Category Archives: Asia
Timor Leste: After the UN’s departure, can the country sustain its rise?
The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor Leste (UNMIT) withdrew its troops on December 31st, 2012. When introduced in 2006, it aimed to “bring about a process of national reconciliation and to foster social cohesion’. This task is almost complete Read on! →
Burma: Is Wirathu really the ‘Burmese Bin Laden’?
In recent months, international media has reported on the sporadic violence and ethnic tensions which have gripped the fledgling south-east Asian country of Burma. Reports show how the majority Buddhist population has conducted an almost systematic programme of harassment, persecution Read on! →
Burma: Buddhism and the rise of Burmese militant nationalism
Compassion, humility, and tranquillity: these are the images that we have typically come to associate with Buddhism in the West. It is a religion that preaches non-violence, and many in the Europe and America have adopted its philosophies as a Read on! →
India: Water security at risk as agreement with China fails
China and India recently failed to sign a bilateral agreement on how to share the water of the Brahmaputra River despite meeting to discuss the issue in May. Prime Ministers from both countries met in New Delhi to discuss several Read on! →
India: Fighting back against the sexist culture [Op-Ed]
The world was horrified to hear of the brutal gang-rape of a 23 year old student in Delhi last December, none more so than the people of India themselves. In the weeks following, India saw widespread protests, as did the Read on! →
Mongolia: UNEP’s answer to food wastage
Mongolia is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and has now been put under the spotlight by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP). One of the biggest contradictions of our times, the shortage and wastage of food, Read on! →
Burma: Can Burma become a multi-ethnic Asian star?
When President Obama visited Burma last year, he was careful to temper any praise he had for the recent reforms undertaken by Burmese President Thein Sein and his government.
China: Xi pursues a unified communist ‘dream’
Last week, Xi Jinping took office as the President of the People’s Republic of China, officially assuming full power of his position during National People’s Congress. During his closing speech, Xi called upon the nation to unite in the pursuit Read on! →
Cambodia: War crimes suspect Ieng Sary dies at 87
Former Khmer Rouge leader and defendant at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, Ieng Sary, died at the Khmer Soviet Friendship Hospital in this capital last Thursday morning. He was 87.
India: Was Afzal Guru denied a fair trial?
In February, Mohammed Afzal Guru was executed for his alleged involvement in the December 2001 attacks on India’s lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha.