The Week (January 5)
Taiwan’s January 13 presidential election “will have major implications for domestic and global politics.” Current president Tsai Ing-wen is limited to two terms and must step down. Current favorite Vice President Lai Ching-te is likely to continue cozy relations with the U.S., further distancing Taipei and Beijing. His victory might “rankle Xi’s government and increase pressure in the form of military activities around the island.”
Tags: Beijing, Favorite, Implications, January 13, Lai, Military activities, Politics, Presidential election, Pressure, Rankle, Successor, Taiwan, Tsai, U.S., Victory, VP, Xi
New York Times (September 7)
President “Obama has made headway in reassuring Asian nations that the United States intends to remain a stabilizing presence in the region,” but China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea will increasingly dominate the future of the region and will present a complicated challenge for Mr. Obama’s successor to manage.”
Tags: Aggression, Asia, China, Headway, Obama, South China Sea, Stabilizing presence, Successor, U.S.
The Economist (January 23)
The death of King Abdullah “could hardly have come at a more challenging time for Saudi Arabia.” His successor “King Salman has inherited a realm that is the world’s top oil exporter at a time when prices have plunged; is home to Islam’s holiest sites of Mecca and Medina at a time when jihadist violence is at a peak; and has been dragged into turmoil in the region.”
Tags: Islam, Jihadist, King Abdullah, King Salman, Mecca, Medina, Oil, Prices, Saudi Arabia, Successor, Turmoil, Violence
