In the face of perceived threats from Beijing, Vietnam has embarked on its greatest military build-up in decades, albeit starting from a low base following economic problems after the Vietnam War.
Given the amount of money already committed to supporting Afghanistan’s development, the effects of increased spending in Central Asia would be limited. Rather, the U.S. should withdraw from the region, leaving China and Russia to battle over influence.
Since the 2014 coup, Thailand’s international reputation has gone up in smoke in a surreal flurry of mistakes and authoritarian policies. When the same impish approach to democracy was used on the European Parliament, the repercussions were dire.
Should Beijing refuse to honor a potential ruling against their claims of sovereignty, we can expect China to again attempt to assert its economic muscle to persuade other regional nations to settle the disputes bilaterally.
The move to a green-based economy would require massive restructuring and the tackling of vested interests that profit from the current set up. But it is no more radical than the break-neck development China pursued over the last two decades.
In one of the most astonishing political transformations of recent times, Myanmar has gone from being a semi-autarkic autocratic dictatorship to a rapidly democratizing society in less than five years. And Sunday’s elections, featuring former political prisoner and democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi, are the greatest testament yet to that transformation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Vietnam this week, the first by a Chinese president in ten years, drew mixed reaction among the Vietnamese.
Tuesday’s voyage of the destroyer USS Lassen through waters claimed by China in the South China Sea had the potential to escalate an already tense situation.
China may be on its way to being a hybrid leader that can avoid overseas adventurism as it tries to rapidly abandon fossil fuels and modernize its unstable neighbors’ economies.
The latest attack in a long series of aggressions left more than 50 people dead and dozens wounded.
A Chinese vessel was accused of sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat near the disputed Paracel islands on September 29.
The United States and India took significant steps toward a stronger defense partnership in recent weeks, but major challenges still lie ahead.
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