In The News

The Barrel of the Gun, How Not to Promote Democracy

Ronald Meinardus August 23, 2004
The spread of democracy and globalization – defining characteristics of the modern era – have resulted in the erosion of national sovereignty, according to this op-ed from the Jakarta Post. The author contends that information technology, failed authoritarian regimes, and pure human nature facilitated the worldwide proliferation of democracy. A byproduct of this spread is the seemingly...

A Little Red Dot and Tension Across the Taiwan Strait

Lee Hsien Loong August 23, 2004
During his first National Day Rally speech, Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced and expounded upon the continuance of Singapore’s “One China” policy in the wake of his non-official visit to Taiwan. Tracing the root of the policy back to Singapore’s independence in 1965, Lee emphasized his nation’s desire for good relations with both Taiwan and the mainland. At the same time, he...

A Global Power Shift in the Making

James F. Hoge, Jr. July 21, 2004
China has an economy that by 2010 will be double the size of Germany’s. Japan has fed off this growth to pull itself out of its 1990s economic malaise and enjoyed a real GDP growth rate of 6.4% in the last quarter of 2003. Elsewhere in Asia, the “tigers” have recovered from the 1997 financial crisis, and India’s economy is growing at 8% per year with some economists predicting that India could...

America's Korea Policy Needs an Overhaul

Stephen W. Linton July 20, 2004
Despite decades of American economic and military support for South Korea, in recent years younger South Koreans have begun to express virulently anti-US views. It is no longer only in meetings with North Korea's communist government that American visitors to the Korean peninsula confront charges of US economic imperialism, war-mongering, and colonial intentions. In fact, says Korea...

East Asia and Bumpy Sino-Taiwanese Relations

Jusuf Wanandi July 1, 2004
With the Taiwan’s presidential election over the issue of its relations with China has receded from the public attention. This inattention, a leading Indonesian commentator Yusuf Wanandi says, could lead to the eruption of a dangerous conflict between China and Taiwan, affecting the stability and prosperity of all of East Asia. He says that the Taiwanese President Chen Shui Bian has decided on...

Handover Advanced but Problems Remain

Paul Reynolds June 28, 2004
The unexpected early handover of sovereignty in Iraq may be a public relations coup for the US and the UK, but realities on the ground indicate that the road ahead is not easy. Although members of the new Iraqi government are claiming they are "ready", says this BBC article, they are in fact ill-prepared to deal with the challenges of government and the security threats that continue...

The Case for Hypocrisy

Niall Ferguson June 7, 2004
Niall Ferguson, author of "Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire", makes his case against the much-demanded quick American exit from Iraq and transfer of full sovereignty to an Iraqi government. First of all, he says, the references to ‘full sovereignty’ made by US President George Bush and many others is unrealistic, because the US army will continue to have a strong...