This Week at ISN

27 Feb - 02 Mar 2012 Having concluded part one of the Editorial Plan we are now playing a little "jazz"to catch our breath and gather our thoughts before we continue, on 2 April, with part two of the plan entitled "Shifting Power Dynamics". This week, we are examining various aspects of regional cooperation and integration in Asia.

Asian Regional Cooperation

An Asian Versus European Way of Regional Cooperation
28 Feb 2012 / ISN Special Feature

In his provocative lecture, Kishore Mahbubani doubts that the European Union can serve as a role model for regional cooperation elsewhere. The Asian model would fit the world better, or so he argues. More Japan and India: Making Up for Lost Time
27 Feb 2012 / ISN Insights

India and Japan have had their historical ups and downs as ideology and technology prevented them seeing eye to eye. Now, wariness of China and common interests in the Asia-Pacific region are bringing Japan and India together, writes Rupakjyoti Borah. More Fighting Pirates: Learning from Malacca
29 Feb 2012 / ISN Podcast

Jennifer Giroux argues that Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore only began coordinating anti-piracy efforts in the Strait of Malacca after freight insurance premiums skyrocketed. The Strait through which one quarter of the world's traded goods are shipped presents a good case study of regional cooperation in combating piracy. More Divided Over North Korean Refugees
22 Feb 2012 / ISN Blog

How to deal with North Korean refugees is currently one of the hottest issues in China and South Korea's bilateral relationship. It exposes the dilemma facing China of how to deal with two very different political halves of the divided Korean peninsula, and the resulting constraints on regional cooperation in Asia. More The "Northeast Asia Paradox" in the G20
01 Mar 2012 / ISN Special Feature

Despite common interests, China, Japan and South Korea do not coordinate their policies towards the G20. If they did, they could exert global clout, bring the G20 forward and overcome security dilemmas in Northeast Asia. More

Other Topics
Golden Rule or Golden Straightjacket?
27 Feb 2012 / ISN Insights

The rules in Europe's Fiscal Compact severely restrict a country's ability to use fiscal policy to stabilize its economy and will often require debt levels far below those considered sensible. The rules should be changed before they become a straightjacket, writes Karl Whelan. More Nontraditional Security Challenges in Asia

27 Feb 2012 / ISN Blog

The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses held its 14th annual Asian Security Conference in New Delhi this month. Certainly in the case of Asia, the emergence of new threats and the changing context of regional security issues will increasingly become the centerpiece of policy and research agendas around the world, writes Vivian Brailey Fritschi. More Arctic: What Place for Scandinavian Solidarity?
28 Feb 2012 / ISN Blog

The Arctic is the new buzz word in Scandinavian corridors of power. All three states have now drawn up comprehensive strategies articulating their vision for the region. While Scandinavian states are often considered politically indistinguishable their geographical differences could bring them into competition over the Arctic, writes Marten Lindberg. More The Politics of Abortion: Denmark versus the Netherlands
29 Feb 2012 / ISN Blog

When police in Tbilisi discovered and defused a bomb in the car of an employee of the Israeli Embassy on February 13, it marked the second time in less than a month that Israel's diplomats have been the target of an attack in the South Caucasus, writes Brian Whitmore. More Entrenching Change in Burma
02 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Since its general election fourteen months ago, Burma (officially known as Myanmar) may actually be on the road to democracy. The small steps taken so far, however, should not be blown out of proportion, writes Graham Ong-Webb. More Trial By Media: Bangladesh's 'International' Crimes Tribunal
01 Mar 2012 / ISN Insights

Phone tapping, court orders and vitriolic condemnations of the accused point to a disconcerting unity between the regime, the press and the International Crimes Tribunal. More Prosecutors Wanted!
02 Mar 2012 / ISN Blog

A ship built in Japan, owned by a brass-plate company in Malta, controlled by an Italian, chartered by the French, skippered by a Norwegian, crewed by Indians, registered in Panama, etc. etc. is attacked while transiting an international waterway in Indonesian territory. So if the pirates ever get arrested, asks Gina Menghini who exactly is in charge of prosecuting them? More

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