The Leaderboard: Francis Jardeleza

Who is he? Francis Jardeleza is the newest associate justice of the Philippines’ 15-member Supreme Court. Before President Benigno Aquino appointed him on August 19, Jardeleza had served as the Philippines’ solicitor general since 2012. Jardeleza is a graduate of…

Hong Kong Protests: Three Possible Scenarios

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…

Surge of Sedition Arrests Najib’s Reform Agenda

By Nigel Cory Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was charged with sedition on September 24 for statements he made at a political rally three years earlier. Shortly before, on September 19, a Malaysian court sentenced a student activist to a…

New Zealand’s Election Results

John Key’s National Party won a general election victory in New Zealand on September 20, 2014. Our Pacific Partners Initiative breaks down the electoral results that will determine membership of the next New Zealand parliament in this infographic.  

Myanmar & the Fullness of the Proverbial Glass

By David I. Steinberg One of the most widely used analogies in popular discussions of social science data is the glass of water—is it half empty or half full? It is a useful popular analogy because of its essential meaninglessness;…

Fiji Elections: Free Enough and Fair Enough

By Adelle Neary Fiji held its first elections in eight years on September 17, boasting a high turnout (83.9 percent) and a relatively predictable outcome. Voreqe “Frank” Bainimarama, who first took power in a 2006 coup d’état, and his Fiji…

Empowering Japanese Women: Increased Agency through Health

By Hiromi Murakami As its aging population continues to grow and the birthrate continues to fall, Japan is facing a demographic crisis and rapidly shrinking workforce. Despite this reality, Japanese women, a highly-qualified resource, continue to be underutilized. The Abe…

The Leaderboard: Shang-Jin Wei

Who is he? Shang-Jin Wei is the chief economist of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He was most recently the N.T. Wang Chair and director of the Chazen Institute of International Business at Columbia University from 2007 to 2014. Wei…

Vietnam Debates the TPP: What the United States Should Know

By Truong-Minh Vu & Nguyen Nhat-Anh After 10 days of intensive meetings in Hanoi, a high-level Vietnamese government delegation traveled to Washington on September 15-19 to discuss the country’s priorities in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with U.S. officials. With negotiations between…

Upcoming State Elections Will Test BJP’s Clout

By Robert Poulson-Houser On September 12, the Election Commission of India announced that Haryana and Maharashtra will hold state elections on October 15, with results to be announced on October 19. This is the first real test for the Bharatiya…