KISHORE MAHBUBANI SAYS — The following is an excerpt from an Interview published by Project Syndicate on November 24th, 2020, with the distinguished famed Professor Mahbubani: Project Syndicate: You’ve warned that “the international order has lagged dangerously behind shifting global power dynamics.” Will US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration improve prospects…
Month: November 2020
US-CHINA RELATIONS: BEIJING CAN BE A CONTRIBUTOR TO PEACE AND PROSPERITY
TOM PLATE WRITES — The truth about the swelling importance of the People’s Republic of China in the Asia-Pacific is that without America’s corresponding help, unintended as it was of course, the reversal of position would not have happened as quickly. Perhaps it all began in 1997, with the collapse…
SOUTH ASIA: VICE-PRESIDENT ELECT KAMALA HARRIS CUTS A STRIKING FIGURE ON THE WORLD STAGE
SOPHIA JARAMILLO WRITES — As newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris will be endlessly discussed for her diplomatic relations and duties, her fashion will also be discussed, as it should be. It is necessary to bring light to the impact of all areas of her identity. Being of South Asian…
NEW ZEALAND: A BLUE WAVE WASHES ASHORE WHILE AMERICA IS LEFT HIGH AND DRY
DANICA CREAHAN WRITES — Though the elections occurred just a few weeks apart, New Zealanders and Americans are living in seemingly different worlds. With New Zealand at just under 2000 Covid-19 cases as a whole and the U.S. at more than 92,000 on election day alone, the one thing they…
INDONESIA: AS VICE-PRESIDENT, KAMALA HARRIS MAY HELP RAISE THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN MY HOME COUNTRY
SIANY GUNAWAN WRITES –Even though I don’t share some of her beliefs, as an Asian American I respect Kamala Harris’s assertive nature, and I am proud of her achievement in smashing through the largest glass ceiling for people of color. Harris, a senator from California, is of Indian and Jamaican…
CLASSIC FILM IN RE-REVIEW: IN LIGHT OF THE FIREFLY
ELLA KELLEHER WRITES — Grave of the Fireflies, one of those works of art that will never die, nonetheless is a film that lacks concrete resolution – there is no main lesson to be learned at the end. The audience is instead left with the understanding of the ephemerality of…
THE 5G GRAND PRIX: A SIMPLE EXPLANATION
ALI AL-SABAH WRITES – The previous waves of mobile communication were driven by European and American countries. The race has shifted – now dominated by China and American. Many might ask why it is even a race — why is the gaining of faster speeds such a whirlwind that seems…
THAILAND: PROTESTS IN A CONTINUING BATTLE TOWARDS DEMOCRACY
MARY SANDRINE BERNOS WRITES — The Thailand protests are caused by three things: resignation of the prime minister, rewriting of the military-drafter constitution, and reform of the monarchy’s absolute power. Citizens of Thailand are angered at the fact that their current prime minister was still appointed despite causing a military…
SOUTH KOREA: INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL ADVISOR ON FOREIGN POLICY ALLIANCE UNDER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
DR. MOON CHUNG-IN, Special Advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in for Foreign Affairs and National Security. He is also a Distinguished University Professor of Yonsei University, Krause Distinguished Fellow, School of Policy and Global Strategy, University of California, San Diego, and co-Convener of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-Proliferation…
The GCC: TINY STATES NEED BIG HELP FENDING OFF BIG ENEMIES
NAWAF ALSABAH WRITES — The new Arab uprisings of 2018-2020 have demonstrated that instability in the Middle East can result from regional states’ domestic turmoil. A case in point: threats posed to the national security of the tiny Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as a result of these recent Arab Spring…
VIETNAM: WILL FOREIGN INVESTORS SHRINK FROM THE NEW PPP LAW?
LULU AKHALIDI WRITES – Vietnam’s National Assembly passed the Public-Private Partnership Law designed to streamline bureaucracies that have made it difficult for investors to enter the growing Vietnamese economy. The law goes into effect on January 1, 2021 In 2019, Vietnam registered a 7% GDP growth, making it one of Southeast…
HONG KONG: LONG SENTENCES AND THE SHORT END OF THE STICK FOR FEMALE DRUG OFFENDERS
MONICA KELLY WRITES — Is prison population growth an indicator of justice in Asia? On November 2, Hong Kong officials announced a record-breaking seizure of over half-a-ton of methamphetamine reportedly worth $39 million USD. Drug trafficking is not new to Asia: the continent’s meth trade is estimated to be worth…
SOUTH KOREA: POLITICAL WINDS HAVE SHIFTED ON CLIMATE CHANGE
MONICA KELLY WRITES — President Moon Jae-in announced last Wednesday that South Korea will be carbon neutral by 2050. This will be achieved through the Green New Deal – a multi-billion- dollar plan that will invest in energy technologies to create jobs and help curb greenhouse emissions. The hallmark plan…
SOUTH KOREA: CAN THE FLU VACCINE KILL YOU?
SARA ALTUWAIJRI WRITES — The flu season is fast approaching. The South Korean medical establishment took steps to prevent a severe epidemic by giving out flu vaccines, but this took a tragic turn when more than 1500 elderly people died seven days after receiving it last year. This year there have been…
SOUTH KOREA: LOCK ‘EM UP…FOR 14 DAYS OF COVID QUARANTINE
MALCOLM KAM WRITES — With the COVID-19 crisis, South Korea remains open to most incoming travelers as long as they participate in a 14-day quarantine. So if you are planning to visit South Korea, it is recommended that you check online for official information regarding the quarantine process (short-term foreign…
CHINA-US TENSIONS: BIDEN SHOULD PRESS THE ‘PAUSE BUTTON’
KISHORE MAHBUBANI WRITES (courtesy of The Straits Times) — The first American president to enter my personal consciousness was John F. Kennedy. It wasn’t his stirring rhetoric that reached me as a child in Singapore. It was the news of his assassination. The sense of loss was globally palpable. History…