Is Currency Reform Backfiring on North Korean Regime?

Could North Korea’s recent confiscatory currency “reform,” aimed at cracking down on burgeoning private markets and reviving socialism, be backfiring on the regime? In a Feb. 5 commentary for the BBC, EWC Senior Fellow Marcus Noland writes that it appears the government is now in retreat, acquiescing in the reopening of markets.

“Reports - difficult, if not impossible, to confirm - have emerged of civil disobedience, protests, and even physical attacks on government officials trying to enforce the tightened restrictions,” Noland writes. “In the latest twist, the government appears to be ... easing restrictions on markets and, according to some reports, scapegoating Pak Nam-gi, the Korean Workers Party Director of Finance, for the failed policy.” Click here to read the full commentary.

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Sri Lanka's Election Strife Worsens Post-War Woes

By Shabbir Cheema

(Note: This commentary originally appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser on Jan. 31, 2010)

Post-election tensions are high in Sri Lanka, after the country’s election commission declared incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa the winner of last week’s contest. Rajapaksa’s main opponent, General Sarath Fonseka, has challenged the validity of the election results, alleging vote rigging, intimidation and censorship.

However this drama plays out, the election has exposed deep political divisions that are compounding Sri Lanka’s difficulty in recovering from 25 years of brutal civil war – with more than 80,000 people killed, widespread civilian suffering and deterioration of the Sri Lankan economy and environment. ...more...

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From Rebels to Soldiers: Military Integration of Former Insurgents in the Philippines and East Timor

Integrating former insurgents into national militaries does not necessarily lead to the reduction of communal barriers between ethnic minorities and the majority population of a country. In an East-West Center in Washington Asia Pacific Security Seminar on Jan. 21, Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall, and discussant Mr. G. Eugene Martin, discussed the integration of former insurgents into the militaries of the Philippines and East Timor, examining the role that such military integrations play in promoting peace and reducing ethnic boundaries among the population. Check audio icon above to listen to their seminar.  Read more...

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Cham: Syncretic Islamic Communities in Vietnam and Cambodia
Exhibition
Where: East-West Center Gallery, Burns Hall, 1601 East-West Rd., Honolulu
When: January 20, 2010 to March 28, 2010

China and India: Friends, Foes, or Frenemies?
Asia Pacific Security Seminar
Where: Washington D.C.: East-West Center in Washington Conference Room, 2:00 PM-3:30 PM
When: February 10, 2010

Senior Journalists Seminar
Theme: Bridging Gaps Between the United States and the Muslim World
Where: EWC, Washington, DC; Nashville, Tennessee; Chicago, Illinois , Mumbai, India and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When: March 1, 2010 to March 3, 2010

More events...

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Higher Education in Asia/Pacific: Quality and the Public Good
by Terance W. Bigalke and Deane E. Neubauer (eds.)

A New Geography of Knowledge in the Electronics Industry? Asia's Role in Global Innovation Networks
by Dieter Ernst

U.S.-Burma Relations: "Pragmatic Engagement" Greets "Discipline-Flourishing Democracy"
by Sourabh Gupta

More publications...

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