Showing 1 - 10 of 11
News, Published on 12/12/2023
» Indonesians will get a chance to hear from their presidential and vice-presidential hopefuls in the first of five televised debates this week. The theme of the discussion is, among other issues, human rights. It should provide an opportunity for voters in the world's third-largest democracy to probe the calibre and character of the front-runner for the country's top job.
News, Published on 31/08/2023
» Predictability is the name of the game in Singapore's elections. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) and its candidates always win handsomely. And while their margin of success is the envy of political parties and politicians the world over, for the PAP every single point counts. It is a sign of just how satisfied Singapore's 3.5 million or so citizens are with the ruling party. And a signal of whether longevity and legitimacy amount to the same thing.
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 06/11/2020
» It is surprisingly unsurprising. Contrary to most polls and pundits, incumbent United States President Donald J Trump did not lose by a landslide in the presidential election this week. The final results are so close that both candidates, Mr Trump and Democratic Party rival Joe Biden, have claimed victory. Despite ongoing rancour and acrimony until the next US president is sworn in next January, several outcomes and implications are already clear.
News, Pankaj Mishra, Published on 20/10/2016
» In a democracy, the "people" are the supreme arbiters, and their wisdom speaks through the electoral process. Such is the assumption on which the modern world has been built since God and monarchs began to fade from the scene. Lately, however, the wisdom of the people has felt a bit off-key. In one country after another, from the Philippines to the US, Hungary to India, the people have chosen to boost demagogues, not to mention serial gropers.
News, Nopporn Wong-Anan, Published on 21/07/2016
» In April, Chinese President Xi Jinping told foreign ministers from 26 countries at the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia in the Chinese capital that Beijing is committed in maintaining peace and stability in the region and pledged to work with Southeast Asia in turning the South China Sea into a "sea of peace, friendship and cooperation".
News, Tom Orlik, Published on 29/06/2016
» Some critics dismiss President Xi Jinping's massive anti-graft campaign as a political witch hunt directed at his enemies. Others have a different complaint: They argue that bribes and favours have historically served as the grease in the wheels of China's growth. By disrupting the traditional flow of business, they contend, Mr Xi's graft enforcers have brought the country's economic engine grinding to a halt.
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 18/05/2016
» Ukraine may not be able to win its wars against Russian-backed rebels and against domestic corruption, but it has just beaten Russia in spectacular fashion at the Eurovision Song Contest. The political message has been amplified by the pundits, but the Russians and Ukrainian voters themselves seemed unwilling to be dragged into the propaganda war.
News, Published on 05/01/2016
» The global economy is not just unusually fluid, it also is being jolted: from above, by economic uncertainties, domestic political polarisation and geopolitical threats; and from below by disruptive technologies in an ever-expanding number of industries.
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 14/12/2015
» The Oxford Dictionaries' selection for the 2015 Word of the Year -- the "Face with Tears of Joy" emoji -- suggests that UK linguists live in a rather carefree world. In other countries, the selections were not as upbeat.
News, Leonid Bershidsky, Published on 10/11/2015
» The movie He's Back, a comedy that revolves around the return of Adolf Hitler to modern-day Germany, is a huge hit. There may be more than meets the eye to this success, however.