The emergence of a new Asia Pacific order. Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, East Asia Forum The change in the economic balance of power, between America and China, is leading inexorably to the emergence of a new order in Asia and the Pacific. Little more than half a decade ago, the major trading partner of every East Asian economy, including Australia, was either the US or Japan.Today, China is the major trading partner of all those economies except the Philippines. China is set to overtake the US as the largest economy in the world in real terms within little more than half a decade, according to the IMF. This large and rapid shift in the structure of regional and global economic power is inevitably accompanied by shifts, not perfectly but nonetheless strongly correlated, in the structure of Asian Pacific political and military power and influence.
How can this new circumstance be managed in a way that preserves the stability that thus far US hegemony has secured in Asia and the Pacific? Oxford Analytica - Economic risks rise as Indonesia, India head for polls. New to Oxford Analytica's analysis? See What is this article? To learn more. Headings Indonesia's risks multiplyReducing importsRaising ratesGlobal trendCorporate indebtednessPolicy discordHigher borrowing costsSustained deficit reduction? What is this article? This article is from Oxford Analytica's Daily Brief Services, which analyse geopolitical, economic, social, business and industrial developments on a global and regional basis, providing clients with timely, authoritative analysis every business day of the year.
A User's Guide to Democratic Transitions. Let's face it: Democracy is struggling. Sure, it surged after the fall of the Berlin Wall, reaching a high-water mark in the first years of the 21st century with various inspirational "colored" revolutions. But then democratic gains in Eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America stalled, or even deteriorated, as fragile democracies struggled under the enormous challenge of governance.
The expensive U.S. failures to impose democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan haven't helped. Today, many countries that once seemed budding with democratic promise now appear mired in political infighting, beset by power grabs by ousted elites, or trapped in downward spirals of poverty and unemployment. And the seemingly inexorable rise of autocratic China, in sharp contrast with gridlocked western democracies, has some wondering whether democracy is even worth pursuing. The hard truth, however, is that the transition from authoritarianism to democracy is notoriously difficult. 1. 2. 3. Consider these examples: How Sao Paulo Became a Diplomatic Power. The Associated Press Last week, the United Kingdom made a new friend.
Hugo Swire, the British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, came to Brazil to sign an agreement establishing “formal bilateral relations” with São Paulo, Latin America’s wealthiest state. In late March, the United States signed an identical agreement -- the first time that the U.S. State Department forged “direct relations” with a subnational government in the southern hemisphere.
TAGGED: Sao Paulo, Brazil. MyGovHK @ your service. Corruption and Poverty Cause India to Fall Behind. It rumbled and thundered, then India's first Mars rocket shot into the sky above the Bay of Bengal, trailing a long tail of fire behind it. It was one of those rare moments when Asia's third largest economy showed its modern side, with everything running punctually and precisely. On the ground, the head of India's space program rejoiced, and declared: "Any mission is not beyond our capability.
" That was early November, but this country with a population of 1.2 billion could celebrate its actual triumph 10 months from now, when the Indian-designed space probe is scheduled to reach the red planet and orbit it several times. If the mission proceeds as planned, it will make India the fourth space-going power to successfully reach Mars, following the United States, Russia and Europe. And, most importantly, India will achieve this step before its greatest rival, China. Hailed for two decades for its miraculous ascent, India's economy is now faltering. Self-Created Plight 'India Grows at Night'
Corruption and Poverty Cause India to Fall Behind. Foreign Policy for an Urban World: Global Governance and the Rise of Cities. August 02, 2013 In the latest FutureScape issue brief from the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security's Strategic Foresight Initiative, author Peter Engelke discusses the long-term economic, environmental, and policy implications of urbanization. Entitled "Foreign Policy for an Urban World: Global Governance and the Rise of Cities," the brief examines how urbanization is hastening the global diffusion of power and how cities themselves are increasingly important nodes of power in global politics. Download PDF Cities are shaping our collective fate in nearly every respect. As the predominant locus of human settlement, cities already wield considerable power and will continue to increase their influence in the decades to come.
Cities generate most of the world's wealth. They are the places where citizenship and political participation are defined, redefined, and contested. Securing Canada's Place in Asia: Means, Institutions and Mechanisms. Reform in China: Every move you make. China’s Intensifying Suppression of Foreign Journalism - Matt Schiavenza. By refusing to grant visas to foreign correspondents and by pressuring publications to spike critical stories, Beijing has made it increasingly difficult for reporters to operate in the country. In his 18 years as a journalist in Beijing, during which he worked for publications like Newsweek and the South China Morning Post, Paul Mooney went through the same ritual each time he changed employers and needed a new visa. He would prepare five clips of his work, carefully selected to avoid sensitive issues, and send them to the Chinese consulate.
And, each time, the consulate approved his application. In February, Reuters offered Mooney a job as a features reporter based in Beijing, and, as usual, the journalist prepared his five clips for the consulate. But this time, Mooney endured a difficult interview. The consulate had prepared specific questions about his work, even mentioning a 2010 interview he gave with Jeremy Goldkorn of the popular blog Danwei. Do I Need an Aadhaar Card? - India Real Time. Japan's upper-house election: Back on top.