Asia-Pacific

Photo: Pearl-Qatar, an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometres, is one of the attractions of Doha for foreigners. CC BY-SA 3.0

Intra-Afghan Dialogue Seen as A Step Towards Peace

By R. Maxwell Bone

The writer is Vice President for Political Affairs, Democracy, and Governance at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD). He lives in Washington, DC. Follow him on Twitter @maxbone55.

WASHIGTON, DC (IDN) – A broad delegation of representatives from Afghan society partook in an Intra-Afghan dialogue session with the militant group the Taliban on July 7-8. The talks in the Qatari capital which were jointly organized by the Gulf State and Germany marked the first time that such a diverse group formally engaged in dialogue with the Taliban.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 14 July 2019

Photo: The July 7-8 talks between the Taliban and Afghan delegates in Doha. Credit: MEMRI

Germany and EU Encouraged by Afghan Talks in Doha

Afghanistan On the Long Road to Trust and Reconciliation

By Rita Joshi

BERLIN (IDN) – As a friend to Afghanistan, Germany has supported efforts to achieve peace in the country for many years. After 40 years of almost constant violence, the main prerequisites for peace, according to the German Foreign Office, are "a willingness to engage in dialogue and a certain level of trust across deep divides."

: Rita Joshi; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 14 July 2019

Photo: The Jami Ul Alfar mosque in pettah area, one of the oldest mosques in Colombo. CC BY-SA 3.0

Moulding Muslim Culture in Sri Lanka Echoes Chinese Uighur Experiment

Viewpoint by Dr Ameer Ali

The writer is a lecturer in economics at the School of Business and Governance, Murdoch University, Western Australia.

PERTH (IDN) – The July 7 'Rally of the Un-Enlightened', that fizzled out without the expected turnout of 10,000 Buddhist monks, was the most emphatic demonstration yet by the majority Sinhala Buddhists that they would not allow hatred and bigotry to hijack the millennial legacy of peaceful coexistence of different religions and cultures in Sri Lanka.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 10 July 2019

Photo: President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on 30 June 2019, as the two leaders meet at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

What After the Trump-Kim Meeting at the Demilitarized Zone?

Viewpoint by Kelsey Davenport

The author is director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association. This article is being reproduced from the Association’s Website.

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN| INPS) – U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un met at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea June 30 and agreed to restart negotiations on denuclearization and peacebuilding in the region. Trump was in South Korea for talks with President Moon Jae-in and had planned to visit the DMZ, but his invitation to Kim to meet at the border was publicly announced in a last-minute tweet June 28.

: UN Bureau; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 03 July 2019

Photo: The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured that Washington is serious about pursuing peace in Afghanistan as efforts are underway to revive direct talks between Taliban and Afghan government to end the ongoing violence in Afghanistan. Credit: The Khaama Press News Agency

The Taliban and Iran Topped Pompeo’s Visit to Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Abdul Bari Nijrabi and R. Maxwell Bone*

WASHINGTON, DC | KABUL (IDN) – The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pomepo made an unannounced visit to Kabul on June 25, 2019 During his nearly eight hours in the Afghan capital, the top diplomat of the United States met with senior government officials along with representatives of the Afghan opposition and civil society. This was Pompeo’s second visit to the South Asian country since he was sworn in as Donald Trump’s Secretary of State at the end of April 2018.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 03 July 2019

Photo: Pakistan PM Imran Khan –is believed to be a staunch supporter of women empowerment – met with Ali Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani in April 2019. CC BY 4.0

Too Many Taboos Hinder Progress of Young Pakistani Women

By Sehar Naz Janani

KARACHI (IDN) – “Girls have the right to take important decisions of their lives, and only education can help them to stand on their feet and fight for themselves”, says Rabia, a Pakistani mother from rural Sindh.

Pakistani mothers are so dedicated to educating their daughters to ensure that they would be able to break through barriers and taboos, their mothers faced in this conservative society.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 01 July 2019

Photo: Sri Lanka Navy's SLNS Samudura and USNS Fall River (T-EPF-4) at the Hambanthota Port in 2017. Under the Hambantota “debt swap” deal the Chinese were given 15,000 acres around the harbour on 99-year old lease. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Sri Lanka’s Strategic Location Incites US-China Rivalry

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE (IDN) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled a scheduled visit to Sri Lanka on June 27 as part of his 'Indo-Pacific' tour citing “unavoidable scheduling conflicts”, according to the United States Embassy in Colombo. But they might more precisely have said, the visit was dropped “due to unavoidable opposition to U.S. moves” in Sri Lanka.

In recent years, Sri Lanka has been wooed both by China and the U.S. due to its location in the Indian Ocean that carries some 70 percent of global maritime trade. After recent bomb blasts in the island, Sri Lankans are increasingly getting worried that the U.S.-China rivalry would engulf their island which will not be to its benefit.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 28 June 2019

Photo: Egyptian professor Dr Mohamed El-Guindy addressing the conference. Credit: David Robie.

Ethics Essential to Developing Global Smart Tech, Say Experts

By David Robie*

This feature is moved in association with the Pacific Media Centre in New Zealand.

BANGKOK (IDN) – Addressing the annual conference of Asian communication scholars, a leading cyber security expert has called on universities to play a more active role in implementing ethics and legal frameworks for communications smart technology to save society from an Orwellian future.

Dr Mohamed El-Guindy, an Egyptian consultant to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC-ROMENA), says communication research programmes should promote “ethically aligned” design.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 27 June 2019

Photo: The Bangladeshi migrants were part of a 75-strong group stuck onboard a tugboat for weeks before being taken to Tunisia. Photograph: Courtesy of Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Economiques et Sociaux. Source: The Guardian.

Tunisia Forces Bangladeshi Migrants to Return Home

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

New York (IDN) – A shipload of desperate Bangladeshi migrants was told to turn the boat around and go home by Tunisian officials or be deprived of food, water and medicines. The migrants, trapped on a merchant ship off Tunisia for three weeks, were sent back to their home country against their will, according to relatives.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), an intergovernmental organization linked to the United Nations, said the Bangladeshis “wished to return home”.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 26 June 2019

Photo: Xi with the first lady during the Moscow Victory Day Parade on 9 May 2015. CC BY 4.0

President Xi of China Remains an Enigma

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Xi Jinping, president of China, remains an enigma. You watched him on television reviewing the dancing in Pyongyang in the company of Kim Jong-un and his face is near to expressionless when in repose. He doesn’t stand like an arrogant man and we recall that time when he went out to eat in a noodle cafe he joined the back of the queue. His face doesn’t look hard, as did Hitler’s or Stalin’s or Donald Trump’s and Boris Johnson’s do today.