The huge coming out party in Myanmar since 2012 has officially veered into hangover territory. That’s the gist of this Asia Sentinel feature that cites recent World Bank and U.S. State Department warnings about everything from the difficulty of doing business to unproductive investments to infrastructure-related bottlenecks, writes William Pesak Read Here – Bloomberg
Anyone familiar with Singapore knows that race is a national obsession, and far more than a box to be ticked on official forms. Read Here – The Diplomat
The “Allah” crisis is masking a nuanced and historic racial debate in Malaysian politics. Read Here – The Diplomat
The first three months under President Yameen offer a glimpse into the island nation’s future. Read Here – The Diplomat
There’s a natural fit between the two putative partners: Japan’s technological prowess and wealth complements India’s size, and a New Delhi-Tokyo duet would stretch China’s power across two widely separated fronts (and more if the partnership can be complemented by the United States, Australia, Vietnam and Indonesia, something that Japan would like to see) while […]
At the turn of the century Afghanistan was economically comatose. The arrival of international forces in 2001 also marked the start of unprecedented international support. After 12 years of conflict, Afghanistan remains a burden for the international community. Read Here – The Diplomat
India is too strategically powerful and too close a neighbour to play a partisan role in favouring any political party over another in Bangladesh Read Here – The Hindu
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un hails the recent execution of his powerful uncle Jang Song-Thaek, saying it had helped cement unity among his people. Read Here – AFP
There seems little chance of any understanding between Bangladesh’s two main political forces emerging ahead of the scheduled January 5 elections. Read Here – The Hindu
To reveal just how rotten someone so close to the Supreme Leader could become might look unwise. But it also showed that Mr Jang’s execution was a foregone conclusion. The message to the people is that corruption is punishable by death, and that no one is spared—not even family. Read Here – The Economist
looking beyond borders 