Exploits in Southeast Asia
Manila (CNN) The old world ambiance of Manila's Cafe Adriatico is unmistakable. Wooden furnishings, brushstroke paintings and soft music are all a reminder of an era gone by. Located in the older neighborhood of Malate, Cafe Adriatico is a memento of what Manila once was. It's now obscured by the urban decay that epitomizes the bayside origins …
Continue reading Heritage and hilarity: Funnyman’s mission to save Old Manila (CNN)
I, after much internal debate, recently decided to leave Myanmar, clocking in my stay at a year and a half. But I didn't go before getting one last story on Editor Yoshi's desk at Newsweek Japan's office in Tokyo. The team there has been greatly interested in the country's transitional politics play, given that business links between the …
Continue reading Myanmar enters crucible of its democratic transition (Newsweek)
Than Zaw’s Yangon teashop may lack the laminated wooden tables of the restaurant across the narrow lane, but where elegance is absent a rough charm replaces it. There is a countryside simplicity that endears his shop. Its knee-high tables, stapled-together plastic chairs and alfresco setup seem more apt for a dusty farmer’s lot than a …
Continue reading Myanmar’s transition from the seat of a teashop
President Barack Obama on November 12 will make his second visit to Myanmar to join the East Asia Summit in the nation's capital, Nay Pyi Daw. Following the APEC meetings in Beijing, the ASEAN-led summit will allow Obama and China's President Xi Jinping the chance to flex policy muscles in Southeast Asia, the core battleground for influence in the region. Obama's "pivot east" …
Continue reading Southeast Asia’s “Swing Nations”: Obama makes 2nd Myanmar visit
On a street stacked block by block with colonial British buildings, the Government Telegraph Office doesn’t instinctively stick out. Like so many of its neighbors, the façade is grimy and crumbling. There always seems to be a soft trickle of water flowing from exposed blue plumbing pipes, which water lively patches of ferns and moss …
Continue reading Myanmar’s telegram system buzzes on (The Diplomat)
Justin Calderón 