The Weekly Fix
All-Asia weekly highlight that features the latest headlines on Asia with expert analysis and commentary. We’ll tell you about interesting or just plain wacky stories that have caught our attention. We’ll also take you inside the Asia Society and bring you the best in our programming on Asian arts, culture, policy, business and education.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki on Iraq, the US and Prospects for Peace
Manouchehr Mottaki is the Foreign Minister of Iran. In this interview with Nermeen Shaikh, he argues that the US must propose a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq, while maintaining that an immediate withdrawal might "create problems". Foreign Minister Mottaki rules out the possibility of any kind of military confrontation between Iran and the US, saying the latter cannot afford to undertake another conflict in the region.

AsiaSource Interview with Dr. Mohini Giri
Mohini Giri is a prominent women's rights activist in India. She has received several honorary doctoral degrees from universities in India and abroad, as well as numerous awards and distinctions. Dr. Giri was at the Asia Society in New York on October 11 to participate in a panel discussion following a screening of the film White Rainbow, which follows four women as they overcome the difficulties of widowhood in India.

AsiaSource speaks to the Governor of Aceh
Irwandi Yusuf was formally installed as Aceh's first democratically elected governor on February 8, 2007. In this interview, he talks about the transition he made from leading a movement for national liberation to serving in government. Governor Yusuf is hopeful that Aceh will be able to attract more foreign investment and will receive a fair share of revenues for its resources from the central government in Java as stipulated in the Helsinki agreement.

Julia Kwan on "Eve and the Fire Horse"
Julia Kwan is a writer, director and producer, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her first feature film, Eve and the Fire Horse, garnered awards and accolades internationally, including at last year's Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF), which Asian CineVision hosts in association with the Asia Society. This year's 30th annual AAIFF is scheduled July 19-28, 2008. For full schedule click here.

AsiaSource Interview with Thai Health Minister
Thailand has been at the center of a controversy over affordable access to medication because of its recent decision to pursue generic versions of patented pharmaceuticals. Mongkol Na Songkhla, the Minister of Public Health in Thailand, spoke with Asia Society's Nermeen Shaikh about this and other issues during a visit to New York where he joined a press conference with President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation to announce a global pooled procurement of anti-retroviral drugs.

Leslie Gelb on American Foreign Policy
Leslie Gelb is currently President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations. He was previously a correspondent and editor at the New York Times. In this extensive interview with Nermeen Shaikh at Asia Society, covering Iraq, Iran, the rise of China, and the new constraints on US power, Dr Gelb explains why he was initially in favor of a three-state partition of Iraq, and his advocacy now of a decentralized, federal state structure.

AsiaSource Interview with Dr Abdullah Abdullah
Dr Abdullah Abdullah was appointed foreign minister of Afghanistan following the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, a position he retained til March 2006. In this AsiaSource interview, he talks to Nermeen Shaikh about what the greatest failures of the war on terrorism have been, what the prospects for Afghanistan are now, and the role of Pakistan in contributing to the deteriorating security situation in the region.