Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics2. Democracy & Human Rights3. Ethnic and Religious Tensions4. Powerful Outside Interests5. Natural Hazards6. Global Environmental Change

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics

Globalization is reaching all parts of the world and it is now moving throughout SE Asia.

Define Globalization

Globalization is reaching all parts of the world and it is now moving throughout SE Asia.

Trade globalization is a type of economic globalization and a measure (economic indicator) of economic integration. On a global scale, it represents the proportion of all world production that is used for imports and exports between countries.

Trade is only one aspect of Globalization, but this aspect is having profound influences in SE Asia.

Globalization homogenizes the Earth. Global Tradediminishes diverse local industries and food crops in favor of the economic efficiency of global production and trade. Each country produces few products (food types), but over produces in order to export what they are good at creating and importing what they need.

This form of production and trade has been promoted by the United States and other global powers along with global financial institutions such as the World Bank.

Globalization has been able to reduce poverty in many areas, but has created other problems such as inequality, pollution, corruption, etc.

One aspect of globalization is the rise in the West’s values—its mindset and expectations and aspirations— democracy, consumerism, etc. Drives global consumerism.

It’s a material culture where manufacturing races to the bottom (lowest costs) to create a maximum profit.

Often most of the labor is done in developing countries and most of the profits go to developed nations.

Concerning Globalization, SE Asia has:

Cheap Labor

Natural resources, such as timber

Location between East Asia and South Asia / Africa

It is a mammoth project: 12 countries are negotiating to form an unprecedented free trade zone – the much-vaunted Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

After Japan joined the talks in July, the proposed agreement could encompass 800 million people in Asia and the Pacific region – home to almost 40% of global GDP and a quarter of world merchandise trade. Four Asean member states – Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Brunei – are in sitting down with the US, Chile, New Zealand, Canada, Peru, Australia, Mexico and Japan.

Iondonesia’s economy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7b5beLuB7c

There are winners and losers with globalizations. Usually corporations and corrupt government officials do well.

Global trade provides important economic earnings for different SE Asian countries.

For example: Cambodia’s garment industry is the country’s key foreign exchange earner – worth more than $5 billion this year (2012) alone, mostly in exports to the U.S. and the European Union. The sector is also Cambodia’s biggest formal employer, with 400,000 workers.

In November 2013 there were major garment worker protests in Cambodia.

Garment workers are angry that the government this week decided to boost the monthly minimum wage by just $15 – from $80 to $95. Many had expected it would double to $160. The new minimum wage is due to come into effect in April 2014.

In November 2013 there were major garment worker protests in Cambodia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c-30Vu_-70

Eric Stan An immediate raise in garment worker’s wages to $160 per month, like Sam Rainsy is proposing now, is completely irresponsible because of the immediate catastrophic effects it will have. All the factories will close and move to other countries where the labor is cheaper, like Bangladesh ($67), Burma ($53), or Vietnam ($78). This is a fact. Many of the companies in Cambodia now have already done this in the past. The garment industry in Cambodia makes up 80% of Cambodia’s total exports, which in 2012 was $4.61 billion USD.

Not only are workers protesting trade issues, but so are many of the indigenous people of SEAsia.

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics

2. Democracy & Human Rights

Democratization has been problematic across much of Southeast Asia, and the region’s governments generally possess lackluster human rights records, with most violations occurring around issues of press freedom and political dissent.

Countries like Vietnam, Laos (both communist), and Cambodia have largely foregone any efforts to democratize, whereas Indonesia has taken huge strides in democratization since 1998, as has Malaysia since 1986.

Despite a long history of political oppression against the Buddhist-inspired opposition, military-ruled Burma (Myanmar) has embarked on measured democratization since 2008.

Thailand has the most longstanding democracy in the region, though it too has experienced brief interludes of military intervention in politics as recently as 2006.

The politics of Brunei take place in a framework of an absolute monarchy, whereby the Sultan of Brunei is both head of state and head of government.

His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, is the head of state with full executive authority.

Democracy is facing a serious challenge in South-east Asia.

As popular sovereignty gains traction and ordinary voters really start to have a say in who governs, the traditional power alignments and ordering of societies are fracturing.

Faced with unpredictable outcomes at the ballot box that threaten their interests, usually conservative forces are resisting electoral change and challenging the legal basis of the democratic process.

In some cases they are doing this by harnessing popular protest and threatening violence, as is the case in Thailand. And when the establishment wins, the opposition cries foul and seeks to overturn the result, again using the power of the mob.

As a result, after a long period of struggle to establish democratic representation as the basis of government in the region, the electoral process is turning into a flashpoint for violence and conflict.

Sound familiar – Arab Spring -

Polar world – 2 sides

In Thailand, 14 years of turbulent democracy ended with a military coup in 2006. Elections eventually resumed, but after anti-government protesters camped in Bangkok's commercial center for months in 2013 demanding new elections, the government finally broke up the demonstrations and began shooting and arresting protesters.

The two sides in Thailand’s political struggle are hurtling towards what could be the most damaging confrontation yet to hit a country whose reputation for democratic and economic leadership in southeast Asia is crumbling. The opposition is boycotting elections called for February 2 and is intensifying efforts to not only overthrow the government, but also suspend the rule of parliament.

At a time when autocratic regimes are tightening their grip in neighboring countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, both sides in Thailand have chipped away at the credibility of one of the few relatively free countries in a region of growing financial power.

Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy and one of its newest. But while Indonesia is consolidating its democratic institutions and slowly making progress against endemic corruption, democracy elsewhere in Southeast Asia is in distress.

Elites hold tight to the reins of power across a diverse swath of Southeast Asia. The Philippians have families which hold onto power. Both Laos and Vietnam are legally one-party states, while Cambodia and Singapore, despite elections, are effectively so.

Malaysia holds competitive elections, but the media and freedom of assembly are so restricted the opposition cannot win at the national level. Malaysia's predominant political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), has held power since Malaysia's independence in 1957.

In recent years there have been large political protests in Malaysia, protesting a corrupt political system.

Bersih (clean) Political protest in Malaysia, 2011, Protesters wanted cleaner elections.

Perhaps to prevent another Bersih, the Malaysian Parliament has approved the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives police and government authorities broad powers to control and even ban street assemblies and protests.

Indonesia and East Timor are the only electoral democracies in Southeast Asia, according to Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that advocates for democracy and human rights. The Philippines and Thailand were considered electoral democracies until campaign violence in the former and the military coup in the latter caused Freedom House to change their status a few years ago.

To determine which countries meet that higher standard, Freedom House analyzes political rights, which include the electoral process, government operations and political pluralism and participation. It also analyzes civil liberties, which include freedom of expression and belief, associational and organizational rights, the rule of law and personal autonomy and individual rights.

Democracy in SE Asiahttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X0JZ4PWLpw

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics2. Democracy & Human Rights

3. Ethnic and Religious Tensions

Compared to most places in the world, Southeast Asia is subject to a disproportionally large number of cultural conflicts.

Remember, SE Asia is a fragmented environment, physically and culturally. Can Globalization bring these different fractions together?

Ethnic and Religious Tensions

Current Tensions: Myanmar – Buddhists and MuslimsMyanmar – Ethnic Burmese & Hill TribesVietnam – Vietnamese and HilltribesThailand – Thai government and Muslim rebelsPhilippians – Government and Muslim rebelsIndonesia – New Guinea IndependenceIndonesia – Muslim extremistsIndonesia – Moluccan islands – Christians & new settlers.Cambodia – Issues with Vietnamese and Thai

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics2. Democracy & Human Rights3. Ethnic and Religious Tensions

4. Powerful Outside Interests

Powerful Outside Interests

Throughout its history, SE Asia has been influenced by powerful outside interests, especially China and India, but also a prolonged period of European Colonialism.

Today economic interests draw in many outside players.

Powerful Outside Interests

Conflict over ocean territory

China seas video

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9259590/The-rock-that-could-start-a-war-China-and-Philippines-in-dispute-over-South-China-Sea-island.html

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics2. Democracy & Human Rights3. Ethnic and Religious Tensions4. Powerful Outside Interests

5. Natural Hazards

Natural Hazards

Earthquakes (Tsunamis) VolcanosTyphoons

http://www.dw.de/philippines-a-country-prone-to-natural-disasters/a-17217404

Southeast Asia has a number of current issues, many of which fall into the following 5 broad categories:

1. Globalization - Economics2. Democracy & Human Rights3. Ethnic and Religious Tensions4. Powerful Outside Interests5. Natural Hazards

6. Global Environmental Change

Global Environmental Change

Primary concern: Global Climate Change

But Also – DeforestationOverfishingSpecies ExtinctionPollution

Exposed and vulnerable: Southeast Asia is vulnerable to climate change for three main reasons:

1. Most of the population and economic activity is along the coastline, which is more vulnerable to physical impacts such as storms and rising sea levels.

2. The economy is closely linked to natural resources, such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries, which will be negatively affected by deterioration in climatic conditions.

3. Finally, the relative level of poverty in the region is high compared to the world average.

Southeast Asia is one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change. Last year, 176 million people in the region were affected by natural disasters such as flooding and cyclones, with 3.5 million displaced due to climate-related catastrophes.

The human and economic cost of climate change is already worrying, but experts warn this might only be the tip of the iceberg. Under current trends, more than 55 million Southeast Asians will be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050, leading to colossal migrations and salinisation of arable lands and freshwater reserves. Business-as-usual emissions could cause economic losses of $230 billion each year – or 6.7% of the region’s gross domestic product – by the end of the century.

With a current share of 3.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Southeast Asia is far from being a major contributor to the phenomenon.

However, today’s growing energy demand in Asean, fuelled by rapid population growth, urbanisation and industrialisation, is likely to double the region’s share in the near future.

The current situation calls for an immediate shift in environmental policies in the world, but also in the region. Investment in renewable energies and the end of mass deforestation – Cambodia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world – is necessary if Asean is to avoid a Waterworld-style destiny.

Related to climate change is weather variability and food vulnerability.

Many scientists are saying that he world is entering an era of permanent food crisis that will hit the poor hardest and spark social unrest. Ill-prepared and exposed to the elements, Southeast Asia remains particularly vulnerable

Unprecedented floodwaters besieged much of the region during 2011’s monsoon season, killing hundreds and wiping out 1.6m hectares of standing crop in Thailand alone. The all out weather assault on rice fields across Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam prompted fears of food shortages and spiralling food prices. However, as extreme weather patterns intensify, experts warn that food security concerns will increasingly become a reality in Southeast Asia.

The climate hazard index used in this study is a simple average of five standardized climate related hazards (cyclones, floods, and droughts in terms of average annual frequency of occurrence from 1980-2000, the degree of landslide risk, and the extent of a 5-meter inundation zone due to sea level rise).

World Bank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LllCa_hHfJo

Illegal wildlife trade

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN3dp3iDND0