Sparsely inhabited by Tayal and Paiwan peoples, the island began to have commercial relations with China starting from the 10th century. VI-VII, but only in the century. XII became the destination of consistent Chinese migratory currents. In the first half of the century. XVII Europeans arrived there and used it as a base for their…
Category: Asia
Trump vs. TikTok
There has been a storm around TikTok after US President Donald Trump threatened to close the app in the US because he thought it was a threat to national security. The United States is not alone. Other countries are also considering a ban. Are dance videos something to worry about? Why are digital goods so…
G7 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: The United Kingdom has assumed the chairmanship of the G7 group of states for 2021. On February 19, 2021, the heads of state and government of the G7 countries met virtually for the first time, including the new President of the USA. The real G7 summit takes place 11. -13. June 2021 in Carbis…
Kashmir Conflict: Bad Neighbors since 1947 Part 2
However, much changed in the late 1980s. Local government became more corrupt, Delhi override increased, civil rights were violated. Similar things had happened in other states before, but the threat from Pakistan (which in 1965 had tried to conquer Kashmir) justified the presence of large military forces. In addition, the revolution in Iran, the war…
G-77 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: For 2019, the “State of Palestine” is chairing the 77-strong group in New York. The presidency of the G-77 is the highest political body within the organizational structure of the group, is regionally oriented (between Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean) and is held for one year. Background According to WHICHEVERHEALTH.COM, the G-77…
Kashmir Conflict: Bad Neighbors since 1947
India and Pakistan have been arguing over Kashmir for over 70 years. This summer, the conflict flared up again. What is the Kashmir conflict about? Who is involved? Why has the conflict lasted so long? Is there a solution? In August 2019, the protracted conflict over Kashmir took a new turn. The Indian parliament repealed…
Thailand History and Education
Thailand, officially Prathet Thai or Muang Thai, German Kingdom of Thailand, until 1939 and 1946–49 Siam (formerly also Sayam), state in Southeast Asia with 69.4 million residents (2018); The capital is Bangkok. Strong position of the military In September 1957, Pibul Songgram was overthrown by a coup by the military leadership and the constitution was…
G7 / G8 at a Glance
Development In 1975 the first “Summit of the Six” took place in Rambouillet (France). This meeting was already based on the idea of a personal exchange of views. At that time, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing saw the need to coordinate the economic policies of the most important national economies…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part III
The conflict over the interpretation of the law started before Trump, but is now at the forefront: Under Trump, the United States has blocked the appointment of judges in the WTO, so that the dispute resolution is threatened (see fact box). If the United States does not give up, there will be too few judges…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part II
5: America first – WTO sist? Several of Trump’s tariffs have been introduced with reference to US law and with unclear justification for WTO rules: Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum were introduced with reference to a 1962 US law authorizing the president to impose measures against imports that threaten national security. The GATT agreement…
Trump’s Customs War Challenges WTO Part I
Donald Trump scolds trade agreements, threatens tariffs and has gone to trade war against China. Will the World Trade Organization become the president’s next victim? Is President Trump allowed to impose tariffs on whomever he wants? What will be the effects of US trade policy? Is Trump’s Customs War Crisis in World Trade Organization? Under…
Nobel Peace Prize 2009: Obama Shows the Way Part II
4: Afghanistan – Pakistan Already during the election campaign, Obama made Afghanistan a major issue. It was in Afghanistan and not in Iraq that the central front in the fight against international terrorism was located. As president, Obama followed up this view by first sending another 21,000 US troops to Afghanistan. On March 27, he…
Iran and the United States Part III
6: Possible outcomes – 1st negotiations The EU3 / EU – the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Solana (EU’s Foreign Minister ‘) on behalf of the whole EU – have been negotiating with Iran – on and off – since 2003. Talks are continuing, but there is little evidence that they are making progress. For…
Iran and the United States Part II
It is uncertain whether the leaders have made any decision to make nuclear weapons. The same enrichment technology can be used for both civilian and military purposes – low enrichment for fuel for power plants and high enrichment for weapons purposes . In this sense, it is not necessary to make a decision long in…
Iran and the United States Part I
Iran and its ruling powers have long been a thorn in the side of many in the international community. For several years, several countries, led by the United States, have been trying to get Iran to stop enriching uranium. Iran insists that the country has no weapons plans with the enrichment. What is the prehistory…
Can the Olympics Create Peace on the Korean Peninsula? Part 2
5: The motives for participating Why are South Korea and the IOC so concerned that North Korea should participate in Pyeongchang? And why is it so important for totalitarian North Korea to take part in these very games? Pyeongchang has applied three times for the Winter Olympics, and in the beginning it was important to…
G8 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT : “The G8 are dead” – According to the Federal Chancellery, Russia will no longer be included in the G7, according to SPIEGEL on April 30, 2016. There are no indications that Moscow will meet the conditions for a return. In addition, the US is strictly against a resumption – this position is no…
India Arts History
The art of the Muslim period (XII-XV century) and of the following Moghūl (16th-18th century), characterized by constant Persian and Turkish tendencies, gave rise to interesting encounters with Hindu artistic traditions, which managed to manifest themselves with new expressive possibilities, often coming to blend in perfect synthesis with Islamic aesthetics (Indo-Muslim style). According to itypeauto,…
Can the Olympics Create peace on the Korean Peninsula?
North Korean participation in the Winter Olympics in South Korea is historic. The last time South Korea hosted the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, North Korea boycotted the Games and bombed a 115-passenger South Korean passenger plane. Now the neighbors have a common team, and the Pyeongchang Games can be a milestone for the Olympic…
G-24 at a Glance
Background According to HOWSMB.COM, the G-24 was founded in 1971 as an intergovernmental group for international monetary affairs and development. Goals Coordination of the position of the developing countries involved (own designation) at government level on aspects of financial policy and development, in particular on issues on the agenda of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)…
Places to Visit in Tibet, China
Often referred to as the roof of the world, Tibet is a highland in Central Asia. Separated by the Himalayan Mountains, Tibet has its own culture and formed its own states before the 7th century. Until the 20th century, Tibet was an independent state. According to hyperrestaurant.com, the current membership of Tibet in the People’s…
G20 at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT : The 2020 Summit took place from November 21-22 as a virtual meeting chaired by Saudi Arabia. Expectations were high, but so were the problems. The next summit will take place in Rome at the end of October 2021. Background According to HEALTHKNOWING.COM, the G20 is an informal group of 19 individual states and…
Russia Geography
Russia – key data Area: 17,098,242 km² (of which land: 16,377,742 km², water: 720,500 km²). Russia is the largest country in the world. Population: 138.7 million residents (estimate July 2011, CIA,Russia has the ninth largest population in the world). Composition: Russians 79.8%, Tatars 3.8%, Ukrainians 2%, Bashkirs 1.2%, Chuvashes 1.1%, other or no information 12.1%…
China-CEEC at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: On April 12, 2019, the eighth meeting of the heads of government of China and Central and Eastern European countries took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The cooperation of this group is also known as “China-CEEC Cooperation” or “16 + 1”. Background According to GRADCHEM.COM, the cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries,…
Azerbaijan History before 1991
Early and ancient times The earliest evidence of a settlement in North Azerbaijan is sometimes up to 200,000 years old (Chanlar, Baku, Kedabek), finds from the Neolithic (rock art from Kobustan) and the Chalcolithic (near Mingechaur, Chodschaly) show people’s ties to hunting and fishing, keeping pets and becoming familiar with copper as the basis of…
Asia Pacific Greater Organizations
Organizations in the Asia-Pacific Context The graphic gives an overview of the membership in important organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. The focus is on APEC with its 21 members (red frame). It includes not only East Asian and Pacific countries, but also countries in North America and Latin America. Europe is connected to this area,…
ASEM at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: The 12th ASEM Summit (ASEM12) was held on 18./19. October 2018 in Brussels hosted by the European Union. The next summit is scheduled to take place in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, in 2020. According to ELECTRONICSENCYCLOPEDIA.COM, ASEM stands for Asia-Europe Meeting. Background ASEM is an informal forum for political dialogue and a…
ARF and BRF at a Glance
ARF AT A GLANCE According to DICTIONARYFORALL.COM, ARF stands for ASEAN Regional Forum. Background The forum was founded in 1994 with an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Bangkok. The ARF adds a security component to the political dialogue between ASEAN and its partners. The ARF is the only institutionalized security policy dialogue forum in the…
LAS at a Glance
SPOTLIGHT: The first summit between the Arab League and the EU took place on 24./25. February 2019 in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt and ended with a less informative final declaration. The focus was on refugee policy and the fight against terrorism. Overall, better cooperation is to be achieved. The date for the next summit makes…
SCO and CAN at a Glance
THE SCO AT A GLANCE Background The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (abbreviated as SCO according to BESTEDUCATIONSCHOOLS.COM) is an international organization founded in June 2001. It emerged from the organization founded in 1996 as “Shanghai 5” by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. In the same year (2001) Uzbekistan joined the SCO. India and Pakistan were…