AsiaSource: Policy and Government - A resource of the Asia Society

Elections 2004: The Changing Face of Asia?
No less than seven elections will be held in Asia this year, including in - Taiwan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Afghanistan, Indonesia, and Australia. The Asia Society will host Elections 2004: The Changing Face of Asia?, a series of informal discussions with experts who will assess the key election outcomes, focusing on economic and policy implications. Access program information, special reports, interviews, and transcripts. We also invite our web audience to participate by email in Q&A sessions at our upcoming programs.

Al-Jazeera and Muslim Public Spheres
Hafez al-Mirazi is the Washington Bureau Chief for Al-Jazeera Television. Here he discusses the origins of Al-Jazeera, the implications of the current "War on Terror", possible motives behind the war in Iraq, and the relative stability of non-democratic regimes in the Middle East.

International Knowledge: Let's Close the Gap
This commentary by Ted Sanders, president of the Education Commission of the States, in Denver and Vivien Stewart, vice president of Education at the Asia Society, is a useful summary of the international knowledge gap, and what local groups, state leaders, and our nation can do to prepare young Americans for an globally interconnected future. Also access other commentary and new articles.

William J. Clinton: Remarks at the Asia Society Annual Dinner
Read the transcript and view a video clip of Clinton's remarks at the Asia Society Annual Dinner on May 12, 2003.

Interview with Barnett Rubin on Afghanistan Considered one of the world's foremost experts on Afghanistan and the surrounding region, Barnett Rubin discusses the Bonn Agreement (which he partly authored), the security and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, opium production and trade, and Islamist movements in Central Asia.

North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program
North Korea's announcement of its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has escalated the dispute over the country's nuclear program and has caused alarm throughout Asia. See latest news, commentary and background resources.

Interview with Talal Asad, author of Formations of the Secular: Christianity, Islam, Modernity
AsiaSource spoke with Talal Asad, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. He discusses religious revivalist movements, human rights, Shariah law and the modern state.

Central Asia Today:
Rulers and Regimes
From Genghis Khan to Stalin, external forces have shaped the politics of former Soviet Central Asia as much as internal forces. After independence in 1991, each of the five states has grappled with the effects of the Soviet period. Access commentary, news, reports, and resources on the governments of Central Asia in this special report.

America's Crisis: Asian Perspectives
This Special Report provides some background to the important issues, regions and players involved in the September 11th attack so that we may better understand the consequences of these events. Check regularly for updates.

An Expert's View: Barnett Rubin on Afghanistan
In this exclusive interview, Professor Barnett Rubin, author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan, among other books, discusses, inter alia the long-term effects of the proxy war in Afghanistan and the rise to power of the Taliban.

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Policy & Government Features

Government Directories
Each country's entry provides biographical and contact information for the country's leader, and a comprehensive listing of primary government officials.

Embassies, Consulates and UN Missions
A compilation of Asian embassies, consulates and missions to the United Nations.

Policy & Government Books

The Enigma of Japanese Power: People and Politics in a Stateless Nation
Karel van Wolferen
"A Dutch journalist who lives in Tokyo probes the 'elusive state,' 'Japanese culture as ideology,' and 'the system as religion' in an intriguing look at one of the world's economic superpowers. 'Forceful and important'--James Fallows, Atlantic"--Reader's Catalog

The Invention of Politics in Colonial Malaya: Contesting Nationalism and the Expansion of the Public Sphere
Milner, A.
There is disagreement on loyalty, identity, and the past and future of the Malay society, yet different and diverse ideological debates might also havegiven substance to the development of the modern Malay state. Until these competing debates are resolved, what binds together Malaysia may be the bureaucracy, the communication system, and the structure of the state economy, which has thrived in the last two decades