November 12, 2009

The Asian century, fact-checked.

Bullshit:

A new gap will develop. Respect for Western ideas will remain, but respect for Western practices will diminish, unless Western performance in governance improves again.

…Here, too, as the 21st century unfolds, we will see the exact opposite outcome. The return of Asia will be accompanied by an astonishing Asian renaissance in which many diverse Asian cultures will rediscover their lost heritage of art and philosophy.

There is no question that Asians will celebrate the return of history. The only question is: Will the West join them in these celebrations, or will they keep waiting for the end to come?

Reality:

‘Tension grows between India and China as Asia slips into cold war‘
- The Times, 12/11/09

‘Chinese petitioners held in illicit ‘black jails’, report claims‘
- The Guardian, 12/11/09

‘Cambodia’s embrace of ex-Thai leader stirs tensions‘
- The International Herald Tribune, 12/11/09

‘Protesters clash with police in Nepal‘
- The International Herald Tribune, 12/11/09

‘Clinton appelle à la libération “inconditionnelle” de Suu Kyi‘
– Le Monde, 12/11/09

Nice try, Mr Mahbubani.

(Not that strong economic growth and democratisation throughout Asia are all doom and gloom, obviously. I am just making a point).

NB

The brain damage joke isn’t funny, by the way. I can only presume that humour receives criminal sanction in Singapore. Much else does, after all.

September 3, 2009

The problem wasn’t just al-Megrahi.

I read through the official documents on the al-Megrahi affair on Tuesday, just after they were released. (I was rejected for work experience by Newsnight once again, so I thought I may as well do something vaguely journalistic to make up for it. Yeah, I’m a sad individual.)

The UK Ministry of Justice, the UK Foreign Office, and the Scottish Government all released papers “relevant” to the Megrahi case because of media reports of a conspiracy. This Times analysis is a good summary of the document drop’s Megrahi-related revelations.

But the documents are far more interesting than just for what they say about the decision to release Megrahi. They are a devastating snapshot of UK policy towards a key state in the War on Terror since 2007.

And I’m going to argue that they provide more than a hint that those relations have evolved very haphazardly, very incompetently, and into a very dubious state indeed.

Full details below the fold.

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