Recently, we hear a growing chorus how the China - Philippines dispute in the South China Seas ought to be settled by binding arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We already have dealt with some of the political dimensions of this (see, e.g., our South China Seas tag), and I won't rehash them here. But I do want to bring up a couple of … [Read more...] about Philippines, China, UNCLOS and the South China Seas
politics
‘Green’ protests in India backed by U.S.-funded NGO’s
Interesting take by Russia Today about U.S.-funded NGO's operating in India doing 'green' protests against the country's aim to develop more nuclear power plants. India has shut down some of such NGO's while Russia Today insinuate they specifically targeted nuclear plants under construction by Russian firms. … [Read more...] about ‘Green’ protests in India backed by U.S.-funded NGO’s
Syria, Resolution 2042, a true win for humanitarian intervention
Joshua Goldstein wrote a whole book to explain that our world today, despite the seemingly endless number of crisis, is in fact the least brutal it has ever been. He concluded with empirical evidence that U.N. peacekeepers, as neutral third parties on the ground, have been stopping tribal factions from fighting and escalating violence. That form of humanitarian intervention … [Read more...] about Syria, Resolution 2042, a true win for humanitarian intervention
Book Review: Shaun Rein, “The End of Cheap China”
If I have to pick three books for Western readers that best explains modern China, I would recommend Shaun Rein's recently released book, "The End of Cheap China: Economic and Cultural Trends That Will Disrupt the World." (Also, see my interview with the author earlier this year.) The book draws heavily on Rein's personal experience working and living in China. During one of … [Read more...] about Book Review: Shaun Rein, “The End of Cheap China”
Why is the US so unhappy?
Perhaps it's too much democracy, human rights and freedom. More likely, it's too less of those things and way too much worries and troubles such as a lack of financial security, too much crime, not enough health care, and deficiencies in other indices of well-being. A common way to measure happiness and well-being is the Happy Planet Index by the New Economics Foundation. In … [Read more...] about Why is the US so unhappy?