So.....Asia news update thread (X-posted to mine own LJ)....

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090514/ap_on_re_as/as_sri_lanka_civil_war;_ylt=Apqx_H8O9WB79epqxkB3cKhvaA8F

Presuming the Sinhalese manage this right, they might actually end this ethnic war. Not sure if this is necessarily going to be a pleasant end, but any limit on the endless violence that mars parts of the world is a good one.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=ed4bb249-5980-42e1-83b8-4ae233db2127&Headline=Political+crisis+in+Nepal+shows+signs+of+easing

For once the Commies are trying to negotiate in terms of power instead of doing what totalitarian movements do. Good on the CPN.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a3fOpnohjVL4

Japan and Russia may negotiate a deal to harness Siberian oil fields. That's better than shooting at each other, I guess....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090514/wl_nm/us_japan_politics_1

The Japanese parliamentary election is heating up.....

And lastly....SE Asia...

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/21867/84/

The Perak controversy appears to be veering to a solution.

How do you like them apples? A post that's chock-full of links, and not one focusing on the US distraction issue of the day! ^. -

Edit-The point I wanted to make is one for each article:

1)  How do you foresee the Tamil-Sinhalese war ending?

2)  Will the Communist Party of Nepal end up acting like other Maoist regimes? Or will its more-or-less peaceful rise to power avert that?

3)  How important will Siberia be until (if) we switch to our alternative form of energy?

4)  Who do you support in the Japanese parliamentary race?

5) How do you see the Perak controversy being resolved? Bribery or murder?

Comments

[mahnmut.livejournal.com]

That's very nice, but I'm missing your point. I don't know what to discuss. :-/

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

I don't understand. What does this have to do with Obama?

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Interesting idea, badlydrawnjeff calls this "a link dump".

[policraticus.livejournal.com]

1) How do you foresee the Tamil-Sinhalese war ending?

Badly for the Tamil Tigers. The Sinhalese are finally fighting to win and seem to be utterly destroying the Tamil insurgents ala Grant and Sherman in 1864. Good for Sri Lanka, I am thinking. Hopefully, they will use the ensuing peace to bring the country together, but that requires there to be a foresight and a magnanimity that is usually lacking in most parts of the world.

2) Will the Communist Party of Nepal end up acting like other Maoist regimes? Or will its more-or-less peaceful rise to power avert that?

I am tempted to say, "Maoist party is Maoist," and leave it at that. The Nepalese Maoists will act like other fascist totalitarians as soon as they feel secure enough to do so, which means when they have eliminated their rivals and jailed their critics.

3) How important will Siberia be until (if) we switch to our alternative form of energy?

We should be doing this kind of thing all over, ANWAR, off shore, etc. If nothing else we would do it without completely raping the environment which seems to be the Russian modus operandi. Barring a tech breakthrough of unprecedented scale fossil fuels will run the economy of the world for the next 50 years, we should face up to this and not bury our heads in the sand as we wait for a solar powered wind generator.

4) Who do you support in the Japanese parliamentary race?

I have no idea, nor do I care. Let us just say whoever is the most in favor of liberty and least in favor of invading Manchuria.

5) How do you see the Perak controversy being resolved? Bribery or murder?

This is an issue I have no knowledge of, no interest in and no opinion on. Call me provincial, my interest stops at Sri Lanka.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

1) It will not end until the Tamil's are given self-determination.

2) The military will attempt to suppress the Nepalese Communists (of all the various factions), and war will resume.

[ghoststrider.livejournal.com]

Oh come on, you can make more opinions than that, can't you?

But as for the Japanese election, I wish the DPJ will win if only because the country has been under the grip of the LDP almost continually since 1955. There needs to be change there, and while I may not agree with the DPJ's policy ideas, I think its better that they take a shot at governing while the LDP, uh, doesn't?