Unpacking the Presumed Statelessness of Rohingyas1

ABSTRACT

The decades-old Rohingya problem, which has affected Myanmar and other Southeast Asia countries, has long been defined in terms of forced migration, statelessness, and humanitarian crisis. As the problems involving Rohingya refugees, forced migrants, and internally displaced persons are commonly believed to have stemmed from the highly discriminatory 1982 Citizenship Law, international advocacy has focused on amending or repealing the law as the ultimate solution. Despite the law's several discriminatory provisions, this article argues that the real problem primarily lies in a lack of implementation by successive Myanmar governments and the Rohingya's arbitrary deprivation of the right to nationality and citizenship documentation.     

Maritime Strategies of Rising Powers: developments in China and Russia

Abstract

This paper seeks to uncover the drivers of maritime strategy formulation in Russia and China, two active players on the international stage that have often been identified as both rising and regional powers. The paper takes as its starting point the realist theory of state power and threat perception, which provide the means and motivation for states to accumulate material capabilities in an effort to safeguard their position in the international system. Given the increasing pressures of a changing security environment, China’s and Russia’s maritime strategies show a trend towards greater complexity and capability. The paper also addresses the impact of the revolution in military affairs ( rma ) and its subsequent manifestation as force transformation in Western states, especially the USA. Given that this new, qualitatively focused way of war has gained supremacy, at least where high-intensity inter-state war is concerned, the question remains of whether the Chinese and Russians will choose to emulate the leading powers in the system or, instead, will forge into the unknown and formulate an entirely different and innovative maritime strategy.     

Into the sea: capacity-building innovations and the maritime security challenge

Abstract

Maritime security capacity-building is a growing field of international activity. It is an area that requires further study, as a field in its own right, but also as an archetype to develop insights for capacity-building and security sector reform in other arenas. This article is one of the first to analyse this field of activity. Our empirical focus is on the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Here, international actors have launched multiple capacity-building projects, initially in response to Somali piracy. We document the significance, extent and variety of capacity-building activities in this region and examine the ways in which capacity-building at sea has incorporated innovative characteristics that develop and expand the capacity-building agenda as traditionally understood. Our conclusion highlights the need to pay more attention to the maritime domain in international security and development studies and considers ways in which the maritime capacity-building experience may offer important lessons for other fields of international policy.     

Decolonising drugs in Asia: the case of cocaine in colonial India

Abstract

This article examines a drugs trade in Asia that has been largely forgotten by historians and policy-makers, that in cocaine. It will briefly trace some of the contours of this commerce and the efforts to control it. It will also assess how successful these efforts were. The article is designed to contribute fresh perspectives on recent controversies in the historiography of drugs in Asia to argue that the agendas and agency of consumers are central to understanding why markets have formed there for psychoactive substances in the modern period.     

Foreigners Everywhere,Nationals Nowhere: Exclusion,Irregularity, and Invisibility of Stateless Bajau Laut in Eastern Sabah,Malaysia

ABSTRACT

This article explores impacts of national and regional policies upon the Bajau Laut, who occupy the maritime border region shared by Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia. It considers how maritime movements, ethnogenesis, visions for economic development and commercial interaction have evolved in the region. These processes, combined with contemporary nationalism, border securitization, and conservation render such populations both prominent as a target of governmental action and invisible in terms of provision of social services and implementation of conservation initiatives. These facets complicate issues of political belonging within the state of Sabah, the nation-state of Malaysia, and the wider ASEAN region.     

Displaying the Past to Serve the Present: Museums and Heritage Preservation in Post-Colonial Hong Kong?

Abstract

In little more than a decade, Hong Kong has gone museummad, erecting huge architectural outcrops like gigantic bank vaults to provide repositories of its history, its maritime fortifications, its art, its folk craft, its medical science, its astronomy, even its teaware. The motto seems to be "if it can be displayed for public view, build a museum around it."     

Housing in Asia

Housing as a Basic Need. By Regional Institute of Higher Education and Development. Hong Kong: Maruzen Asia, 1982. Pp.253. ISBN 962 220 111 3.

A Place to Live: More Effective Low‐Cost Housing in Asia. Edited by Yue‐man Yeung. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre, 1983. Pp.216. ISBN 0 88936 371 4.

People, Poverty and Shelter: Problems of Self‐Help Housing in the Third World. Edited by R. J. Skinner and M. J. Rodell. London: Methuen, 1983. Pp.xi + 195. £6.50. ISBN 0 416 30960 7.

Management of Sites and Services Housing Schemes: The Asian Experience. By P. J. Swan, E.A. Wegelin and Komol Panchee. Chichester: Wiley, 1983. Pp.xi + 150. £10.50. ISBN 0 471 90072 9.     

The U.S. Navy's role in countering maritime terrorism

Abstract

There have been few spectacular acts of maritime terrorism. About ninety‐five percent of all incidents of what would be classified as transnational maritime terrorism involved bombings, hijackings, and “other” attacks. Nearly all of these took place when ships were in port, and the victims were predominantly merchant ships. Only a small number of terrorist attacks have been reported against men‐of‐war–none against U.S. Navy ships. Bombing, including various forms of mining, comprises the major threat to merchant ships, while the dangers of U.S. Navy ships would be aggravated by the presence of nuclear weapons or nuclear propulsion plants.

Counter terrorism as carried out by the U.S. Navy involves actions to deter or defeat direct terrorist activity (against the ship itself) and indirect activity (against other U.S. interests). U.S Navy ships are especially well organized, constructed, and equipped to deal with the former, but they would be virtually powerless to assist U.S. merchant ships against the most probable threats (bombing, hijacking, and attacks) in the most probable location (overseas ports).     

Farm-Level Pathways to Improved Nutritional Status: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

Global, national and local policies and programmes for agricultural development are recurrently justified based on their alleged role in improving food and nutrition security. However, strikingly little evidence is available to prove that a direct, household-level link between agricultural production and improved nutrition exists. The objective of this special issue is to systematically and empirically test, using data from Africa and South Asia, whether a relationship between household agricultural production and nutrition can be found. Overall, the studies in this special issue support the hypothesis that household agricultural production has direct and important linkages with dietary patterns and nutrition.     

Centred discourse,decentred practice: the relational production of Russian and Chinese ‘rising’ power in Central Asia

Abstract

This paper challenges dominant understandings of ‘rising powers’ by developing a decentred, relational account of Russia and China in Central Asia. We ask whether Moscow and Beijing’s regional integrative strategies do not guide, but rather are led by, everyday interactions among Russian and Chinese actors, and local actors in Central Asia. Rising powers, as a derivative of ‘Great Powers’, are frequently portrayed as structurally comparable units that concentrate power in their executives, fetishise territorial sovereignty, recruit client states, contest regional hegemony and explicitly oppose the post-1945 international order. In contrast, we demonstrate that the centred discourse of Eurasian integration promoted by Russian and Chinese leaders is decentred by networks of business and political elites, especially with regard to capital accumulation. Adopting Homi K. Bhabha’s notion of mimicry (subversion, hybridity) and J. C. Scott’s conception of mētis (local knowledge, agency), and using examples of Russian and Chinese investments and infrastructure projects in Central Asia, we argue that in order to understand centring discourse we must look to decentring practices at the periphery; that is, rising power is produced through ongoing interactions between actors at the margins of the state’s hegemonic reach.     

Reviews and commentary

Conspiring for democracy

Peter Coleman: The Liberal Conspiracy: The Congress For Cultural Freedom And The Struggle For The Mind Of Postwar Europe The Free Press, New York, 1989, 333 p., $22.95.

The importance of doing homework!

H. H. A. Cooper and Lawrence J. Redlinger: Catching Spies: Principles and Practice of Counterespionage Paladin Press, Boulder, Colo., 1988, 403 p., $19.95.

_____: Making Spies: A Talent Spotter's Handbook Paladin Press, Boulder, Colo., 1986, 272 p., $16.95.

The CIA and intelligence policy

Loch K. Johnson: America's Secret Power: The CIA in a Democratic Society Oxford University Press, New York, 1989, 344 p., $24.95.

RAF Secret missions in southeast Asia during World War II

Terence O'Brien: The Moonlight War: The Story of Clandestine Operations in Southeast Asia, 1944–45 Collins, London, 1987, 363 p., £12.95.

Outside the inside story

Ernest Volkman and Blaine Baggett: Secret Intelligence: The Inside Story of America's Espionage Empire Doubleday, New York, 1989, 229 p., $19.95.

Prescribing caution on glasnost

Edward Jay Epstein: Deception: The Invisible War Between the KGB and the CIA Simon and Schuster, New York, 1989, 335 p., $19.95.

U.S. intelligence: a long view

Nathan Miller: Spying for America: The Hidden History of U.S. Intelligence Paragon House, New York, 1989, 482 p., $24.95.     

Nuclear terrorism: Threat,perception, and response in South Asia

Abstract

This paper seeks to answer the question: What should be done in South Asia in response to the dangers of nuclear blackmail and terrorism? The relevance of the recommendations of the Nuclear Control Institute's International Task Force on Prevention of Nuclear Terrorism is explored. The authors examine conventional terrorism in the context of increased nuclear activities and provide an overview of recent nuclear developments in the region. Policy recommendations are given, and specific proposals are made to counter the threats of nuclear blackmail and terrorism.     

Book notes

The Death Penalty. Amnesty International, London: Amnesty International. 1979.206 pp

International Trade in Wildlife. Tim Inskipp & Sue Wells, London: Earthscan. 1979.104 pp. £2.00

Children in the World. Magda Cordell McKale & John McHale, Washington DC: Population Reference Bureau. 1979.

Interfutures: facing the future. OECD, Paris: OECD. 1979.425 pp. £8.90 pb

Arid Land Ecosystems: vol 1. Edited by D W Goodall & R A Perry, Cambridge University Press. 1979.881 pp. £45.00

Asia Corporate Profile and National Finance 1977–8. Hong Kong: Asian Finance Publications Limited. 1977.352 pp

Nicaragua: dictatorship and revolution. London: Latin America Bureau. 1979.30 pp. 75p

Bankers Handbook for Asia: 1977–8 guide to banks and finance companies in Asia. Hong Kong: Asian Finance Publications Limited (distributed in the UK by Kogan Page Limited, London). 1977.344 pp. £15.00

Imperial Russia and the Struggle for Latin American Independence 1808–28. Russell HBartley, Austin: University of Texas Press. 1978.236 pp

The Middle East: a physical, social and regional geography. WB Fisher, London: Methuen (seventh edition). 1978.615 pp. £9.95

Church and State in Independent Mexico: a study of the patronage debate, 1821–57. Michael P Costeloe, London: Royal Historical Society. 1978.207 pp. £7.75

Intermediate Technology in Ghana: the experience of Kumasi University's Technology Consultancy Centre. Sally Holtermann, London: Intermediate Technology Publications. 1979. Ill pp. £2.00

Mountbatten: eighty years in pictures. London: Macmillan. 1979.224 pp. £8.95

Atlas of Earth Resources. London: Mitchell Beazeley. 1979.208 pp. £22.50

Deciding What's News: a study of CBS evening news, NBC nightly news, Newsweek and Time. Herbert J Gans, New York: Pantheon. 1979.393 pp. $12.95

Women's Education ‐ a world view: annotated bibliography of doctoral dissertations, vol 1. Compiled by Franklin Parker & Betty June Parker, London: Greenwood Press. 1979.320 pp. £19.50

The State and Society: Peru in comparative perspective. Alfred Stepan, Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1978. 316 pp

Seapower and Politics: from the Norman Conquest to the present day. Captain John Moore, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. 1979.184 pp. £7.50     

Labor Migration and the Philippine Labor Market

Abstract

Based on recorded data, the Philippines has experienced the largest outflow in Asia of both permanent emigrants and migrant labor over the last three to four decades. The number working and living abroad has reached almost 8% of the population and the yearly outflow of workers bound for an increasingly varied destinations and occupations is about 14% of the labor force. The paper discusses the rising scale and changing structure of migrants and explains these by three interacting factors that make for labor market flexibilityan extensive market-based educational system, active employment service industry and migration's own backward and forward linkages. Further discussed are the economic implications of the migration and some rigidity in the education market that tends to pull down returns to migration.     

China's Relations with India's Neighbours: From Threat Avoidance to Alternative Development Opportunity

Abstract

China, once seen as a threat by the states of South Asia, is now viewed correctly as an alternative development opportunity. The unprecedented success of the Chinese development model places it as an obvious alternative to that offered by India—or indeed by the Western model of development—but what implications does this have for the middle and small powers that surround India, and indeed for India and the Western developed world? The fundamental rationale for China's relations with South Asia has changed radically, but the Sino-centric nature of Chinese foreign policy remains. Uniquely, for India's neighbours, but also for the global political economy as a whole, Chinese economic power raises political issues of human security, economic interdependence, and the relationship between physical infrastructure and the benefits of global public goods. The Chinese necessity to tranship through South Asia is identified as a complex new reality for the great power.     

Local Government Partnerships in Urban Management: The Case of South Asia

The article examines emerging partnerships in local government in South Asia. It argues that public private partnerships at local authority level tend to emerge where existing service deficiencies are greatest and most often involve the private voluntary sector. These partnerships typically function as 'hybrid' concessions where the private operator performs a service and collects a fee but without responsibility for capital investment. Many of the most successful partnerships have operated at the most localised level involving a coalition of stakeholders under local authority co-ordination. However, few partnerships have developed adequate mechanisms for joint planning, management and monitoring of services.     

Public Support for Democratic Governance in Southeast Asia

Abstract

The transition and consolidation of democracy in Southeast Asia has proven fragile and tenuous some 30 years after the current wave of democratization began. A critical ingredient in the process of democratization is the role of public opinion and the extent that the public supports the democratic ‘rules of the game’. This study uses 2006 and 2007 public opinion data from the AsiaBarometer Survey of six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Singapore) to examine popular perceptions of democracy and democratic principles and practices. Specifically, it seeks to shed light on the following interrelated questions: Do democratic institutions in Southeast Asia work well in the short and long term? To what extent are citizens in these countries satisfied with various political and civil freedoms? Do citizens trust specific institutions to operate in the best interests of their society? Does the current political system and government perform well?     

Miracle to meltdown: A pathology of the East Asian financial crisis

The financial crisis in East Asia was made more dramatic by the fact that the region's performance in terms of economic growth over the preceding decade had been widely perceived as a 'miracle'. What was it that transformed the region's fortunes, and what are the chances for a speedy economic recovery? Systematic analysis reveals that, while there is no unicausal explanation, and while few if any commentators anticipated the crisis before the event, the fundamental difference from previous international financial crises is the extreme indebtedness of the corporate sector of the crisis countries. Private sector repayment difficulties and the associated banking crises triggered the sudden withdrawal of capital and the collapse of exchange rates. Failure to address the underlying private sector debt overhang, and reliance instead on conventional macroeconomic policy solutions, have led to a decline in output and a depreciation in exchange rates which have been far greater than need have been the case.     

Islamist Political Orientations among Central Asian Youth

Abstract

There is a widespread fear that Islamist and ‘extremist’ orientations are gaining strength in Central Asia, particularly among younger people. This article, examining data from a 2011–2012 survey in the region, finds little evidence to support this proposition. While there is sizeable support for some Islamist beliefs, age is not a strong predictor of such orientations. Interestingly, assertions that Central Asian youth are more likely to feel marginalised or dissatisfied with current socio-economic conditions also do not appear to hold. Overall, rural residence and low education stand out as better predictors, with various socio-economic and political assessments having mixed effects.     

Cambodia in the zero years: Rudimentary totalitarianism

Agrarian change in Sri Lanka. edited by James Brow and Joe Weeramunda, New Delhi, Newbury Park, London: Sage Publications. 1992. 445pp

The Political Economy of Small Tropical Islands: The Importance of Being Small. edited by Helen M Hintjens and Malyn D D Newitt, Exeter: University of Exeter Press. 1992. 247pp

Behind the Eurocentric Veils: The Search for African Realities. by Clinton M Jean, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press. 1991. 113 pp.

The struggle for Legitimacy. Latin American Labor and the United States 1930–1960. by Jon V Kofas, Tempe: Center for Latin American Studies, Arizona State University. 1992.

Economic Reform and Third‐World Socialism. by Peter Utting, London: Macmillan, and United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. 1992. 320pp

Soviet Central Asia. A Tragic Experiment. by Boris Z Rumer, Boston: Unwin Hyman. 1989. 204pp

A Captive Land: The Politics of Agrarian Reform in the Philippines. by James Putzel, New York: Catholic Institute for International Relations, London and Monthly Review Press, 1992

Human Development Report 1992. by United Nations Development Programme, New York: Oxford University Press. 1992. 216pp

Fiction reviews

Meatless Days. by Sara Suleri, London: Collins. 1990. 186pp. £12.95hb

The Chase. by Alejo Carpentier, Translated from the Spanish by Alfred MacAdam, London: André Deutsch. 1990. 122pp. £9.95hb

Aura. by Carlos Fuentes., Translated from the Spanish by Lysander Kemp, London: André Deustch. 1990. 88pp. £4.95pb

Samba. by Guillermoprieto, London: Jonathan Cape. 1990. 245pp. £13.95hb

The Buddha of Suburbia. by Hanif Kureishi, London: Faber. 1990. 284pp. £12.99hb

Changing village, changing life. by Prafulla Mohanti, London: Viking. 1990. 288pp. £14.99hb

Jasmine. by Bharati Mukherjee, London: Virago. 1990. 241pp. £12.95hb

The Middleman and Other. Stories by Bharati Mukherjee, London: Virago. 1990. 197pp. £4.99pb