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| 1 |
ID:
172481
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| Summary/Abstract |
Afghanistan in 2019 was marked by advances and setbacks with respect to stabilizing the country and reshaping its relations with international partners. The year brought new presidential elections and signs of potential political dialogue, as well as hopes for expanded economic ties with neighbors. But there are still uncertainties about the prospects of US withdrawal and the country’s future.
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| 2 |
ID:
172455
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| Summary/Abstract |
Among the major events that occurred in Asia in 2019 were four that received global attention: the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the US-China trade war, the North Korean nuclear issue, and protests in Hong Kong. These events have significant policy implications for the world as well as for Asia.
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| 3 |
ID:
172477
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| Summary/Abstract |
After winning a third consecutive term as prime minister in the compromised December 2018 general election, Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League continues to consolidate one-woman rule. Throughout 2019, Hasina continued to persecute critics and opponents. Despite the deepening malaise of bad governance, Bangladesh has continued to enjoy impressive economic growth. But it remains haunted by the desperate Rohingya exodus from Myanmar, and the decades-old Bihari question.
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| 4 |
ID:
172479
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| Summary/Abstract |
Bhutan in 2019 was dominated by the change of government in late 2018, better diplomatic relations with India, and cultivation of relations with China. The economy was strong, with the country due to graduate from least developed country status in 2023, though unemployment is a concern.
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| 5 |
ID:
172469
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| Summary/Abstract |
In 2019, Cambodia saw long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen tighten his grip on power. Economic growth continued, but with rising risks related to a real estate bubble, mounting debt, and yawning social inequality. Externally, Cambodia deepened its dependency on China, insulating the Hun Sen regime in some respects but contributing to new vulnerabilities.
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| 6 |
ID:
172457
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| Summary/Abstract |
In a year of considerable pomp and circumstance at home, China’s leaders continued to focus on how to deal with slowing economic growth, and the need for greater unity and support for the party (and Xi’s) priorities and goals. Despite efforts to persuade others of the global benefits of China’s rise, a number of key international actors seemed to increasingly think otherwise.
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| 7 |
ID:
172458
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| Summary/Abstract |
The anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong began in June 2019 and has evolved since July into protests against police power and the mainlandization of the territory. Although Beijing supports Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the police, the movement persists amid demands for the creation of an independent commission of inquiry into police actions.
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| 8 |
ID:
172475
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| Summary/Abstract |
The major development in India in 2019 was the national election which returned Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party to power with a larger majority and which, along with post-election ideological assertiveness, poses the question of whether India’s party system is a new one-party hegemony, this time of the Bharatiya Janata.
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| 9 |
ID:
172467
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| Summary/Abstract |
A tumultuous year brought Indonesia from a polarizing general election to disparate waves of mass protests that tested the state’s tether and revealed frailties in democratic consolidation. Granted a second term, President Joko Widodo ratcheted up plans for infrastructure and human resource development, wooing foreign capital despite a challenging global environment.
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| 10 |
ID:
172460
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| Summary/Abstract |
In 2019, Japanese Prime Minister Abe grappled with domestic dilemmas and diplomatic strains, highlighted by inflamed relations with South Korea. The economy continued to grow slowly, the depopulation bomb continued ticking, and demands for gender equality grew louder. The year also brought the enthronement of a new emperor and genesis of a new imperial era.
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| 11 |
ID:
172472
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Climate disruptions highlighted factors likely to shape the contours of climate change in Laos. Among these, regional relationships and resource-driven development continued to be important, as did inequality within Laos. Popular dissatisfaction with the capacity of the Lao state continued, exacerbated by environmental disasters and continuing limitations on free speech.
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| 12 |
ID:
172466
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| Summary/Abstract |
After the stunning victory of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) over the incumbent Barisan Nasional (National Front) in May 2018’s 14th Malaysian General Election, 2019 was a year of political transition, with Pakatan governing, Barisan rising from its political grave, and the Malaysian people getting accustomed to a two-party coalition system. In a chaotic year of party-political and electoral fatigue, social discontent, and economic slowdown, Malaysia endured its domestic troubles to remain a stable country.
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| 13 |
ID:
172459
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| Summary/Abstract |
In 2019, Mongolia sought to recover from a scandal over corruption that reached the highest levels of government. An ineffective Anti-Corruption Agency, as well as poverty and environmental degradation, plagued the economy. In contrast, Mongolia bolstered economic and diplomatic relations with Russia, China, Japan, and the West.
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| 14 |
ID:
172471
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| Summary/Abstract |
Myanmar’s international pariah status has deepened with the filing of three separate international lawsuits against the country in November 2019 regarding atrocities against the Rohingya people. Economic forecasts indicate that the economy is on the right track but local business progress remains sluggish. The peace process has stalled, and armed conflict continues in some major cities, with increasing numbers displaced. The government's focus on the Rohingya crisis and amending the constitution are likely aimed to rally domestic support for the election scheduled for 2020.
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| 15 |
ID:
172478
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| Summary/Abstract |
After decades of instability, a stable government in Nepal offered many promises, but despite progress in some sectors, the government has become less popular in the last two years. The Communist Party’s ideological ambivalence, shown by its questionable policies and activities with regard to democratization, free expression, inclusion, and governance, is probably responsible for its fading credibility among the masses.
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| 16 |
ID:
172462
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| Summary/Abstract |
This was a year of transition in North Korea, as leader Kim Jong Un held firm to his strategic shift of putting “all efforts” into economic development in the face of ongoing international sanctions. Kim’s summit diplomacy with the US and South Korea stalled, while ties improved markedly with China and modestly with Russia. The US and South Korea resumed downsized joint military exercises and North Korea resumed short-range missile testing.
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| 17 |
ID:
172476
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| Summary/Abstract |
Relatively prudent foreign policy maneuvers stole the headlines in 2019, overshadowing Pakistan’s downward economic spiral and political decay. The Imran Khan government made the most of extra-regional strategic opportunities with the US and China while weathering a collapsing bilateral relationship with India. Officials struggled to arrest a mounting economic crisis. The state further accelerated the long-term corrosion of Pakistan’s political institutions with threats to federalism, suppression of opposition elements, and greater space for the military at the expense of civilians.
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| 18 |
ID:
172470
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| Summary/Abstract |
The Duterte administration has facilitated a new autonomous arrangement in Muslim Mindanao, and congressional allies passed some popular laws. In the midterms, Duterte-backed candidates dominated both national and local elections. However, the promised charter change has floundered, economic growth has been tempered, and the drug war has not succeeded.
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| 19 |
ID:
172464
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| Summary/Abstract |
I examine the relationship between Russia and the other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States, including how Moscow’s responses to changing geopolitical dynamics framed these relations in 2019. In particular, I consider the changes in preparation for Russia to assume the rotating presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, whose membership overlaps partially with the CIS and which has become a key instrument for engaging with China in the region. For Russia, the organizational structures of both the SCO and the CIS are key instruments to maintain influence within the former Soviet Space, although how Moscow does this varies greatly, not least due to sensitivities about China.
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| 20 |
ID:
172473
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| Summary/Abstract |
In 2019, Singapore celebrated its bicentennial and reflected on its journey from a British colony engaged in entrepôt trade to a successful sovereign state anchored in ASEAN. The ruling party announced that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will be Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s successor. Presumably, Heng will play a key leadership role for his party in Singapore’s upcoming general election.
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