Asia & Pacific Archives - Page 153 of 382

One China, 2.0?

by Erdong Chen, John Feffer | Dec 11, 2008

In Asia, gifts matter. Consider the gift exchange during the recent high-level chat between Taiwan’s new president Ma Ying-jeou and Chen Yunlin. Chen is the chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), Beijing’s primary negotiation body with Taiwan. He recently went to Taipei for five intensive days as the highest profile mainland visitor in the last 60 years. Although Chen only met Ma for a brief talk, they did manage to exchange gifts. President Ma gave Chen a fine porcelain ornament. Porcelain, a key symbol of Chinese culture, is also known as china. Ma’s gift, then, can be interpreted as a sign of the "One China" consensus because what he gave Chen was one "china." Indeed, under the framework of the "1992 consensus," which allows both parties to interpret the term "one China" differently, Beijing and Taipei are willing to promote their bilateral relationship while remaining ambiguous about more sensitive issues.

Economic Woes? Look to Kerala

by John Feffer, Shirin Shirin | Dec 10, 2008

In his 2005 book The World Is Flat, Thomas Friedman joined a chorus of economists who touted India as the latest development success story, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. While India has developed a middle class with disposable income for the first time in recent history, such growth has not been accompanied by meaningful poverty reduction.

Drawing the Future From the Past

by Channapha Khamvongsa | Dec 6, 2008

Since the end to the U.S. wars in Southeast Asia, many other wars have been waged, in other parts of the world, in new terrain, villages, and communities. Yet, the wars in Southeast Asia lingers.

War and Peace: An Epic Mural

by John Feffer, Kyi May Kaung | Dec 5, 2008

Obama: Stand Up to the Indonesian Military

by John Feffer, John M. Miller | Dec 4, 2008

According to some pundits, U.S. reengagement with the largely unreformed and unrepentant Indonesian military is the best way to promote reform and human rights. The Wall Street Journal Asia, for instance, called on President-elect Barack Obama "to stand down liberal senators and interest groups" for seeking conditions on military assistance to Indonesia. "Indonesia’s military has certainly had human rights problems in the past," the editorial states, but urges the incoming administration to forget about them in the name of building an alliance on the "global war on terror."

The Obama administration and incoming 111th Congress should indeed change course on Indonesia. It should put human rights at the forefront of U.S. policy. This would contribute more to encouraging democratic reform and human rights accountability in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country than any amount of military training or weapons. Indonesians who view the military as a chief roadblock to greater reform will be grateful.

Engaging Pyongyang on Human Rights

by John Feffer, Emily Schwartz Greco | Nov 20, 2008

(Editor’s note: The author presented a different version of this paper at the International Symposium on North Korean Human Rights, sponsored by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, in Seoul in October.)

Turkey Between East and West

by John Feffer, Ragan Updegraff | Nov 10, 2008

Turkey has long aligned itself with Western powers, dating back to Ottoman participation in the Concert of Europe. It’s currently a member of the Council of Europe, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Many Turks view accession to the European Union (EU) as the capstone to its longstanding ambition to be recognized as a modern European power. Others in Turkey, however, are leery of EU-inspired democratization schemes and wonder if admission is indeed worth the cost of the ticket.

The Case for U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan

by Sameer Dossani, Emily Schwartz Greco | Nov 10, 2008

Key Points

Review: A Floating City of Peasants

by John Feffer | Oct 28, 2008

One of the most profound migrations in history is taking place today. Cities are swelling all over the world with the influx of farmers and peasants. But it is in China, the world’s most populous country, that this great migration has the potential to remake geopolitics. The numbers are staggering. There are 182 Chinese cities large enough and connected enough to qualify as international metropolises. Of these, 89 have populations larger than a million (compared to only 37 in the United States). This migration in China will not only affect energy use, climate, and agricultural production. It will inevitably shift global power from West to East as these Chinese cities become the center of finance, politics, and art.

Bollywood Gets Political

by John Feffer, Noor Iqbal | Oct 24, 2008

The opening scene of Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) comes as a shock to the seasoned Bollywood enthusiast. A montage of news reports flickers across the screen. Images from 9/11, the murder of Daniel Pearl, America’s invasion of Iraq, and the most recent sectarian violence in Gujarat confront the unsuspecting viewer.