Best Thinking in Asian & Pacific Rim Politics

Featured Content

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  Suu Kyi: The Woman with Conviction and a New Passport
  Topic by Erin Luhmann

  When an American photographer traveled to Myanmar in 2010 to take a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of that country's government opposition movement, for Time magazine, he found himself sneaking around like a spy, dashing away from secret police to a covert photo shoot with the Nobel...

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  Kim Jong Un's Influence on North Korea
  Topic by Kirsten N Lemmons

  On December 28, 2011, Kim Jong-un became North Korea's new Supreme Leader after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il, on December 17. Proceeding his rise to power, Kim Jong-un has been watched closely by many of the world's leading governments. The twenty (something)-year-old, who carries a...

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  How Much Do We Know About China’s New Leader?
  Topic by Saideh P Jamshidi

  During the month of November 2012,the world’s two greatest powers chose their leaders. In the United States, Barak Obama secured his role for another four years; in China, the Communist Party appointed Xi Jinping (pronounced: Shee Jeen-ping ) as its next president, presumably for the next ten...

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  North Korea Tests Again
  Article by Charles F Barnaby

  North Korea, already the world’s most isolated country, has shown that it is prepared to live with sanctions and inte...

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  Scandal, Film Revive Conversation on Military Sexual Assault
  Topic by Nora G Hertel

  The release of the documentary "The Invisible War" and the ongoing investigation of sex scandals at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas reanimated the national discussion of sexual assault in the military. Kirby Dick’s documentary, which won the 2012 audience award at the Sundance...

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  Obama Afghanistan Withdrawal Plan
  Topic by Nidhi Singh

  In an address to the nation, President Barack Obama revealed his plan to withdraw 33,000 troops currently fighting in Afghanistan within the next year. Many other countries are also following suit, such as France, Germany, and Poland. In such a short period of time, withdrawing a large number...

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  Charles Taylor & Defining Accountability
  Topic by Erin Luhmann

  African warlord Charles Taylor received a 50-year prison sentence on May 30, after a trial that spent roughly nine years in the international court system. Human rights activists and victims of his humanitarian offenses applauded the news as a victory over despots who endorse murder,...

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  The Russia Case: Opportunities and Dilemmas for the U.S.
  Article by Roger P Hamburg

  The U.S. has supported authoritarian regimes, but it cannot be inferred or predicted with any certainty that what fol...

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  Statehood for South California
  Topic by Enelda Butler

  A local politician in California recently proposed dividing the state in two to create a new state named "South California." Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone suggested the new territory would include 13 counties from the southern portion of the state. Stone believes that this solution...

• Iran's Efforts to Develop Nuclear Weapons Under Covert Attack
  Article by Charles F Barnaby
• Consultative Leninism: China's New Political Framework
  Article by Steve Tsang, MA, D.Phil, (Oxon)
• Syria's Fragile Cease Fire
  Topic by Erin Luhmann
• Syria's Biological and Chemical Weapon Arsenal
  Article by Charles F Barnaby
• Netherlands Cracks Down on Cannabis Coffeeshops
  Topic by Ed Murrieta