Other side of the Pacific

The People’s Republic of China celebrates its 60th birthday with much fanfare. Natural disasters in the Philippines and Indonesia offer sad signs of the vulnerability of developing nations. Indications from India of a new environmental policy give greater hope in the battle against climate change. A disgraced former Japanese finance minister mysteriously dies a few days after new economic figures signal Japan’s possible emergence from economic stagnation.

Every day, news from Asia fills our newspapers and airwaves, but reading between the lines and parsing that information isn’t always easy. Fortunately, many of our peers here at Columbia are able to help us with that task. Today, Spectator hears from four students who seek to raise awareness at Columbia about Asia and demystify the complex continent on the other side of the Pacific.

• The potency of academic culturalism
• A voice for South Asia
• Perspective on Pakistan