Walden Bello
Will Japan Stand in Splendid Isolation?
Shinzo Abe’s on a road trip to define Japan’s new identity in an era of Trump and Duterte. The Japanese are beginning to realize that being fully sovereign means dealing with headaches for which someone else had to take prime responsibility for over 70 years.
Duterte vs. Washington’s Cold War System
Though better known for his brutal war on drugs at home, the Philippine leader’s volatile, one-man diplomacy could up-end 70 years of U.S. dominance in East Asia.
No Climate Deal Is Better Than a Bad One
Without concrete, enforceable emissions targets and transition financing, the Paris climate talks will only deepen our climate crisis.
Vietnam and the Philippines Confront China
The Philippines and Vietnam are natural allies in their common territorial struggles against China. But they should leave Washington out of it.
Thailand’s Deep Divide
Thailand’s anti-corruption protesters appear to have lost faith in the key tenet of representative democracy: rule by people or parties elected by the majority of citizens. For many on both sides, it is no longer a question of if but when this deep-seated civil conflict descends into outright civil war.
Hello Warsaw, This Is Haiyan Calling
The super typhoon that just hit the Philippines should be a wake-up call for climate-change negotiators in Warsaw. This year, the big climate polluters must be denounced for their continued refusal to take the steps needed to save the world from the destruction that their carbon-intensive economies have unleashed on us all.
A Brewing Storm in the Western Pacific
China’s aggressive territorial claims, Washington’s “pivot” to Asia and attempt to contain China, and Japan’s hawkish bluster add up to a volatile brew in the Asia-Pacific. The Asia-Pacific region is descending into a period of destabilizing conflict.