In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

At the end of a sabbatical team-teaching one course and blogging weekly, I am eager to get back to my work on the ground in the Philippines. At the end of this “Representative Professor” series, it’s interesting to look back at both what I’ve written and some of what has transpired in the past four months.

> More

On the heels of the Chicago NATO summit which set the stage for the departure of NATO troops from Afghanistan and the transition of security to Afghan forces, questions now turn to the future of institution building, development, and the nation’s ability to provide security to its citizens post-2014.

> More

The issue of corruption in the Philippines has once again hit international newspapers with reports that the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Renato Corona (currently undergoing an impeachment trial before the Philippine Senate), had dozens of dollar accounts…

> More

It’s May, and as the old saying goes, spring is in the air. In Afghanistan, while spring has surely brought a bounty of roses and wonderful weather, it is probably more apt to say “transition is in the air.” No matter with whom one speaks – from shopkeepers and farmers…

> More

An interview published by Stanford University on May 3 with Professor Erik Jensen who just returned from Kabul, where he was working on the Afghanistan Legal Education Project at the American University of Afghanistan.

> More

On June 3, Cambodians will vote for the third time since 2002 to select their local representatives, or commune councilors. This is a crucial part of the long-term process of decentralizing governance and enabling citizens to play a greater role in decision-making.

> More

In the lead up to the NATO Summit in Chicago where leaders are expected to discuss the transition in Afghanistan, The Asia Foundation’s new trustee and former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry…

> More

In a brand-new “Occasional Paper,” from the Philippines, Asia Foundation economist Jaime Faustino introduces development entrepreneurship, a practical framework to help development agencies and practitioners combine both technically sound and politically possible dimensions of reform. Download paper.

> More

Real GDP growth in Malaysia has slowed considerably over the past decade and domestic investment, measured as a percentage of GDP, has also decreased. These trends raise doubts about whether Malaysia can attain its goal of reaching developed nation status by the year 2020…

> More

Burma (also known as Myanmar) may be on the verge of a dramatic expansion of international assistance. After last month’s parliamentary by-elections, there is likely to be more support for easing sanctions and increasing foreign assistance to the country to support the changes underway.

> More