Category: Opinion
The latest opinion from those committed to making our region fair, just and democratic.
Democracy in France 2022: Conversation with Sorbonne Constitutional Scholar and Leftist Intellectual Marie Gren
In the fascinating 60-minutes discussion, Professor Gren touched on various aspects of contemporary democracy in France, ranging from the sordid state of the Left and its “caviar socialists” and the increasing acceptability and mainstreaming of Far Right ideologies which Le Pen personifies, to the economic hardships that inflict immense pains on the great majority of the French public.
Myanmar Mothers’ Cries Do Not Bode Well for the Nation’s Future
The musician of resistance Mun Awng reminded the viewers, “the revolution must prevail, against all odds.” Tain Sway was seen nodding her head profusely when Mun Awng spelled out the pervasive sentiment – that “it is better to die fighting for the cause than living under the boot, again”.
Petro’s Choice: Resisting Putin’s War with Truths
“When you lose everything – your home, your career, your family – people around you (strangers) become most important.” Anyone concerned about shared humanity, I hope, will do his or her part by listening to Petro’s uncensored tales of what it means to live in the time of the crime against peace perpetrated on your national community.
The Clash of Empire Builders: China, USA and Russia
FORSEA Dialogue Series on Democratic Struggles will host a conversation with the famed Malaysian activist Hishamuddin Rais on the clash of imperialist powers and its global consequences.
Comedians’ Tragedy: The Global Shortage of Cynicism in the Russian-Ukrainian War
The world has no choice but to condemn the Russian aggression against Ukraine. It has no choice but to help the Ukrainians to end the war with honor. But it is the role of the Ukrainians to produce statesmen who understand that the Ukrainians need to suspect not only the Russians but also the Americans and the Europeans.
Ukraine and big power rivalry: Why the urge to ‘compare rottenness’ will lead Singapore nowhere
Some Singaporeans see crisis in Ukraine as a time to assert their values and allegiances in an identity war between the West and the Rest. Their view has little bearing on the future of Europe, yet these trends may complicate the country’s international relations in coming years.
How is the Russian Invasion of the Ukraine Impacting Asia and its Future?
There may be darker clouds ahead for the US in Asia. In the long run, Putin, like Hitler, could be responsible for the emergence of a new geopolitical order on a global scale in which the US place in Asia is less welcome than it once was.
Russia’s War Against Ukraine & Its Global Consequences: Views from Asia
In Southeast Asia, a region of nearly 600-million, neither the citizens nor the states seem to share the kind of popular official outrage over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, or the fear of immediate impact on their lives, which one sees in the West such as in the United States, Canada, the UK and European Union.
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine Through My Burmese Eyes
None of the leading liberal democracies of the West really honours the principles they loudly espouse such as non-violence, popular and state sovereignty, human rights, or democracy, nor do they support democratic resistance, armed or non-violent, unless such support serves their hidden interests, whether those interests are commercial or geostrategic.
The Gambia v. Myanmar will decide whether the Genocide Convention is international law
Enforcement is one of the primary attributes that constitute law. If a law cannot be enforced, it can no longer be considered law. It is crucial that the ICJ's judgment in The Gambia v. Myanmar be used to correct the ICJ's erroneous requirement that genocide be the only intent of a State to prove its special intent to commit genocide.