By Nigel Cory The revived proposal to introduce hudud, or Islamic penal code, in Malaysia’s northeastern state of Kelantan by opposition party, Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), has touched off another round of heated debate about the role of religion…
Who is he? Jonathan Stivers is a senior adviser to U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a position he assumed in 2011. Stivers has long been considered a key staff member in Pelosi’s office and a champion…
Who is he? Mark William Lippert is currently the special assistant to the Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel. Immediately prior to his current position, Mr. Lippert served as the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (2012-2013).…
By Ernie Bower & Murray Hiebert The Thai military’s imposition of martial law on May 20 in response to six months of political turmoil, and its insistence that it did not stage a coup could create more than a little…
By David Steinberg This bill, introduced by Congressmen Chabot and Crowley on April 2, 2014, was either drafted in ignorance of the situation in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), or intended to stop all U.S. assistance to reform the essential…
On Thursday, March 13, 2014, Bonnie Glaser, CSIS Senior Adviser for Asia within the Freeman Chair in China Studies, testified before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission in the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill. Bonnie and her fellow…
By Murray Hiebert & Noelan Arbis The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will publish its annual review of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection problems around the world, called the “Special 301” Report, sometime around May. When…
Who is he? Ron Wyden is a U.S. senator for Oregon, a position he has held since 1996. Prior to his election to the Senate, Wyden was a member of the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996. A senior…
By Greg Poling, Phuong Nguyen, & Courtney Weatherby Myanmar’s Constitutional Review Joint Committee, a 109-member parliamentary body tasked with reviewing potential changes to the nation’s 2008 military-drafted charter, issued its preliminary recommendations on January 31. The only significant change that…
Who is he? Max Baucus is currently a United States Senator from Montana, a position he has served in since 1978. Senator Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Before his election to the U.S. Senate, Baucus was a…
