The US is desperate to revitalise its Asia-Pacific hegemony, trying to weave together a web of military and political alliances and relationships. EPA/Jeon Heon-Kyun

Asia‑Pacific focus will revitalise US hegemony, but at what price?

When introducing the Pentagon’s US$496 billion budget last week – $31 billion below what President Barack Obama requested – US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said: We are repositioning to focus on the strategic…
A Buddha statue overlooks a village ravaged in a violent conflict with Muslim Rohingya residents of Rakhine state in western Myanmar. EPA/Nyein Chan Naing

Engaging in Myanmar: whose interest are we serving?

Myanmar is the “new frontier” of the Asia-Pacific region. With its large potential markets, abundant natural resources and strategic position, competition for control of the anticipated revenues intensifies…
The US relief effort includes a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, 307 marines and US$20 million in aid. EPA/US Marine Corps /Lance Corporal Anne K. Henry

US military‑led humanitarian intervention in the Philippines: a message to China

Typhoon Haiyan, or Yolanda as it’s known in the Philippines, completely devastated parts of eastern Visayas in the central Philippines in a matter of hours. More than 4.2 million people have been affected…
Workers attend to the seedlings in a confined Golden Rice field trial. IRRI Images

Want a better world? You can’t look at GMOs in isolation

The Philippines (also known as the rice-bowl of Southeast Asia) has become a test bed for genetically modified (GM) crops. Proponents argue GM grains and vegetables can improve the life of farmers and…

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