Global Asia - June 2023

In this issue

Political leaders in Asia and in much of the Global South often bristle at criticism of their records on human rights, with much of that criticism often coming from activists and non-governmental organizations in the West, or those supported by them. Some even argue that the concept of human rights articulated particularly by liberal Western democracies overlooks the exigencies of public well-being in developing economies and the historical and governance challenges of countries outside the developed world. But are human rights really something foreign to regions such as Asia or are they universal?
In this cover package of Global Asia, we look at a host of challenges facing the region and demonstrate that for all the polemical debate about human rights, struggles over those rights abound in many forms and places in Asia. With generous support and sponsorship from the Open Society Foundation and the Sejong Institute, we held a workshop, online and in person, in April in South Korea to explore human rights in this region.
In our Features section, we examine the political shockwaves caused by Thailand’s recent election; how Japan’s prime minister is raising the country’s global profile; the mysteries surrounding China’s activities in the Coco Islands; how South Korea could reboot economic growth by better promoting so-called Unicorns; and the increasing perils created by the standoff between China and the US over Taiwan, which could lead to war.
Our In Focus section looks at the geopolitical choices India now faces amid China’s more aggressive stance and Russia’s declining stature in the wake of the war in Ukraine. Also, we look at the geopolitical implications of China’s growing ties with Saudi Arabia.

Global Asia Magazine Description:

Global Asia is a quarterly publication of the East Asia Foundation. The foundation, established in Seoul in January 2005, strives to promote peace, prosperity, security and sustainability in East Asia by creating an open and creative forum for the exchange of ideas on regional co-operation and integration, among other goals.
The mission we have set for ourselves with Global Asia is both bold and urgent: It is to provide a compelling, serious, and responsible forum for distinguished thinkers, policymakers, political leaders and business people to debate the most important issues in Asia today.
Global Asia is not a journal with a fixed point of view, or a particular agenda. Our aim is to give voice to the global dimension of what is happening in Asia. In our pages and on our web site, we aim for Asia to speak to the world, and the world to Asia. That is important at a time when this region is playing an ever greater role in world affairs.
There are other fine publications on international affairs. What sets us apart is our focus: Asia. We believe that the world is moving into “the Age of Asia,” to borrow a phrase from one of the articles in the inaugural issue of Global Asia in September 2006. This transformation is not going to occur overnight, but it has already begun.
The region’s dynamic economic growth, stable and accountable political systems, maturing democracies, and evolving sense of community are giving Asia greater weight in the world. These developments will have enormous implications for governments, businesses, societies and individuals across the globe. How that transformation is viewed, and shaped, from within Asia and how it is perceived outside Asia is an essential part of the story we have to tell.
The forces of globalization are having a profound impact throughout the world. And they are being influenced and channeled in different ways in different parts of the world. Ours is the story of Asia’s experience with globalization, and the ideas and debates influencing it. In pursuing our mission, we aim to play a part, however modest, in helping to shape the future of Asia.