Monday, March 24th, 2008...2:09 am
Obituaries for the Taliban’s spring offensive are premature, though instead of trying to engage opposition forces head-on, the Taliban will open up new fronts in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan. In return, North Atlantic Treaty Organization and United States-led troops will target the Taliban’s safe havens straddling the border with Pakistan. – Syed Saleem
Shahzad (Mar 20, ‘08)
Just how “welcome and wanted” US forces remain in South Korea will depend to some extent on whether Seoul is prepared to pick up the tab for an extra US$10 billion in connection
with the relocation of a US base in the country. The issue goes to the core of the US military presence in South Korea, something North Korea has been quick to exploit. – Donald Kirk
(Mar 20, ‘08)
A sluggish economy is of greatest concern as Taiwan heads for the weekend’s presidential polls. The island’s relationship with China, as always, is a key issue, while the ethnic
backgrounds of the two candidates – the Kuomintang’s Ma Ying-jeou and Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party – are a bitter debating point. – Cindy Sui (Mar 20,
‘08)
With the Philippine economy seemingly steaming along (7.3% growth last year), President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has some figures with which to deflect her mounting political
troubles. But as long as she plays statistical tricks, such as with unemployment data, and the poor remain poor, she’s fighting a losing battle. – Joel D Adriano (Mar 20, ‘08)
Sinclair epitomized the swashbuckling, hard-drinking journalists of yesteryear, and his memoir is sure to stir nostalgia for the days of inebriated gatherings of close-knit China scribes in
Hong Kong. Sinclair was the leader of the pack, and his descriptions of crazy stories and eccentric personalities are an important backdrop to the history of Hong Kong and China. –
Kent Ewing (Mar 20, ‘08)
It all started innocently enough: a simple research outing to uncover the underworld of Western sex workers in Asia. But then, at the unsubtle urging of an over-bulked Baltic bouncer
named Tito, the venture became a tour of the sex trade “circuit”. What came out was the naked truth about organized crime, immigration, sex and the story behind some of Asia’s most
notorious ports of call girls. – William Sparrow writes a weekly column looking at issues relating to sex in Asia. (Mar 20, ‘08)
This week’s developments once again highlight the reasons for markets to prefer dictatorships over freewheeling democracies. Clarity in decision-making is more important than
preserving the rights of individuals, for the benefit of society at large, as seen by the market reactions to recent political changes in India, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and China.
The purchase of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan Chase marks another turn in the US financial drama as it deepens even further into a solvency crisis. The Fed’s latest rates cut persuaded
few investors that the end is in sight, with most markets barely breaking their downward slide on the news. – R M Cutler runs his eye over the ups and downs in the week’s
markets.
Dmitry Medvedev’s ascension to power in Russia heralds a new opportunity for resolution of differences that bar the way to the country joining the World Trade Organization. Yet
even if membership remains elusive, internal debate on the issues involved has proved an innovative experience. – Kaveh L Afrasiabi and Natalia Gold
“Spam King” Robert Soloway’s guilty plea in a Seattle court this week marked a notable victory in the battle against junk mail, but Internet users have no reason yet to lower their
defenses against unwanted emails. – Martin J Young surveys the week’s developments in computing, gaming and gizmos.
with the stuff – unless you are one of the unemployed, whose numbers are already half way up to Great Depression levels
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.