Suchergebnisse

The influences of two major religions – Buddhism and Islam - are interwoven in Ladakhi history and contemporary society. However, by comparison with Buddhism, the study of Islam has often been neglected. This essay offers a reading guide as a basis for further study. It draws on a range of sources in Asian and European languages, including texts published locally in Ladakh, as well as academic monographs and articles in specialist international journals. The essay begins with a discussion of the key historical texts before looking more closely at Ladakh's links with Central Asia, and the political and cultural impact of Islam in its relationship with Baltistan and Kashmir. The essay then examines the role of Ladakhi and Kashmiri (Kha che) Muslims in facilitating Ladakh's diplomatic and commercial exchanges with central Tibet. It concludes with a review of recent studies on contemporary social and political developments.

For years Japan's economic and technological superiority meant that it seemed to belong to a category of its own - an offshore archipelago that had more in common with the United States and western Europe than its immediate neighbours. Now China is challenging Japan for the title of the world's second largest economy and, against a background of deep-seated economic and political problems at home, it is time for a reassessment. How should Japan engage with its Asian neighbours? And, by extension, what is the future of its cornerstone alliance with the US? Adapted from the source document.

China is now Japan's largest trading partner, eclipsing even the US, but the countries remain far apart politically. The author questions whether or not a rapprochement is possible given the anti-Japanese protests that spread across China in 2005.

'Living Silence. Burma under Military Rule' by Christina Fink, 'Burma. Political Economy under Military Rule' edited by Robert H. Taylor and 'The Making of Modern Burma' by Thant Myint-U are reviewed.