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Center ScholarSpace community contains digital versions of just some of the several thousand books, periodicals, and unpublished papers generated by the Center over the past 50 years.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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Item Thailand’s May 14 election : promise for democracy or danger of another coup?(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2023-05-12) Morrison, Charles E.; Yokying, Phanwin; East-West Center, Research ProgramQuick take:
- The democratic opposition to Thailand’s current military-dominated government may have a real chance of winning the May 14 parliamentary election.
- Many fear, however, that a landslide victory by reformists could precipitate either another coup by the military similar to neighboring Myanmar, or legal maneuvers to void the election results.Item Understanding the military coup in Myanmar, two years later(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2023-03-15) Thang, Lian Bawi; East-West CenterQuick Take:
- More than 3,000 protestors have been killed, 20,000 people arrested, and 55,000 houses burned in the two years since the coup.
- Amid former optimism about the prospect of ending military dominance, the ruling NLD party and many observers did not anticipate the coup until the last few months.
- The regime promised to hold "free and fair" elections in 2023, but the repeatedly delayed vote is simply a military strategy to escape the ongoing armed conflict and consolidate authority.Item Tesla’s China game(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-06-02) East-West Center; Research ProgramBefore the recent pandemic and stock-market turmoil, Tesla made remarkable gains in China’s huge EV market. Quick take:
- After taking the US electric vehicle market by storm, Tesla set its sights on tackling the competitive Chinese EV market—the world’s largest, driven by government supports and incentives.
- As of the first four months of 2022, Tesla sold the third-most electric vehicles in China and was the only foreign company to place models on the list of the country’s top 10 EV vehicles sold.
- Regardless of the recent market and pandemic turmoil—not to mention CEO Elon Musk’s personal antics—Tesla is likely to continue expanding its reach in the Chinese EV market over the long term.Item Tracking the Pacific islands diaspora(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-09-22) Pacific Islands Development Program; East-West CenterPanelists 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.Item The World must not wash its hands of Afghanistan(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-26) Sohail, Mohammad Sadiq; East-West Center; Research ProgramA 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.Item The Taliban’s return has robbed Afghanistan’s women and girls of their future(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-26) Adeli, Zakia; East-West Center; Research ProgramThe 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.Item Speaking for the trees(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-08-17) East-West Center; Research ProgramDocumentarians 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.Item A prime minister of consequence(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-07-15) Morrison, Charles E.; Research Program; East-West CenterWhy 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.Item Pacific climate leaders caution media against ‘drowning islands’ narrative(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center , 2022-07-07) East-West Center; Seminars & JournalismMuch 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.Item Confronting the media’s crisis of trust(Honolulu, HI : East-West Center, 2022-07-06) East-West Center; Seminars & JournalismMedia 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.