New Delhi, India — The recent climate conference in Copenhagen saw the emergence of a new trinity at the head-of-state level. With the economic center of gravity shifting eastward, it is imperative that the United States partners with India and China to play a leadership role in world affairs.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The issue of war crimes has come to the fore once again in Sri Lanka, due to an assertion by former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka regarding the killing of LTTE leaders. Fonseka admitted hearing accounts of LTTE leaders carrying white flags who were not allowed to surrender.

New Delhi, India — Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart Yukio Hatoyama launched on Tuesday an action plan to take their security dialogue, including counter-terrorism, to the “next stage" and gave a push to a key economic pact. But a breakthrough in the critical civil nuclear area eluded them.

Bangkok, Thailand — Feelings are running high in Burma due to the sad news that Tin Tin Htwe, a 38-year-old woman arrested during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, reportedly died of heart disease in Insein Prison hospital on Dec. 23. She is the third political prisoner known to have died this year from lack of proper medical care.

Beijing, China — Democracy advocates marched to China’s Liaison Office in Hong Kong on Monday calling for the release of Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison Friday for advocating democratic reforms in China. Other supporters said they shared his guilt and offered to go to jail with him.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — In the two years since the Maoists won Nepal's legislative elections, experts have blamed Indian communists, declared that Indo-Nepal relations are doomed, and said China is capitalizing on the Maoist victory to undermine India. They ignore the poverty and casteism that led Nepalese to support the Maoists.

Washington, DC, United States — Pakistan is teetering on the edge of political disaster after its Supreme Court revoked a general amnesty, decreed by former President Pervez Musharraf, for more than 8,000 politicians guilty of corruption, financial bungling, misuse of authority and various and sundry criminal charges.

Beijing, China — Going to karaoke parlors is a popular way to spend leisure time or relieve stress in China. But a new official program to block “vulgar” or politically sensitive lyrics is dragging this noisy but generally harmless pastime into the limelight.

New Delhi, India — Communists have long influenced India’s polity and foreign policy. But the government is now regretting that in 2007 India handed over its “Nepal desk” to communist leader Sitaram Yechuri, who facilitated the virtual Maoist takeover of Nepal. Ironically, the Maoists now say their real enemy is India.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Will the Tamil people in Sri Lanka vote for former army commander General Sarath Fonseka or the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election next month? About 25 percent of the electorate are ethnic minorities and their vote can be decisive if the majority Sinhalese votes are split.

Boston, MA, United States — The people of Pakistan have long fought valiantly for justice, fairness and equality, staring down the forces of totalitarianism. But today, the public institutions that were once thought weak and powerless are asserting their authority and have joined with citizens in the long march toward democracy.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Pressure against Thailand's ruling Democrat Party is maintaining a steady course. Accused of bribery, malfeasance, incompetence and foot-dragging, among other things, the Democrats and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva are weathering one storm after another. But it is unlikely that Parliament will be dissolved.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Nepal’s 60-member delegation to the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen included not only politicians but their family members and supporters, who tagged along to visit Denmark at taxpayers' expense. It is no secret that in Nepal, like empathy and responsibility, money is scarce.

Wuhan, China — Expectations have been low that the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen would really yield a global framework for coping with climate change. The fact that delegates can sit and argue over their right to pollute the Earth suggests that this problem is not really as urgent as they say.

New Delhi, India — India’s Parliament has been unable to function normally in recent days, and life in the state of Andhra Pradesh has come to a halt as people in one region are demanding their own state. It is time for India to consider restructuring its state system to ensure better governance.

Ningbo, China — There is dim hope that an agreement will be reached during the summit on global warming currently under way in Copenhagen, Denmark. Unfortunately debates and quarrels persist in the face of an urgent need for global consensus for the sake of humanity and the security of our planet.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka is free from large-scale armed rebellion for the first time since the mid-1970s. The presidential election next year will determine whether the country can decentralize government power and meet the needs of all the country’s people to ensure there will be no return to violence.

Beijing, China — China on Monday took another draconian step toward the censorship of independent views by banning all private websites. Under new regulations, no one can register a domain name without presenting a business license or a license from a government-approved organization.

Manipal, India — Those intent on ensuring that the climate change conference in Copenhagen is free of participants from poor countries did well to fix the venue at an expensive city. The Christmas season has ensured that airfares are high and low-cost accommodation has been taken up by visitors from developed countries.

Beijing, China — Chinese authorities have begun another round of tightened controls on websites in the name of combating pornography and pirated content. But analysts say the government is clamping down on users sharing sensitive information.

New Delhi, India — India and Russia rediscovered each other in a meeting of minds and hearts during three-days of talks in Moscow that began on Saturday with both sides signing six significant deals including a no-strings-attached civilian nuclear deal. The successful summit has ended years of “cold” bilateral relations.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — The advent of former army commander General Sarath Fonseka as a presidential candidate has set off a vigorous debate about the dangers of a militarized leadership. At the same time, his entry to the political contest has rejuvenated the opposition and revived public interest in the elections.

Seoul, South Korea — Challenges facing North Korea in the wake of its currency revaluation could provide a chance for outside economic influence to end the nuclear standoff, Seoul analysts say. The advice comes as U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth arrived in North Korea Tuesday to urge a return to the six-party talks.

West Lafayette, IN, United States — Last week 16 people were arrested in Kathmandu, Nepal for protesting outside the Indian Embassy against an 1816 treaty between British India and Nepal. The politically motivated Maoists have led calls to renegotiate this treaty, but many Nepalese agree that relations with India need to be updated.

Syangbokche, Nepal — Nepali Prime Minister Madhav K. Nepal took the issue of global warming to new heights on Friday – literally. He met with the entire Nepali Cabinet on Mt. Everest to highlight the dangers of global warming in the Himalayas, whose glaciers hold the world’s largest store of ice outside the polar ice caps.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Despite denials on the Red Shirt television channel, conjecture abounds that former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has made a huge investment mistake in Dubai and has now lost a sizeable portion of his finances in the Gulf debacle. Can he juggle his financial strains and political ambitions?

Seoul, South Korea — Will North Koreans agree to return to the long-stalled nuclear disarmament negotiations when they meet U.S. envoys next week? Not likely, Seoul officials say. They suspect the North's invitation of a U.S. delegation is aimed at buying time to increase its nuclear arsenal and win more concessions.

New Delhi, India — The Liberhan Commission – set up by the Indian government on Dec. 16, 1992 to investigate the destruction of the Babri Mosque on Dec. 6 that year – has submitted its report after 17 years. Expectedly, it blames the entire Bharatiya Janata Party leadership for the incident and exonerates the Congress Party.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — With Sri Lanka's presidential elections to be held on Jan. 26, 2010, the government has been moving swiftly to appeal to the Tamil minority, undoing the structures of war with amazing speed. But the efforts may be rejected by Tamil voters as a political ploy to obtain their electoral support.

Bangkok, Thailand — Burma today is at an intersection. The incumbent military regime wants to maintain the status quo while the mainstream population desires a new chapter of change. People are demanding freedom of expression and association while the junta is stubbornly disallowing citizens their basic rights.

Beijing, China — Taiwan officials were paying close attention to the mid-November visit to China of U.S. President Barack Obama, looking for any signs that Obama was applying his mantra of “change” to Sino-U.S. relations or to U.S. policy toward Taiwan.

Xiangtan, China — A prominent principle in Chinese diplomacy nowadays is the policy of nonalignment. But in fact, China has a military alliance with North Korea that it has failed to fully implement. If the Sino-North Korean alliance were strong, North Korea would not feel the need for nuclear weapons.

Ningbo, China — When U.S. President Barrack Obama met Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing last week, he promised to pursue a “positive, cooperative and comprehensive” relationship with China. But can these two countries really work together on global problems when a basic mistrust still remains between them?

New Delhi, India — A stable and secure Afghanistan is not in the interest of the forces that run Pakistan today. One of the most important reasons is that once Afghanistan becomes strong, secure and stable, it will demand the return of its territories, particularly Waziristan, which Pakistan will not easily allow.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s upcoming elections are likely to be closely contested, with former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka the expected opposition candidate. As the general will appeal to the same electorate as President Mahinda Rajapaksa, this will compel the government to look to ethnic minority support as well.

Boston, MA, United States — As he begins his second term as president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai carries the hopes of an entire nation on his shoulders. He has managed, for now, to rally the Afghan people to his side. But it remains unclear whether Karzai does indeed intend to act in the best interests of Afghanistan.

Manila, Philippines — Petty but detrimental infighting among ASEAN members has aroused disgust and concern in the region. The U.S.-ASEAN Summit was an opportunity for regional leaders to resolve their conflicts, but the diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia has only worsened, exposing ASEAN’s inability to foster unity.

Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — “Thaksin’s the obstacle. He’s uprooting our relations with Cambodia,” Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vajjajiva said about the two kingdoms’ rocky diplomatic road. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is rumored to have traded Thai sovereignty for oil concessions from Cambodia, but both sides deny this.

Xiangtan, China — Obama’s first visit to China has elicited many positive remarks and expectations of improved Sino-U.S. relations. But can we say relations have entered a new phase of strategic opportunity and will remain stable in the long term? It might be too early to draw such a conclusion.

Toronto, ON, Canada — Political power in the United States is so well distributed that at times it becomes dysfunctional, as with the current healthcare debate. The executive and legislative branches are at odds thanks to the financial intervention of the healthcare industry. U.S. democracy has to learn to deal with such logjams.

Seoul , South Korea — In contrast to the tough summits he faced in China and Japan, U.S. President Barack Obama perhaps felt more at ease during his meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday, with bilateral relations on an upswing. But officials and businessmen felt his 22-hour stop was too short.

Colombo, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not announce the dates for upcoming general and presidential elections on Nov. 15 as expected. The president may want to delay an election in light of the emergence of former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka as a potential challenger for the presidency.

Kolkata, India — Reports suggest that U.S. President Barack Obama is likely to adopt a “neutral” stand on issues such as the Indo-China border dispute during his China visit. Indian officials are concerned over what they see as a climb down in U.S. commitment to the Indo-U.S. strategic alignment.

Beijing, China — U.S. President Barack Obama’s meeting with Chinese youth in Shanghai on Monday was hardly the open exchange that the president had hoped for. Instead of an unscripted “town hall” meeting, he got a carefully controlled event with specially selected participants and restricted media coverage.

Manipal, India — Those familiar with Afghanistan are aware that only 17 percent of the money spent in that country is in the control of President Hamid Karzai’s government. The rest is disbursed under instructions from NATO countries or the United Nations. And it is no secret that NATO elements are involved in the drugs trade.

Toronto, ON, Canada — The United States set China on the course to modernization and military power. Now China’s ambitions, its rapid growth and emergence as a global power have far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world, including the United States. China must be contained to avoid future problems.

Beijing, China — U.S. President Barack Obama has set out on his first visit to Asia, including China. Chinese officials and citizens are pleased that Obama will spend four days during his seven-day trip in China. But few people expect his visit to bring substantial progress on key issues.

Manipal, India — More than radical Islam, the threat to the primacy of the West will come from Sinic civilization, centered in the People’s Republic of China. Only India, in alliance with the West, can balance China’s expansion. India is more closely aligned to Western values and geopolitical needs.

Xiangtan, China — Despite its rapid rise in the region, China is embarrassed by the stance taken by many of its neighbors. While interacting with China more in terms of trade and other economic and civil exchanges, they keep a wary eye on China and keep encouraging the United States to balance its influence.

Seoul, South Korea — North Korea has intensified the personal security of its leader, Kim Jong Il, when he travels around the country, in an apparent bid to prevent a possible attack. Public discontent is mounting after the regime imposed tougher crackdowns on street markets it had tolerated for years.