
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Author: Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Inside Asia's Struggle Against Autocracy and Beijing

By Jeffrey Wasserstrom

Why are activists in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Burma willing to court danger to help one another? Historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom takes us into the world of pro-democracy activists throughout Southeast Asia to discover what unites them.

$18.00

ISBN: 9798987053720
ebook ISBN: 9798987053737
On Sale: June 10, 2025
Pages: 104 pages

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Overview

Why are activists in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Burma willing to court danger to help one another?

The political situations in Burma, Thailand, and Hong Kong are radically different. Only Burma is in a state of civil war. Only Hong Kong has changed in just a few years from a place with virtually no political prisoners to one with many. Only Thailand is a monarchy with lèse-majestè laws. Yet, many young activists and exiles from these regions feel that their struggles are connected.

Historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom met dozens of dissidents, including Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, known for his protests against compulsory Thai military service; Agnes Chow, co-founder of a political party now banned in Hong Kong; and Ye Myint Win (aka Nickey Diamond), who fled to Germany from Burma in the early 2020s, fearing reprisal from the junta for his human rights work. Activists like these three express solidarity with one another online and on the streets, and sometimes refer to themselves as belonging to the “Milk Tea Alliance,” a nod to their shared opposition to nationalistic Beijing loyalists and the fact that their cultures' iconic drinks contain dairy, unlike mainland China's traditional tea.

How do these activists, each facing their unique situations, find common ground and sustain one another? Wasserstrom traveled globally to interview members of this loosely constituted alliance, meeting some in Asia and others in exile, finding them united by democratic values, shared concerns over autocrats, and the rising influence of a common adversary—the Chinese Communist Party.

Read CGR Director Nicholas Lemann’s Letter to the Reader

Praise

“By tracing the links between young activists across Asia, The Milk Tea Alliance presents an exciting new way of seeing the region and Jeff Wasserstrom is uniquely placed to contextualize these stories of persistence and resilience. The resulting web of connections forged across social, cultural and geographical boundaries is a template for hope in dark times.” Social Movement Studies

“The historian Jeffrey Wasserstrom, celebrated for drawing connections across time and genre, brilliantly succeeds here in capturing the travel of moral energy, how one uprising informs another. In tracing the currents linking youth movements across Asia, he gives us a story of resilient defiance against not just local oppression, but the expanding shadow of Xi Jinping’s China — a defining battle of the 21st century.” Evan Osnos, National Book Award winner, author of Age of Ambition

“A concise, engaging, and ultimately inspiring portrait of three young activists ... their combined stories offer a compelling testament to the power of courage, and the importance of continuing to hope against hope.” New Statesman

“A poignant and deeply affecting portrayal of youth activists in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Burma.... This succinct volume elevates transnational youth activism as a potent force of resistance—offering a vision for a radical reimagining of protest and kinship.” Cha: An Asian Literary Journal

“The future of democracy in several Asian countries looked promising with the rise of youth movements in the 2010s and 2020s. Authoritarian regimes responded by trying to crush their attempts at change, but we hope the world will care more about them and the future they fought for, starting with Wasserstrom’s excellent stories of these young activists.” Thongchai Winichakul, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Coverage

Jeffrey Wasserstrom: China, Xi Jinping, Trade War, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mao Lex Fridman Podcast

The White Lotus effect: Thai tourism surges, scrutiny doesn’t Nikkei Asia

Lessons for America from the Milk Tea Alliance Rhyming Chaos podcast

The Struggle Against Autocracy in Asia Dissent magazine

How Activists in Asia Have Used Western Pop Culture in Their Protests NPR’s The World

Hong Kong in Protest, Redux Gateway to Global China podcast

The China Paradox That Will Define the 21st Century WhoWhatWhy podcast

Inside Asia’s Milk Tea Alliance The Diplomat

Three-Finger Salute to Autocracy with Jeffrey Wasserstrom The Monitor newsletter

High Temperatures: A mid-year round-up of new books in 2025 China Books Review

When Milk Tea Becomes a Movement UC Irvine School of the Humanities

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About the Author

Jeffrey Wasserstrom is Chancellor's Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, where he also holds courtesy appointments in law and literary journalism. He is the author of six previous books, including Vigil: Hong Kong on the Brink (Columbia Global Reports). He is on the Advisory Committee of Index on Censorship, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Committee on US-China Relations.