TOM PLATE WRITES — The stars and stripes of the American flag, as if sliced by partisanship into bipolar bands of red and blue, never seemed more at cross-purpose. Only true haters might find pleasure in the proceedings. In the House, as if plowing through a field of empty dreams and…
Full Article Paranoia Paramount: IS IT PLAUSIBLE TO COMPARE TRUMP TO MAO?
TIA CARR WRITES– In recent times, the frequency of interstate armed conflicts has greatly decreased. However, we are seeing the rapid creation of alternative means of enforcing political will, most notably, the weaponization of trade. Ever since the waning of liberal orthodoxy in the global political economy, governments have been…
Full Article TRADE TANTRUMS: JAPAN AND South Korea, SUCH GOOD FRIENDS …
TOM PLATE WRITES — How should citizens react when Big Government does a bad thing that screams out for correction? One approach is to slip into denial and imagine nothing at all happened, because leaders are apt to err, so the best thing for your mental health is to look…
Full Article HONG KONG: WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN BIG GOVERNMENT MAKES A BIG MISTAKE?
ROBERT BORN WRITES– Harvard University, with one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States, known for its highly competitive undergraduate admissions process, is being challenged in court on allegations of racism and discrimination Asian-Americans. A Federal District Court in Boston is expected to rule in the Harvard Anti-Discrimination…
Full Article UNITED STATES: Judge To Rule in Harvard Anti-Discrimination Lawsuit
ALEXANDRA RADILALEH WRITES– Thirty-one years after an unlikely relationship, Pham Ngoc Canh, a Vietnamese man, and Ru Yong Hui, a North Korean woman, were finally married in 2002, when North Korea allowed Ru to marry a foreigner. Now, almost two decades later, the couple sees hope that their two countries’…
Full Article “Location, Location, Location!” Hanoi to Host DPRK-US Summit meeting
MILES KENT WRITES– The G20 Summit, an annual gathering of 20 established and developing economies that took place, has been called an American automaker win by the Trump administration. Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Trump tweeted about Chinese plans “to reduce and remove tariffs on American…
Full Article The Tariff Truce: Too Little, Too Late?
KAISARA WALTON WRITES — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China some six weeks ago certainly set a positive tone internationally. At the same time, though, it marked China’s continual growth on the world stage. That’s good for Japan, and China, perhaps. But shouldn’t the United States be concerned?…
Full Article JAPAN: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Visit to China – A Foreshadowing of the Future
On a trip to Southeast Asia recently, Asia Media Editor-in-Chief Tom Plate was interviewed for a brief video by the crack External Affairs division of the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew School of Pubic Policy, at the University of Singapore. Here is the video:
Full Article In Conversation With Tom Plate: The Tomorrow in a U.S.-China World
AMI FOUNDER TOM PLATE WRITES – Last week the 45th President of the United States paid proper tribute to the People’s Republic of China – which, by the way, would have been a whirlwind week for the Trump Administration even without the big-deal dinner for leader Xi Jinping. And though…
Full Article CHINA-US: A COLUMNIST’S VIEW OF THE SUMMIT
CHARLES E. MORRISON WRITES – Predictions of the outcomes of the Trump-Xi Jinping meeting in Florida range from a looming disaster to a rosy new beginning. Of course, both leaders will claim success as a bad meeting helps neither, but true success is measured in the longer-term against expectations. These need…
Full Article CHINA-U.S. SUMMIT: HOW BEST TO NEGOTIATE