There has been widespread speculation about the incoming U.S. administration's policy and overall take-it-or-leave-it attitude toward the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

When it comes to dealing with the Rohingya, a beleaguered Muslim community living in Myanmar, it seems both the formerly ruling military junta, and the present civilian setup under Aung San Suu Kyi, have a similar approach.

Many people ask me what is wrong with Taiwan politics. My answer is always the same: We don't have a leader. But I always add I take comfort in the fact that although Taiwan, with a population of 23 million people, certainly can't elect a good leader, the United States -- with a population 10 times as much -- has failed to elect a competent president for decades.

Having information tailored for us makes us feel in control, but at the same time, we are giving up control over what we consume, and whom we love and fight for.

Like a thief in the night, the burial of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos took us all by surprise. Even the people in Ilocos Norte, or at least the correspondent I heard on TV, said the first inkling that something may be happening was that a helicopter or helicopters had landed near or at Imee Marcos' residence early Friday morning.

Like many educators, I've long had a deep interest in cultural exchange between schools and individual students. I believe everyone wins when we bring people together to swap knowledge and views of life.

From across the Atlantic, Donald Trump eclipsed a U.N. conference which fought valiantly in Marrakesh to preserve momentum on curtailing climate change amid fears the mogul will fragment the global effort and starve it of cash.

The dramatic presidential contest and outcome in the United States has distracted attention from important election developments elsewhere in the world, including Asia.

Midway Through his tenure, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared war against black-money holders. On Nov. 8 he declared that currency notes of 500 and 1,000 rupee denomination were no longer legal tender.

Authoritarian regimes and dictators around the world must feel vindicated by the just concluded presidential race in the United States, the one-time champion of liberal democracy that had the habit of exporting if not imposing its political system and the accompanying values to the rest of the world.