Asian Geographic Issue 04/2017 (126) | Page 10

{ EDITOR’S NOTE } ASIAN Geographic can be found on board and at the following locations Airlines & Lounges Clubs & societies Image © Eric Lafforgue CAFÉS & Restaurants “The ballot is stronger than the bullet” Abraham Lincoln tOURISM BOARDS L ast 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 e ven 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. A L E X W. C A M P B E L L attractions commercial centres hotels & resorts Newsstand Distribution ASIAN Geographic can be found in the following countries. If you have difficulty finding us on newsstands, please contact our distributors: ChinA and HONG KONG Times Publishing (HK) Ltd; INDONESIA Java Books; Philippines Alpha Stream Marketing; Malaysia Pansing Marketing Sdn Bhd; Singapore Singapore Press Holdings Ltd; THAILAND Asia Books Co Ltd media correspondents India, Sri Lanka RMA Media, Faredoon KUKA • [email protected] Nepal, Bangladesh Media South Asia (P) Ltd • [email protected] Thailand Radius • [email protected] China Hainan Periscope Social Media Company • [email protected] Japan Keiichi ARANTANI • [email protected] Other Asian Geographic Magazines Pte Ltd publications & events: a