By John Riady For most people, the great events of the day are sideshows to their own lives. The urgency of family, friends, God and work trump what the American poet William Stafford called the “grotesque, fake importance” of “great…
By Camille Danvers In the 1960s, the baby boomer generation shook the U.S., advocating social and political changes on an unprecedented scale. Today, India is facing a similar situation as an emerging educated and young middle class expects more transparency…
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? Mam Sonando, 72, is the editor and owner of Beehive Radio, an independent news outlet in Cambodia. He is also the president of the Association of Democrats, a nongovernmental organization that promotes human rights and democracy. Mam…
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? Ieng Sary was the co-founder and minister of foreign affairs of the Khmer Rouge, the regime which oversaw the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians during its rule from 1975 to 1979. He was also brother-in-law to the…
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…
Who is she? Ambiga Sreenevasan is the chair of Bersih, a non-government electoral reform group in Malaysia. A lawyer by training, she served as president of the Malaysian Bar Council from 2007 to 2009. Beside electoral reform, she is also…
By Persis Khambatta and Guruamrit Khalsa The violent attack on a young woman in New Delhi last December, and the nationwide protests that followed, were yet another indication that India’s youth are increasingly fed up. This case, piled upon countless…
