Today I want to focus on an issue that is very dear to me: international migration. I am currently residing in a foreign country, finishing up school and looking for work, and so naturally I have quite a vested interest in international immigration regulations and restrictions. I don’t want to focus on my own story, …
Category: International Economic Development
Aug 19
Responsible Tourism in Madagascar
I’m sure most of you have heard of the island of Madagascar, particularly since the release of the Madagascar animated films, and know that the country is home to numerous animal species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. 10,000 of the islands 12,000 plant species, for example, are endemic, as are half of the …
Jul 29
Transition Towns
I spent the last month studying abroad, I have realized how differently Western Cultures actually think from each other. I’ve spent the last month traveling around Denmark and England, and have really come to realize how different the countries are from the United States. My class in Denmark focused on sustainable food efforts. This means …
Jul 15
Looking Back on China (7): Defense for One Child Policy
Americans always ask me questions about China to which they have already have answered in their mind. Among them, “do you have siblings” is the most popular one, and maybe the most unnecessary one. Exactly as same as their expectation, my answer is “no.” After that, without any exception, long conversations about China’s One-Child Policy …
Jul 03
Singapore: Corrupt or Not?
Singapore is one of the leading economies in the world with finance being the top markets. According to the 2012 corruption perception index by Transparency International, Singapore is the 5th least corrupt country in the world, making it the least corrupt in Asia. Although it is a small country, its GDP is ranked 35th in …
Jul 03
Looking Back on China (6): People’s Republic of Copying
I miss home so desperately, every time I cannot download songs or movies free of charge in America. Infringements on intellectual property rights in China are so common that even no one perceives them as illegal. Of course, as a law student, I know what the law is. But I still enjoyed our “privilege” carelessly, …
Jun 24
“Failed” States?
Foreign Policy’s annual Failed State Issue came out today, along with their 2013 Failed State Index, uses twelve social, economic, and political indicators to analyze nations and then ranks them accordingly, with 120 being the worst possible score a state can receive. The states are then separated into five categories: critical, in danger, borderline, stable, and most stable. …
Jun 18
Are ASEAN’s Goals Achievable?
When I think of current events in Southeast Asia, the things that pop into my head are authoritarian regimes, ethnic tensions, border clashes, and so on. There is an entire list of current conflicts going on in this region. An example of a border dispute would be Thailand conflicting with neighboring Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and …
Jun 14
Extreme Poverty in Lao PDR
Lao PDR has one of the highest growth rates in Southeast Asia with 6% increase every year in the last decade. Even the level of poverty has been declining. However, the country is still one of the least developed in Southeast Asia and the level of poverty is still largely apparent in this economy. Laos …
May 07
The Politics of Pistachios
Sometimes, the strangest things can cause a rift, or continue to push apart, two countries. It comes as no surprise that the United State and Iran are not ideologically on the same page. The two nations have been at odds with one another over the development of nuclear energy, and over the years Iran has …