Asia Pacific
Asia-Pacific: Headed towards conflict?
Relations within the Asia-Pacific region grew tense during 2012, marked by a number of incidents between China, Japan, and South Korea. The escalation of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute between China,
Dilemmas and Challenges for Singapore’s Security
Take a look at Singapore’s challenges: or what globalization, changing social needs and a deteriorating security climate mean for the Lion City. It is a well-known fact that Singapore, a
Risky Business: ‘First mover advantage’ or risk in Myanmar’s gold rush?
In the past year Myanmar has moved to the center of the frontier markets’ map for investors keen on a “first mover advantage”. However, increasingly lost amidst the hype is
Myanmar foreign investment law should inspire U.S. policy
Myanmar has signed the New York Convention, which essentially means that international business contracts in the country can now be predictably enforced. On March 6, the Myanmar Parliament agreed to
Thailand: Infrastructure or indictment
The future of the Thailand’s economy may well depend on the direction of the country’s judiciary going forward. The economic picture for Thailand has been overwhelmingly positive since the end
U.S. policy for Myanmar’s 2015 election
The election that will decide Myanmar’s political future will come in 2015, when 75% of the parliament will be up for grabs. Myanmar’s April 2012 by-elections have been hailed as
Malaysia’s looming general election: what it means for the economy
The upcoming elections will, arguably, be the most fiercely contested in the history of Malaysia since independence in 1957. Najib Razak, Malaysia’s Prime Minister (PM) has set the date of
If Abenomics is to succeed
The Bank of Japan’s quantitative easing program cannot by itself guarantee success of Abenomics. So, what additional developments should we look out for? It is obvious to anyone who pays
More Carrot? A Response to Robert S. Ross
This post responds to Robert S. Ross’s November/ December 2012 Foreign Affairs piece, The Problem with the Pivot. According to Ross, “The Obama administration has responded to Chinese assertiveness by reinforcing
One Chinese size fits all? Response to Allison and Blackwill
On January 28th the Financial Times published a piece by Harvard’s Graham Allison and CFR’s Robert Blackwill entitled Beijing still prefers diplomacy over force. This piece makes claims about China’s
