In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

After rapidly rising from poverty to the ranks of advanced industrial economies, Korea is now committed to becoming an important contributor to the economic development and stability of the less developed countries of the world. In January, the Korean government submitted its formal application for membership in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the group of member countries of the OECD committed to increasing and improving aid to emerging nations. Korea already provides some $800 million in official development assistance and aims to increase this to over $3 billion by 2015. The Asia Foundation is cooperating with the Korean government to support its efforts to rapidly improve the effectiveness of its aid programs.

The Korean International Cooperation Agency, or KOICA, recently invited Asia Foundation experts to organize a seminar for Korean government aid agency staff focusing on a critical element in improving aid effectiveness, and the process of developing and using Country Assistance Strategies (CAS) to plan and guide country-level aid implementation. The all-day seminar, held January 18, was attended by some 80 development specialists from KOICA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and other ministries, as well as academic advisors and NGO leaders. There was also a separate in-house workshop for working level KOICA staff.

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Award-winning journalist Christopher Taylor has been published in the Financial Times, Fortune, Money, GQ, Esquire, and more. His blog, Everything Indonesia, features a Q & A with The Asia Foundation’s Dr. Robin Bush. Says Taylor: “No offense to politicians, but when you need a real State of the Union, you don’t go to political hacks. You go to people like Robin Bush. As Indonesia’s country rep for the Asia Foundation, she’s steeped in local culture, with her heart and soul dedicated to making the country a better place.” The interview is the first installment of a two-part series highlighting Dr. Bush’s take on issues facing Indonesians such as development and politics. Dr. Bush shares her personal ties to Indonesia, Indonesia’s response to President Obama’s election win, and her thoughts on what every American should know about the world’s largest archipelagic state. Robin Bush is The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Indonesia where she manages an international and national staff of over 60 and a grants and technical assistance portfolio of over $50 million. Read “Exclusive Interview: Asia Foundation’s Robin Bush.”

Read more about the Foundation’s programs in Indonesia.

When I visited Dhaka last weekend, I arrived a few hours prior to the last prayer of the “Biswa Ijtema,” the world’s second largest annual Muslim congregation after the “Haj” in Saudi Arabia. Two million Muslims attended the three-day assembly where devotees primarily prayed for the welfare of the Muslim community. However, the final prayer called for global peace, prosperity, and an end to worldwide conflict. The prayers and sermons delivered were spiritually uplifting and were neither political nor inflammatory.

Although the great majority of the congregation was from Bangladesh, there were 10,500 pilgrims from 105 nations, including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. On my flight home from Dhaka, via Dubai, the great majority of passengers were congregants returning to the Middle East. This gave me the opportunity to chat at length with one traveler, Anwar.

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I was recently asked to describe how the Chinese have assessed the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. Their assessment has evolved somewhat over time, and can be divided into three stages: the campaign, the transition, and the (still very young) post-inaugural period. For each, we can consider both official and unofficial Chinese opinion. The latter, some of which appears in the Chinese press and on Chinese blogs, provides useful supplement – and sometimes, an interesting contrast – with more official statements and commentary.

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Many observers have been speculating about what the approach of the Obama administration to relations with China will be. Such speculation reached a frenzied pitch following recent statements by Obama’s pick to lead Treasury, Tim Geithner, on China’s currency management. In his written response to congressional questions, Mr. Geithner said that the Obama administration believes that China is manipulating its currency. He later clarified this statement by adding that now might not be the right time to brand China as a currency manipulator under U.S. law. Nevertheless, the damage had been done, and China responded with a sharp retort.

Despite this tempest in a teapot, for a variety of reasons, we need to be cautious about jumping to premature conclusions regarding the new administration’s approach to relations with China.

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A key function of any state is to establish a monopoly over the legitimate use of physical force and ensure the security of its citizens. In order to do this the state needs to apprehend those who use violence illegally and commit crime. This is the job of the law enforcement and security forces. Once apprehended, the state must then hold offenders to account for their actions. This is done through the justice system. Thus there is a clear link between the justice system and the core law and order functions of the state.

In Afghanistan, however, dispensing justice is complex because, unlike in other states which generally have a single justice system that is prominent or dominant, Afghanistan has two systems: the formal state system and the informal traditional system. These systems have emerged and coalesced at different historical junctures and draw on various traditions, yet they have evolved to become a part of the same continuum.

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Scott Snyder, senior associate, international relations at The Asia Foundation, explores the transformation of the Sino–South Korean relationship since the early 1990s in his new book, China’s Rise and the Two Koreas: Politics, Economics, Security. Snyder considers the strategic significance of recent developments in China’s relationship with both North and South Korea and also assesses the likely consequences of those developments for U.S. and Japanese influence in the region. His meticulous study lends important context to critical debates regarding China’s foreign policy, Northeast Asian security, and international relations more broadly.

Available now from Lynne Rienner Publishers.

The Asia Foundation, along with the Canadian Embassy and MindaNews, is supporting “Mindanao: The Way Forward,” a one-and-a-half hour special on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel in the Philippines. The television forum brings together experts, public officials, business people, and various sectors who are involved in the peace process in Mindanao, and will be aired on February 6, Friday, at 7.30 p.m. Asia Foundation country representative Steven Rood will be one of the distinguished speakers. Learn more about the program and watch a 30-second commercial.