Asia & Pacific Archives - Page 142 of 382

China and India Battle Over Thin Air

by Conn Hallinan | Jan 27, 2010

Of all the world’s potential hotspots, one of the most unlikely is tucked into the folds of the Himalayas. This slice of ground is little more than frozen rock fields and soaring peaks that is decidedly short on people, resources, and oxygen. But for the past year this border area has been a worrisome source of friction between India and China, including incursions by Chinese troops, the wounding of several Indian border police, and a buildup of military forces on both sides.

War Crimes in Sri Lanka

by Arthur Dewey | Jan 26, 2010

This week, Sri Lankan voters go to the polls to elect a new president. No matter the victor, neither of the two main candidates is likely to provide the justice and closure that Sri Lanka’s thousands of war victims deserve.

China: The Prince of Denmark

by Walden Bello | Jan 20, 2010

Almost a month after the debacle at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen (Conference of Parties or COP 15), the question of who scuttled the talks elicits fury and derision.

A Path for Peace in South Asia

by Zia Mian | Jan 7, 2010

It has been a grim start to the New Year and the new decade in South Asia. Vested interests, hardened obsessions, and old habits continue to push India and Pakistan in the direction of ruinous conflict. While military planners in both countries plan and prepare for the next war, politicians and diplomats remain determined not to talk except on their own terms.

The Battle of Okinawa 2009: Obama vs Hatoyama

by Gavan McCormack | Jan 1, 2010

The making of an unequal, unconstitutional, illegal, colonial and deceitful U.S.-Japan agreement.

Stories You Might Have Missed: Goodbye

by Ed Hancox | Dec 31, 2009

Seven stories of 2009 that deserved more attention than they received.

Postcard From…Copenhagen

by Yifat Susskind | Dec 16, 2009

Last weekend, women farmers from Africa and Latin America gave President Obama a message that he can’t afford to ignore. In a letter delivered to the president and U.S. negotiators in Copenhagen, the women argued that the poorest, most disenfranchised people in the world hold the key to resolving the biggest global challenge of our time.

Obama’s Surge and Pakistan

by John Feffer, Shibil Siddiqi | Dec 10, 2009

President Barack Obama recently announced an escalation of the war in Afghanistan, outlining plans to send an additional 30,000 troops. In search of an “end game,” he also declared that the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan would end in the summer of 2011, though the administration has since stated this will be a long and slowly phased withdrawal. The additional troops — even had they been the 40,000 originally requested by General Stanley McChrystal, the top American commander in Afghanistan — will be unable to score a military victory. Washington realizes that military force is not enough, particularly in the face of the loss of public support in the United States and the recent failure of democratic elections in Afghanistan. The end game will require a political settlement.

Nation-Building in Afghanistan

by John Feffer, Adil E. Shamoo | Nov 30, 2009

The United States has spent nearly a trillion dollars over the past seven years, fighting two wars in vastly different places. A small portion of this effort has been dedicated to what has commonly been called nation-building. In fact, our mission has been a mixture of both state-building, which further develops the institutions of government, and nation-building, which constructs roads, schools and other projects. This approach is not entirely new, but these initiatives have become an important and accepted paradigm for the conduct of war in this century.

Postcard From…Tawang

by John Feffer, Saransh Sehgal | Nov 24, 2009

The inhabitants of the remote frontier town of Tawang, in the Himalayan foothills in the northeastern Indian region bordering Chinese-administered Tibet, have lived under many flags. Anyone over the age of 62 can tell the stories of four different empires: British, Tibetan, Chinese, and Indian. During the 1962 war, Chinese troops briefly occupied what is today known as the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Today, India administers the area, though China hasn’t completely renounced its claims.