SYNDICATION

Image: Moses's army in the land now called Palestine attacked its resident tribes including the Midianites. Following their defeat, Moses told his victorious generals, God was ordering him to kill all the women and their young sons. The watercolor by James Tissot at the Jewish Museum, New York, shows 'The Women of Midian Led Captive by the Hebrews'. Credit; Wikimedia Commons.

Israel Stepping Into An Apartheid State

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Recall Shakespeare's great work of dramatic art, the Merchant of Venice, where Shylock was treated as an unpleasant Jew (with a lovely, self-effacing daughter) who dealt mainly in shady usury.

His speech to the court is one of Shakespeare’s most remembered:

“Hath not a Jew eyes? / Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? /If you prick us, do we not bleed? /If you tickle us do we not laugh? /If you poison us, do we not die? /And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

But what if we substitute Palestinian for Jew? Viz: "Hath not a Palestinian eyes?" and so on. …

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 07 August 2018

Image: The Chinese frigate, Dongguan, was temporarily grounded near Half Moon Shoal in 2012. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

The Philippines Cautiously Support U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy to Counter China

Viewpoint by Christian Vicedo

The writer is Senior Defense Research Officer in the Research and Special Studies Division, National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP). The views expressed are the author's own and do not reflect the official position of the NDCP. EastAsiaForum first carried this article on 2 August 2018. – The Editor

MANILA (IDN-INPS) – When U.S. Defence Secretary James Mattis met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on June 28, 2018, he conveyed Washington’s growing concern over Beijing’s military activities in the South China Sea (SCS). In response Xi stressed that Beijing "cannot lose one inch" of its territory.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; OPINION; 05 August 2018

Photo: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) in Beijing in May 2017, one year before he lost the election. Credit: The Mole Magazine

Towards the End of Elite Foreign Policymaking in Malaysia

Viewpoint by Adam Leong Kok Wey

Dr Adam Leong Kok Wey is an Associate Professor in Strategic Studies and the Deputy Director of Research with the Centre for Defence and International Security Studies at the National Defence University of Malaysia. This article was first carried by EastAsiaForum on 29 July 2018. – The Editor

KUALA LUMPUR (IDN-INPS) – Malaysia’s election on May 9, 2018 saw a dramatic result – the incumbent Barisan Nasional ruling coalition that had ruled Malaysia for 61 years crumbled, and Pakatan Harapan, a coalition of opposition parties, emerged victorious. One of the numerous reasons why the ruling party lost in the elections is that Malaysia’s foreign policy was perceived by a large segment of its people to be too cosy to China.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 04 August 2018

Photo: Nikki R. Haley, Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN, addressing the Security Council meeting on 9 July 2018. Credit: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.

Nikki Haley Blames Rights Groups for Her Misguided 'Reform'

By Kenneth Roth

Kenneth Roth is the executive director of Human Rights Watch, one of the world's leading international human rights organizations, which operates in more than 90 countries. This article was published in The Hill on 29 July 2018.

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Shortly after arriving in New York as Donald Trump’s representative to the United Nations, Nikki Haley said she would be “taking names” of those who stood in her way. Most assumed she was referring to governments that blocked U.S. initiatives at the United Nations Security Council.

: IDN-INPS UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 02 August 2018

Photo: Khan at a political rally in Peshawar in 1996. CC BY-SA 3.0

Can Pakistan's New PM Resolve The Kashmir Issue?

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – I haven't played cricket with Imran Khan, the newly elected prime minister of Pakistan, but I did interview him back in 2005 when only a rare foreign journalist was interested in him despite his fame as having been the world’s best cricketer. Now he has won a handsome political victory.

We did talk about Kashmir, the number one foreign policy issue then and today. He didn’t think the Indian government of that time, when Manmohan Singh was prime minister, was strong enough to make a deal. On the Pakistani side he didn't think an army man could do it despite the army's large influence on politics. He went on to say, "a civilian prime minister could do it if a real leader emerged like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto" (who was prime minister in the 1960s). Maybe he meant himself.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 31 July 2018

Photo: Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang Holds Talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. Credit: www.china-un.org

Japan-China Relations Apparently Back On Track

Viewpoint by Katsuji Nakazawa*

TOKYO (IDN-INPS) – In early May 2018 during his first visit to Japan since being appointed in 2013, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang publicly remarked that Japan-China relations had returned to a path of normality. This "throw-away line" revealed that China's official perspective prior to then was that Japan-China relations had been off course and abnormal.

While this shift is a welcome change, unless the developments leading up to this point are properly understood Japan may find itself unable to respond appropriately if history repeats itself and bilateral relations takes another turn for the worse.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 26 July 2018

Photo: Putin gifts Trump a Telstar Mechta, the official match ball for the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. CC BY 4.0

The Media Is Misleading On Trump's Remarks in Helsinki

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – I don't think I've ever witnessed in all my years of journalism such a hysterical outpouring against a presidential statement as I've seen in the aftermath of Helsinki summit. President Donald Trump has even been accused of treason by prominent columnists and politicians. There’s barely a voice of dissent in the media. (Maybe it's written but not published.) No wonder that even some of my normally open-minded friends feel that things are as bad as they are made out to be. Sorry to say it, as I've told them, they are being brainwashed.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 24 July 2018

Photo: Dalian Hi-Tech Industrial Zone, Dalian, China. CC BY-SA 4.0

Trump's Trade War With China Prompted By Flimsy Reasons

Viewpoint by Yu Yongding*

BEIJING (IDN-INPS) – No one wins in a trade war. Yet U.S. President Donald Trump seems determined to pursue one with China, which he accuses of causing the United States' trade deficit, violating World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and using unfair practices to acquire foreign technology.

While most economists marvel at Trump's ignorance of how trade balances work, many broadly agree with his charges regarding intellectual property (IP). But the evidence supporting these claims is also weak, at best.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; OPINION; 23 July 2018

Photo: Vladimir Putin (right) and Donald Trump (left) at a news conference after their summit meeting in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. Credit: en.kremlin.ru

A U.S.-Russia Summit That Left Trump In The Hot Seat

Viewpoint by Somar Wijayadasa*

NEW YORK (IDN | INPS) – In a historic bilateral summit, the United States President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. The summit took place notwithstanding myriad objections, conjectures and apprehensions from many U.S. political leaders who oppose rapprochement with Russia over a plethora of issues: Crimea, East Ukraine, Syria, and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Just two days before the summit, the U.S. Justice Department indicted 12 Russians for interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, giving impetus to a steady drumbeat of demands that Trump cancel the meeting. The New York Times reported, "according to an internal government document, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on 213 Russian-related targets".

: Somar Wijayadasa; OPINION; 21 July 2018

Trump Wants To Do It His Way

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Russian president Vladimir Putin has been in a benign mood after a perfectly organized World Cup which gave Russians and foreigners the rare freedom to mass in the street. In response the world TV audience has looked at Russia with new eyes. Maybe there’s a new Russia coming to the boil which, if the West could seize the chance, could help the two countries make a pot of very tasty and good tea! Maybe.

The Donald Trump/Vladimir Putin encounter is as convoluted as they come.