April 3, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Just four months after suing Vietnam’s state-owned shipbuilder, Elliott Associates is abandoning the case. It is unclear why Elliott, which in the past has not shied away from long court battles against sovereign governments, decided to drop the case (FinAlternatives, Apr 2).
April 3, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Israel is now entering its third strategic environment. The constant threat of state-on-state war defined the first, which lasted from the founding of the Jewish state until its peace treaty with Egypt. A secure periphery defined the second, which lasted until recently and focused on the Palestinian issue, Lebanon and the rise of radical Sunni Islamists. The rise of Iran as a regional power and the need to build international coalitions to contain it define the third.
March 28, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted a six-point peace plan to end his regime’s year-long crackdown (NYT) on anti-government protesters and opposition forces, said Kofi Annan, the joint UN-Arab League envoy to Syria. The announcement came as Assad made a rare visit to Homs, an opposition stronghold that has sustained continued military attacks over the past months. But Assad’s critics, including the United States, remained skeptical of his intentions. At the same time, Syrian soldiers targeted rebels taking cover along the border with Lebanon. Syrian activists claimed fifty-seven people were killed in clashes with government...
March 27, 2012 (Vietnamica) — After U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone on March 25 during his trip to South Korea for a nuclear security summit, he made the obligatory presidential remarks warning North Korea against continued provocations. He also praised the strength of U.S.-South Korean relations and commended the 28,500 U.S. troops stationed there. Obama’s visit itself is of little importance, but it is an opportunity to ask just what Washington’s strategy is in Korea and how the countries around North Korea (China, Russia, South Korea and Japan) view the region. As always, any understanding...
March 22, 2012 (Vietnamica) — Wholesale bullion fell hard in early London trade on Thursday, with the gold price dipping to nearly its lowest level in 2012 as world stock markets and commodity prices also fell. India’s jewelry sector remained on strike in protest at last week’s doubling of import duties, and “with physical demand not at full strength and waning investor enthusiasm, the potential for further downside in remains exposed,” says today’s note from Standard Bank.
March 22, 2021 (Vietnamica) — China’s social media services have begun blocking searches for Bo Xilai (WSJ), who was ousted as Chongqing party secretary last week, fueling popular speculation of a power struggle in the Communist Party leadership. As China faces growing internal and external calls for economic and political reforms, expert Minxin Pei looks at the political transition under way and discusses prospects for change in a CFR Interview.
