FROM A BYSTANDER
Aung San Suu Kyi at ICJ / Nobel peace laureate will defend genocide
The Myanmar military and the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi are literally between a rock and a hard place. Two cases of violation of the Genocide Convention filed against Myanmar have shaken its leaders.
Hongkongers’ search for an identity
Protests and demonstrations are not new in Hong Kong. Even before returning to Chinese control in 1997, Hongkongers had demonstrated on different demands. When Chief Executive Carrie Lam wanted to push an extradition bill—that would allow both Hong Kong residents and visitors to be sent to China for trial—through the Legislative Council in March, it immediately triggered criticism and protests, particularly from the millennials of Hong Kong, demanding immediate withdrawal of the law. It is not surprising that the current protests that began in June continues with violent weekend street battles with the police.
Recounting the Brexit drama in five acts
It’s been more than three years that the Brexit drama is being enacted in Britain—dividing the country, its political parties and the parliament.
Will the US-Iran relations ever normalise?
It is amazing that the United States and Iran have maintained an extremely bellicose relation for the past four decades, much to the anxiety of nations of the Middle East. It all began when the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed under Imam Ayatollah Ruhollah
G7 Summit: Semblance of unity
The two-day 45th G7 Summit concluded recently at the French resort in Biarritz. What was unusual this time was the fact that the summit ended without issuing a final communique, essentially because there was hardly any consensus on any of the major issues
Hong Kong Protest / Beijing’s Catch-22
It’s been just 22 years since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, after 156 years of British colonial rule. Recent events in Hong Kong suggest that the long British rule has left considerable English influence on the ethnic Chinese of the region. Though the older English-speaking generation is on the wane, the young English-speaking millennials seem to be spearheading a political movement for democracy and social justice.
Will the Rohingyas ever return to Myanmar?
Since the massive exodus of Rohingyas from Rakhine to Bangladesh in 2017, a lot has been written and said about the plight of these unfortunate people. After nearly two years, it appears that the outraged world community has forgotten about this persecuted ethnic minority.
Dawn of the second phase of Arab Spring
The second phase of Arab Spring has dawned on the Arab world. It is not a surprise that people in Algeria and Sudan have risen to demand changes in the leadership in their countries, while Libya is also locked in serious conflict over who should rule the country.
Will Project Europe survive Brexit?
Since Britain decided to quit the EU, there has been lots of analysis about the economic fallout on what will happen to Britain and the European Union. But, what about the future of Project Europe?
THAILAND - Referendum, a new Constitution and bombs
When the “Land of Smiles” was celebrating Queen Sirikit's 84th birthday on August 11, 2016, eleven bombs went off in five popular tourist towns in southern Thailand, killing four locals and injuring dozens, including foreign tourists.
SAARC meeting and Indo-Pak spat over Kashmir
Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in Islamabad to attend the 7th SAARC Home Ministers Meeting, which discussed SAARC conventions on “Suppression of Terrorism” and “Additional Protocol and Convention on Mutual assistance in Criminal Matters”.
The homestretch begins
The Democratic Party Convention - which ended in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016 - nominated for the first time a woman, Hillary Clinton, for the White House.
Oli's ouster engineered?
Nepal has set a record in changing prime ministers; in the past 26 years the country had 23 prime ministers. Sticking to the tradition, the nine-month old incumbent government resigned on July 23, 2016 to make way for a new administration.
Donald Trump to “Make America Great Again”
As expected, billionaire Donald Trump was formally nominated as the Republican Party presidential candidate at the Republican Party Convention held from July 18-21, 2016 at Cleveland, Ohio.
Tony Blair indicted, Hillary Clinton still under the cloud
Two investigative reports have been published recently. The US FBI on July 5 revealed its report on Hillary Clinton's e-mail
The tussle over South China Sea
Defence ministers and military chiefs of the Asia-Pacific region were in Singapore from June 3-5, 2016 for the 15th session of the
Rise of regional political parties in India
What is revealing is that both BJP and Congress have not contested the recent State Assembly Elections on their own. They have invariably tied up with one or more state level parties. It reflects that these two national parties do not have enough vote-share in those states to go alone.
Economic clout of G7 waning
What is striking is that finance ministers of the G7 countries, who met from May 20-21, 2016, could not agree on the fiscal policy that the G7 should adopt collectively to address global economic weakness. Japan and the US called members to boost fiscal stimulus, but Germany and Britain insisted on fiscal austerity.