In this policy research working paper, the World Bank aims to examine the resulting impact of climate change on hydropower projects. Three projects are considered: India, Sri Lanka, and
Vietnam.

A Malaysian court’s ruling against a Muslim convert to Christianity highlights the difficulties of blending sharia law with modern legal frameworks.

Listen to Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun chair of Islamic studies at American University, discuss his recent trip to the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia to meet with different Muslim communities, and his new book, Journey Into Islam.

Violence, corruption charges, and prominent personalities color voting in Filipino elections. The results could determine the staying power of President Arroyo.

Annual U.S.-Thai military exercises get underway amid U.S. concerns over governance, intellectual property rights, and an insurgency in Thailand.

This summary paper is based on an assignment from DFID and the World Bank, in consultation with the State Ministry of Environment in Indonesia, to compile data and information that reflects the most updated state of knowledge of Climate Change in Indonesia.

A profile of the terrorist organization based in the southern Philippines.

This report from Foreign Policy in Focus draws numerous parallels between the US policies and experiences in Iraq and Vietnam.

Amnesty International reports on the conditions of daily life in Myanmar (Burma). It says that forced labour, forced relocation, denial of citizenship and imprisonment for political offences are common.

Robert Dallek, a prominent historian on the American presidency, says that historians will remember President Gerald R. Ford as “a distinctly minor figure,” in part because he was in office for such a short period and “one cannot point to any great initiatives that changed the course of history, in my judgment, in that time.”

After three decades of conflict, a peace deal continues to hold in the Indonesian province of Aceh, which held its first direct elections last week. The likely new governor, a former rebel leader, counts poverty and militant Islam among his challenges.

Two years ago the Asian tsunami devastated the Indonesian province of Aceh. A huge amount of rebuilding has been done but thousands of the poorest Acehnese families have yet to be re-housed; the wave washed away their land and also many documents showing who owned land in Aceh. According to this report from the development charity Oxfam the question of who owns what land is now an urgent issue that must be solved if Acehnese society is to be rebuilt on a secure footing.

Many Asian countries (such as China, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines) will experience a significant aging of their populations during the next several decades. This paper from the IMF explores how these aging Asian countries are addressing and anticipating the challenges of an aging society. It suggests that Asia's preparedness for an aging population is decidedly mixed. While growth policies have been successful, much work is still needed in many countries to establish an adequate and farsighted policy framework in the areas of pensions, health insurance, and labor market policies.

Governments increased funding and international cooperation to limit the spread of avian flu. But the unpredictability of a potential pandemic raises concerns over global preparedness.