In The News

South China Sea: New Arena of Sino-Indian Rivalry

Harsh V. Pant August 2, 2012
A worrisome tussle is underway over the South China Sea. China is preparing to auction off two sections that are widely recognized to fall within Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, 200 nautical miles offshore, even after Hanoi turned the exploration rights over to India. The discord between China and India is not limited to maritime border and exploration rights, argues Harsh V. Pant of King’s...

The Court Rules in Pakistan

Paula Newberg June 21, 2012
Pakistan has a history of its civilian government being removed from power by the military, and last week the country’s Supreme Court mounted what could be the first judicial coup. As Pakistan faces terrorist challenges, political turmoil and economic crises, the activist Supreme Court has compounded the challenges – ruling that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani’s contempt-of-court conviction...

Standoff in the South China Sea

Carlyle A. Thayer June 12, 2012
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, designates boundaries for the seas, sorting out nation’s rights to fish and exploit other resources, including gas and oil. An offshore island, defined as a naturally formed feature with an economic function, is entitled to a 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone; rocks are entitled to 12 nautical miles of territorial waters, but not an...

Thailand's Lèse-Majesté Witchhunt

Simon Roughneen December 29, 2011
Lèse-majesté charges are on the rise in Thailand, from a single case in 2000 to nearly 500 in 2010. Among the charged is Joe Gordon, an American who translated excerpts of a biography of the Thai King, receiving critical acclaim everywhere but Thailand. Gordon was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, but may receive a royal pardon. Observers can’t help but wonder if such accusations aren’...

Lenders Losing Battle of “Basel”

Victoria McGrane, Dan Fitzpatrick December 22, 2011
The US Federal Reserve may have little choice but to follow Europe’s lead and require US banks to add more capitalization. US banks had argued that guidelines need not be so strict, report Victoria McGrane and Dan Fitzpatrick for the Wall Street Journal. Banks described as “too big to fail,” ones that pose risk to the global financial system, are the target. “Basel regulators last month...

A Deal in Durban

December 13, 2011
The good news is nations reached a deal to stem climate change; the bad news is the deal’s terms could allow temperatures to rise by as much as 4 degrees centigrade. Countries will continue negotiations on a new treaty with legal force by 2015, planning to make it operational by 2020, thus ending the divide between developed countries that have long polluted and fast-growing developing nations...

Market-Economy Status for China Is Not Automatic

Bernard O’Connor December 8, 2011
As the euro flounders, China considers coming to Europe’s rescue in exchange for receiving immediate market-economy status – so that the value of its exported goods won’t be subjected to outside costs and prices. Armed with such status, China would be subjected to fewer anti-dumping charges. And many global leaders say why not, since China is set to automatically achieve market-economy status by...