In The News

Obama in Asia – Part II

Kavi Chongkittavorn November 18, 2009
While President Obama’s visit to Southeast Asia is hailed as a breakthrough in relations between the US and the region, the ground was prepared since the new administration took office. With accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in July, writes Nation editor Kavi Chungkittavorn, Washington signaled its sincerity toward Asean. But there was American interest at stake too for the US to...

Obama Backs Non-Censorship; Beijing, Apparently, Does Not

Keith B. Richburg November 17, 2009
President Obama's arrival in Shanghai featured a town hall forum with students watched by the foreign media. During the question and answer period, Obama stated his support for internet freedom of expression in response to a question on Beijing’s blocking of social media sites like Facebook. Meanwhile, Beijing did its best to make the event a non-story within China by carefully choosing the...

Out of the Cold: Burma and US Take Tentative Steps

David I. Steinberg November 4, 2009
Ever since Burma declared martial law in 1988, relations between it and the US have been strained. But as Burma expert David Steinberg writes, with the visit this week by Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell as well as a recent trip by Virginia Senator Jim Webb there are signs of a thaw. Still, such developments only suggest tentative steps in normalizing relations between the two countries...

South Koreans Struggle With Race

Choe Sang-Hun November 3, 2009
South Korea's development in the past half-century is a testament to the opportunities for prosperity globalization affords. Yet, despite South Korea’s export-led growth and its populace's near-obsession with learning English (particularly from foreign-born, white speakers), many South Korean’s are hostile to foreigners living and seeking work among them. Such reactions are likely...

The Future Path for an East Asian Community

Kavi Chongkittavorn October 26, 2009
Southeast Asian countries known as ASEAN have agreed on the need to form a broader East Asian community and increase regional cooperation, despite the many challenges that such integration faces. Among these is the disagreement over how to deal with human rights violations, the differences in economic development and political systems of member states, diverging opinions on US involvement, and...

China’s North Korea Conundrum: How to Balance a Three Legged Stool

Jonathan D. Pollack October 23, 2009
China is caught in North Korea’s tangled web. As US Naval War College Professor Jonathan Pollack notes, despite offering economic life-support and friendly relations, Beijing does not seem able to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions nor can it extricate itself from supporting the isolated regime. And Pyongyang is taking full advantage: recognizing that China cannot cut its lifeline without...

Book Fair Defends Chinese Invitation

October 15, 2009
This year, China is the special guest at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest. Given China’s history and habit of censorship, its place of honor at an event celebrating the free flow of ideas has drawn criticism. Though this is not dissimilar from the outrage over past special guests like Turkey or the League of Arab Nations. The organizers of the fair, however, hope that this courtesy...