Asian Geographic2017

{ EDITOR’S NOTE}

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet”

Abraham Lincoln

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Last year’s political road was bleak, and 2017 has already hit its fair
share of potholes: Bigots are in the big seats of government, the war
continues to devastate Syria, and news of terrorist attacks defile our
newsfeeds with increasing regularity. However, there’s another perspective
espoused by some political analysts, such as Fareed Zakaria and Kishore
Mahbubani: Despite appearances, the world has become more peaceful.
The “best of times, worst of times” dichotomy is really dependent on
where you find yourself in the world. Research by institutes like the Global
Peace Index has shown that peaceful countries are becoming more peaceful,
while less peaceful nations are becoming more dangerous. Some countries
plagued by a history of violence are making new inroads towards peace,
and even the most unlikely of heroes are making a difference: In Cambodia,
rats are sniffing out landmines (p78) and youth from Israel and Palestine are
engaging in the hope of eliminating their inheritance of hatred (p84).
Politically, contemporary Asia is a crucible. Countries isolated for decades
during the Cold War have emerged onto the world stage, and they want a part
in the next act. This is destabilising the unilateral world order, particularly
with the rise of China, which has roared into power following economic
reforms, raising a few eyebrows amongst traditional collectivists (p42).
Placing countries into fixed political boxes is problematic. Democracy is
a tag touted liberally by many countries and, in some instances, the claim
is borderline ironic – the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” as a case
in point (p18). Nevertheless, we have mapped out the political landscape
of Asia, using the Democracy Index as a guiding light. The transition to
democracy is rarely smooth, and this has proved true for Myanmar, which is
being terribly impacted by civil strife between armed ethnic groups (p30).
Despite crackdowns on dissenters, artists have risen to challenge the
status quo, and fuel intellectual debate in political cultures that look to
subdue them – often at great personal cost (p64). In this issue, we champion
the bravery of these revolutionaries making themselves heard in the region.

Image © Eric Lafforgue

ALEX W. CAMPBELL

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