Category: At Large

Donald Trump’s proposal to slash UN funding: a threat to international peace and security

March 27, 2017

Published on 24 March 2017 at Open Democracy, here. On April first the United States assumes the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council amid widespread alarm over talk from US President Donald Trump that his government is considering drastically reducing its financial contributions and involvement in the UN. This could pose a … More Donald Trump’s proposal to slash UN funding: a threat to international peace and security

Japan Detains Movement Leader to Silence Struggle Against US Military Bases

March 27, 2017

Published on 14 March 2017 at Waging Nonviolence, here. On October 17, Hiroji Yamashiro was arrested for cutting a wire fence at a protest against a U.S. military base in Okinawa. He has been held in detention ever since. Yamashiro, the chairman of the Okinawa Peace Movement Center, has been a fixture of the nonviolent … More Japan Detains Movement Leader to Silence Struggle Against US Military Bases

Myanmar: Prisoner Amnesty Highlights the Need for Penal Code Reform

May 6, 2016

This article was originally published at The Diplomat on 5 May 2016. Available here. A week after having released 199 political prisoners, on April 17 the Government of Myanmar released 83 additional prisoners. Among those released were student activists involved in peaceful protests against the National Education Law and Naw Ohn Hla, a land rights activist … More Myanmar: Prisoner Amnesty Highlights the Need for Penal Code Reform

Taiwan: Can Tsai Ing-Wen Change the Politics of Death?

April 23, 2016

This article was originally published at the Diplomat on February 10, 2016. Following Tsai Ing-wen’s electoral victory last month, KMT lawmakers have been challenging Ms. Ing-wen, who will be inaugurated as Taiwan’s first female president on 20 May, and her Democratic Peoples Party on several issues. Among them, Ms. Ing-wen has been demanded to reveal … More Taiwan: Can Tsai Ing-Wen Change the Politics of Death?

Against Letpadaung: copper mining in Myanmar and the struggle for human rights

November 8, 2015

 This article was originally published at OpenDemocracy on 3 August 2015. Available here. The Letpadaung copper mine in the Sagaing Region of central Myanmar has become a major fault line in the struggle for human rights in that country. It is also emblematic of a global problem: the damage caused by exploitative resource extraction coupled … More Against Letpadaung: copper mining in Myanmar and the struggle for human rights

In Myanmar, students test the sincerity of democratic transition

June 15, 2015

Originally published at openDemocracy on 10 June 2015. Also available here. Students demand change in Myanmar. Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. In Myanmar, as university students around the world begin to exalt their summer freedom, a national student movement continues to demand greater political freedom. At the end of May 2015 Myanmar’s parliament was still … More In Myanmar, students test the sincerity of democratic transition