Nationalism in China, surging amid protests over Beijing's rule in Tibet, increasingly fills the role Maoism played before China embraced capitalism.

Edward Friedman, an expert on Chinese nationalism, says China’s ethnic Han majority views minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs as "people who should be incorporated into the larger Chinese state."

Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria argues that public humiliation does not work nearly as well on the regime in Beijing as private pressure.

Taiwan expert Alan D. Romberg says the election of Ma Ying-jeou as the island’s next president should usher in a new era of less contentious cross-Strait relations.

Henry Siegman, an expert on Middle East negotiations, says no peace will be possible between Israel and the Palestinians unless Hamas is brought into the talks.

Washington’s representative to talks on Kosovo, Frank G. Wisner, says Serbia will never recognize an independent Kosovo and that Russia’s role has been “unbelievably regrettable.”

The growing appetite of Iraq’s Kurdish government, Washington’s most trusted ally, for control of their own national destiny has sparked worries that Kurdish nationalism could undermine fragile political progress in Baghdad.

According to Newsweek's George Wehrfritz, as Southeast Asia's prototypical strongman nears death, Indonesia sets the tone for an uncertain era.

Selig Harrison of the New York Times says that whatever the outcome of the Pakistani elections, the existing multiethnic Pakistani state is not likely to survive for long unless it is radically restructured.

Four speakers discuss the consequences of an independent Kosovo.

CFR Senior Fellow Charles Kupchan discusses implications of Kosovo's anticipated declaration of independence despite Russia's opposition.

Advocating for greater Kurdish autonomy through violent resistance, the Kurdistan Workers Party remains a vibrant militant presence on the border of northern Iraq and southern Turkey.

Political violence in Lebanon could spell the return of civil war.

Morton I. Abramowitz, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey during the first Persian Gulf War in 1990-1991, says many Turkish “Secularists” fear that the government headed by the “Islamist” party of Prime Minister Erdogan may turn back the clock and introduce religion into public life.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans another visit to a notorious shrine, even after revelations about why imperial visits stopped almost thirty years ago. Experts say the issue is heating up tensions with China and South Korea.

Protests this week highlight Syria's continuing influence in Beirut, more than a year after the "Cedar Revolution." But experts say Lebanon's outdated political system is just as much to blame for lingering instability.

The rising proportion of islanders who identify themselves as Taiwanese is driving increased enthusiasm for an independent Taiwan. However, this study from the East West Center argues that Taiwanese public opinion is increasingly favorable to peaceful relations in the Taiwan Strait. Using generational analysis, it shows that while many older Taiwanese hold passionate views about cross-strait relations, younger Taiwanese tend to be pragmatic, moderate, and open-minded.