Publications

The quarter began with high hopes, but it was all down hill after that. Beijing announced a “second phase” implementation plan at the Six-Party Talks, but as the new year tolled a “complete and correct declaration” of all North Korean nuclear programs was nowhere to be found. The ASEAN Charter was signed but hopes that Myanmar would somehow be penalized for its suppression of protests were dashed. The third East Asia Summit took place but left observers uncertain about its place in the greater multilateral mix. The global warming meeting produced a not very specific “Bali Roadmap.” Meanwhile, the democratic process was in evidence, with elections in Australia, South Korea, and Thailand, even as the Chinese were ruling that Hong Kong would not be ready for more representative government until at least 2017.