Who is he? Hatta Rajasa has served as Indonesia’s economic coordinating minister since 2009 and as state secretary since 2007. Rajasa previously served as transportation minister from 2004 to 2009, and research and technology minister from 2001 to 2004. He…
By Amy Killian When Laos joined the World Trade Organization in October 2012, many applauded. The move was expected not only to integrate the long-isolated country into the global economy, but into global political norms and rule of law as…
Who is he? Tharman Shanmugaratnam is Singapore’s deputy prime minister, minister of finance, and chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He is also the chairman of the International Monetary and Financial Committee and a member of the Consultative Group…
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 Camille Danvers & Guru Amrit Khalsa This is the fourth post in a series analyzing India’s newly released Union Budget from CSIS Wadhwani Chair experts on cogitASIA. This post discusses India’s education investment. Part I on economics is here.…
By Matt Goodman Japan’s demographic trends are grim, but the Japanese make it harder on themselves by not better using the people they have. Women in particular are famously underutilized. Some 60 percent of women quit the workforce after giving…
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…
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,…
Who is he? Yang Jiechi served as China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs for the past six years. A career diplomat, Yang has spent eight of his 35 years in the Chinese Foreign Ministry working in various positions at the PRC…
