Until September 2008 there was a lot of discussion about “decoupling”—the belief that emerging markets in Asia and elsewhere would be relatively unscathed from the bleeding of Western finance and that their economic growth would no longer rely on the well-being of the industrialized world. Emerging economies, it was argued, were resistant to American and European contagion due to their strong domestic markets, high currency reserves and prudent macroeconomic policies. The decoupling debate came to an abrupt end, however, when the meltdown on Wall Street sent shockwaves through the entire global financial system, not least in the emerging markets of Asia. Now talk of decoupling is back.
Posted September 16, 2009

KABUL, Afghanistan — The result of Afghanistan’s Aug. 20 presidential vote could not be worse: victory for an incumbent government that will likely be even more corrupt and dysfunctional than before, along with a disputed result and no realistic mechanism for resolution. There is growing concern about an outbreak of violence here in the capital city of Kabul, and lines have been forming outside banks as locals withdraw funds in anticipation of trouble.
Posted September 10, 2009

Even as Japan celebrated the opposition Democratic Party of Japan’s (DPJ) landslide victory over the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in last week's general election, the response abroad was muted. Editorial writers and analysts acknowledged the significance of the DPJ victory, but many saw the party's ascendance as a sign of an "anticapitalist" turn in Japanese politics. In reality, however, the DPJ is hardly the radical party that some have portrayed it as.
Posted September 5, 2009

Taipei — Take an exiled spiritual leader seen by Beijing as a “splittist.” Add an island Beijing sees as a wayward province. Flavor with a strong dose of political posturing and grandstanding. The result? The perfect end-of-summer cocktail for Taiwan's sensational media.
Posted September 3, 2009

Divining the future prosperity of Asia through tortoise shells and tea leaves of the past or market indices of the present yield equally questionable results. Talk of an Asia-led global recovery, based principally on stock-market performance and a very modest uptick in exports to China, overstates the effects of stimulus spending and the as yet unsolved restructuring challenges ahead for most of the export-oriented region.
Posted August 31, 2009

I first met Kim Dae-jung in 1985 when he returned from an enforced exile in America. A brilliant and thoughtful man, DJ articulated the moral and practical aspirations for democracy in a country where, even today, sophisticated political discourse is lacking. At the dining table in his home in the Seoul district of Donggyo-dong, he conjured a vision of democracy, achieved with fair means, without revenge, with policies that honored civil rights and created a fair playing field for business, and that prepared the ground for a civilized reunification with North Korea.
Posted August 27, 2009

Comments from some Democratic Party of Japan leaders have caused concern in America that the DPJ will seek to radically change the nature of the U.S.-Japan Alliance after the Aug. 30 election. While the concerns of some Americans are justifiable and prudent given the importance of the Alliance, a close analysis of the DPJ’s domestic political environment suggests that significant change in Japan’s foreign policy in the coming year is unlikely, and any significant DPJ changes may turn out to be essential for the long-term viability of the Alliance.
Posted August 20, 2009

As satire, the YouTube video now circulating in Taiwan may be over the top. But for many here, the real-life spectacle of Taiwan's top government officials on an "apology tour" has been almost as ridiculous.
Posted August 25, 2009

Mae Sot, Thailand – The verdict has been handed down: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is “guilty” as charged. The scenes in court were very dramatic. First, the long expected three-year sentence with hard labor was read out. Next, Burma’s home minister read out the order commuting the sentence from Senior General Than Shwe, stating that Aung San Suu Kyi would instead serve an 18-month sentence under house arrest.
Posted August 13, 2009

Washington, D.C.–Rebiya Kadeer is undergoing a Chinese version of George Orwell’s “Two Minutes Hate.” Separatist, extremist, terrorist–China’s state-run media has pulled out the rhetorical big guns to put her beyond the pale of civilized society. By condemning her as the mastermind of last month’s riots that killed 197 people in the northwest region of Xinjiang, Beijing has transformed an exiled businesswoman and dissident into public enemy No. 1 for 1.3 billion people.
Posted August 10, 2009. (This article first appeared in the August 8, 2009, edition of The Wall Street Journal.)

Corazon Aquino’s passing on Saturday has sparked a depth of emotion unseen in the Philippines for years. Thousands of mourners are gathering in Manila to pay their respects and honor the soft-spoken and unassuming woman who led the 1986 “People Power” revolt that ended dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s 20-year reign. A fixture of Philippine political life for the last quarter century, her role as a defender of democracy and moral exemplar will be hard to fill.
Posted August 4, 2009. Editor's note: This article first appeared in our sister publication The Wall Street Journal Asia.

Mae Sot, Thailand – The Obama administration’s attempts to find a new approach to dealing with Burma are laudable, even if the world doesn’t know which direction it will take yet. The U.S. must maintain a tough stance whilst it seeks new avenues for engagement. Although regional cooperation as part of a new U.S. “carrot and stick” strategy has potential, thus far the incentive element lacks depth. The renewal of U.S. trade sanctions against Burma by the U.S. Congress is welcome; there must be no change to these measures until the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) show at least a modicum of respect for basic rights.
Posted July 29, 2009