Indonesia’s nationalistic approach to financial policy (May 22)
Author: Anwar Nasution, University of Indonesia Earlier this year, Bank Indonesia (BI) issued a package of nine regulations that indicate the Indonesian government is taking a new nationalistic approach to the financial sector. The package provides more protection to domestic banks, particularly public sector banks, by imposing more restrictions on foreign banks. But will the [...]


THE ROVING EYE : And the winner is - Khamenei (May 22)
Iran's roster of would-be presidents has been whittled down to eight from nearly 700, courtesy vetting by the Guardian Council. Two potential big draws are ruled out - former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim, too much outgoing President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's man. That leaves an uninspiring bunch and one sure winner whoever wins - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. - Pepe Escobar (May 22, '13)


Miles to go for Thein Sein (May 22)
Myanmar President Thein Sein's welcome in the White House this week is due in large part to his government pushing through important reforms and the growth of civil society. Yet he will need all the outside support he can get for the next tough phase of more thorough democratic reforms, as the country has a long way to go before it can honestly claim to be a functioning and durable democracy. - Aung Tun (May 22, '13)


SINOGRAPH : China nears point of no return with Kim (May 22)
China is losing patience with North Korean leader Kim Jong-eun, slowly but surely moving into the US orbit to deal with his threats and blackmail. As Beijing will sooner than later reach the point where it has little to lose from falling out with North Korea, Kim had better start contemplating his own mortality. - Francesco Sisci (May 22, '13)


New spark in the South China Sea (May 22)
Sanctions Taiwan has imposed following the fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by the Philippine Coast Guard, including a hiring freeze on Filipino workers and banning tourism to the Philippines, are shows of sovereignty aimed at bolstering the administration's sagging approval ratings. Manila has no such problems, but economically and diplomatically it can't afford another front opening in the South China Sea. - Julius Cesar I Trajano (May 22, '13)


Reforming civilian–military relations in Myanmar (May 22)
Author: Adam P MacDonald, Halifax An important aspect of the current reform era in Myanmar is the retreat of the Tatmadaw (the Myanmar Armed Forces) from the day to day workings of government. This is the case despite (or perhaps because) the current Union of Solidarity and Development Party government is comprised primarily of serving [...]


Abe rocks Japan’s constitutional boat (May 21)
Author: Aurelia George Mulgan, UNSW Canberra Japan’s Prime Minister Abe and the ruling LDP are capitalising on their popularity and the deterioration in Japan’s regional security environment to launch a reinvigorated campaign to amend the Japanese Constitution. In April 2012, the LDP released new draft proposals for revising the document, the most important legacy of [...]


Australia’s new region: the Indo-Pacific (May 21)
Authors: Melissa Conley Tyler and Samantha Shearman, AIIA With the release of the Defence White Paper 2013 on 3 May, Australia officially has a new region, the ‘Indo-Pacific’: a strategic arc ‘connecting the Indian and Pacific Oceans through Southeast Asia’. Given the long history of linking Australian foreign policy to the ‘Asia-Pacific’, this is a [...]


United Efforts, Not Boycotts, Will Help Bangladesh’s Garment Workers (May 15)
By Véronique Salze-Lozac'hThe horrific collapse three weeks ago of an eight-story garment factory building in Savar, just outside of Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, took the lives of more than 1,100 people, and was followed just last week by a deadly fire in another garment factory that left at least eight dead. The tragedies have left a nation in mourning, shining a spotlight on the lack of safety for garment sector workers in Bangladesh. These incidents have drawn international attention on the urgent need for better working conditions for workers, starting with safer, more secure buildings.


Pakistan’s Elections Give Grounds for Hope (May 15)
By Gareth Aicken and Ameena IlahiThese were the elections which many did not expect to see in Pakistan. Despite persistent and widespread rumors right up until the actual day of elections that they would be cancelled or postponed, Pakistan's General Elections took place as scheduled on May 11. Around 50 million citizens took part in this historical event...


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