Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies faculty members Dr. Steven Kim and Dr. Saira Yamin both had articles published recently.

Dr. Kim had an article entitled “North Korea is not Burma” published July 19 in East Asia Forum, which provides a platform for the best in East Asian analysis, research and policy comment on the Asia Pacific region and world affairs, according to their website. Here is an excerpt:

“The recent reforms in Burma have prompted discussions about the likelihood that North Korea might embark on a similar path. Both countries are poor, isolated, repressive, nationalistic and considered pariahs by the international community. Given the similarities, the reasons that compelled the Burmese military junta to change may also lead North Korea to do the same in the future. But this reasoning is faulty because North Korea is not Burma.”

Dr. Yamin’s article entitled “The case for compulsory voting” was published July 23 in the  Express Tribune, a leading Pakistani newspaper run in partnership with the International Herald Tribune. Here is an excerpt from her article:

Is there a case for compulsory voting in Pakistan? As the next general elections draw nearer, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) should consider measures for strengthening the electoral process such that it contributes to more effective functioning of the state. Introducing a compulsory voting law provides one such opportunity; the timing for such an effort could not be better. Public participation in policy formulation is implicit in the concept of democracy and voting is one of its most — if not the most — important aspect.

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The views expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of APCSS, the U.S. Pacific Command, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.