In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

Discussed at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum this week, in Kuala Lumpur, were lessons that could be learned by the Islamic world – particularly the Middle East – from the experience in economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).  The discussion immediately made it apparent that ASEAN’s performance in economic integration may be assessed as “good” or “not so good” ” depending on the specific aspect(s) being measured, and the metric being applied.

Usually, we think of economic integration in terms of measures of trade and financial flows ” and by these relatively narrow measures, ASEAN has been successful. 

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Since the U.S.-Islamic World Forum’s launch by the Saban Center at the Brookings Institution in 2004, it has made important contributions to dialogue and understanding, and has served as a catalyst for action among organizations from many countries. It is our belief ” and our hope ” that by holding this conference in Southeast Asia, we can add an additional, vital element to the dialogue that can make it even richer, deeper, and more successful that it has been to date. For this opportunity, I would like to express our gratitude to Ambassador Martin Indyk and his staff at the Saban Center. We are also pleased to be co-sponsoring this event with ISIS, the Institute of Strategic and International Studies here in Kuala Lumpur — led by Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan. ISIS is an organization that has contributed so much over the years not only to Malaysia, but to the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, and it’s an organization with which The Asia Foundation has had a long and fruitful history of cooperation.

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Vietnam may be experiencing the highest inflation rate in the last two decades, a whopping 28 percent year-on-year in August, but of late the country is consumed with a different crisis. The latest beauty to be crowned Miss Vietnam on Aug. 31, 18-year-old Tran Thi Thuy Dung, was discovered to not have finished secondary school, contrary to the government’s beauty contest regulations. On the surface, the ingredients of this still unfolding scandal are rather mundane. It turns out that the rules established by the Miss Vietnam organizing committee were different from those of the Ministry of Culture, asking for contestants to have achieved “the level of high school and higher” rather than the government’s requirement of a high school graduation exam. Read more…

Kim Ninh is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Vietnam. The above is an op-ed carried Tuesday in the International Herald Tribune and originally in In Asia. She can be reached at kninh@asiafound.org.

This past week, The Asia Foundation’s Senior Associate, Scott Snyder spoke about the removal of North Korea from the U.S.’s State Sponsors of Terrorism list and the overall current state of U.S.-North Korea relations to the Los Angeles Times and the Christian Science Monitor. He can be reached at ssnyder@asiafound.org.

Doug Ramage, The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Indonesia, spoke to Newsweek over the weekend about Indonesia’s booming economy in “Indonesia As the New India.” He can be reached at ramage@tafindo.org.

Notable signs of hesitation among Asian investors were evident in Monday’s turbulent downturn in Japan, South Korea, Singapore and elsewhere. The run on the Bank of East Asia in Hong Kong in late September was the result of nervous depositors reacting to the crisis on Wall Street. The full effect on global investors of last week’s bailout package remains to be seen. Because the U.S. credit crunch impacts the global markets, Americans should keep their eyes on Asian markets as the health of our economy is tied to Asia in critical ways. And California is a prime example.

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Over the past few weeks, Vietnam’s dying rivers have been the subject of intense media and public outcry. Reports indicate that Vedan, a Taiwanese company, which produces monosodium glutamate, has inflicted significant environmental damage for over a decade to the Thi Vai River. The Thi Vai River’s destruction has severe consequences. Many Vietnamese are dependent on aquacultural production; their livelihoods along the river have been destroyed. Ships can no longer anchor at Go Dau port in Dong Nai province because of pollution damage — and the port is losing revenue.  The river is also the source of drinking water for many, which seriously affects public health.

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The peoples of Southeast Asia are following the 2008 U.S. presidential elections with great attention and admiration, given the open and transparent primary processes. America’s real and vibrant democracy is reflected in the competing candidates’ travels to every corner of the country to win the hearts and minds of voters. This illustrates that the highest office of the land can neither be secured by wealth nor pedigree and, this year especially, neither race nor gender is an insurmountable obstacle. Consequently, in some parts of the world, including Southeast Asia, anti-Americanism has been balanced by a respect for America’s current exercise of democracy.

Thus, every region of the world wants America’s attention; the only question is whether American attention is positive or negative. Washington’s nature is to focus attention on the largest countries, regions, and economies, which can pose a threat to American interest or to international peace and security. By these standards, Southeast Asia ” a region largely at peace ” does not receive the positive attention it deserves. Read More…

Tommy Koh is Ambassador-At-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, and Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies and the National Heritage Board. He was one of the three Asian co-chairs for the recently released book, America’s Role in Asia: Asian and American Views. Below is an excerpt from his chapter, which provides recommendations for a new U.S.  administration’s foreign policy towards the Southeast Asia region.

As Asia’s youngest and poorest country, Timor-Leste has had a turbulent start. Since establishing independence in 2002, the nation has experienced periodic bouts of serious instability, including the February 11th near-fatal attack on President Jose Ramos-Horta and the unsuccessful attack on Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and violent unrest in 2006 that was compounded by open warfare between the military and the police.

To provide The Asia Foundation with an in-depth update on the current situation and progress since independence, the Honorable Hans G. Klemm, U.S. Ambassador to Timor-Leste, visited Foundation headquarters on October 2nd.

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As Christopher Hill traveled north from Seoul this week to try to rescue the snarled nuclear agreement with North Korea, another notable journey was taking place from Bongha, a village in the far south of Korea, up to Seoul. Former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun made his first return trip to the South Korean capital since leaving office in February. He came north to celebrate his momentous journey from Seoul to Pyongyang for a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il that took place exactly one year ago. What a difference a year makes.

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Good morning, magandang umaga, Assalamu Alaykum.

I’m very happy to be here today once again at the invitation of the Young Moro Professionals Networks to be part of the Opening Program of the International Ramadan Fair 2008. Each year The Asia Foundation supports this event due to its crucial importance for our times, as the Young Moro Professionals Network tries “To enhance the perspective of Muslims and Non-Muslims alike on the tenets of Islam, promoting universal principles and values of pluralism, excellence, and justice.”

When speaking of “Harmony in Religious and Cultural Diversity,” these are difficult times with both signs of hope and reasons for pessimism. We can find hope in unity among religions.

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