Myanmar’s Divided Opposition

Five years ago, Myanmar’s ruling junta under General Than Shwe began a cautious but promising move away from a nearly five-decade old military dictatorship, loosening control, opening the country’s economy, and releasing political prisoners, as well as Aung San Suu Kyi, an opposition leader and chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD), from house arrest. […]

Rate this:

Could The ‘Asian Century’ Already Be Petering Out?

The British Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm once called the epoch stretching from the French Revolution of 1789 to World War I’s outbreak in 1914 as the “long 19th century.” A little over a decade ago, people began to speculate about an emerging “Asian century,” driven by an unstoppable China and enabled by America’s supposed inevitable […]

Rate this:

The Trillion-Dollar Question: Who Will Control The South China Sea?

Recent developments in the South China Sea have lumbered U.S. strategic planners with a number of pressing quandaries. Should the United States send warships through sea lanes claimed by China as territorial waters?  How can Washington signal resolve and reassurance to its allies in the region without unduly antagonizing China’s political and military leaders?  What […]

Rate this:

The Sino-American Codependency Trap

Increasingly reliant on each other for sustainable economic growth, the United States and China have fallen into a classic codependency trap, bristling at changes in the rules of engagement. The symptoms of this insidious pathology were on clear display during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to America. Little was accomplished, and the path ahead […]

Rate this:

Two Leaders, Worlds Apart

When Chinese President Xi Jinping’s handlers arranged his flight from Seattle to Washington on Thursday, they made sure he would land after Pope Francis had left. Xi didn’t want to be overshadowed by the rock-star pope. As it turned out, the Chinese leader was unable to avoid the pope’s shadow. The elaborate reception ceremonies for Xi […]

Rate this:

India’s UNSC Alliance With Japan A Mistake

India, as the second most-populous country, has a promising bid for a permanent Security Council seat. However, the nation has strategic problems….In fact, India’s biggest mistake is to ally itself with Japan, Germany and Brazil. First of all, these three countries have opponents in the region. Japan’s bid for permanent membership will definitely invite strong […]

Rate this: