by David Schlesinger | 7 Jun 2019 | Asia, China, Nationalism, Personal Reflections
It’s been 30 years since China’s army crushed protests in Tiananmen Square. Can Beijing come to terms with its past without remembering? A man tries to pull a Chinese soldier away from his comrades as citizens confront troops heading to Tiananmen Square,...
by Stuart Grudgings | 4 Jun 2019 | Asia, China, Decoders
The South China Sea has become one of the world’s most dangerous flash points. So far, the dispute has not resulted in military conflict. But it could. A globe showing islands in the South China Sea with China’s nine-dash line, Singapore, 13 July 2018 (AP...
by Danielle Amir-Lobel | 20 May 2019 | Asia, Human Rights, Islam, La Jolla Country Day School, Student Posts, Youth Voices
The war in Afghanistan is the longest military conflict in U.S. history. It has failed. The key to peace is diplomacy and the quiet work of diplomats. U.S. and Taliban negotiators at peace talks brokered by Qatar, in Doha, 25 February 2019 (Qatar Ministry of Foreign...
by Ben Barber | 3 May 2019 | Africa, Americas, Asia
Female genital mutilation persists in many countries. While efforts to curb the rite are progressing worldwide, the practice has gained ground in the U.S. A six-year-old girl screams in pain while being cut in Somalia, 17 June 1996 (AP Photo/Jean-Marc Bouju) The...
by Feizal Samath | 30 Apr 2019 | Asia, Islam, Terrorism
After extremists killed hundreds in Easter suicide bombings, Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim population now has to worry about retaliatory attacks. A Sri Lankan Muslim waits to pray in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 29 April 2019 (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) It used to be that Sri...
by Kiana Tan | 24 Apr 2019 | Americas, Asia, Contest winners, Personal Reflections, Student Posts, Westover School, Youth Voices
Mocked and belittled as an Asian-American, I was desperate to fit in with my peers. With time and age, I have learned to straddle the two cultures. Workers make mooncakes, Taipei, Taiwan, 17 September, 2004 (AP Photo/Wally Santana) One morning I boarded the bus to go...
by Jonathan Thatcher | 23 Apr 2019 | Asia, Islam
By Jonathan Thatcher After the world’s largest ever democratic election in a single day last week, Indonesia’s 20-year-old democracy is looking reassuringly predictable. There was even an indignant post-election sulk by the losing candidate, who claimed, as he did...
by Jim Wolf | 15 Apr 2019 | Asia
Thailand holds the world record for military coups. Landmark elections in March seems sure to yield yet more instability in the Southeast Asian nation. A Thai woman casts her vote during the general election on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, 24 March 2019...
by Evan Wright | 1 Apr 2019 | Asia, Human Rights, Indiana University, Student Posts, Youth Voices
Philippine President Duterte’s war on drugs has killed thousands of citizens extra-judicially. Can the country still be called a democracy? Filipino Dennis David (center) holds a picture of his son, who was a victim of a drug-related killing, as he attends a...
by Feizal Samath | 20 Mar 2019 | Asia, China, Economy, Politics
China has dramatically increased its presence in Sri Lanka in the past decade. But so has India. Are the two giants in a race neither wants to lose? A Buddhist monk and villagers clash with police during a protest against the seizure of private land for the...