Letter From the Editors

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the March 2017 issue of The Diplomat Magazine.

In this month’s leads, we take a look at four stories months and years in the making. From the ongoing political scandal in South Korea, which broke open in October 2016 and will echo through this year’s eventual presidential election, to the Chinese government’s long history of sparring matches with Tibetan monasteries – a tale spanning hundred of years – this month’s issue is a reminder that some of Asia’s biggest stories have a lifespan that begins before and (especially in the case of the East China Sea tensions and Myanmar’s year-old democratic government) extends well after flashing headlines. Of course, as usual, we examine a range of stories, breaking and otherwise, in our section updates.

Last December, South Korean President Park Geun-hye was impeached and now it’s up to the country’s highest court to decide whether her removal from office will stand. While we wait for the court’s decision – which may not come until June – in this month’s cover story Steven Denney, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto, takes stock of the country’s political position, one of great uncertainty but (considering the circumstances) remarkable stability.

Then Lyle Morris, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, turns our attention to one of the Asia-Pacific's many maritime disputes: the long running test of wills between China and Japan over disputed waters and territory in the East China Sea. Morris charts out the emerging new “normal” between Tokyo and Beijing – a status quo below the threshold of outright conflict but with significant opportunities for accidents and escalation.

In March, the National League for Democracy marks its first full year at the helm in Myanmar. With the NLD’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, ruling from behind the throne, some promising progress has been made but significant hurdles remain. Christina Fink, a cultural anthropologist and a professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, runs through the party’s record so far.

In our final lead, M.A. Aldrich, author of the forthcoming book Ulaanbaatar: Beyond Water and Grass, outlines the historical background underlying Chinese government control over the reincarnation rituals of Vajrayana (or Tibetan) Buddhism. The modern-day Communist Party of China has resurrected a 250-year-old imperial decree to justify state control over Buddhism, particularly the Yellow Hat sect which embraces the Dalai Lama as its ultimate spiritual authority.

We hope you enjoy these stories and the many others awaiting our readers in the following pages.

Sincerely,
Shannon Tiezzi
Catherine Putz