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Kim Jong Il: Jack of all trades…

Just a tad bit late for Groundhog Day, North Korea leader Kim Jong Il, or one of his doubles, may have appeared during his ‘re-election’ to another five-year term as ‘eternal president.’

I don’t think they’re doubles. I think he’s re-spawning, hence the multiple re-elections as ‘eternal president.’

Kim’s been out of sight since having a stroke last August.

Or maybe he’s been taking a well-deserved break.

Being ‘The Great Athlete’ is a hard job:

‘Master of Creation’ is harder:

Oh, and we mustn’t forget, ‘The Fashion Designer’

He’s runway ready.

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ISN Weekly Theme: Tibet

Nepali graffiti artist
Nepali graffiti artist spraying Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu
With the 50th anniversary of the uprising in Tibet on 10 March, the ISN is focusing on the controversial region with a variety of offerings:

  • For our latest edition of ISN Podcasts we talk to Denis Burke, an Amsterdam-based journalist who has written extensively on Tibet, about the “Free Tibet” movement and why it may be time to change tack.

  • ISN Security Watch’s Sudesnha Sarkar reports from Kathmandu on the Nepal governments moves to quell anti-China protests among the country’s Tibetan minority.

  • We’re also highlighting Debating China’s Future from the World Security Institute in the ISN Digital Library.

  • We’ve added listings for Tibetsites.com, an archive of links associated with Tibet, and China Tibet Online, a news platform on Tibet provided by China People’s Daily, in ISN Links.

Admittedly, the Tibet issue is a complicated matter, but by providing these sources (and more on our site), we hope to contribute to the dialogue.

Image: Phayul/ISN

EU bells and whistles: Milkshaker.eu

I’m not sure if the sherbet ice cream colors are to my liking, or if the pink, green and blue stars flying across the screen add anything to the issue, but if it works….

Milkshaker.eu is a “one-stop-shop” for information on the EU and European Parliament, just in time for the upcoming European Elections, the largest polling of its kind in history.

Continue reading “EU bells and whistles: Milkshaker.eu”

Mrs Clinton opens “Asian century” for the US

With a note of regret, Kishore Mahbubani predicted that East Asia would not be a priority for the new US administration. In an article published in May 2008, the dean of the Lee Kuang Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore heralded an Asian century in which the US is struggling to find its place:

Kishore Mahbubani

“No country did more than the United States to spark the rise of East Asia. But paradoxically, America is among the countries leas prepared to handle the rise of East Asia. Evidence of this will likely stream in as soon as a new US president assumes office in January 2009. The president’s schedulers will begin to fill his or her calender with “must attend” events such as Group of eight meetings and a US-European Union summit. The schedulers will fill the “optional” column with events such as visits to Tokyo and Beijing, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summits, and meetings with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). If this happens, it will demonstrate that Washington’s priorities continue to be decided according to old mental maps. Few US policy makers seem aware that Western domination of world history is over – that we are moving into an Asian century […]”

Mahbubani must be surprised by the new US administration, which decided to send their Secretary of State and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to what he supposed to be second-rate destinations in East Asia: Tokyo, Jakarta, Seoul and Beijing are the capitals Clinton will be visiting on her first trip abroad this week.

Continue reading “Mrs Clinton opens “Asian century” for the US”