Burma’s three ethnic insurgencies are on full boil, but at a time when support from former benefactors Thailand and China has grown tepid.
Burma’s Ethnic Insurgencies Erupt in a Chain Reaction
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Asia & Pacific
Bush Sr. and Huntsman: A Tale of Two Ambassadors to the Middle Kingdom
A close look at the personal and career paths of Jon M. Huntsman with George H. W. Bush. suggests several convergences, and the nexus is the Middle Kingdom.
Art v. State
In the vast exhibition hall of London’s Tate Modern, the installation looks from a distance like a huge patch of gravel. Perhaps it is the first stage of a construction site or the last stage of a demolition. Only when you come closer and crouch down can you identify the little objects. A discerning eye might determine that they are reproductions. The rest of us rely on an accompanying video about Ai Weiwei’s project, which explains that the Chinese artist had commissioned a village of artists to produce the porcelain objects and paint them to resemble the real thing. What from far away looks like a gravel parking lot is actually one hundred million artfully produced sunflower seeds.
Australian PM Gillard’s Call for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons No Shot in the Dark
Australia’s call for an end to nuclear weapons is a process that began with the formation of an international commission on nonproliferation and disarmament.
The Last Son of China
..……………..hello hello hello…Weiwei…where have you been?…I see you in dreams…bleeding…in the darkness of the sun…79 spots in the flame…each a nightmare one cannot wake up from…Weiwei…the last son…you told me as we said goodbye…your last night on the Lower East side…未未…the last child of your Mother and Father…born in the labor camp…exiled from Beijing to the far desert…
Review: Free Burma
In his new book Free Burma: Transnational Legal Action and Corporate Accountability, sociology professor John Dale challenges the basic assumption underlining “constructive engagement” policies that continued trade with Burma will help bring about political reform in the country. Dale argues that, instead of promoting democracy, constructive engagement poses a threat to Burma’s political and economic development.
The Nuclear Terrorists Are Coming: Break Out the Varsity Squad!
Nuclear safety needs to share the light that Fukushima has shone on it with nuclear security. Russ Wellen at the Foreign Policy in Focus blog Focal Points.
Genuine Partnership or a Marriage of Convenience?
Despite official Indian denial that there is no competition between the two Asian giants (The Economic Times 2010) in Africa, India’s foreign policy swings between attempting to catch up with the Chinese, who have made major inroads in Africa over the past decade, and accommodating the aspirations of China, India and the western world in the context of India’s enduring relations with the continent. This competition centres on three major issues: energy security, access to Africa’s untapped markets and diplomatic influence.
Exodus to North Korea Revisited
The emotions felt by those leaving Japan were varied and often complex. Many expressed joy and hope at the prospect of a new life in North Korea – even though the vast majority came originally from the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, and were going to a place they had never seen before. Some took a more somber view – traveling without high expectations, but at least in the belief that a future in North Korea would be more secure than their life in Japan, where they had been deprived of citizenship and had no assured residence rights, very limited access to welfare and (in most cases) few educational or employment opportunities.
Ending South Korea’s Child Export Shame
South Korea is on the verge of changing its reputation as the world’s leading baby exporter to a world leader in grassroots adoption reform. The first-ever birth mother, unwed mother, and adoptee co-authored bill is moving toward a National Assembly vote with government sponsorship.