In The News

Attitudes to Water in South Asia

Gareth Price July 21, 2014
Per-capita water use is low and declining in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and even Nepal and Bangladesh – and water disputes exacerbate strained relations, suggests a Chatham House report, with Gareth Price as the lead author. About 90 percent of the water is used for agriculture. Competition rather than cooperation is the norm. Challenges include wide seasonal variations, a lack of data and...

Rise to the Rising Sea Levels

Nayan Chanda June 26, 2014
Evidence of a warming planet is on full display – advanced degrees in science is no longer needed. Farmers cope with droughts, insurers compensate victims of violent storms, pilots on transatlantic flights point out a Greenland with massive swaths no longer white with snow and ice in springtime. “Warm weather is leading ice sheets to break up and turning glaciers into flowing streams,” writes...

Implications of Modi’s Victory for Indo-Sri Lanka Relations

Rajiv Kumar June 25, 2014
The decisive win of Narendra Modi as prime minister of India and a hands-on approach to foreign policy may prove a boon to India’s neighbors, suggests economist Rajiv Kumar in Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror. India showed little interest in the affairs of the surrounding nations in the past, Kumar contends. Strong factions within the country and conflicting interests prevented a solid, unified approach...

Tiananmen: Vietnam's Newspapers Criticize Crackdown

Nga Pham June 13, 2014
Vietnam news media shocked readers by covering the anniversary of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and deploring the harsh crackdown on protesters. In the past, Vietnamese news media avoided such topics. Like China, Vietnam is a communist government. This year’s coverage reflected recent tense relations between China and Vietnam. The two nations are engaged in bitter quarrel over islands...

Modi Doubles Down on the Neighborhood

Alyssa Ayres June 10, 2014
In anticipating India's foreign policy under newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many have focused on his pragmatic growth policy based on international trade and investment while wondering if he would first turn to East Asia. Early signals suggest that Modi will focus on building closer ties in the immediate region – with other member states of the South Asian Association of...

Thai Junta Claims Support from China, Vietnam Amid Western Unease

Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Pracha Hariraksapitak June 6, 2014
After a coup in Thailand, China and Vietnam expect a quick return to normality. The West and Australia are less sure. Support from China and Vietnam, as well as among Thais, could extend the duration of the coup longer than expected. “In May, Thailand's consumer confidence index hit its highest level since January on hopes the military can bring the economy back from the brink of recession...

Abe Backs Up ASEAN on Maritime Security, Prods China

Noriyuki Suzuki June 3, 2014
Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s support of Vietnam and the Philippines has generated more tension in his countries relations with China. In mid-April, China placed an oil rig in contested waters of the South China Sea. At the Asian Security Summit in Singapore, Abe denounced China for using “force and intimidation to change the status quo” with the oil rig. The article notes that Japan is...