Showing 41 - 50 of 276
Thai diplomacy has come full circle
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/04/2023
» After eight arduous years, Thai diplomacy has come full circle. With 26 days to go before the next general election on May 14, the international community is wondering whether there will be any change in the country's overall diplomatic outlook. Since the dark days leading up to the intervention in May 2014, Thailand has undertaken an extraordinary journey given the state in which the country was caught with its deteriorated standing in the global community. Critics varied in their assessments of Thai foreign policy under deep stress. Indeed, the long winding diplomatic road revealed both the strengths and weaknesses of strenuous efforts to protect national interests amid the competition of the great powers and in tackling the unavoidable ripple effects caused by an increasingly polarised world.
Raw deal for refugees
News, Editorial, Published on 15/04/2023
» As Thais celebrate Songkran this week, many of our neighbours in Myanmar are facing agony as their junta government ramps up airstrikes on armed rebel bases along the border.
Premeditated Jerusalem violence
Oped, Published on 12/04/2023
» The recent attacks in Israel demonstrate the consequences of using lies as political instruments, inciting terrorism and generating violence. Last Friday, two sisters, Rina (15) and Maia (20), were murdered when Palestinian terrorists sprayed the family's car with bullets. That evening, a car-ramming attack at Tel Aviv's beachfront promenade killed Alessandro Parini, a 35-year-old lawyer from Rome, and injured seven pedestrians, all tourists from Italy and the United Kingdom.
ICC charges for Putin do not cover his crimes
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 23/03/2023
» Although the arrest warrant issued on Russian President Vladimir Putin by the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week was welcome, there was a certain puzzlement about the actual crime he is being charged with.
Israel pogroms reflect nation's shift to right
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/03/2023
» The dictionary definition of "pogrom" is "an organised massacre of a particular ethnic group, in particular that of Jewish people in Russia or eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries." So, there is something deeply strange about hearing pogrom used in Hebrew to describe what some Jewish people are doing to Arabs in 21st-century Israel.
Give peace a chance in Ukraine war
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 28/02/2023
» China's 12-point proposal for peace in Ukraine should be given serious consideration as it encompasses all the necessary elements that could achieve a ceasefire leading to eventual peace. Obviously, it is still a tall order. At this juncture, the talk of war continues with vigour, especially among the US allies and Nato. Judging from their reactions in the past several days, they still view the plan with suspicion, and it will take some time before the Chinese ideas gain traction among policymakers worldwide.
Russia's inglorious war in Ukraine, 12 months on
Oped, Published on 16/02/2023
» Do you remember how Russian government officials denied having any plans to invade Ukraine one year ago? Reality has shown this to be a tragic lie. On Feb 24, 2022, Russian troops invaded Ukraine in a large-scale attack. Where do we stand 12 months on?
Asean and Myanmar: The next moves
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 07/02/2023
» Last week, the new Asean chair, Indonesia, convened the first two important meetings -- the Asean Coordinating Council and Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat -- to discuss and follow up on ongoing and emerging issues that have to do with the relevancy of Asean and its centrality.
Myanmar's military takeover falters
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/02/2023
» Global news headlines this month will be focused on the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which falls on Feb 24. This external aggression, where a bigger state unilaterally takes territory from a smaller neighbour by force, can be juxtaposed to an internal subjugation in Myanmar, where a military coup took place two years ago this week. Whether the aggression is externally between states, or internally within a state, the oppressors behave the same way and pursue similar objectives of conquest and dominance. Reversing an internal subjugation is as morally compelling as turning back an external aggression. What Myanmar's civilian-led resistance coalition needs is a fraction of the aid the Ukrainians have been receiving.
Talking sense with the Taliban?
Oped, Published on 02/02/2023
» It seems like a profound contradiction; trying to convince Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to accept foreign humanitarian help for their own starving population. Thus as beleaguered Afghan civilians endure a brutal winter, the sanctimonious Islamic fundamentalist regime in Kabul has largely restricted international aid agencies because they employ women.