Asia-Pacific Archive

On June 5, the Maldives’ former vice president, Ahmed Adeeb, was convicted of attempting to assassinate its president, Abdulla Yameen, the latest politically motivated court case against the opposition. In an email interview, New Delhi-based journalist Vishal Arora discusses the state of democracy and rule of law in the Maldives. WPR: What is the state of democracy and rule of law in the Maldives, and how has the space for political dissent been reduced since the 2012 resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed, his subsequent arrest and trial, and the legal proceedings against other opposition leaders? Vishal Arora: While democratic […]

In this week’s Trend Lines podcast, WPR’s editor-in-chief, Judah Grunstein, and host Peter Dörrie discuss El Salvador’s iron-fisted approach to gangs, the Republic of Congo’s violent crackdown on the opposition, and Turkey’s and South Korea’s diplomatic outreach to Africa. For the Report, journalist Yaqiu Wang joins us to talk about the struggle to keep dissent in China alive in the internet age. Listen:Download: MP3Subscribe: iTunes | RSS Relevant Articles on WPR: El Salvador’s ‘Iron Fist’: Inside Its Unending War on Gangs Opposition Has No Way Out of Republic of Congo’s Political Violence Turkey Looks to Play Larger Economic and Security […]

When a country’s economy is doing poorly and voters are suffering, a government can expect to be voted out of office on election day. So Mongolia’s upcoming parliamentary elections June 29 could see a staggering defeat for the ruling Democratic Party (DP), which has led successive governments over the past four years. This is not lost on DP officials. Yet rather than offer a compelling vision for Mongolia’s future, their campaign strategy has focused on reconfiguring the entire election system, creating more problems in the process. Two factors have combined to depress the Mongolian economy: world commodity prices and domestic […]

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Washington during what seems like exuberant times for the Indian economy. Just days before Modi landed, New Delhi unveiled dazzling new economic figures: The headlines boasted that India now has the fastest economic growth of any of the world’s major economies. And the timing could not be better. Not only do the stellar numbers easily surpass those of perennial rival China, they also come at a time when other large economies are having trouble revving up growth. The global economy has always relied on at least one major engine pushing forward with enough […]

Last month, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to begin coordinated patrols to improve maritime security after an increase in kidnappings at sea by the Filipino militant group Abu Sayyaf. In an email interview, Collin Koh, a research fellow at the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, discussed maritime security cooperation in Southeast Asia. WPR: How extensive is maritime security cooperation among Southeast Asian nations, and what efforts are underway to expand cooperation? Collin Koh: Maritime security cooperation among Southeast Asian countries remains primarily bilateral, which makes sense since countries in the region […]

Editor’s note: The following article is one of 30 that we’ve selected from our archives to celebrate World Politics Review’s 15th anniversary. You can find the full collection here. When NPR reporter Louisa Lim brought the iconic photograph of “Tank Man”—the young Chinese man who stood before a column of tanks on June 5, 1989, just one day after the massacre at Tiananmen Square—to the campuses of four prestigious universities in Beijing, only 15 of the 100 students she randomly interviewed could identify the picture. In her book, Lim wrote: The students I spoke to are the crème de la crème, […]

Last week, South Korean President Park Geun-hye arrived in Ethiopia, the first stop on her week-long Africa tour that also includes visits to Kenya and Uganda. In an email interview, J. Berkshire Miller, a fellow on Japan for the Pacific Forum CSIS, discussed South Korea’s ties in Africa. WPR: How extensive are South Korea’s political and economic ties in Africa, and what countries are its main partners? J. Berkshire Miller: South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s visit to Africa is meant to underscore her administration’s desire to have a more comprehensive and robust relationship with key states on the continent. As […]

U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent trip to Hiroshima, Japan, was symbolically important for historical reasons. It is also an example of the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to manage old partnerships and solidify new ones as it rebalances its strategic focus to Asia. But the U.S. is not alone in eyeing countries in the region as potential partners. The following 10 articles are free for non-subscribers until Thursday, June 16. Managing U.S. Partnerships in Asia Looking Back to Look Ahead: The U.S.-Japan Alliance in Today’s Asia Following Obama’s visit to Hiroshima in May, Sheila Smith wrote that, symbolism aside, many still […]

Earlier this year, in Jeffrey Goldberg’s extended profile of President Barack Obama and his views on U.S. foreign policy, Pakistan was barely mentioned, except for one striking reference. Obama, Goldberg wrote, “privately questions why Pakistan, which he believes is a disastrously dysfunctional country, should be considered an ally of the U.S. at all.” Obama’s view is ironic, because he tried hard to strengthen Washington’s relations with Islamabad. The Obama administration came into office hoping to transform the relationship from a transactional, security-focused arrangement into a deeper, strategic partnership. His efforts, however, have largely proved unsuccessful. Obama’s Pakistan policy was doomed […]