Media

ASEAN and the South China Sea Dispute

In July of 2016, in an arbitration brought forth by the Republic of the Philippines, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) found the People’s Republic of China in violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. In this decision, the PCA found China lacking all merit in their alleged historic claims to […]

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Opportunity or Dependency? Rethinking China in Latin America

After the market downturn in China this summer, the region of the world perhaps reeling the most from the uncertainty hanging over China is Latin America. A commodities boom of the previous two decades seems to have come to a halt as a slew of commodity-hungry Chinese manufacturers face […]

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Why China Changed Its Tech Policy (And What It Means For Cybersecurity And Trade) – Part I

Late last year after the National People’s Congress, China made headlines by deciding to cut foreign-produced technology from all future government purchases. It also drafted its very first anti-terrorism law, which included stipulations requiring firms both domestic and foreign to provide the Chinese government with encryption keys, install “backdoors” in […]

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Why China Changed Its Tech Policy (And What It Means For Cybersecurity And Trade) – Part II

Part I of this post can be found here.  After undergoing readings in October and February, the draft anti-terrorism law was not submitted for a third round of discussion in March, without which it cannot be passed. So why did China back down (and has it really backed down)? It’s possible that Beijing is trying to […]

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Unemployment Crisis Among College Graduates in Japan and South Korea: Are Chaebols and Keiretsu the Solution? Look again.

According to the 2012 World Bank World Development Indicator, the college enrollment rate in Japan and South Korea is at an all-time high: 61% of high school graduates entering college in Japan and a remarkable 98% high school graduates entering college in South Korea. Yet increasing educational attainment has not been able […]

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Myanmar: The New Tourist Frontier

In 2011, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar initiated political, social and economic reforms after 51 years of military rule.  As a result of these reforms—most notably the democratic elections of 2012 that brought Aung San Suu Kyi back into formal politics—Myanmar, or Burma to many, saw an unprecedented growth in international tourist arrivals […]

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Cybercrime Enforcement: ASEAN’s New Industrial Policy?

Southeast Asian states are stepping up their prosecution of cybercrime and illicit online activities. A September UNCTAD report showed that 8 out of 10 ASEAN countries have cybercrime legislation exceeding international standards, and on September 19th, ASEAN declared the creation of a new cybercrime working group […]

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Stepping Up: Why Mongolia Might Have a Serious Shot at APEC Membership

As a landlocked country with less than 4 million people, Mongolia doesn’t seem a likely candidate to be APEC’s first new member since 1998. Have rapid growth and a rising China made Mongolian accession more than a pipe dream? Most recent World Bank data puts Mongolia’s growth rate at a blistering 17.5% , driven in […]

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Boosting the Japanese Economy: A Woman’s Work

Speaking at this month’s annual IMF meetings held in Tokyo, Japan, Lagarde revitalized gender equality discourse in hopes of pulling Japan out of its economic slump. It should come as no surprise that Lagarde, the female managing director of the Fund, appreciates the role of women in political and economic development. At the meeting, Masaaki […]

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Building Trust and Happiness in China

Unlike most summers in Beijing, which are usually arid and scorching hot, the summer of 2012 was in one word – wet. Storm after storm, the rain would sometimes get so strong that I saw thigh-deep waters more reminiscent of an ocean than a city street outside my window. In July 2012, the largest flood […]

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Japan: Shuffling for Success?

Early this week, Japan’s majority party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), replaced several top ministerial positions in preparation for an election that is expected late this year or early next spring. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda appointed ten new ministers to cabinet positions, leaving only eight ministers in returning to positions they held before October […]

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Jumping to Conclusions: 3 Lessons You Cannot Take Away From the Failed North Korean Missile Test

By Adam Motiwala, BASC Research Assistant In a recent blog post, fellow research assistant Jake Lerner discussed some lessons that could be gleaned from the failed North Korean missile test. However, I think it is important to be hesitant when extracting such extravagant claims from […]

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