In The News

U.S.-China Ideological Rivalry Heats Up

Eric Teo Chu Cheow January 6, 2006
While the US relies on free markets and free societies as the basis for contemporary socioeconomic and political movement, China focuses on stability as the essence of its foreign policy. The Anglo-Saxon model, which has fueled globalization, stems from a collection of neo-liberal practices called the “Washington Consensus,” whereas the Chinese model, based on a dual economy of private and public...

U.S.–China Ideological Rivalry Heats Up

Eric Teo Chu Cheow January 6, 2006
While the US relies on free markets and free societies as the basis for contemporary socioeconomic and political movement, China focuses on stability as the essence of its foreign policy. The Anglo-Saxon model, which has fueled globalization, stems from a collection of neo-liberal practices called the “Washington Consensus,” whereas the Chinese model, based on a dual economy of private and public...

The East Asia Summit: More Discord than Accord

Mohan Malik December 20, 2005
Some hoped that the recent East Asian Summit (EAS)—which included China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—would be the first step towards building an East Asian Community. Instead, EAS brought historical rivalries and conflicting geopolitical interests into sharp relief. In this article, Mohan Malik, a professor at the...

Encouraging ASEAN

December 15, 2005
Three primary issues emerged this week in Kuala Lumpur: First, ASEAN confronted member state Myanmar over its human rights violations, marking what may be the first such criticism levied against a member. In the past ASEAN has overlooked and defended Myanmar’s junta even as human rights violations ignited international protests and damaged ASEAN credibility. But the patience of the other...

Vietnam Goes Global

Jordan Ryan December 15, 2005
Although Vietnam had hoped to join the WTO before that body’s December ministerial meeting, an accession deal is not likely to finalized before mid-2006. Still, Vietnam’s eagerness to join the global trading system marks a noteworthy ideological shift for the ruling Communist Party, writes Jordan Ryan, the United Nations Development Program Representative in Hanoi. Vietnam’s Communist leaders...

Malaysia Delivers a Short, Important Face-Slap

Connie Levett December 15, 2005
Malaysia has refused to regard Australia as a part of East Asia, and stated that Australia should not expect to become part of any future East Asian community. The leader of Malaysia, Abdullah Badawi, who served as chairman of the recent inaugural East Asia summit, offered geography as a primary reason for rejecting Australian participation. Australia has been jockeying to join the East Asian...

Russian Civil Society Will Find It Harder to Breathe

Liliana N. Proskuryakova December 8, 2005
Since 1991, hundreds of thousands of non-governmental orgnanizations (NGOs) have sprung up in Russia, enjoying a level of freedom unthinkable in the Soviet years. Yet following the pro-democratic revolutions in the former members of the Soviet Union, that freedom may be disappearing, says Liliana N. Proskuryakova. Russian civil society will face a host of new restrictions under new legislation...