By Lynn Kuok President Barack Obama met with his Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein at the White House on May 20. It was the first visit to Washington by a Myanmar leader in nearly half a century. Thein Sein’s red carpet…
By Ravi Balaram Acting Assistant Secretary Joseph Yun’s Senate testimony on April 25 on security cooperation and challenges in the U.S. rebalance to Asia reflects the intersection of security and development domains. Inextricably linked, Secretary Yun said that U.S. security…
Who is he? Wang Yingfan has served as China’s assistant foreign minister and, most recently, as the vice-chairman of the foreign affairs committee of its National People’s Congress. A veteran diplomat, he has also served as China’s permanent representative…
By Hemant Krishan Singh For over two decades, India’s Look East Policy (LEP) has been hobbled by one major constraint: balancing India’s example of democratic governance with the strategic need to engage the military regime in Myanmar. With that…
By Amy Killian Technology is not buzzing in Myanmar, not yet. However, Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s March 22 visit to the country was one of several developments in recent weeks that suggest that critical information and communication technology (ICT) could…
By Michael Vatikiotis It has been a terrible year so far in terms of security in the Asia Pacific region. Japan and China have come close to trading blows over disputed Senkaku/ Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea; North Korea…
This week sectarian violence erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in the central Myanmar town of Meiktila, leaving at least 20 dead, though the tally is likely much higher, and includes men, women, and children. The clashes, triggered by a dispute…
By Phoebe De Padua Southeast Asia, where violent conflicts and natural disasters often drive people from their homes, is home to around two million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Measures that protect IDPs remain lacking in most of the region. However,…
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formally announced that Japan plans to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, after months of debate in Japan and diplomatic consultations with existing TPP partners. CSIS scholars Mike Green and Matt Goodman were on the case…
By Aung Din Editor’s Note: Key players will shape Burma in 2013, for better or worse. As a guest contributor to cogitASIA, Aung Din will examine their current role in Burma, and their potential impact in the coming year, in…
