Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS Analysis by Larry Jagan BANGKOK, Apr 26, 2011 (IPS) – Already Burma’s new civilian government poses problems for its Asian allies as it tries to woo the international community. The month-old quasi-civilian administration, led by President Thein Sein has launched a new diplomatic charm offensive in an effort [...]
When Asia Put Some Dictators Behind
February 19, 2011 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Feb 19, 2011 (IPS) – As Egypt takes tentative steps to replace ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade authoritarian rule with a democratic culture, its political planners may want to look halfway across the world to the most populous Muslim country for lessons on how [...]
Fear of China May Block an ASEAN Identity
November 20, 2010 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN By Kalinga Seneviratne* IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis SINGAPORE (IDN) – The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) held its annual summit in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi October 28-30 along with the East Asia Summit (EAS). The latter is an initiative of ASEAN but it has been bogged down [...]
SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Civil Society Gives Rights Body A Failing Grade
October 31, 2010 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IPS By Marwaan Macan-Markar BANGKOK, Oct 31, 2010 (IPS) – A year after its creation, a South-east Asian human rights body has earned an unflattering label – that of being a window-dressing exercise to improve the image of a region that is home to governments notorious for suppressing political [...]
Asia and Europe – The Twain Must Meet
September 23, 2010 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN Asia and Europe – The Twain Must Meet By Shada Islam* IDN-InDepth NewsViewpoint BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) on October 4-5 will be the biggest international gathering in Brussels, bringing together 48 Asian and European countries, joined by senior European Union officials and the secretary general [...]
ASEAN Urged to Facilitate Intraregional Trade
June 7, 2010 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN ASEAN Urged to Facilitate Intraregional Trade By Taro Ichikawa IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis TOKYO (IDN) – A new study has stressed the need for trade facilitation in the ASEAN region that, it says, remains very fragmented despite many ongoing initiatives, partly due to the difficulty of moving goods across borders. [...]
Asian Leaders Look Beyond Today
June 7, 2010 By
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy / IDN By Taro Ichikawa IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis TOKYO (IDN) – Asian leaders are calling for a greater role in global governance in which clean and inclusive growth must play a vital role. "A truly new opportunity has dawned on East Asia and so it must take a greater role in [...]
JAPAN: Fresh Aid to Mekong Signals Rivalry with China — Experts
November 12, 2009 By
Global Geopolitics Net Sites / IPS Catherine Makino TOKYO, Nov 11 (IPS) – There is more to Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s pledge last week to extend at least 500 billion yen (5.6 billion U.S. dollars) in fresh assistance to the Mekong region than meets the eye, or so observers think. Japan’s underlying intentions toward the [...]
Q&A: ‘Undermining ASEAN Human Rights Body Will Be Act of Suicide’
October 25, 2009 By
Global Geopolitics Net Sites / IPS Marwaan Macan-Markar interviews RAFENDI DJAMIN, a member of the ASEAN human rights commission CHA-AM, Thailand, Oct 25 (IPS) – A South-east Asian human rights mechanism launched here at a regional summit should be used by victims of rights violations to end oppression at home, says a member of this [...]
CHINA: A WAKE-UP CALL FOR VIETNAM & INDIA
Global Geopolitics & Political Economy B.RAMAN This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Vietnam. The two countries are observing it as the China-Vietnam Friendship Year. In November last year, they had signed a number of agreements on the demarcation of their 1,300-kilometer land boundary and agreed to [...]