In this week’s show, we speak with Justice Michael Kirby, the Chair of the United Nations Inquiry on human rights in the DPRK, about the recent landmark U.N. Commission of Inquiry into the plight of North Korea’s citizens. Then we discuss groundbreaking satellite imagery…
Who is he? Eric Chu is the newly-elected Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) Party in Taiwan, an office he assumed on January 19, 2015 after President and former chairman Ma Ying-jeou announced his resignation following a humiliating rout by the…
What should we expect from the U.S. strategic rebalance to Asia in 2015? What are the prospects for economic reform in China and Japan? How should we interpret leadership changes in India and Indonesia? Are new strategic alignments emerging in…
Who is he? Manasseh Sogavare was elected prime minister of the Solomon Islands for the third time on December 9, 2014. He first succeeded to the office in June 2000, when the rebel Malaitan Eagle Force took Prime Minister Bartholomew…
Who is she? Tsai Ing-wen is the chair of Taiwan’s independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). A legal scholar, Tsai holds a doctorate from the London School of Economics. She began her public service career in 1993 as an appointed official…
By John Schaus As heads of state seek good-news deliverables at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit, and Group of 20 leaders’ meetings, a longer-term issue is shaping the drivers of peace and conflict in maritime Southeast Asia. Growing…
By John Hamre As President Obama travels on a crucial trip to the region for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, East Asia Summit, and G-20 meeting, the United States and all of the countries in the region are faced…
By Thomas Vien In the recent Hong Kong protests, commentators have scrambled to use the cliché that Hong Kong could become Tiananmen 2.0. However, the stampede to reach for this off-the-shelf narrative has crowded out a more critical analysis of…
By John Schaus Hong Kong has been gripped by protests since Friday, September 26. The protesters are demanding direct election of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong – which Beijing has agreed to — beginning in 2017. The catch is…
By Sinclaire Prowse A gradual change has been taking shape in Hong Kong and Taiwan during 2014, presenting new problems for China, yet despite the emerging protests Beijing is unlikely to change its political approach. Hong Kong’s Occupy Central and…
