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Commentary Week In Review

Guy Taylor | Bio | 15 Jun 2007

The Commentary Week in Review is posted on the blog every Friday. Drawing from more than two dozen English-language news outlets worldwide, the column highlights a handful of the week's notable op-eds.

China's Expanding Military

Noting how "China's defense spending has been on the rise for more than 15 years," Gary Schmitt asserted in the June 14 Washington Post that Americans "don't know the strategic 'why' behind this buildup."

"As China adds hundreds of advanced fighters; builds scores of new submarines, frigates and destroyers; modernizes and expands its strategic nuclear arsenal; and fields hundreds of new theater-range missiles," wrote Schmitt, "the argument is that China is bent on building up its military capabilities to unprecedented levels because it sees the United States spending more on its military than it has since World War II."

While he claimed "there is some truth in that," he wrote that:

The China-Myanmar Relationship

Build-ups aside, Larry Jagan argued in the June 13 Asia Times that Chinese fears about a "growing influence of the United States" in Asia, have prompted Beijing to recently strengthen its alliance with the "internationally shunned military regime" currently ruling neighboring Myanmar.

However, while there "has been increased diplomatic and business contact between the countries," Jagan noted that "on the political front, irritations remain, with Beijing quietly pressing Myanmar to introduce concrete political reform as soon as possible."

"China's greatest fear remains that Myanmar is extremely unstable and poses a security risk, especially along its southern border," he wrote. "More than a million Chinese -- farmers, workers and business people -- have crossed into Myanmar in the past 10 years and are working and living there. The Chinese authorities fear that any upheaval in Myanmar would result in a mass exodus of Chinese back across the border, creating increased industrial and social unrest in their sensitive border regions."

Change Near For Bhutan

In nearby Bhutan, meanwhile, change is coming whether the people like it or not, according to H.D.S. Greenway, who wrote in the June 12 Boston Globe that "the only trouble with the recent mock elections in the Himalayan Kingdom ... is that most Bhutanese don't want democracy."

"They want their king to be in charge," wrote Greenway. "Most Bhutanese trust their king, and will eventually be willing to go along with whatever his majesty decides is best for them. And the king wants democracy."

Greenway offered a rich history of the Kingdom since British rule, and explained that:


Indonesia, Middle East Peacemaker

John Hughes argued in the June 13 Christian Science Monitor that "the most populous Islamic country in the world, Indonesia, is emerging as a would-be peacemaker in the troubled Middle East and a moderating counterbalance to jihadist extremism."

"In the world scheme of things, Indonesia is not a political heavyweight," wrote Hughes. "But with a largely Muslim population of about 240 million, it is forging a significant example of how democracy and Islam can successfully coexist."

Citing recent remarks by Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, who indicated a desire to his country to be more involved in solving Middle East problems, Hughes noted that "the first major test of this new policy of involvement will come in August when Indonesia attempts a conference of reconciliation between the competing Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah."

He explained:


Palestine Beyond Civil War

Indonesia certainly has it's work cut out for it, since, according to Daoud Kuttab's assessment in the June 15 Daily Star, Gaza has "apparently moved beyond civil war."

Mahmoud Abbas, who took over as president of the Palestinian Authority two and a half years ago, after the death of Yasser Arafat, has "has tried mightily to lead the Palestinian people with civility, adherence to democratic principles, and disdain for violence," wrote Kuttab, who argued that Abbas "never had a chance."

"Palestinian rivals, both from his own Fatah party and from Hamas, as well as the Israelis, perceived Abbas' civility as weakness," Kuttab wrote. "Abbas introduced a totally different style of management from that of Arafat. ...Dressed in a suit and tie, Abbas introduced professional Western-style management to the presidency, but had no idea what to do with grassroots militants."

"In his attempt to counter Arafat's political corruption and micromanagement, Abbas lost whatever chance he had to maintain the loyalty of the Fatah leadership, newly appointed PA officials, security personnel, and, most importantly, local militants."

Apartheid Still Polarizes South Africa

"Despite impressive economic indicators, South Africa continues to suffer from the legacy of apartheid," according to Rasna Warah, who observed in the June 11 Daily Nation (Kenya) that "the country ranks as among the most unequal societies in the world, with the richest 10 per cent of its population hogging 45 per cent of the country's income."

Noting a "lingering mistrust between the different races," Warah argued that "change is clearly not happening fast enough for South Africa's Black majority."

"As one South African told me," he wrote, "'when people are given free housing, free water and free education, they want more -- they want a car, a nice job and all the other things that apartheid denied them, and they want them now.'"

The Commentary Week In Review draws from links aggregated every weekday morning in WPR's Media Roundup, which you can receive by email for free by registering now.