In The News

Forbes: These Asian Countries Could Follow in Taiwan's LGBT Rights Footsteps

Ralph Jennings May 31, 2017
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court declared that same-sex marriage is part of the “people’s right to equality” in May and became the first place in Asia to legalize the practice. The island has a history of practicing progressive values, with the LGBT movement forming more than two decades ago as politicians attempted to build a more pluralistic society. “Taiwanese LGBT groups are wondering now who...

Bloomberg: China's Downgrade Could Lead to a Mountain of Debt

May 30, 2017
Moody’s Investor Services lowered China’s sovereign debt rating by one level in late May for the first time since 1989. The company cited high levels of corporate debt mostly held by state-owned enterprises as the cause. With an increase in the yield premium on bonds, Chinese companies face higher interest rates when borrowing money, indicating greater risk. Hence, raising capital for investments...

Project Syndicate: Rethinking the Next China

Stephen S. Roach May 28, 2017
China has steadily shifted policies since 1980 in pursuit of global economic leadership. “While many of the key building blocks of China’s transitional framework have fallen into place – especially rapid growth in services and accelerated urbanization – there can be no mistaking a new and important twist: China now appears to be changing from an adapter to a driver of globalization,” explains...

The Diplomat: It’s Good to Be the Tatmadaw

Ben Dunant May 24, 2017
The 2015 general election in Myanmar marked a critical transition to democracy from military rule, when the people elected Aung San Suu Kyi in the first openly-contested election in a quarter-century. However, the military, known as the Tatmadaw in Burmese, still controls much of the country’s economy and political discourse. The Tatmadaw’s commander-in-chief helms three key security ministries,...

The Atlantic: My Family’s Slave

Alex Tizon May 23, 2017
Cultural traditions in one society can be crimes in another. Children raised with such traditions confront a dilemma as acceptance slowly transforms into questions and shame. Author Alex Tizon, now deceased, profiles a woman who had served his family without pay for more than 50 years. The uneducated worker was taken from the fields at age 12 and eventually given to Tizon’s mother by his...

Caixin: One Belt, One Road as China’s 21st Century Marshall Plan?

David Vines May 17, 2017
China could be on its way to leading the global economy, helped by One Belt, One Road. David Vines, writing for Caixin, compares the initiative to the Marshall Plan during the last century, which benefited Europe and Japan. China, with big investments in infrastructure, could emerge as a leader in setting rules and standards for global governance, but Vines points to two risks: First, “The Belt...

CNN: Putin Warns Against “Intimidating” North Korea After Latest Missile Launch

James Griffiths, Matthew Chance and Steve George May 15, 2017
North Korea tested another missile – its most successful yet, traveling more than 750 kilometers and landing near Russia, though the US and Russia disagree over just how that close. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin condemned the launch as dangerous but warned against “intimidating” North Korea. Some analysts suggest that the missile launched at another trajectory could have reached US bases in...