INASIA
Weekly Insights and Analysis
Going Green: Urban Farming in Hanoi
In the past twenty years, Asian countries have experienced massive and unprecedented urban growth, and with it a host of new challenges, as swelling urban populations have increased pressure on resources such as land, food, and water. As in other major cities in Asia,...
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Next-Gen Diplomats
Seasoned diplomats are more than the sum of their personal gifts. Effective diplomacy requires serious study, cultural immersion, and practiced collaboration. And so, a young diplomat named Bolor-Erdene Yura found herself in Washington, DC, this June, far from her...
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Ulaanbaatar Rocked by Youthquake; Future Declared Bright
It was two days of debates, workshops, comedy, multimedia, and music in the capital of Mongolia, as hundreds of young people descended on Ulaanbaatar in mid-June for the first-ever Youth Voices Summit.
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A Common Challenge: Geography and Inequality in Thailand and America
Economic inequality has become a major roadblock in Thailand’s path to prosperity and democracy. The massive development gap between the prosperous central and eastern seaboards and outlying agricultural regions has been a source of political division and unmet...
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A Long Road: Access to Justice in Laos
When her father died suddenly last year, the family of Mrs. Somleuthai (her name has been changed for privacy) started to break apart. Her father, a small farmer, had left an inheritance, 2.5 hectares of land in the rural district of Xayabouly. Her mother and each of...
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The High-Tech Jobs of Tomorrow Depend on Children’s Books Today
Words like “fun” and “children’s storybooks” are not often used when discussing how to prepare today’s youth for the high-tech jobs of tomorrow, but they need to be. The most valuable skills children can gain in school are not specific to particular jobs or...
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Thailand’s Inequality: Unpacking the Myths and Reality of Isan
For decades, the ethnically and linguistically diverse people of Isan, Thailand, have been the subject of pervasive bias, often described as docile and uneducated, or as “unsophisticated peasants” who can be bought and manipulated by ambitious politicians. Bordered by...
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Small Screen, Big Ideas: Debating Timor-Leste’s Economy on TV
Almost 90 percent of Timor-Leste’s annual budget comes from oil and gas, making economic diversification an urgent priority for the young nation’s development. The government’s 2011–2030 Strategic Development Plan identifies two key industries for the future of the...
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The Women of Kundan and Meenakari
India is known for its rich culture of adornment and fine gold work, yet almost all goldsmiths are male. In a country that rigidly observes traditional gender roles, women are often occupied with domestic work, while the practice of jewelry making belongs almost...
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