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What does the Bo Xilai scandal tell us about China’s political system?
A little more than a year ago, I offered an analysis on this blog of the likelihood that the color revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa would trigger a similar movement in China (http://infocus.asiaportal.info/2011/03/02/blogsin-focus2011marchare-flower-revolutions-middle-east-and-north-africa-endangering-stability/). One year later, the Chinese one-party regime is once more facing challenges, and once again it is a matter […]
Read moreA brief report from a Burma visit 13-21 February 2012
Mikael Gravers, Aarhus University The situation: On the surface there is a more relaxed mood in Rangoon when I visited Burma. However, all agree that the old totalitarian system is still working. People are still arrested during the night. Thus, we are cautioned that the situation could change rapidly again after the by-elections. There is […]
Read more“Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothing Left To Lose?” – West Papua Declares its Independence, Again
Author: Henri Myrttinen[1] e-mail: [email protected] Introduction On October 19, 2011, in a sports field outside the Papuan provincial capital Jayapura, a solemn declaration was read, proclaiming the independence of West Papua, the restoration of its national symbols, the formation of a new government, the introduction of new national languages and of the Dutch New Guinea […]
Read moreSix Prime Ministers in 5 years – why Japanese Prime Ministers are so short-lived
“What is going in Japan with six prime ministers in five years?” seems to be a frequently asked question these days. In this blog post, I will try to answer this question – or at least shed some light on how we can understand current Japanese politics. We need to understand, firstly, why Kan chose […]
Read moreA Hero with dirty hands by Anya Palm
Friday was the first time for many Thais to hear Yingluck Shinawatra speak in public. The lady, who by the looks of all polls, is going to be Thailand’s Prime Minister by Sunday, has never really spoken to followers before, and the audience for Friday’s speech came to see “what kind of person she is”, […]
Read moreElections but no “flower revolution” in Laos
By Kristina Jönsson Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Lund University. Elections tend to receive a lot of media attention these days—Laos being an obvious exception. Still, in recent months two elections have taken place in Laos, one to the National Assembly (NA) and one to the Party Congress. Even if they by nature do […]
Read moreKyrgyz Revolution (?): Lessons of the past, perspectives for the future, by Anjelika Mamytova
When
something happens once it is an accident, twice a coincidence, and a third time
a pattern (Scott Radnitz[1])
Introduction
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