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Blog Posts by Lynn Yoshikawa

Burma: Unraveling the Paradox
January 11, 2012 Lynn Yoshikawa Myanmar, Asia

This blog post originally appeared on The Hill's Congress Blog.

Traveling in Burma last month, it wasn’t hard to see that things really are changing in this beautiful but troubled country.

16 Days: Hope and Fear in a New Burma
December 07, 2011 Lynn Yoshikawa Myanmar, Asia, Women & Children

As I write this in the Burmese capital of Yangon, the city is still buzzing from last week’s historic visit by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Despite the hope and excitement her trip brought to this isolated country, fear and impunity persists in Burma’s conflict zones. The latest region to erupt into conflict is the northern border state of Kachin, where my colleague and I traveled last week.

UNHCR in Afghanistan: After Grief, Tough Questions
November 01, 2011 Lynn Yoshikawa Afghanistan, Asia

Monday’s early morning attack on the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) came as a shock to the humanitarian community – shock quickly followed by concerns UNHCR might be forced to halt its important work assisting displaced Afghans.

The initial car bomb destroyed a shared wall between UNHCR’s guesthouse and the compound of International Relief and Development (IRD), a nonprofit aid provider. The attackers then entered UNHCR’s compound and killed three of its guards. While Afghan National Police (ANP) eventually responded, hours went by before the attackers were killed.

Burma: Adding a Third Dimension
October 05, 2011 Lynn Yoshikawa Myanmar, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Neglected Crises

The International Crisis Group’s (ICG) recent report, “Myanmar: Major Reform Underway,” has re-ignited the intense debate between the Burma policy community’s pro-engagement and pro-isolation camps.

Partial Justice for Asylum Seekers in Australia
September 01, 2011 Lynn Yoshikawa Malaysia, Asia
On Wednesday, the High Court of Australia ruled that the government’s proposed deal to swap its asylum seekers with refugees in Malaysia was illegal. The court, which expedited the case after the deal went into effect in July, declared that Australia could not legally send asylum seekers to any country that lacked a legal framework for refugees and asylum seekers.