The 28th Summer Universiade took place in Gwangju, South Korea, from July 3 – July 14, 2015. This is the first time South Korea has hosted the event since 2003, when it had a record number of 174 participating countries…
By Phuong Nguyen & Nigel Cory Lee Kuan Yew was no ordinary man. Dubbed the founding father of Singapore, his passing at the age of 91 is a seminal moment for the city state, which celebrates its 50th anniversary of…
By Nigel Cory Vietnam’s government has often been criticized for its poor record on religious freedom, but recent events give rise to cautious optimism that small improvements are being made. Roman Catholic Pope Francis’ appointment of Vietnamese archbishop Pierre Nguyen…
Who is she? Marina Mahathir is a Malaysian author and social activist known for her progressive views on religious freedom and civil liberties. Despite being the eldest child of former prime minister Mahathir Mohammad, the 56-year-old has often voiced opinions…
The debate over Taiwan’s sovereignty and status as a nation-state or part of China is being rekindled with Taiwan’s recent loss of formal diplomatic ties with Gambia, one of the few countries that recognized Taiwan as an independent country. In…
Indonesia’s Ministry of Education and Culture launched a new curriculum in over 6,000 schools across the country on July 15. Initially, the ministry planned to launch the program of studies in over 100,000 schools, but reduced its target when many…
By Manohar Thyagaraj In the iconic sitcom ‘Seinfeld’, one episode has the characters using the phrase ‘Yada, Yada’ to gloss over the details of any story. “Are you close with your parents?” asks a girlfriend of George Costanza, to which…
By Jack Georgieff Perceptions across the Indo-Pacific are of a United States that has rhetorically given lip service to the so called ‘rebalance’ but it is just that: lip service. With the reality of budget cuts looming, it gives rise…
In an effort to win over Indonesian youth, the State Department in December 2010 launched a first-of-its-kind hi-tech cultural center, called @america, in Jakarta under the auspices of the U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership. More than two years later, @america’s growing popularity…
By Katherine Sliney As part of the government restructuring plan announced in conjunction with the Chinese government’s annual “two meetings,” China’s senior leadership declared plans to dismantle the Family Planning Commission, the government body responsible for overseeing China’s population control…
