S.Korea - business ties that might bind

A joint office to promote 'inter-Korean' trade will open just North of Seoul next month. South Korean investment and North Korean low-cost labour could be a perfect match. Optimists may see this as the first signs of an attempt at using economic co-operation to bridge political divides more from the Korea Times... Sceptics will point out that South Korea also asked the North to set up liaison offices in each other's capital this month but got no response more from Reuters...

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Uzbekistan - sad to say, you must be on your way.

The US has confirmed it will leave bases in Uzbekistan by the end of the year, at the request of the government. A member of the Uzbek senate cited a number of reason for this including damage to the health, economic interests, and ecology of the local population and the possibility of the base attracting attacks from 'external' forces. The fact that a number of US based NGO's have also had their activities restricted, the appearance of some surprising testimony allegedly implicating the US in the violence in Andijon and friendly political gestures towards Russia (directly and via the SCO), have all led some observers to see this as President Islam Karimov trying to protect his rule against another 'colour' revolution funded by the US more from EursasiaNet.... Relations with the US now seem to have cooled considerably since the early days of the war on terror in 2001 still more from EurasiaNet...

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Turkey - meeting, not clashing

The Turkish Prime Minister has attended a conference on universal (religious) values this week and waxed lyrical on the subject of religious tolerance and cultural diversity. While clearly a passionate plea for cultural dialogue, and an interesting comment on the potential benefits of globalisation, the fact that the discussion is framed in religious terms raises some questions. While the EU has been derided as a Christian club it may be more accurate to call it a nominally Christian club. The full impact of the mores of an increasingly secular EU may be harder to accept more from Zaman Daily News...

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Kosovo - standards

A UN report on progress on democratic and human rights standards is expected soon. No-one seems to be looking forward to the results. A good report means the green light for final status talks, dreaded by the Serbs as it's assumed they will lead to seperation from Serbia. Alhanians fear a poor result would mean no resolution of their current limbo. Either way someone will be seen as losing out. Economic growth, which would ease tensions on both sides, still seems a distant prospect. more from the IWPR...

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EU - number crunching

Despite enlargement not much seems to have changed in the EU budget - the Netherlands, Scandanavia and Germany are putting in the most (relative to their income) and Portugal and Greece are getting the most benefit. As spending on enlargement increases these figures will change on the benefits side but what about the costs ? more from the BBC... The days of the UK rebate may be numbered.

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US - Young Earth ?

Opinion surveys from last year suggested 45 percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago (or less). It seems subtler versions of Creationism, like Intelligent Design, are being pushed aside by a more direct view how God created the world. This 'Young Earth Creationism' is a more straight-forward acceptance of the 7 day Genesis story. Explaining it's popularity to non-Americans may not be so straight-forward more from the Washington Post...

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Japan - very organised crime

Japan is famous for it's law abiding society, with little threat of violence or street crime. So it's surprising, for an outsider anyway, to learn that there is a well organised criminal underworld working away at extortion, gambling, prostitution, pornography, drugs etc. Now they're going in for corporate mergers. While not as brazen in flaunting their affiliations as in the past, numbers involved are growing - police say over 87,000 at the end of 2004, with over 70 % belong to the country's three largest crime syndicates. Increasing pressure on their activities means it's less risky to consolidate more from the Mainichi Daily News...

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China - incentivise me

China's rapid growth has been a huge success but much of the money being invested is in the hands of local state officials - party members - whose rewards and punishments don't always encourage a long term perspective. The waste, inefficiency, environmental damage and hardship this causes will have consequences. Some observers are quick to blame state intervention in the economy as bad per se, but S.Korea, Taiwan and Japan have all shown that positive results are possible. It may depend on what kind of state is in charge. In China when the policy is to reward growth it may become growth at any price as local officials are given promotions for getting big new projects started (rather than finished) and local VAT is collected from the factory not the retail outlet. Anything that may hold up these new investment projects - compensation for farmers displayed from their land, spending on environmental protection etc. - can be set aside if the local party men are looking for quick advancement more from the Asia Times... A lack of oversight of any kind means there is no real control locally - unless promised democratic reforms are put in place.

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Kazakhstan - how free is your vote ?

OSCE election monitors visited Kazakhstan last week to decide if it's worth observing the upcoming presidential elections. At least two other candidates have said they'll challenge and President Nazarbayev has said the results of the elections "must not cause any doubt," either among Kazakh voters or the international community. Having ruled the former Soviet state for 16 years there is plenty of doubt that a completely free election will be allowed more from IRIN News...

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Turkey - bluffer's guide to Cyprus

It looks like Turkey will now start talks on EU membership on 3rd October - despite holding out the threat of not recognizing Cyprus. The EU has agreed a response this week that makes it clear Turkey can't actually join the club until it recognizes all members but Turkey still demands the Greek Cypriots agree a UN plan for creating a single state more from Zaman Daily... Are they bluffing ?

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Greece - not ready for take off

The privatisation of the Greek flag carrier, Olympic Airlines, has generated a lot of coverage in the local media - perhaps because it's symbolic of disturbing economic changes. A tradition of strong government intervention in all areas of the economy is being rolled back and EU rules - like forcing Olympic to pay back it's government loans - are not making for an easy ride more from the Kathimerini Daily...

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EU - now you're nicked

If you break EU law - say on the environment - it could now be a criminal offence, no matter what your national law says. A recent ruling by the European Court of Justice overrides national laws, although the European Commission says it will only use this new power for serious cases. Sceptics are worried by the precedent more from the EU Observer...

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US - ready or not

A city natural disaster plan neglected in favour of a far less likely terrorist threat and poor areas much less well organised to cope. Forget New Orleans - welcome to Seattle. Major cities across the US are doing a bit of soul searching about how ready they too are for the worst case scenario. In Seattle an earthquake is the biggest threat and local 'SDART' teams are supposed to organise neighbourhoods to look after the vulnerable until help arrives (days later). Local press reports say affluent areas have over ten times more local rescue teams than poorer ones. This isn't because of deliberate neglect but a lack of volunteers - if you work two jobs to make ends meet maybe you have less time to offer more from the Seattle Times...

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Japan - a defence of Defence

After another beating at the polls Japan's main opposition party is changing it's leader and reviewing it's policies. Will it have to become less liberal - especially on Defence issues - if it's ever to enjoy greater electoral success ? The new leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, Seiji Maehara, seems to think so. The press is speculating about a 'third way' style policy review more from the Mainichi Daily News...

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S.Korea - cosmetic differences

If you're in South Korea looking for bigger eyes, a higher nose and a smaller mouth then you've come to the right place. Cosmetic surgery to make you look more like you favourite S.Korean soap star is proving popular with Chinese and Japanese tourists alike. This particular aspect of the 'Korean Wave' may not last though, some say, as Chinese clinics are quickly catching up on the required surgical techniques more from the Chosun Ilbo...

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Kyrgyzstan - money talks

Recent hints at a new Russian policy of buying influence and military bases in central Asia - as recently with Kyrgyzstan being offered certain 'incentives' - has revived speculation about a neo-imperialist 'Eurasianist' foreign policy. Some see it as all about money though. It could be that the powerful businessmen who travel with President Putin around the region are really the ones in charge more from EurasiaNet...

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Azerbaijan - balanced reporting

The upcomng parliamentary elections in November have set a test for local media. Can reporting the rival parties positions be done fairly ?. One of the obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan when it joined the Council of Europe was to set up a new public channel OTV - critics are not impressed more from the IWPR...

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Montenegro - mob violence

With a vote on independance due early next year what kind of state would Montenegro be ? Stable, European and Democratic ? Or a mafia state run by a government in league with pimps and murderers ? This starck choice has been raised by opposition politicians (who are against independance from Serbia) after the latest in a series of high-profile, and unsolved, murders. The government says the accusations are irresponsible more from the IWPR...

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EU - a Turkey moot

EU members may have agreed a deal to allow Turkey to start talks next month - but the price will be recognition of all EU members, i.e. Cyprus. Turkey could fairly say this is a new and unprecidented precondition and point out that Cyprus did not join the EU as a united island (Greek Cypriois rejected the UN plan for re-unification). However, France especially, does not see ignoring Cyprus as 'in the spirit' of a prospective EU member more from the EU Observer...

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Japan - small, medium or relatively large government ?.

Japan's election looks like forcing a genuine two party system out into the open - with the challenges of globalisation being the spur. An editorial in the Japanese media highlights hopes for the voters being offered a genuine choice between free market liberalisation that favours the strongest, and a a government safety net that protects the weakest. Although there is general agreement with the received wisdom that there is no alternative In this age of economic globalization and technological renovation, Japan will be left behind if it stifles competition. more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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China - Yahoo shops you too

Chinese laws and regulations concerning the internet aim to control access to information the government deems inappropriate. Should foreign internet firms give them a hand in tracing offenders ?. Yahoo may have been a touch too enthusiastic and has attracted criticism for becoming police informers more from the BBC...

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Tajikistan - down as well as up

Tajikistan has dropped in the rankings of the UN Human development report, as life expentancy drops - along with other ex-Soviet Central Asian and East European states. Only the AIDS afflicted sub-sharan African states show a similar drop in the figures. Wasn't globalisation supposed to lift all boats ?. Economic opportunity, it seems, is not enough - politics and culture perhaps play a role too more from the BBC...

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Azerbaijan - built on sand

The oil wealth of Azerbaijan (a new pipeline is expected to come on line soon), doesn't seem to be very evenly spread around it's citizens. With high unemployment comes all sorts of unsustainable efforts to make money - like quarrying the best beaches on the Caspian Sea. Even though the sand is not ideal for building it fetches enough to keep some going - despite it's environmental impact more from IWPR...

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Kosovo - idle hands

The unemployment rate in Kosovo is estimated at over 40%, the same as it's neighbours in the Western Balkans. Some see this issue as the main obstacle to further integration with the EU - time for a new social model ? Employment protection laws may actually have to be weakened if these new states are to compete with countries like Poland and Hungary more from the IWPR...

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EU - no plan 'B' needed

EU President Barrosa has been qouted as saying the EU can still function under existing treaties and 'political will' not institutions is the key - not what the various 'Yes' campaigns said at the time. Prior to the votes in Holland and France it was said that the EU of 25 could not function without a new constitution and there was no plan 'B' - now it seems no plan is needed more from the EU Observer...

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US - the poor get left behind

Disturbed by those TV pictures from New Orleans ? - wondering why everyone seems to be poor and black ?. One commentator, Professor of African-American studies Mark Naison, puts his finger on the issue - "Hurricane Katrina reveals the fault lines of a region and a nation, rent by profound social divisions." Have those divisions been widened by Republican Tax cuts and spending on the Irag war ? - some Congressmen have made that link more from the New York Times...

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Japan - who mentioned assassins ?

The Japanese ruling LDP party has seen some defections over the issue of Post Office privatisation - it was it's own rebel members who caused it to be defeated at the first attempt and the election is Prime Minister Koizumi's response. Those rebels now find themselves with hand-picked opponents set against them for re-election. A handy summary of the key features of this election, more from the Mainichi Times..., mentions these as 'high-profile candidates' but others have been less polite and called them 'assassins'. Win or lose, some see this tactic as turning the LDP into a new kind of policy driven political party still more from the Mainichi Times...

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China - visiting Uncle Sam

The upcoming visit of China's President Hu Jintao to the US is an opportunity to calm fears and resolve misunderstandings but both sides seem to be unsure of the others real intentions. Some Chinese media have claimed the US is drumming up the 'China threat' scenario for it's own reasons and that in fact Globalisation has much to offer both countries in various forms of economic cooperation. Taiwan though is still presented as a straightforward case of any outside interference being unwelcome more from the People's Daily...

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Kazakhstan - the energy balance

Kazakhstan's rulers are looking for a counter-weight against US power and influence in the region - China is looking for more oil. Sounds like a deal has been struck. With the purchase of a large stake in the countries oil fields by a state-owned Chinese firm, outbidding the Indian competition, an arrangement seems to have been succesfully reached more from EurasiaNet... However, it's only one deal and not nearly enough to meet China's current rate of demand growth - some estimate it would need to sign one such deal every 4 months just to keep pace more from the Asia Times...

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