[{"command":"settings","settings":{"pluralDelimiter":"\u0003","suppressDeprecationErrors":true,"ajaxPageState":{"libraries":"eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6ufkppTmpOmBOfGJWYkV8emqJPowBFc_MS8vMyyxJjS9OLsrPyYFo1YWJ6kJEAdF1Ikc","theme":"cfr_theme","theme_token":null},"ajaxTrustedUrl":[],"views":{"ajax_path":"\/views\/ajax","ajaxViews":{"views_dom_id:8bed598a461325242685f1ac1da4ff2dd2ff2ab376dcef23f937d4ce438fe93e":{"view_name":"blog_posts","view_display_id":"block_archived_blog_posts","view_args":"4\/251102\/2013","view_path":"\/custom\/ajax\/archived_blog_posts\/4\/251102\/2013","view_base_path":null,"view_dom_id":"8bed598a461325242685f1ac1da4ff2dd2ff2ab376dcef23f937d4ce438fe93e","pager_element":0}}},"viewsAjaxGet":{"blog_posts":"blog_posts"},"user":{"uid":0,"permissionsHash":"e331052eb0a1bc4b2feb3d0cfc1f0f2f6ec5dfd9a50125d1397e4ccee31da7be"}},"merge":true},{"command":"add_css","data":[{"rel":"stylesheet","media":"all","href":"\/sites\/default\/files\/css\/css_sgviVl_37H6Ta5Bl-lc7uAkjneU0Dj6JvASOxbgV9L8.css?delta=0\u0026language=en\u0026theme=cfr_theme\u0026include=eJwry0wtL9YvA5F6ufkppTmpOmBOfGJWYkV8emqJPowBFc_MS8vMyyxJjS9OLsrPyYFo1YWJ6kJEAdF1Ikc"}]},{"command":"add_js","selector":"body","data":[{"src":"\/themes\/custom\/cfr_theme\/node_modules\/jquery\/dist\/jquery.min.js?v=3.1.0"},{"src":"\/themes\/custom\/cfr_theme\/node_modules\/jquery-migrate\/dist\/jquery-migrate.min.js?v=3.1.0"},{"src":"\/core\/assets\/vendor\/once\/once.min.js?v=1.0.1"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/drupalSettingsLoader.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/drupal.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/drupal.init.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/assets\/vendor\/tabbable\/index.umd.min.js?v=6.2.0"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/progress.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/assets\/vendor\/loadjs\/loadjs.min.js?v=4.2.0"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/debounce.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/announce.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/message.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/misc\/ajax.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/themes\/contrib\/stable\/js\/ajax.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/modules\/contrib\/views_ajax_get\/views_ajax_get.js?tcwifo"},{"src":"\/core\/assets\/vendor\/jquery-form\/jquery.form.min.js?v=4.3.0"},{"src":"\/core\/modules\/views\/js\/base.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/core\/modules\/views\/js\/ajax_view.js?v=10.2.11"},{"src":"\/modules\/contrib\/views_infinite_scroll\/js\/infinite-scroll.js?v=10.2.11"}]},{"command":"insert","method":"html","selector":".blog-series__accordion-item[data-year=\u00222013\u0022] .blog-series__accordion-body","data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-element-container\u0022\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-view-dom-id-8bed598a461325242685f1ac1da4ff2dd2ff2ab376dcef23f937d4ce438fe93e\u0022\u003E\n  \n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n  \n\n  \u003Cdiv data-drupal-views-infinite-scroll-content-wrapper class=\u0022views-infinite-scroll-content-wrapper clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-field views-field-search-api-rendered-item\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022field-content\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large article card-article-large--with-thumbnail\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__content\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/asia\/china\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag-link\u0022\u003E\n            China\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n            \n                  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/robert-s-spalding-iii-being-firm-china \u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__link\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__title\u0022\u003E\n            Robert S. Spalding III: Being Firm With China\n                    \u003C\/div\u003E\n                  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image\u0022\u003E\n            \n                          \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image-cover\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\/\/cdn.cfr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/card_landscape_m_380x253\/public\/image\/2013\/12\/china-military.jpg.webp)\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n                      \u003C\/div\u003E\n              \u003C\/a\u003E\n\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__dek clamp-js\u0022 data-clamp-lines=\u00224\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ERobert S. Spalding III\u00a0is a military fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.\u003C\/em\u003E\n\nThe Air Defense Identification Zone recently announced by the Chinese was most likely not hastily done. The Chinese do not do anything hastily. It is part of a return to preeminence for a nation that feels slighted by history. Assailed on all sides by invaders and conquerors, China has had to bide its time while it rebuilt its devastated economy. While still a work in progress, Beijing now feels sufficiently confident about the future to assert its military rise. It\u2019s important to remember, however, when it comes to its military rise, China is not evil, nor is China good. China is merely pursuing its own national interests.\n\nHow the United States pursues its interests as China develops as a military power will determine how world politics works in the future. The United States should pursue a policy that seeks to ensure the peaceful rise of China within the context of the current political and economic world system. It should do this not because it benefits the United States, but rather because it benefits the world. While different in aim from Chinese pursuits, it is consistent with the values that guided such grand visions as the League of Nations, the United Nations, and the Bretton Woods system.\n\nThe current economic and political world system was founded on the idea that great power politics need not lead to suffering on the scale of World Wars I and II. Instead, nations could pursue their interests in a framework that allowed for the peaceful settlement of differences. While war has not ceased, casualties as a result of war have diminished over ten-fold from the days when power politics were the norm. More importantly, China has benefitted from this system.\n\nWhat does China want? This is difficult to know for certain, but a good bet is to look at the status quo during the Qing dynasty when China was a regional power. What was their relationship with other nations like? First, China built the biggest wall in history to keep the northern barbarians out. Today, that means China wants the West to stay out of the Middle Kingdom\u2019s affairs.\n\nSecond, Imperial China did not claim sovereignty over other Asian countries, but instead exercised a \u201cvaguely defined suzerainty, which was essentially a variety of feudal overlordship.\u201d[i] These Asian vassal states included, \u201cKorea, Vietnam, Burma, Siam, Cambodia, the Malay Peninsula, and even the Sulu Archipelago (today part of the Philippines, between Mindanao and Borneo).\u201d Their representatives to the Chinese court performed the kowtow, which \u201cwas a symbolic recognition that their countries were humble vassal states of the mighty [Chinese] empire.\u201d Meaning\u2014Asian nations should obey Chinese edicts and should not challenge China\u2019s power.\n\nWhile returning to the Imperial China status quo seems unlikely in the current world order, China has been gradually growing in military power in Asia. The Senkaku\/Diaoyu Islands dispute represents only one of the many territorial claims that China has pursued militarily with former vassal states. While a Chinese territorial claim can be made on the basis of history, it is equivalent to discounting the current world order that has allowed China to become an economic powerhouse.\n\nRecent precedent under the current economic and political system suggests that Japanese territorial claims are valid. In 1953, the 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan placed the Senkaku Islands under the administration of the United States as part of Okinawa. In 1972, the United States relinquished rights and interests to Japan under Article III of the Treaty of Peace with Japan in the Okinawa Reversion Agreement. Imperial Chinese maps may show Diaoyu Islands as a Chinese territory, but militarily enforcing the claim represents a unilateral attempt to upset the status quo political and economic system that has energized China\u2019s recent economic and military revival.\n\nBy challenging China\u2019s attempt to pursue its interests in a manner that does not conform to the current political and economic world system, the United States will find itself vilified in Chinese press, because that is one element of national power. It may find itself faced with unsavory economic impacts, for that is another. It may even face military pressure or diplomatic hostility. Yet to fail to be firm with China carries the risk of a return to a world of great power politics. Indeed, China would do well to learn a recent lesson from U.S. forays into the military abyss. Meaning\u2014in the end, China will find staying with the current status quo eminently cheaper.\n\n\u003Cem\u003EThe views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the policies or positions of the U.S. government or Department of Defense.\u003C\/em\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n[i] David Curtis Wright,\u00a0\u003Ci\u003EThe History of China\u003C\/i\u003E\u00a0(Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2001), 93, http:\/\/www.questia.com\/read\/101005773\n\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n      \n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__metadata\u0022\u003E\n                              \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__authors\u0022\u003Eby Guest Blogger for Asia Unbound\u003C\/span\u003E\n                  \n        \n                  \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__date\u0022\u003E December 30, 2013\u003C\/span\u003E\n        \n        \n                          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/asia-unbound\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__series\u0022\u003E\n            Asia Unbound\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n              \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-field views-field-search-api-rendered-item\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022field-content\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large article card-article-large--with-thumbnail\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__content\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/asia\/china\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag-link\u0022\u003E\n            China\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n            \n                  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/abes-yasukuni-visit-consequences \u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__link\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__title\u0022\u003E\n            Abe\u2019s Yasukuni Visit: The Consequences?\n                    \u003C\/div\u003E\n                  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image\u0022\u003E\n            \n                          \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image-cover\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\/\/cdn.cfr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/card_landscape_m_380x253\/public\/image\/2013\/12\/20131230_Yasukuni.jpg.webp)\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n                      \u003C\/div\u003E\n              \u003C\/a\u003E\n\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__dek clamp-js\u0022 data-clamp-lines=\u00224\u0022\u003EOn December 26, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an official visit to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, drawing harsh criticism from Japan\u2019s neighbors and a public rebuke from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Now that he has done it, what are the likely policy consequences?\n\nAs expected, outrage was expressed within hours by the governments of China and South Korea. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang called Abe\u2019s visit \u201can attempt to whitewash the history of aggression and colonialism by militarist Japan, overturn the just trial of Japanese militarism by the international community, and challenge the outcome of WWII and the post-war international order.\u201d China\u2019s foreign minister, Wang Yi, was quoted in the People\u2019s Daily saying that Japan\u2019s prime minister was taking Japan in \u201ca very dangerous direction.\u201d\n\nSouth Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Choi Tai-young similarly noted that Abe\u2019s visit \u201cclearly shows his wrong perception of history. It is an anachronistic act that fundamentally undermines not only the ROK-Japan relations but also stability and cooperation in Northeast Asia.\u0022\n\nAbe\u2019s visit also invited reaction from the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo issued a statement, noting U.S. \u201cdisappointment\u201d at the prime minister\u2019s choice. The U.S. Embassy statement began by noting that Japan was \u201ca valued ally and friend,\u0022 and ended with reference to the positive pledge Abe made to the effect that Japan would not return to its past.\n\nOf course, there were lots of \u201cI told you so\u2019s\u201d from Abe\u2019s critics, at home and abroad. Twitter was full of comments and quotes from various regional media sources, as well as from experts who claimed to have known he would do it all along. For those in Japan, including some of the families of the World War II veterans enshrined there, this was a sweet victory. For the more right-wing voices resentful of Chinese and Korean criticism over an issue they feel is essentially a Japanese choice (some of which are found on the prime minister\u2019s Facebook page), this visit will be seen as a demonstration of Japanese autonomy from foreign influence.\n\nBut Abe\u2019s choice will limit Japan\u2019s diplomatic options. The prime minister\u2019s decision to visit Yasukuni creates more rather than less rigidities in a region already ridden with tensions over territorial disputes, popular sensitivities, and leadership rivalries. No matter how much the prime minister or his supporters may want this to be a domestic matter, it will have foreign policy and security consequences for Japan.\n\nFirst, there is now little hope that Seoul and Tokyo will find a way through their difficulties to repair their relationship of economic and security cooperation. Over the past few months, growing U.S. concern about the Park government\u2019s over-zealous concern with domestic politics and unresolved historical claims began to seep into the alliance conversations with both Seoul and Tokyo. Some effort to feel out possible avenues for political dialogue between these two U.S. allies was visible. The Yasukuni visit will end that effort, and Washington now will be far less likely to push for reconciliation. This means in effect that coordination on policy toward a turbulent North Korea, as well as trilateral reassurance on U.S.-Japan and U.S.-ROK alliance reforms, will become ever more difficult.\n\nSecond, the Yasukuni visit is likely to introduce yet another freeze in Japan\u2019s diplomatic relations with China. The lack of a diplomatic dialogue gives Chinese leaders greater latitude for linking historical revisionism in Japan to differences over sovereignty claims in the East China Sea. Since coming into office, the prime minister\u2019s handling of the island dispute and his assurances that his government would not escalate tensions in the region drew praise across the aisle in Washington. China, not Japan, was seen as the cause of tensions in that relationship. Moreover, Japan\u2019s maritime difficulties with Beijing were seen as a source of common interest with others in Southeast Asia. But the Yasukuni visits are not only unpopular in China and Korea; they create concerns about Japanese ambitions across Asia, reminding all of a different era in regional history.\n\nFinally, the decision to visit Yasukuni will diminish confidence that the Abe cabinet sees the risks in Northeast Asia in the same way as U.S. policymakers. The Yasukuni Shrine visit thus will introduce greater caution in U.S. thinking about the tensions in Northeast Asia. Japan\u2019s long overdue security reforms, welcomed as pragmatic adjustments to the changing regional security environment, may now be viewed more carefully. Greater uncertainty about what motivates Japan\u2019s choices will lead analysts and decision-makers alike to stop and ask whether each reform is evidence of a different agenda, one that relies on nationalist emotions rather than rationale strategic choice. This could slow progress on a host of alliance reforms, and demoralize those in the U.S. government anxious to upgrade alliance cooperation. (The timing of the Yasukuni Shrine visit was a particular disappointment for those working on Futenma relocation with Tokyo.)\n\nFor those in Japan who see the Yasukuni Shrine visits solely as an issue of domestic politics, these consequences may not seem reasonable or even relevant. Undoubtedly, there are those in Tokyo who will see the U.S. government\u2019s reactions through the prism of partisan politics. Yasuhiro Nakasone in the mid-1980s and Junichiro Koizumi more than a decade later had Republican counterparts (Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, respectively) in office in Washington. But it would be a mistake to interpret the U.S. reaction in this way.\n\nAbe faces a different set of strategic challenges than Nakasone or Koizumi before him. Territorial disputes, deep sensitivities over history and power, and a dramatic reordering of economic influence all combine to produce a combustible atmosphere in Northeast Asia. His Japan faces a far more complex environment, with far greater strategic risk.\n\nJapan does not live alone in today\u2019s Asia; its many friends rely on the values of a postwar Japan that shares their interests in peace and economic prosperity. The U.S.-Japan alliance remains a powerful tool for Prime Minister Abe, but the alliance cannot thrive in a state of uncertainty or frustration.\n\nOn this side of the Pacific, of course, there will also be frustration about the deliberate decision to ignore U.S. concerns. While some in Tokyo may see advantage in introducing unpredictability into Japan\u2019s relations with China and South Korea, there is nothing to be gained by rattling Washington. There are few here that welcome greater tensions and acrimony in Northeast Asia.\u003C\/div\u003E\n      \n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__metadata\u0022\u003E\n                              \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__authors\u0022\u003Eby                   \u003Ca href=\u0022\/expert\/sheila-smith\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__authors-link\u0022\u003ESheila A. Smith\u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/span\u003E\n                  \n        \n                  \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__date\u0022\u003E December 30, 2013\u003C\/span\u003E\n        \n        \n                          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/asia-unbound\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__series\u0022\u003E\n            Asia Unbound\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n              \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-row\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-field views-field-search-api-rendered-item\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022field-content\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large article card-article-large--with-thumbnail\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__content\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/asia\/japan\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag-link\u0022\u003E\n            Japan\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n            \n                  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/friday-asia-update-top-five-stories-week-december-27-2013 \u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__link\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__title\u0022\u003E\n            Friday Asia Update: Top Five Stories for the Week of December 27, 2013\n                    \u003C\/div\u003E\n                  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image\u0022\u003E\n            \n                          \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image-cover\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\/\/cdn.cfr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/card_landscape_m_380x253\/public\/image\/2013\/12\/abe-visits-yasukuni-shrine.jpg.webp)\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n                      \u003C\/div\u003E\n              \u003C\/a\u003E\n\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__dek clamp-js\u0022 data-clamp-lines=\u00224\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDarcie Draudt, Will Piekos, and Sharone Tobias look at the top five stories in Asia this week.\u003C\/em\u003E\n\n\u003Cb\u003E1. Japanese prime minister pays his respects to Yasukuni Shrine.\u00a0\u003C\/b\u003EPrime Minister Shinzo Abe\u00a0paid his respects at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 2.5 million Japanese war dead, including over a dozen \u201cClass A\u201d war criminals. It was\u00a0the first visit to the Shinto shrine by a serving prime minister since 2006, when Junichiro Koizumi went. Abe tried to play down the visit, saying it was an anti-war gesture, but Abe\u2019s actions were widely and swiftly condemned; the Yasukuni Shrine is seen by the region as a symbol of Imperial Japanese aggression. China\u00a0called the visit \u201cabsolutely unacceptable to the Chinese people\u201d; South Korea expressed \u201cregret and anger\u201d; and the U.S. embassy in Tokyo said in a statement that it was \u201cdisappointed\u201d and the prime minister\u2019s actions would \u201cexacerbate tensions\u201d with Japan\u2019s neighbors.\n\n\u003Cb\u003E2. Move of U.S. base at Okinawa gains approval. \u003C\/b\u003EAfter years of disagreement, Governor Hirokazu Nakaima of Okinawa approved the relocation of the U.S. Marine base on the island to a less populous area. Residents of Okinawa, where about half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in Japan are based, have long complained of base-related crime, noise, and accidents; some protestors still seek the complete removal of U.S. troops from the island. It could take close to a decade to build the new base, which will be located on a landfill. The agreement comes at a crucial time for both Tokyo and Washington, as the former seeks to strengthen ties with the United States amid rising tension with China and the latter continues the U.S. rebalance toward Asia.\n\n\u003Cb\u003E3. Satellite images indicate further development at North Korean nuclear plant. \u003C\/b\u003EA facility for producing fuel rods at Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, north of Pyongyang, now appears to be operational. Last month, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano said the agency has observed activity at a North Korean nuclear site that indicates effort to restart a reactor. Since April this year, North Korea has repeatedly asserted\u00a0it is strengthening its nuclear weapon capabilities. The five-megawatt reactor, which was verified to be shut down by IAEA inspectors in July 2007, has previously supplied sources of plutonium, a component for nuclear weapons. Though IAEA has not had access to the site since North Korea banned IAEA inspectors from entering in October 2008, the IAEA continues to monitor the Yongbyon plant via satellite imagery.\n\n\u003Cb\u003E4. Protesting garment workers and police clash in Cambodia. \u003C\/b\u003EViolence broke out between police and protesters in the capital Phnom Penh on December 27, as military police attempted to move the striking workers. Police fired warning shots into the crowd, which incited the protesters to throw rocks in response; about ten police officers and ten protesters were injured. Thousands of garment factory workers have been protesting nationwide for weeks, upset by inadequate minimum wages. Unions have demanded a raise to $160 minimum monthly wage, but the national government decided to raise the minimum wage for the garment and shoe industry to $95 (a 19 percent increase on the status quo). In addition to calling for increased wages, the striking workers have joined the Cambodian opposition movement that demands the resignation of Prime Minister Hun Sen.\n\n\u003Cb\u003E5. Thai election body calls for delayed vote amid violence.\u00a0\u003C\/b\u003EThe Election Commission of Thailand\u00a0is urging the country\u2019s February 2 vote to be postponed\u00a0as protests and chaos continued to grip Bangkok. One police officer was killed and dozens injured on Thursday\u00a0in the first violent incidents in almost two weeks. Protestors were trying to stop election preparations, as the current government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra most likely will win another term; the protestors\u2019 ultimate goal is her resignation and the establishment of an unelected \u201cpeople\u2019s council.\u201d The government has rejected the proposed postponement, citing concerns that it could lead to \u201cprolonged violence.\u201d\n\n\u003Cb\u003EBonus: Rodman visits North Korea, but doesn\u2019t see Kim Jong-un\u003C\/b\u003E\u003Cb\u003E.\u003C\/b\u003E Retired NBA player Dennis Rodman wrapped up his third visit to North Korea this week, during which he trained North Korean basketball players and helped plan a proposed exhibition game in early 2014, allegedly coinciding with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un\u2019s birthday celebrations. He did not, however, see the supreme leader this time, whom he has previously called a \u201cgood friend\u201d while distancing himself from the issues dealing with security, politics, or human rights in North Korea. \u00a0Rodman\u2019s corporate partner, the Ireland-based online betting site Paddy Power, announced on December 23 it would no longer support Rodman or his planned game, citing increased international concern over the North Korean regime. Likewise, the U.S. Department of State has distanced themselves from Rodman\u2019s \u201cbasketball diplomacy.\u201d\u003C\/div\u003E\n      \n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__metadata\u0022\u003E\n                              \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__authors\u0022\u003Eby Guest Blogger for Asia Unbound\u003C\/span\u003E\n                  \n        \n                  \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__date\u0022\u003E December 27, 2013\u003C\/span\u003E\n        \n        \n                          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/asia-unbound\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__series\u0022\u003E\n            Asia Unbound\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n              \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\t\t  \t  \u003Cli class=\u0022views-row\u0022\u003E\n\t    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-field views-field-search-api-rendered-item\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022field-content\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large article card-article-large--with-thumbnail\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__content\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/asia\/india\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag-link\u0022\u003E\n            India\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n            \n                  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/top-10-south-asia-stories-2013 \u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__link\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__title\u0022\u003E\n            Top 10 South Asia Stories of 2013\n                    \u003C\/div\u003E\n                  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image\u0022\u003E\n            \n                          \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image-cover\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\/\/cdn.cfr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/card_landscape_m_380x253\/public\/image\/2013\/12\/southasia-topten-2013.jpg.webp)\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n                      \u003C\/div\u003E\n              \u003C\/a\u003E\n\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__dek clamp-js\u0022 data-clamp-lines=\u00224\u0022\u003EIn a year of many tumultuous events, these ten developments stood out\u2014in my personal view\u2014as the most consequential stories for India and South Asia. It was a year of many elections, of protests, and of change. Herewith the list, with a few links for further reading:\n\n\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003EIndian women stand up for change\u003C\/i\u003E: It was a year of extraordinary attention to women\u2019s rights in India, spurred first by mass outrage at the December 2012 gang-rape of Nirbhaya in Delhi. Parliament passed a new, more comprehensive law on rape with dispatch; fast-track courts fulfilled their name, bringing justice quickly; a new sexual harassment law was implemented; and more than ever before, women stood up for their rights.\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003ENawaz Sharif\u2019s return\u003C\/i\u003E: Nawaz Sharif, twice prime minister of Pakistan in the 1990s,\u00a0 successfully defeated the Pakistan People\u2019s Party in the May national elections. This first peaceful transition of power from one elected civilian government to another marked an historic benchmark for a country that has oscillated between civilian and military governments throughout its history.\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003ENarendra Modi\u2019s definitive rise\u003C\/i\u003E: Though his political rise had been chronicled in the press for several years, it was 2013 that witnessed the scale of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s mass appeal across numerous states in India. His formal anointment in September as the Bharatiya Janata Party\u2019s prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 elections put an end to speculation of intra-party rivalries, and fueled endless polls and speculation about a NaMo versus RaGa showdown in India.\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003ELargest accident in garment industry history\u003C\/i\u003E: The April 24 collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh led to the garment industry\u2019s worst tragedy in history, with more than 1,100 dead and a heartbreaking, more than a week- long rescue operation to search for survivors. [This haunting photograph went viral, symbolizing the heartbreak of this senseless catastrophe.] The collapse led to action from European and U.S. brands and retailers, as well as action from the government of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh garment industry associations, to focus on workplace safety and labor rights to strengthen this industry which employs more than 4 million, primarily women.\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003ERegion wary of troop drawdown in Afghanistan in 2014\u003C\/i\u003E:\u00a0 In 2014 the troop drawdown in Afghanistan will likely rank as the region\u2019s top story, but throughout 2013 it remained the big unknown turning point of the future. CFR released a special report in November which recommended close attention to the regional dynamics as essential to Afghan stability. It also recommended relying less on Pakistan, and encouraging greater regional economic integration.\n\n\t\u003Ci\u003ESlowing economic growth in India\u003C\/i\u003E: In 2013 an even sharper slowdown in India\u2019s economic growth led some analysts to ask tougher questions about India\u2019s economic future amidst numerous political economy challenges. A June 2013 report from Standard \u0026 Poor\u2019s asked whether India might become the first of the BRICs to lose its investment grade rating.\n\n\t\u003Cem\u003EIndian citizens vote for governance (rise of the Aam Aadmi Party)\u003C\/em\u003E: The surprise result of the Delhi state-level election in India was the second-place showing of a barely year-old party, the Aam Aadmi (Ordinary Person) Party, which had campaigned explicitly on an anti-corruption platform. Even more surprising has been the unfolding process through which the AAP has sought to form the Delhi government, as no party gained a simple majority. As AAP seeks to extend its reach nationally, many will be looking to see what effect it might have on the national level.\n\n\t\u003Cem\u003ENepal holds elections after five years, votes against Maoists\u003C\/em\u003E: On November 19, Nepalis at last were able to vote for a new Constituent Assembly. The previous Assembly\u2019s mandate had expired in May 2012, so Nepalis were without elected representatives for a year and a half. Voters had a firm message for the Maoists (they were not returned to power), and the Nepali Congress won 105 of 240 seats. The Assembly will have to get to work completing a new Constitution\u2014the single most important and divisive task leftover from the previous Assembly.\n\n\t\u003Cem\u003ESri Lanka\u2019s struggle with legacy of conflict\u003C\/em\u003E: In 2013, a second UN Human Rights Council resolution passed urging Sri Lanka to fulfill the recommendations of its own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission report following the 2009 end of the country\u2019s civil war. While much has been done on reconstruction and return of the displaced, and this year the Northern Provincial Council at last elected its own local government, \u00a0substantial international concern about human rights and accountability questions overshadowed the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting hosted in Sri Lanka this year.\n\n\t\u003Cem\u003EMaldives votes in half-brother of former autocrat\u003C\/em\u003E: Following more than a year and a half of extreme political polarization in Maldives, and a very complicated election process with a first round vote, a delayed run-off, an annulment of the September first round and November re-do, and then a final run-off, Maldivians elected the more conservative Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of former president Gayoom, over the internationally known former president Mohamed Nasheed. Mr. Nasheed conceded graciously.\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n      \n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__metadata\u0022\u003E\n                              \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__authors\u0022\u003Eby                   \u003Ca href=\u0022\/expert\/alyssa-ayres\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__authors-link\u0022\u003EAlyssa Ayres\u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/span\u003E\n                  \n        \n                  \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__date\u0022\u003E December 27, 2013\u003C\/span\u003E\n        \n        \n                          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/asia-unbound\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__series\u0022\u003E\n            Asia Unbound\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n              \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t  \u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\t  \t  \u003Cli class=\u0022views-row\u0022\u003E\n\t    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022views-field views-field-search-api-rendered-item\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022field-content\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large article card-article-large--with-thumbnail\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__container\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__content\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag\u0022\u003E\n          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/human-rights\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__topic-tag-link\u0022\u003E\n            Human Rights\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n        \u003C\/div\u003E\n            \n                  \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/suu-kyi-faces-growing-criticism \u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__link\u0022\u003E\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__title\u0022\u003E\n            Suu Kyi Faces Growing Criticism \n                    \u003C\/div\u003E\n                  \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image\u0022\u003E\n            \n                          \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__image-cover\u0022 style=\u0022background-image: url(\/\/cdn.cfr.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/card_landscape_m_380x253\/public\/image\/2013\/12\/suukyi.jpg.webp)\u0022\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n                      \u003C\/div\u003E\n              \u003C\/a\u003E\n\n              \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__dek clamp-js\u0022 data-clamp-lines=\u00224\u0022\u003EJust a short blog item to think about over your holiday season; \u003Cem\u003EAsia Unbound\u003C\/em\u003E will be back in force in the new year.\n\nOver the past two years, as Buddhist-Muslim violence in Myanmar has spread from western Arakan\/Rakhine State to other areas across the country, few leading Burman Buddhist politicians have been willing to criticize the Buddhist paramilitary groups responsible for starting most of the violence. President Thein Sein, to his credit, has on occasion condemned the violence, though his government has done little to address the root causes of the unrest. But Aung San Suu Kyi has, over the past two years, been even more reticent to comment on the unrest than Thein Sein or other top government officials.\n\nUntil recently, Suu Kyi\u2019s reluctance to condemn the attacks on Muslims\u2014she even, in an interview in the fall, seemed to condone the ethnic cleansing attacks by vaguely referring in an interview to \u201cglobal Muslim power\u201d\u2014did little to tarnish her reputation internationally as an icon of democracy and human rights. \u00a0She has continued to travel the world, receiving various awards from governments, foundations, and other institutions.\n\nBut in the past two months, the world finally seems to have realized that Suu Kyi, now a politician and a declared candidate for president in 2015, is acting more and more like a politician\u2014and abandoning much of the moral firmness that made her so respected and beloved. This recent long article in the \u003Ci\u003EWashington Post\u003C\/i\u003E on Suu Kyi\u2019s unwillingness to condemn the ethnic cleansing, a stance that is surely popular with her core Burman Buddhist community, is indicative of how opinion about her is changing. \u00a0The \u003Ci\u003EPost\u003C\/i\u003E\u2019s piece actually takes it easy on Suu Kyi, compared to some other recent articles in British, American, and other Western media outlets.\n\nHappy holidays to all our readers.\u003C\/div\u003E\n      \n      \u003Cdiv class=\u0022card-article-large__metadata\u0022\u003E\n                              \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__authors\u0022\u003Eby                   \u003Ca href=\u0022\/expert\/joshua-kurlantzick\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__authors-link\u0022\u003EJoshua Kurlantzick\u003C\/a\u003E\n                \u003C\/span\u003E\n                  \n        \n                  \u003Cspan class=\u0022card-article-large__date\u0022\u003E December 26, 2013\u003C\/span\u003E\n        \n        \n                          \u003Ca href=\u0022\/blog\/asia-unbound\u0022 class=\u0022card-article-large__series\u0022\u003E\n            Asia Unbound\n          \u003C\/a\u003E\n              \u003C\/div\u003E\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\n\t  \u003C\/li\u003E\n\t\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n    \n\u003Cul class=\u0022js-pager__items pager\u0022 data-drupal-views-infinite-scroll-pager\u003E\n  \u003Cli class=\u0022pager__item\u0022\u003E\n    \u003Ca class=\u0022button\u0022 href=\u0022?page=1\u0022 title=\u0022Load more items\u0022 rel=\u0022next\u0022\u003ELoad More\u003C\/a\u003E\n  \u003C\/li\u003E\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\n\n\n  \n  \n\n  \n  \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null}]