Foreign Policy Blogs

Asia & Pacific

Cambodian Opposition Claims Electoral Fraud

Cambodian Opposition Claims Electoral Fraud

It is typically customary for politicians who emerge victorious in elections to give victory speeches and revel in the adulation of supporters once the results of the ballot are officially called.  But in the immediate aftermath of last week’s general election in Cambodia — underpinned and perhaps undermined by myriad irregularities — Prime Minister Hun […]

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China moves on Disputed Territory

China moves on Disputed Territory

Some readers may be familiar with the term “expropriation,” a political risk which the Multilateral Insurance Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a World Bank affiliated insurer, defines as “an action whereby a government seizes property of assets of the foreign investor without full compensation to the investor…also referred to as ‘ownership risk’ or nationalization.”  More astute readers […]

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Japanese vice foreign minister goes to China to exchange views

Japanese vice foreign minister goes to China to exchange views

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki left Monday for a two-day trip to China to exchange views with senior officials, according to a Thomas Reuters report. No details were provided on what Saiki planned to discuss with the Chinese on his July 29 to 30 visit, but his trip comes at a time when Japan’s […]

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The Island President (2011)

The Island President (2011)

While whether climate change is real is being debated around the world, there is one country that is experiencing its effects firsthand: the Maldives. This documentary follows then-President Mohamed Nasheed as he attempts to get the rest of the world on board with reducing carbon emissions, one cause of global warming that is causing sea […]

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India and the United States: Can the Elephant Pivot?

India and the United States: Can the Elephant Pivot?

Joe Biden is in India this week, the latest effort in the Obama administration’s three-year effort to enlist New Delhi in a closer strategic partnership aimed at hedging against a rising China.   Indeed before departing Washington, Biden declared that the United States welcomes New Delhi’s emergence as “a force for security and growth in Southeast Asia and […]

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Cambodian Ruling Party Wins But Opposition Gains

Cambodian Ruling Party Wins But Opposition Gains

The ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) has recorded a victory in Cambodia’s 2013 general election amidst widespread irregularities. Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith announced via Facebook, confirmed by independent sources, that the CPP won 68 seats, enough to give them a safe majority in the 123 seat National Assembly. The final official tally guarantees the CPP […]

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United States and Vietnam Announce New Comprehensive Partnership

United States and Vietnam Announce New Comprehensive Partnership

President Barack Obama hosted Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang at the White House for the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders. Acknowledging the “extraordinarily complex history between the United States and Vietnam” President Obama and President Truong announced the establishment of a new Comprehensive Partnership between the two countries, with the end goal of […]

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China learns CSR in Myanmar

China learns CSR in Myanmar

  Long viewed as “client state” of China, Myanmar’s precious national resources have for years been auctioned off to the hungry dragon next door.  Indeed, China was Myanmar’s only significant dance partner, following the trade sanctions imposed on Western firms in response to human rights abuses by Myanmar’s repressive military junta.  With Myanmar’s recent transition […]

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India Just Scored a Self Goal

India Just Scored a Self Goal

Engineering of election results in Bhutan falls much short of a diplomatic victory of India At the peak of campaigning by Bhutan’s two political parties for the recently concluded National Assembly (NA) elections, word spread that India was unhappy with the shrill nature of arguments – and their counters – related to India. Almost immediately, […]

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Royal Pardon for Cambodian Opposition Leader

Royal Pardon for Cambodian Opposition Leader

PHNOM PENH — Sam Rainsy, the leader of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) returned to the country this past Friday, July 19th, after receiving a royal pardon from Cambodia’s monarch, King Norodom Sihamoni. The 64-year old opposition leader went into self-imposed exile in 2009 after an arrest warrant was issued for his involvement in […]

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Battling Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh Part 1: The Measurement Problem

Battling Extreme Poverty in Bangladesh Part 1: The Measurement Problem

    In 2010, the world reached its target for Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG 1) five years ahead of schedule. MDG 1 aimed to halve by 2015 the proportion of people living in extreme poverty and hunger at the global level. According to the MDG Report 2013, many developing countries have reached their respective goals. Bangladesh […]

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To Be Taken Seriously By Others, India Needs to First Look Inside

To Be Taken Seriously By Others, India Needs to First Look Inside

“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” Several developments related to India call to mind William Shakespeare’s famous line in Julius Caesar.  The first are the tours of the United States undertaken last week by Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram and Commerce & Industry Minister Anand Sharma, aimed at drumming up […]

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Pakistan’s Polio Problem

Pakistan’s Polio Problem

Among Pakistan’s many problems—rampant power cuts, extremist violence, anemic economic growth, widespread poverty—it can seem puzzling that a disease that has claimed only 58 new victims in the last few years has commanded so much attention. Polio, or poliomyelitis, has suffered a stunning defeat in the last 30 years, with a worldwide eradication rate of […]

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Abenomics: two percent inflation and consuming possibly tainted Fukushima rice

Abenomics: two percent inflation and consuming possibly tainted Fukushima rice

  The Bank of Japan, the country’s central bank governed by Haruhiko Kuroda, said the economy is showing signs of recovery after three months of inflationary policies, according to a New York Times article. The statement released Thursday was the first time the central bank has used the word “recovery” since the March 2011 quake/tsunami/nuclear […]

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U.S. and India: The So-So Strategic Dialogue

U.S. and India: The So-So Strategic Dialogue

This year’s session of the annual U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue, which brought Secretary of State John Kerry to New Delhi two weeks ago, produced few headlines.  The gathering was preceded by low expectations as well as talk (here and here) about how bilateral affairs have plateaued in the years since the nuclear cooperation agreement between President George W. […]

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