Asia

The automobile industry is a dynamic and significant sec-tor in most of the major economies in the world. It is closely related to various other manufacturing sectors such as rubber,…

More than two decades ago, when the USSR still existed and the concept of the world socialist system presumed that all socialist countries were developing as one, I argued (still…

One cannot enter the same river twice. Every time one looks at North Korea, on the surface it appears boringly the same. Its life fl ows in the same predictable…

As one might say that, without a proper understanding of juche, Kim Il-sung’s North Korea cannot be comprehended, one might also say that a proper understanding of Kim Jong-il’s North…

  In this episode, we talk with Dr. Adam Cathcart of the University of Leeds and of Sino-NK about China-North Korea relations. Dr. Cathcart has just written an Academic Paper Series report…

      President Obama wasn’t the only leader who had to make important visits to multiple Asian countries this past April. Australia’s Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, had to make an important…

  The Francis Effect is everywhere. Time Magazine named Pope Francis their 2013 Person of the Year, another magazine dedicated specifically to covering Pope Francis has been started in Italy,…

Public opinion can help to both shape and inform public policy. A president with strong approval numbers across ideological divides has significant scope to make policy decisions. While a national…

By Phil Eskeland Last October, the prestigious Gallup organization released a study1 that reported on the level of employee engagement in the workplace based on surveys performed during 2011 and 2012 in more than 140 countries. The aim of this study was to encourage companies and policymakers to support initiatives to increase the number of…

By Nicholas Hamisevicz Reports indicate South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes that Jang Song Taek, Kim Jong-un’s uncle, has been removed from all of his leadership posts in North Korea. If true, this would possibly be the biggest power move under Kim Jong-un’s new leadership. Jang Song Taek, husband to Kim Jong-il’s sister, Kim…

By Troy Stangarone As political gridlock in mid-October brought the United States to the brink of default for the second time in two years, world leaders and major holders of U.S. debt such as China called on the United States to take responsible actions to protect U.S. debt holders. However, at the same time that…

By Troy Stangarone As the only Northeast Asian nation not involved in the nuclear talks with North Korea, Mongolia is often left out of discussions about resolving the region’s most intractable security issue – the North Korean nuclear crisis. However, when Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj becomes the first head of state to meet with Kim…