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Ai Weiwei: From Porcelain Seeds to Chinese Prison?

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei holds some porcelain sunflower seeds from his installation at The Tate Modern in London on October 11, 2010. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Policy

The outspoken Chinese artist is the latest Chinese progressive to be detained in a government crackdown that began in February.

April 4th by Melissa Chiu | Comments

Asia Needs More Women Leaders

Asia Society President Vishakha Desai speaks at Asia Society's Women Leaders of New Asia summit in Singapore on April 2, 2011.
Lifestyle

Asia Society President Vishakha Desai's Op-Ed in the Huffington Post.

April 1st by Vishakha N. Desai | Comments

George Packer Chosen to Write Bio of Richard Holbrooke

Former Asia Society Chairman Richard Holbrooke, shown here at a press conference in Brussels in October 2010. (Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images)
Policy

Packer's book on Richard Holbrooke will also be a history of American foreign policy over the past 50 years. 

April 1st by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

Jazz Musician Vijay Iyer to Launch New Album with Trio 'Tirtha' This Weekend at Asia Society

Tirtha. (Photo courtesy of the artists)
Arts Acclaimed Indian–American pianist–composer Vijay Iyer launches his new trio and album — both named Tirtha
March 31st by Shreeya Sinha | Comments

Video: Gerald L. Curtis on 'Misreporting' in Western Media About Japan Crisis

Gerald L. Curtis, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, will appear at
Policy

If you happen to be in New York City on Monday, April 4, we urge you to attend an important Asia Society town hall meeting on the ongoing crisis in Japan, entitled "Looking Ahead to Recovery." The 6:30pm event — which will also be broadcast live at asiasociety.org/live — features an esteemed group of panelists based both in the United States and Japan.

March 31st by Dan Washburn | Comments

Vishakha Desai: Not Enough 'Globally Minded' Pols in Washington

Asia Society President and CEO Vishakha Desai on CNBC's Squawk Box on Thursday, March 31, 2011.
Business

Asia Society President and CEO Vishakha Desai, in Singapore for the Women Leaders of New Asia conference, appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box Thursday morning local time, speaking about U.S.-China trade relations.

"There is definitely a discussion underway on the Hill and on Main Street America about protectionism — somehow that China is taking the jobs away — without understanding exactly how the complexity of trade works," Desai said.

March 31st by Dan Washburn | Comments

Controversial Book on Mahatma Gandhi Makes Waves Across India

Indian boys sitting on the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad in Aug. 2009. (Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images)
Lifestyle

Great Soul — Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India, the new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times editor Joseph Lelyveld, has stirred controversy and anger in India over references to the Father of India's alleged racism, bisexuality, sexual perversion, and even political ineptitude that could actually have impeded India's independence struggle.

March 30th by Komal Hiranandani | Comments

Video: India vs. Pakistan Means 'Cricket Commotion'

Lifestyle On Wednesday, fierce rivals India and Pakistan will battle it out in the semifinals of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
March 29th by Komal Hiranandani | Comments

Cricket World Cup: An Unlikely Vote for the Men in Green

Ramachandra Guha at Asia Society New York on March 25, 2011.
Lifestyle

Pakistan's World Cup cricket team drew support from an unexpected source here at the Asia Society last Friday, when eminent Indian historian Ramachandra Guha explained to Christopher Lydon why he's rooting for Pakistan in the March 30 World Cup semifinal.

In the following clip, Guha genially explains to Lydon, "I am not a jingoist .... I want Pakistan to win for two reasons. One is a negative reason and one is a positive reason."

Watch Ramachandra Guha:

March 28th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

A Boy, a Snake, and the Commercialization of Cambodia

Camera phone image taken on the Tongle Sap in Cambodia by Jamie Metzl.
Lifestyle

I loved being back in Cambodia a couple of weeks ago. I had lived in the country from 1991 to 1993 when I was working as a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). Cambodia is an incredible place with spectacular people. The country’s shift from then to now is remarkable in so many ways.

March 24th by Jamie Metzl | Comments

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