Last week saw yet another meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which was hosted by Myanmar President Thein Sein on Nov. 12 and 13. ASEAN nations had initially hoped for further progress on territorial issues related to the East and South China Seas, yet once again came away with little agreement from Beijing.
Until very recently, Ou Virak was President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights. Being a human rights activist in Cambodia, a country with too many abuses in that category to possibly list here, is quite the daunting task. The government of Prime Minister Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) have notoriously […]
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 […]
President U Thein Sein of Myanmar visited Washington, D.C. last week and met with President Barack Obama in what was billed by many in the media as “an historic event,” taking into account that President Sein is the first president of Myanmar—also known as Burma—to come to the United States in almost fifty years. US-Myanmar […]
This week: Dennis Rodman hangs out in North Korea, Hugo Chavez dies, America plays out its fiscal drama, and Bashar al-Assad follows in his father’s footsteps.
Having visited Myanmar years ago when it seemed uncertain when or if political change would occur, I find it fascinating to watch the ongoing democratization of Myanmar, which continued to unfold this week with President Obama’s historic trip and meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, one of my personal heroes. In a generally optimistic time […]
In my first article I wrote about the historic election in Myanmar in which the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by former political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi, gained seats in parliament for the first time ever. Last week NLD’s elected members took their oaths of office to officially begin serving in parliament (though […]
This is the second in a 3-part year in review series on war crimes around the world in 2011. E.C.C.C. – The Big Four Stand Trial In what has been called the most important trial since Nuremberg, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia commenced the trial of former Khmer Rouge leaders Nuon Chea, Ieng […]
Overview: The predominant trend in Southeast Asia this year has been one of increasing regional integration, but this has been tempered by historic issues of nationalism, which continue to challenge the region and serve as the largest obstacle for a more united ASEAN. 2009, was an excellent year for various free trade initiatives, between ASEAN […]