Who is he? John Momis is the president of the autonomous region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. A former Catholic priest, he became active in politics in the 1970s, and helped write PNG’s constitution. Momis has been deputy prime…
This week we cover the challenges that Myanmar faces maintaining public health and fighting disease, specifically malaria. In this segment you’ll hear briefly from CSIS’s Dr. Stephen Morrison, and then Myanmar’s Deputy Minister of Health, Ms. Thein Thein Htay, then…
By Aung Din The majority of people in Myanmar perceive that the United States and the international community have been biased and one-sided when they approach the situation of the Rohingya, or Bengalis as they are called in Myanmar, in…
By Phuong Nguyen & John Juenemann President Benigno Aquino used his final State of the Nation Address on July 27 to cement his legacy of anticorruption efforts and track record of revamping the once-sluggish Philippine economy. While Aquino has played…
By Aung Din Editor’s Update: On August 12, 2015, Shwe Mann was ousted as party chief, though he remains speaker of the parliament. Security forces surrounded the USDP headquarters in Naypyidaw ahead of the decision, leading many to describe Shwe…
Who is he? Mohamad Sabu, also known as Mat Sabu, is a well-known Malaysian opposition politician. He was formerly the deputy president of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS). Mat Sabu was the first non-ulama, or religious scholar, elected to…
By Zachary Abuza A drought in the middle of monsoon season brought on by the El Niño effect has affected farmers across Southeast Asia, hampering economic growth and exacerbating political tensions between urban elites and farmers. Though rains have recently…
By Rui Hao Puah The air is thick with anticipation over Singapore’s upcoming general elections, which will be the first since the passing of founding father Lee Kuan Yew in March 2015. It comes after the ruling People’s Action Party…
This week on the podcast we turn to Chinese politics. In a new article for Foreign Affairs, CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies scholars Christopher Johnson and Scott Kennedy argue that Xi Jinping has reasserted and expanded the role of…
By Gene Choi South Korea and six Central American countries under the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) officially announced on June 19, 2015 that they will begin negotiations for the Korea-Central America Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Although the…
North Korea held local elections on July 19, for the first time since Kim Jong-un took power in December 2011. The elections for people’s assemblies were held in provincial (municipal), city (district), and county level, with the number of seats…
Who is he? Oh Joon will be elected as president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Friday, July 24, 2015 for a one-year term. Concurrently, he is the Republic of Korea (ROK)’s ambassador and permanent representative…