East Asia

China: We Need New World Currency

By James Joyner

Zhou Xiochuan, head of China’s central bank, published a paper yesterday urging the creation of an international reserve currency independent of the dollar and under the control of the International Monetary Fund.

Countries with Best Unemployment Benefits

By James Joyner

FP’s Annie Lowrey notes that, “As many as 50 million people could be out of work by the end of 2009. But the unemployed in some countries definitely have it better than others.”

Kim Jong-il’s Successor Named

By Peter Cassata

Kim Jong-un, the 25-year-old youngest son of dictator Kim Jong-il, is the likely heir to North Korea’s police state, according to reports emerging from the Korean peninsula.

Achieving peace and security in Korea and Northeast Asia: A new US diplomatic strategy toward North Korea

The Atlantic Council is pleased to release its Final Report of its three-year project on U.S. policy toward North Korea. This report makes clear that unless President Obama adopts a new strategy of seeking a comprehensive settlement in Korea, the U.S. is unlikely to eliminate North Korea’s nuclear program.D Adopting the new diplomatic strategy of […]

Chinese Democracy: Effective Government

By Joseph Snyder

The current crisis in China over tainted milk products, including the furious public reaction inside the country, reminds us how hard it is to govern 1.3 billion. It is clearly against the law in China to put dangerous additives into food products. The problem in China has been and remains how  extraordinarily difficult it is […]

China’s Post-Olympic Image

By Joseph Snyder

The recently completed Summer Olympics extravaganza in Beijing was a monumental and spectacular undertaking that is unlikely to be repeated for a long time to come.