Give Landmines a Chance

Published on Dec 6, 2011 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Great piece by Luke Hunt, as is his norm. But with the full knowledge I will get rebuked like a convicted pedophile arguing for the right to work as a summer camp counselor for teenagers, I am opposed to a ban on landmines and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty. I promise I love my mother, dogs, children, and freedom etc. etc. But, in my view, an international treaty making  it illegal to manufacture, produce sell, export, buy, and use anti-personnel mines will result in increasing civilian and non-combatant casualties, and increase both the number of combatants wounded and the severity of their wounds. Read more from Nate Thayer.   .

Rocky Road of Landmine Ban

Published on Dec 6, 2011 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Reaching an international consensus on banning landmines was a difficult road to travel. Along the way, it received a substantial boost from personalities like Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and the actress Angelina Jolie. But any deal was often held back by politicians, who were easily bullied by their militaries. But persistence and commonsense won out, and the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty was eventually signed 15 years ago. Since then, though, doubts have arisen about its effectiveness. Read more in The Diplomat.   .

Cambodia Passes Drug Law

Published on Dec 3, 2011 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — Cambodia has a serious problem with drug addiction and trafficking, and last Friday, the National Assembly passed a big new drug law with a 79-1 majority mandating stricter punishments for both users and traffickers. Although tougher possession penalties and longer sentences for the possession of drugs such as methamphetamine, morphine, and cocaine are part of the law, infinitely more worrisome is the little-debated measure’s hardline new approach towards the treatment of addicts. Read more from Faine Greenwood in UN Dispatch. .

Suu Kyi to Run in Election

Published on Dec 1, 2011 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — As U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat down for historic talks with Burma’s leaders, pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi stole the limelight, announcing she will run in planned parliamentary elections once her National League for Democracy (NLD) re-registers as a political party. Her decision, announced during a teleconference with the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, wasn’t totally unexpected, and will provide foreign policy watchers and long suffering Burmese people with a solid marker as to whether or not their government is serious about reform. Read more in The Diplomat. .

Clinton in Burma

Published on Dec 1, 2011 by Luke Hunt

FAR EAST CORRESPONDENT — After the invasion of Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld infamously said that “democracy is messy.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may well be thinking along similar lines as she visits Burma this week. Clinton’s historic trip—the first to Burma by a US secretary of state since 1955—signals a significant but complicated détente between the two countries. The opening was made possible by a series of reforms initiated by Burma’s quasi-military USDP government following its victory in the November 2010 elections. These include the release of more than 300 political prisoners, the cancellation of a controversial hydroelectric dam project in northern Burma, limited improvements in freedom of expression and assembly, and the legalization of labor unions. They....