Michael Ard

Michael Ard, CC ‘13, is an EALAC major. He is CPR'S Asian affairs correspondent.

Feel free to email him at mha2121@columbia.edu

with suggestions, questions, and fan mail.

Same Old “New” CCP

October 2, 2012 10:00 pm

This trial, however, has nothing to do with corruption, bribery, or murder committed by a party member. It has everything to do with a party searching for a scapegoat before a new generation of leaders takes center stage.

A Mukden in the Making

September 22, 2012 4:28 pm

Let’s remember, though, what September 18th is the anniversary of. The Mukden Incident was a contrived pretext for expanding Japan’s empire into what had until then been Chinese territory. What we are seeing now are the first rumblings of a rising China looking to throw its newfound wealth and power around.

China’s Search for Glam Power

June 19, 2012 1:04 pm

China has an image problem and an influence deficit. Unsurprisingly, the Chinese government has already taken coordinated steps to raise China’s profile on the world stage.

PRC’s Grip over China’s Wild West

April 23, 2012 6:56 pm

In the beginning of October 1949, the bloody Chinese Civil War was nearing its end, and Mao Zedong had proudly declared the foundation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). 

Taking the World By Storm

April 9, 2012 12:30 pm

In a report from The Economist on Saturday discussing the massive buildup and modernization of China’s army, known as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), one particular passage caught my eye.

Japan Prepares for the Real Triple Disaster

March 26, 2012 2:00 pm

It has now been over one year since northeastern Japan was devastated by what has been dubbed by many as the “triple disaster.”

The Sputtering Dragon

March 5, 2012 10:15 am 

China’s awe-inspiring economic growth over the past three decades has inspired envy, emulation, and animosity all over the world. As I have argued before, I think that China will be a major global player in this century and that its influence will increase over time. 

I Love India (And You Should Too!)

February 20, 2012 12:15 pm

As President Barack Obama put it in a November 2010 speech, the Constitution of India and the United States Constitution “begin with the same revolutionary words.” Those words, of course, are “We the People.”

But Seriously, Let’s Go

February 6, 2012

It’s official. The war that has topped headlines for half of my life is officially being drawn down, and within a few more years, it will probably be over. I am talking, of course, about the war in Afghanistan.

And Then There Was Un

January 23, 2012 1:40 pm

On December 17, 2011, North Korea lost Kim Jong-il ­– its “Dear Leader” – to a heart attack. Without missing a beat, North Korea’s state-run media anointed his third son Kim Jong-un as the “Great Successor” and placed the fate of the North Korean people squarely in his 28-year-old hands.

TPP, ASAP

November 28, 2011 2:00 pm

At the recent Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Honolulu, President Obama continued his march towards massive free trade expansion, and the most prominent headlines from the summit had to do with a the radical new proposal for a mega free trade area—the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP).

Oh Me Oh My (Oh Myanmar)

November 7, 2011 1:00 pm

As the geopolitical chessboard of Asia evolves, it is becoming clear that Myanmar is an increasingly critical piece. Still Myanmar’s future is both crucial and uncertain.

Defeatism Denied

October 24, 2011 2:30 pm

Eight Reasons Why This Will Not Be “The Chinese Century”

Breaking Up with Pakistan

October 10, 2011 5:30 pm

Washington needs to slowly and gently distance itself from Islamabad. Here’s a start.

A Balancing Act

September 26, 2011 6:07 pm

After centuries of humiliation, domination, and colonization by the West, nearly three billion residents in the Pacific region are rising to claim what is rightfully theirs: economic prosperity, diplomatic influence, and national pride.  Yet this newfound power breeds new challenges for the United States policy in Asia.