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Politics of corruption in Myanmar
 A corruption probe involving Myanmar's telecoms ministry has signaled wider government mismanagement and graft. Whether President Thein Sein is willing to push through top-level prosecutions could make or break the country's transition from military to democratic rule. His main goal may be to clip the wings of parliamentary speaker Shwe Mann, a contender to represent the ruling USDP as its presidential candidate in 2015. - Larry Jagan
(Apr 5, '13)
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Racial hatred as policy
Ethnic and religious tension in Myanmar perpetuated by the former military regime still rages as another risk to political and economic reforms. After an orgy of violence last month in Meiktila Myanmar's deteriorating race relations mean wider reform hopes hang in the balance as the government misses an opportunity to end a long history of xenophobia
- Brian McCartan
(Apr 5, '13)
THE ROVING EYE
The South also rises
A commodity boom driven by China and improving Latin American finances in the early 2000s were the genesis of the Global South finally defying decades of economic oppression institutionalized by the West. The political front that has since emerged is too weak to counter the military hegemony of the United States and NATO, but it still offers an alternative to a stagnant world of neoliberal imperialism. - Pepe Escobar
(Apr 5, '13)
Iran's nuclear father gives US a clue
Dr Akbar Etemad, who was in charge of Iran's fledgling nuclear program between 1974 and 1978, has shed light on what is likely to be the Islamic Republic's fundamental motive in seeking the "threshold" capability previously sought by the Shah - defense, devoid of aggression. The US has other means than punishing Iran to discourage the spread of dual-use technologies.
- Peter Jenkins
(Apr 5, '13)
Finding the right fare in Azerbaijan
The father and son link between Azerbaijan's transport minister and Baghlan, the monopolistic firm that has won a string of road construction, bus and taxi contracts - including one to import of 1,000 London taxis to Baku - suggests a conflict of interest. However, Baghlan insists it has the country's infrastructure interests at heart.
- Nushabe Fatullayeva
(Apr 5, '13)
After Iraq, the moral abyss still gapes
The only courtroom facing US politicians, policy makers, and bureaucrats who justified the Iraqi invasion with lies is the court of public opinion, and most will receive light sentences. This leaves a generation of American children with the message that manipulating the truth is acceptable, while raising the chances that, like past empires, US dominance will fall due to moral decay from within. - Adil E Shamoo
(Apr 5, '13)
SPEAKING FREELY
India's strategic culture is plain to see
Hardcore realism of projecting influence beyond India's borders and the Nehruvian ethos of dialogue and international cooperation underline New Delhi's strategic power. Those exalting India to take Great Power status are frustrated by the duality, and in for a disappointment as the country takes the road to greatness by focusing on the war on poverty.
- Namrata Goswami
(Apr 5, '13)
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How Turkey's regional ambitions crumbled
Pre-Arab Spring Turkey seemed to have found a magical non-confrontational formula to resolve historic regional tensions, with the ruling Justice and Development Party proclaiming its re-election victory in 2011 as a win for countries stretching from the Balkans to North Africa and Central Asia. The euphoria died when the flames of Syria's sectarian violence licked Turkey's borders, forcing it back towards Israel.
- Ramzy Baroud
(Apr 4, '13)
Dozens die in attack on Afghan court
Militants disguised as soldiers have killed at least 44 people by storming a court in western Afghanistan in an attempt to free Taliban fighters standing trial. The multiple bomb-and-gun assault raises further questions about the Afghans government's ability to secure the country as international combat forces withdraw.
(Apr 4, '13)
Where the Yangtze meets the Congo
Expectations that China is baiting a neo-colonial trap in Africa ignore Beijing's pledges that economic and cultural relations rest on an equal plain, and that burgeoning ties were built on mutual anti-Western contempt. As European diplomats wring hands over no-strings aid and human rights, Africa and China can reflect on a decade that's seen the continent experience its fastest growth in history. - Brendan P O'Reilly
(Apr 4, '13)
Xi embraces China's big dream
Xi Jinping's first address as China's president made repeated allusion to the country's past periods of economic success and territorial expansion. The big question is how the state's dream of a ''renaissance'' and the quite different hopes of the people can be achieved harmoniously, and how will these interlink with the fears of neighbors.
- Hoang Anh Tuan
(Apr 4, '13) |
Now for a vacation in Gaza, maybe
A cheery rendition of Gaza City's highlights is part of a tourist map in English devised by geographers to create a sense of normality in the occupied territory. While its creators recognize a flourishing tourism industry to be a distant dream, the map aims to show the people of Gaza are hospitable and welcoming.
- Eva Bartlett
(Apr 4, '13)
The Great Afghan corruption scam
The United States vociferously denounces Afghan corruption as a major obstacle to its mission in Afghanistan. Missing from this routine censure is a credible explanation of why American nation-building failed there. No wonder. To do so, the US would have to denounce its own role in letting a flood of Pentagon dollars spread corruption, to the extent of hiring a bank well known for its murky past. - Dilip Hiro
(Apr 3, '13)
Korea crisis dims denuclearization hope
The escalation of tensions in the Korean Peninsula is prompting growing calls for the United States to reconsider its refusal to fully engage Pyongyang and notes that a failure to do so risks driving a wedge between Washington and Seoul. UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, meanwhile, can only state the obvious as he urges calm on all sides.
- Jim Lobe (Apr 3, '13)
Coalition frays on eve of Iran nuclear talks
 China and Russia are increasingly at odds with their other P5+1 partners (the US, Britain, France, plus Germany) on the eve of talks with Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, according to Javier Solana. The European Union's former top foreign policy official says fears of a spike in energy prices due to additional Western sanctions are driving the rift. - Jim Lobe
(Apr 2, '13)
Korean cloud obscures Almaty
Washington is grappling with "clear and present danger" from North Korean provocations, a fact that is not lost on Tehran, which senses the crisis has handed it additional chips in this week's round of nuclear diplomacy in Kazakhstan. Under the cloud of Korea, there are plenty of indications that the US will let another opportunity for an Iranian endgame pass it by.
- Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Apr 2, '13) |
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Taiwan tries its luck with free-trade zones
Taiwan will soon establish six free-trade zones, a prelude to numerous others, in a bid to boost investment from overseas and compete more effectively with rival South Korea. The move is backed by a raft of reforms that perhaps most crucially will permit mainland Chinese involvement. - Jens Kastner
US calls, Asia answers
Four decades after a Motorola engineer made the first mobile phone, Samsung leads the market for the now essential device. And while Google (now Motorola's owner) innovates with ''smart glasses'', it may face a challenge from China's Baidu. US icon Apple is already kowtowing in Asia, to keep its Chinese customers on side.
Martin J Young surveys the week's developments in computing, gaming and gizmos.
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CREDIT
BUBBLE BULLETIN
Weber's invaluable insight
Europe's Axel Weber questions whether central banks are trying to counter something that is cyclical, when in fact the core issue could be structural - with the result that a lot of stimulus undermines the future. That is in stark contrast to the US view, still held in spite of the evidence of recent history.
Doug Noland looks at the previous week's events each Monday.
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Arms, human rights and
India's strategic autonomy
The Indian decision to abstain in the vote on the Arms Trade Treaty at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday was a foregone conclusion when it emerged that western powers, especially the United States, obdurately went back on assurances held out earlier that concerns of 'importing states' would be reflected in the document, making it balanced.
- M K Bhadrakumar
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