Op-eds

ASEAN

ASEAN at 40 (Foreign Affairs.org)
The current state of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) evokes both pessimism and hope. Skeptics see the organization -- founded in Bangkok on August 8, 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore -- as increasingly irrelevant in the post-Cold War milieu and unable to confront the new enemies of a globalized world: currency speculators, pandemic viruses, and shadowy terrorist groups. To its harshest critics, ASEAN is little more than a quarrelsome bunch of peripheral nations too beholden to a nineteenth century view of national sovereignty to effectively cooperate and build a regional identity.....

Read more at: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070815faupdate86481/amitav-acharya/asean-at-40-mid-life-rejuvenation.html


The Next Steps for Burma (Yaleglobal)

Western nations have tightened economic sanctions and ASEAN has expressed "revulsion" at Myanmar's repression of non-violent protests. Concrete actions must now follow the outrage. UN efforts to encourage talks on the country's constitution and renew humanitarian poverty relief, while positive, do not go far enough, argues Amitav Acharya, professor of global governance. Such steps alone would fail to achieve the fundamental goal of fostering political openness, beginning with the freeing of all political prisoners. He suggests new institutions that could reduce violence as well as overcome the reluctance of Burma's neighbors to pressure the junta: First, a contact group of pertinent and prominent countries should engage in continuous dialogue with the regime, pushing greater freedom for the Burmese people. Second, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission should be organized, offering incentives for military officers in Myanmar to break with the junta and refrain from attacking their own people. The international community holds mechanisms for moving beyond the rhetoric to create a more peaceful and democratic Burma....


Read more at: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=9882

Asia needs better ways to protect its people

SINGAPORE: The international response to the Indian Ocean tsunami has been prompt and generous, and some Asian countries - Japan, China, Singapore and India - made special contributions. But in general Asian countries have a long way to go in becoming significant providers of humanitarian assistance in the region, not to mention in the international community at large....

Read more at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/03/15/opinion/edacharya.php

China's charm offensive in Southeast Asia

It's a time of hype in China-Southeast Asian relations. During the past year, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Thailand have vigorously denied that a rising China was or would be a threat to Asian stability and prosperity. David Kang argues in the journal International Security that Southeast Asian states may even be "bandwagoning" with China....

Read more at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/11/08/edacharya_ed3_.php

Clash of Civilizations?No, of National Interests and Principles

"The swift collapse of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan under the weight of American military power marks the defeat of one of the more prominent ideas to emerge from the ashes of the Cold War: Samuel Huntington's thesis about a "clash of civilizations."....

Read more at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2002/01/10/edach_ed3_.php