Instead, increasingly acrimonious exchanges between Beijing and Washington reveal the contradictions inherent in attempting to shoehorn an authoritarian, mercantilist, and suspicious nation into a refurbished world system that ostensibly promotes democracy, open markets, multilateralism, while forcefully advancing American interests.
Torpedoing Conventional Thinking on the Cheonan
Two respected Korean-American researchers cast new doubt on South Korea’s conclusion that North Korea sunk the Cheonan.
Shanghai’s Expo Vision
On a busy day, Shanghai’s World Expo can usher in crowds on par with the population of Boston. A ticket gets you dazzling oddball architecture, glittering ceremonies, and long, sweat-drenched lines. This is the latest episode in Shanghai’s aspiration to join the top tier of global cities that assert their worldwide political, cultural and economic influence. It is but one phase in China’s tectonic physical transformation, fueled by near-perennial double-digit growth and ethereal land valuations.
Review: ‘The Insular Empire’
The past colonial possessions of the United States seem to have slipped from public consciousness. Most American troops left Cuba, the Philippines, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic many decades ago, so little more could be expected of a nation that hardly remembers the two wars it is currently fighting.
Sri Lankan Minister’s Sad Parody of Satyagraha
Sri Lankan minister huger strike against UN human rights investigation perverts turns civil disobedience inside out.
Burma’s Junta Built to Last
Whether or not Myanmar holds elections this year, democracy seems to be a mirage on the horizon. The military is geared to remain in power for the foreseeable future.
Would You Trust a Country That Named Its First Nuke Test ‘Smiling Buddha’?
Not only does India refuse to sign disarmament treaties such as the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, it’s also developing anti-satellite systems.
Sri Lanka’s Wartime Abuses
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa was in India earlier this month making promises to resettle the war-displaced Sri Lankan Tamil minority one year after his government’s forces won a crippling victory over the Tamil Tiger insurgency. But can he deliver on his pledge and begin the healing of Sri Lanka’s deep ethinc wounds?
U.S.-India Nuke Transactions Go From Bad to Worse
U.S.-India nuclear transactions are part of a broader set of agreements between the two countries that U.S.-based multinationals are hoping to use as a wedge to further open India to investment and sales.
Right-wing Loonies Support Okinawa Base Relocation
A Japanese cult leader took out a Washington Post ad in which false claims were made about leftists seeking to expel the U.S. military from Japan. In truth, protesters are focused on halting the building of a new U.S. base in Okinawa.