China's increased spending on military material causes concern among neighboring countries.

Background

Asia is gearing up this year, with China becoming the continent’s new leading military spending power. China, Japan and India rank 2nd, 6th and 7th respectively in the list of the 10 countries with the most military spending in 2011. Whereas the US cut down their expenses in 2011 due to the imminent withdrawal of the US military from Iraq as well as Afghanistan, and the financial crisis put a dampener on Europe’s defense spending, Asia and Oceania have increased their military expenditure by an estimated 2.3%. Trends show that this number is likely to increase during the next few years as .

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has spent an estimated $143 billion on their military in 2011. The country’s excessive spending has caused concern in the surrounding regions and many steps have been taken to counter this new potential superpower. China’s increase in military expenditures has lead to other countries in the Asia Pacific to follow suit with Japan, South Korea and India as the forerunners. Strategic attention has also been drawn to Asia, with the US announcing their new strategy, famously titled the US “pivot” to Asia, to expand their military presence and enhance relations in Asia.

The upgrading does not only have far reaching implications for an increasingly strained mood in the Asia Pacific, but it also brings complex military ties and old, historical scars to the surface. South Korea and Japan still feel anxious towards each other, as the anti-Japanese sentiment has not faded by much since the Korean Peninsula’s occupation by the Japanese in the first half of the 20^th century. Meanwhile, Vietnam and the Philippines have endeavored to deepen their ties over the decades and also teamed up in the ASEAN sphere to work against China’s interests. With the tensions in the South China heating up, Vietnam and the Philippines have both reached out to their American ally, who has become a vital friend over the years.   

Why are Military Ties and Expenditures in Asia Relevant?

The increase in spending goes in line with the economic growth in Asia. However, the tensions in the South China Sea as well as several border disputes between countries are the main reasons for the increased military expenditure. While on the one hand many Asian countries simply feel the need to protect themselves, the military upgrading on the other hand is establishing a new regional balance as countries assert their claims for new regional power. Military ties are decisive for the faith of the involved countries and even if the rise in military spending does not bring about an Asian arms race, the rivalry and tensions are inducing an atmosphere of gloom in the Asia Pacific region.

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It often times seemed to my siblings and me that my family is the only one in my hometown not to own an Asian diner or restaurant. My parents have been living in Germany for more than 30 years now, but even though my mother is a culinary master and could easily appease the Germans’ hunger for the Asian cuisine, it has never occurred to them to open up a restaurant.

However, I have learned early on that my family takes food and the whole food culture itself very seriously. The Vietnamese usually don’t say that they celebrate a birthday but it’s a Vietnamese idiom to say that they “eat a birthday”. Although it may seem incomprehensible to others, there is some if not a lot of truth in that.

Though food certainly isn’t the center of our attention, more than enough is always served. I often perceived our family gatherings for special occasions degenerate into self-indulgent eating. Any festivity celebrated can be connected to a dish or pastry that is specifically prepared for it. Various regions in Vietnam have their own local specialty which they are known for. Food is essential in our culture especially when it comes to celebrations, and carries with it much more meaning than first seems.  

Under the watchful eyes of my grandfather, we set up an altar in our living room for our ancestors when I was little. There, beautiful bowls filled with fruits and rice symbolized the offering for our ancestors. It represents a gift as well as a meal for our descendants as we think of them whose spirits still surround and protect us. We remember the people who nurtured us and without whom our life as we live it now would not exist. The worship of ancestors is linked with the Confucian ideal of filial piety but to have food as an offering or give it as a present has become custom and tradition because the Vietnamese attribute great value to it. While appearance is suggestive of a person’s personality and social standard in much of the Western world, the Vietnamese are likely to conclude from how food is presented and how it is cooked to the character of people and family.

Food constitutes social relations and matters for our cultural understanding because it establishes relationships and functions as a means of communication. Inviting people over to dinner on more or less on every occasion is common. Close friends, relatives or complete strangers – food is the way to go. It is a gesture of courtesy, a way to get to know people and show our gratitude. One of the first question asked by the Vietnamese is not “How are you?” but “Have you already eaten?”, only to invite them for a meal if they haven’t. Others consider it polite to invite people out for dinner, but the Vietnamese tend to invite people to their home. Why? Because preparing a Vietnamese meal is truly an art which is not only dependent on the right ingredients but also various concepts completely unknown to many.

Not that it would be difficult enough to simply cook a good meal but the composition of it matters even more so. Rice, the most stereotypical crop associated with Asia, indeed surrounds the Vietnamese cuisine and culture everywhere we go. We fry it, we cook it; we have rice cakes, sticky rice dishes and rice noodles. While rice in its different forms serves as the most basic component of a dish, the importance lies in what accompanies it.

Have you ever looked at an Asian dish and were wondering about the seemingly perfect set of colors and forms it is composed of? The answer lies in yin and yang;  the concept that the Vietnamese have adapted from the Chinese and transferred to their cooking. Specific foods are thought be of a yin- nature, meaning that they signify the “cold” in the dish, while certain foods of a yang- nature are thought have a “warm” character. In every meal, there has to be a certain sense of balance; a “warm” food always needs to be accompanied by a “cold” food. Besides yin and yang, there’s a rule of trinity in food that one has to follow religiously. A decent Vietnamese meal is composed of a soup, something like a vegetable stir-fry and a good quality, proper piece of meat or fish; three is a whole, stable number that symbolizes completion and perfection. Even the simplest meal follows at least a variation of this set. Harmony is the meat and potatoes to the Asian secret art of cooking.

Yet in the end, food can have as many functions and meanings as it would like to. Food and the whole culture that comes with it are of great significance simply because it connects us with our home and family. It reminds me of my roots and though having condemned the Vietnamese cuisine when I was living at home, I now yearn for the hot bowl of rice that awaits me there every time I come back.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect 51勛圖’s editorial policy.

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The transition from a military rule to democracy will be a long process but the government with President Thein Sein at the helm shows that Myanmar is moving in the right direction.

Background

Myanmar is slowly but strongly undergoing major changes. Having been ruled by a military regime that was established in 1962 after a coup d'état, the current civilian government was formed after a controversial general election held in November 2010 and is now led by former Prime Minister Thein Sein (now President). With him, several other generals stepped down from their military positions before the election to take part in the elections through the   (USDP), a political party that was formed to succeed the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), which was an organization that supported the military junta and was known for its radical stance and violent political acts.

The 2010 election has been strongly condemned by the international community. Many regarded the newly elected civilian government as only serving as a legitimate instrument for the military’s actions. Thein Sein’s deep-rooted affiliation with the military and the fact that the government is staffed with many former generals loyal to the junta only made it more difficult to believe that Myanmar would be moving towards democratization any time soon. The military junta reserved 25% of the seats in Burma’s new parliament for itself and released unjust election laws that made it almost impossible for leading oppositional figures to take part. The National League for Democracy (NLD), the main opposition party headed by Aung San Suu Kyi, had previously won the 1990 election by a high majority but was never able to take power as the military junta under Senior General Than Shwe refused to accept their victory. The NLD’s decision to not even register for the 2010 elections because of the electoral laws, made the election seem even more questionable.

Now, it seems like President Thein Sein, the same man who supported a military regime that ruled Myanmar until now, will be the one to constitute the new face of Myanmar by ending an authoritarian rule that has occupied the country for almost 50 years.

Why is the by-election relevant?

On the day of the by-election on April 1, the NLD experienced an overwhelming electoral victory by winning 42 of the 45 seats to be taken. Even though there will not be a change in the balance of power (as we are only talking about 43 out of 1160 parliamentary seats), the symbolic value of this by-election and the victory of Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD is immense.

Not only does it mean that the NLD will be able to establish a greater voice in the parliament, but this election was also a crucial test for the country and an opportunity to show the world the seriousness of the government’s democratization process. President Thein Sein has demonstrated that he is willing to make amends:  Several hundred political prisoners were released, the government signed a cease-fire with the ethnic Karen rebels with the intention to continue talks, and new reforms are said to be in motion soon.  

These developments have been recognized by Western countries but viewed with some mistrust and cautiousness. The relationship between Myanmar and the Western world has been strained for decades as sanctions and political disputes initiated by the EU and the US have created mistrust of Western countries. The international community has tied further political and economic steps to the fairness of the by-election. International observers were content and some US sanctions have already been eased, which is especially vital for the country’s further economic development. Rich in natural resources, Myanmar has huge potential for economic growth. Yet, the country requires the support of the international community on its slow but promising way to democracy.

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While South Asia now harbors the majority of the worldwide Muslim population, the religion underwent the most tumultuous development in Central Asia.

Islam was first introduced to Central Asia by nomadic tribes but was only truly established in the region after The Battle of Talas in 751 AD. The victory of the Abbasids over the Chinese Tang Dynasty ended the latter’s western territorial expansion, and precipitated the mass spread of Islam through the Central Asian Turkic cultures.

Jump forward to the 20th century: following the rise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Russian Empire in 1917, Islam was oppressed by the communist regime, who saw it as a threat to the new state. The Basmachi Revolt, which began as a reaction to Muslim conscription in 1917, continued through the 1920s before continued defeats ended the uprising by the decade’s close. In the aftermath of the movement, the Soviet government enacted regular purges and smear campaigns against the religion.

Nevertheless, Islam survived the Soviet purge, and following the collapse of the USSR, experienced a revival in Central Asia. However, the newly formed, independent governments have remained apprehensive of the religion as well, expressing concerns that it could become a potentially powerful tool against them. The rise of the Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP) that took part in the Tajik Civil War in 1992 only reinforced the fear of radical Islamic movements and the political clout that the religion might gain.

While Islam is more prominent in the cultures of Central Asia and the Middle East nations, the most populous Muslim nations are in Southern and Southeast Asia. The Asian Pacific is now home to approximately 61.9% of the world’s Muslim population. Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh are home to over 670mn Muslims.

Radical Islam has continued to emerge on the political scene of Southeast Asia; however, it is comparatively tame and isolated from terrorism than in other regions.

The post-9/11 era has seen the emergence of both a heightened fear of fundamentalist Islam and the rise of “global Islamic consciousness,” under which the religion’s international proponents have united to defend their faith. This nascent international community sees it as their duty to raise awareness about cultural misrepresentations and slandering portrayals of Islam.

Quick Facts:

• Islam has become the largest religion in Asia, with over 1bn adherents

• 62% of the Muslim population is located in the Asia Pacific.

• Sunni and Shia Islam are the two most common denominations of the religion.

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The Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the formation of the 15 republics of the Soviet Union amongst which the countries Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are today found. These five countries gained independence by detaching themselves from the Soviet Union’s control after its collapse in 1991 and now constitute the main Central Asian region. Euphoria swept the region and the affected population, along with the Western world, hoped for political change that would bring a democratic future. However, the elation did not last long and disillusionment set in rather quickly. The task of reorganizing the political systems in combination with restructuring the countries’ economies was huge and even though the five countries were able to obtain autonomy, tangible traces of the Soviet legacy still hamper the road to a genuine and functional democracy.

Often mentioned in the same breath with countries such as North Korea or Chad, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are considered to be among the most oppressive countries in the world. It seems like the Central Asian region has never been able to fully free itself from the authoritarian structures that it inherited from its Soviet past, which now more than ever, are complicating the enforcement of political reforms. Some people fear that rather than being a step forward, civic activism demanding reforms could lead to instability in the region and worsen the situation. Turmoil in the recent past however indicates that this attitude is about to change and that society is ready to publicly express its discontent.

The leadership recognized that a free press and Internet are forms of media powerful enough to threaten the government’s position. Media is strictly controlled and the freedom of press is being greatly constricted. In addition, corruption is still widespread and while the countries’ transition away from a planned economy is still in process, poverty is prevalent, especially across the rural areas of the highly agricultural region.

When speaking of the political culture in Central Asia, the question of whether or to what extent Islam has an impact on the region’s political situation, is much discussed. Especially post 9/11, external influences, most prominently the US, started to emerge on the scene with the mission of combating radical Islamic terrorist groups and unfolding the War On Terror. But for all the debate, it is necessary to look behind the curtain in order to recognize that though Islamic radicalism affects the conditions, one should not forget the historical heritage and social problems that mark Central Asia’s political development.

Central Asia has gone through radical political changes. While there have been attempts to implement democratic reforms, the development of the democratization process in the post-Soviet space has been slow. Down to the present day, Kyrgyzstan is the only democracy in Central Asia and the region – like in 1991, still faces an uncertain political future.

Quick facts:

Territory: Includes the five republics of the former Soviet Union: Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

Area: 1,542,000 square miles, located between the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north

Population: 55 million

Religion: Islam is the most widely practiced religion

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More than 6 million people visit the Oktoberfest every year to experience one of the most unique festivals that Germany has to offer. To ensure visitors are satisfied with their experience, a workforce of around 12,000 people is employed on and off-stage.

For the security of millions of people, hundreds of police workers make sure that everything goes according to plan. Stephan Hördler works at the Oktoberfest on a voluntary basis, just as everyone else in the line of duty. He describes his days at the Oktoberfest as very special because it adds some variety to the usual patrol duties and gives him the opportunity to meet many interesting people. Although he has already worked nine times at the Oktoberfest, not much has changed for him. Due to the threat of terrorism, more safety zones were set up. “And as hard as it is, as much fun does it bring around”, he says. “There is really nothing as unique as working here”.

While at the Oktoberfest, a must-do for visitors is to enter one of the festival tents and have a traditional meal. Serving as a waiter is probably the most arduous job at the Oktoberfest. A typical day starts at 8 in the morning and ends at midnight – a sixteen-hour shift. One person has to be able to carry around 10 steins (traditional beer mugs) on average at once, which is equivalent to over 20 kilos of beer. Nevertheless, Harry Maas, a waiter in one of the 35 tents, finds joy in serving people. “I have always loved working at the Oktoberfest. I work as a waiter full-time, so I love to serve people and especially the atmosphere here is exceptional. You meet all different kinds of people, which is the most enjoyable (part) about it.” However, Mr. Maas is quick to address the myth evolving around his income. Rumors that waiters at the festival earn more than 10,000 Euros at the Oktoberfest are patently false. “One would never be able to earn that much”, he says. The money earned would at best suffice for two months, but there is no chance that workers are able to live on account of their earnings from the Oktoberfest alone. As Mr. Maas points out, it is not the money that he works for but the special experience. For him, there is nothing better than his current job and the anticipation of working another five years at the Oktoberfest.

In front of the Hofbräu tent, the biggest tent on the site, stand four small booths. One of the workers in these booths is Klaur Baur, a native of Munich, who has been selling pretzels for 19 years. He, too, points out the variety of people that he gets to meet during the two weeks as one of the best aspects of the festival. It fosters understanding and bridges gaps between different nations, as people from all over the world are able to sit at one table and celebrate together. Klaus remarks that “International cohesion is so important, especially in these days, and the Oktoberfest helps to bring people together.” However, even though he regards the coming together of persons from everywhere as a positive factor, it also affects the residents of Munich. “Friends of mine, the natives of Munich, those who truly represent Bavarian culture, don’t even go to the Oktoberfest anymore because it is so crowded. It is unfortunate that the tents have to close so early.” When asked what is so special to him about the Oktoberfest, he immediately cites the grand parade of the breweries as well as the traditional costume parade taking place the day after the tapping. “Due to its traditional significance, it is very important and moving for me. It gave me (the) chills the first time I saw it and will give me (the) chills the last time I’ll see it”.

Organizers and workers also strive to preserve the traditional features of the Oktoberfest. During the last few years, young men and women have rediscovered Bavarian culture in the form of the traditional costume. The atmosphere and coziness of the ‘older’ times at the Oktoberfest are invigorated at the ‘Oide Wiesn”, which is an area adjoining the actual venue where historic rides and festival tents are presented. The difference between now and then is noticeable, according to Bianca Stark and Daniela Forster, two sweets sellers who have been working at the stand for 32 years with their mother Waltraud Röttgen. While earlier the Oktoberfest was more an event for the locals, nowadays it is a much more international affair. However, that does not mean they disapprove of this development. “Culture and tradition don’t get lost, because the mixture is the essence, you are able to experience so many foreign cultures; the flair is unique and can’t be found anywhere else,” says Röttgen.

While there is much joy, traces of sorrow and grief can be found amongst the people. Elisabeth Lindner operates a scooter amusement ride that has existed since 1881, and so is the owner of one of the oldest attractions on the Oktoberfest. Preparations can extend over an extremely long period and require a lot of effort, which many people quickly forget. Elisabeth holds each and everyone working at the Oktoberfest in high praise: “Every individual here who is responsible for making the Oktoberfest happen puts their heart and soul into this. Every booth is set up and decorated with very much love, care and attention to detail”. However, she also recalls sad moments amongst the happier ones. She clearly recalls the day of the bomb attack in 1980 during the celebration of Oktoberfest’s 100th business anniversary. As one of her saddest moments at the festival, she notes that this day will forever remain not only in her memory but also everyone else’s who was there that day. “The Oktoberfest is indeed a place of laughter and joy but we aren’t to forget the less happy moments here”.

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