Symbolism is about conveying emotive meaning. So, when North Korea’s Kim Jong-un and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in stood at the peak of the locally venerated Paektu Mountain in North Korea, near the Chinese border, and held their raised hands together, the symbolism was powerful; the two Koreas could, and would, work together. The gesture, at […]
Tag Archives: peace
Approaching the tenth anniversary of what has otherwise been described as one of the most successful peace agreements of recent times, Indonesia’s province of Aceh is on the verge of again being plunged into bloody conflict. Indonesia’s Defence Minister, the former hardline general Ryamizard Ryacudu, has threatened to return Aceh to military conflict status following […]
The 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that left almost a quarter of a million people dead and led to the worlds largest emergency aid program had a profound impact on two wars being fought in the region. In Aceh, Indonesia, it contributed to the end of three decades of bloody conflict; in Sri Lanka, the tsunami […]
As Timor-Leste went to the second round of the presidential elections, the peace that marked the first round appears to be holding. Apart from an incident in Viqueque District, there have been no notable outbreaks of violence, so far, to mar this electoral process. Many have congratulated Timor-Leste for this important achievement. The peaceful environment […]
It is usual to look forward to a new year with a degree of hope and optimism but, so far as much of Australia’s region is concerned, there is little chance for that. Given the conflicts that continue at varying levels of intensity in our part of the world, 2010 will probably go down in […]