East-West Wire
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The East-West Wire is a news, commentary, and analysis service provided by the East-West Center in Honolulu. Any part or all of the Wire content may be used by media with attribution to the East-West Center or the person quoted.
The East-West Center ScholarSpace community contains digital versions of just some of the several thousand books, periodicals, and unpublished papers generated by the Center over the past 50 years. Find a complete list of recent East-West Center publications and learn how to obtain them at EastWestCenter.org/publications . Search for recent and older works from 1960 - present using the Center's library catalog at EastWestCenter.org/riscatalog.
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ItemTracking the Pacific islands diaspora(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-09-22)Panelists explore issues surrounding Pacific out-migration. Quick take:
- More than 2 out of 5 Marshall Islanders now live in the US
- COVID mortality among Marshallese in the US has been higher per capita than any other ethnic group
- Mobility is part of Pacific Islanders’ history, speakers said, and does offer positive opportunities along with challenges. -
ItemThe World must not wash its hands of Afghanistan(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-26)A year after the fall of Kabul and the end of the US military mission in Afghanistan, the country remains a place of misery. No foreign government has recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government, and much of the modern economy has collapsed. The new rulers have not kept earlier promises, including high-school level education for girls and amnesty for former Afghan government soldiers and civil servants.
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ItemThe Taliban’s return has robbed Afghanistan’s women and girls of their future(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-26)The advent of Taliban rule in Afghanistan a year ago this month, after two decades under the more liberal, internationally supported Afghan National Government, threw the Afghan populace backward through a time warp. The return to Taliban oppression has been most traumatic for women and girls, who suddenly find themselves in the equivalent of the Middle Ages again with respect to their rights and prospects.
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ItemSpeaking for the trees(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-17)Documentarians share tales of Southeast Asia’s fast-changing environment. Quick take:
- With economic development projects in Southeast Asia disproportionately impacting subsistence communities, conventional reporting has often failed to capture the individual human toll of the changes.
- Speakers at a recent East-West Center Insights webinar said artists and storytellers have a role to play in ensuring that local concerns are heard and understood. -
ItemA prime minister of consequence(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-07-15)Why slain former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe’s most cherished legacy may be yet to come. Quick take:
- As prime minster, Abe provided stability after frequent leadership changes
- Though only partially successful at best, ‘Abenomics’ offered hope after a ‘lost’ decade of economic despair
- While not always popular at home, Abe was deft at handling key foreign players, from China to Trump. -
ItemPacific climate leaders caution media against ‘drowning islands’ narrative(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center , 2022-07-07)Much coverage rife with stereotypes of hopelessness and helplessness, they say. Quick take
- Activists and scientists say the media too often paints Pacific peoples as powerless climate victims
- Young leaders are now speaking out about this, and new organizations are forming to help elevate positive local voices in climate coverage. -
ItemConfronting the media’s crisis of trust(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-07-06)Media experts offer plenty of evidence but few answers for the ongoing erosion of public confidence in news. Quick take:
- Experts at the recent East-West Center International Media Conference admitted the problem now seems intractable.
- ‘Good journalism’ isn’t always enough, with some respected news sources receiving low trust scores after receiving political attacks.
- Many people feel the news is not made for them, according to studies. This including those who mistrust the media as a part of their political identity and connect with others who feel the same way.
- Exposing misinformation is one part of the battle, panelists said, but journalists also need to understand why people consume it. -
ItemJakarta flooding prompts plan to relocate Indonesia’s capital(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-05-19)But will the risky move really bring improvement? Quick take:
- Jakarta’s frequent flooding and other environmental issues have prompted Indonesian leaders to plan a move to build a new capital amid the jungle of Borneo.
- Officials have high economic hopes, but realities such as water issues and weak sanitation infrastructure make such goals challenging.
- Neighborhood relocation measures to cope with Jakarta’s flooding have uprooted smaller communities within the megacity and added to growing socioeconomic inequality.
- Community activism born of such inequity has become an increasingly important part of the story. -
ItemExpert : Ukraine war not detracting from enhanced US engagement in Indo-Pacific(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-05-05)In some ways, the crisis in Europe has strengthened US relationships in Asia and the Pacific, says East-West Center VP Satu Limaye. Quick take:
- Key regional meetings and initiatives continue with Asia and the Pacific.
- The Ukraine invasion has heightened regional concerns about China’s aggressive behavior and its deepening relationship with Russia.
- The biggest gap in US policy in the region is a comprehensive economic initiative. -
ItemRisking everything to report on Myanmar’s military repression(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-04-21)Determined journalists draw comparisons with Ukraine. Quick take:
- Reporters and resistance groups in Myanmar say their struggle for democracy deserves the world’s attention just as Ukraine’s does, while they watch and learn from Ukraine’s strong resistance to the Russian invasion.
- More than a hundred journalists have been detained in Myanmar, and several have been killed, according to one editor.
- Despite the dangers, citizen journalists are helping to gather information on the ground.