Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin, "Among the Braves: Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battle for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy" (Hachette, 2023)

Feb 2, 2024

Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin discuss their book 'Among the Braves' which tells the story of Hong Kong's demise through the eyes of key actors in the 2019 protests. They explore the fragility of democratic institutions and Beijing's attempts to erase historical memory. Listeners will gain insight into why Hong Kong matters and the erosion of global democratic freedoms.

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Introduction

00:00 • 5min

Surprises and Transformations

04:46 • 13min

Shaping Hong Kong identity from 1989 to 2019 and government's response

17:37 • 5min

The Meaning of 'If We Burn, You Burn with Us' in the Hong Kong Protest Movement

22:37 • 2min

Tensions and Challenges of Hong Kong's Chief Executives

24:54 • 22min

The Erosion of Rights in Hong Kong

47:00 • 9min

In Among the Braves Hope, Struggle, and Exile in the Battles for Hong Kong and the Future of Global Democracy (Hachette, 2023) Shibani Mahtani and Timothy McLaughlin tell the story of Hong Kong's demise from Two Systems to One Country through the eyes of some of its key actors in the 2019 Anti-Extradition protests. In their richly evocative narrative, Mahtani and McLaughlin draw on their on-the-ground reporting, and weave this through a historical account to foreground the fight of the frontline protestors, referred to in Cantonese as "The Braves", who felt they had no other choice but to resist Beijing's increasingly authoritarian governance.

In this interview, we discussed the way that the changing political landscape of Hong Kong is demonstrative of the fragility of democratic institutions. We spoke about attempts by Beijing to erase historical memory through the imposition of increasingly draconian laws. Mahtani and McLaughlin will provide listeners with insight as to why Hong Kong matters, and why the rest of the world should take notice of the global erosion of democratic freedoms.

Shibani Mahtani is an international investigative correspondent for the Washington Post. She was previously the Post's Hong Kong and Southeast Asia bureau chief and a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal based in Singapore, Yangon, and Chicago. Her Hong Kong coverage was honored with prizes including a Human Rights Press Award for an investigation into police misconduct.

Timothy McLaughlin is a prize-winning contributing writer for The Atlantic. Previously he worked for Reuters news agency. His work has also appeared in publications including WIRED, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Prospect. He has won multiple awards for his Hong Kong coverage, including two Best in Business Awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing, and is a two-time finalist for The Livingston Award for International Reporting.

Jane Richards is a Lecturer in Law at York Law School, UK.

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