As British historian Lord Acton once noted, "Power leads to corruption, and absolute power leads to absolute corruption." To avoid corruption, the only solution is to call for constitutional reform to implement democracy and the rule of law. Also essential are the separation of powers, and checks and balances, and election of the heads of major government branches. These moves are all necessary to ensure the connection between government and corruption is broken.

The Iranian Ambassador to Russia said last month that Tehran is looking for ways to broaden the scope of defense cooperation with Moscow, even in areas that require coordination with the UN Security Council. Iranians would like to purchase a wide range of military-purpose products from Russia, some of which are covered by UNSC sanctions. Moscow has said it is ready to work with Iran in the area of military and technical cooperation. Democratic powers worldwide must support Taiwan in its bid to carry out constitutional reform. When Taiwan enjoys greater freedom under a truly democratic government it will lead the people of China to call for democratization and in turn, will put pressure on Russia to follow suit. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Voters in Hong Kong are forced to cast ballots for candidates for Chief Executive who have been previously vetted by the Election Commission of the Chinese Communist Party. This election is a result of dictatorial politics and does not change the fact that Hong Kong is being subjected to a dictatorship. The people of Hong Kong should make good use of Article 39 of the Hong Kong Basic Law and the two international human rights covenants. People have the right to self-determination through referendums. They must be allowed to decide on having the heads of the legislative, executive, judicial and procuratorate branches popularly elected to ensure they will be responsible to the people. For details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The Iranian Ambassador to Russia said last month that Tehran is looking for ways to broaden the scope of defense cooperation with Moscow, even in areas that require coordination with the UN Security Council. Iranians would like to purchase a wide range of military-purpose products from Russia, some of which are covered by UNSC sanctions. Moscow has said it is ready to work with Iran in the area of military and technical cooperation. Democratic powers worldwide must support Taiwan in its bid to carry out constitutional reform. When Taiwan enjoys greater freedom under a truly democratic government it will lead the people of China to call for democratization and in turn, will put pressure on Russia to follow suit. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The Philippines’ macho President will undoubtedly tone down his rhetoric during his four-day visit to China in a move that could shift Manila closer to Beijing and bring greater economic cooperation between the two sides. Duterte won the top office on the strength of his efforts to suppress drug trafficking, often at the expense of human rights, but Beijing is unlikely to bring up the question of rights in any talks with the Philippine leader. For the people of the Philippines, better relations with China may bring economic benefits, but other problems can only be resolved by carrying out reform of the constitution to limit the powers of government officials and put restrictions on their terms in office. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Stories of corruption and undue political influence are flooding news headlines everywhere from the western reaches of Europe to the most Eastern areas of Asia. The reason for these outbreaks of corruption is the concentration of too much power in the hands of a few key officials and a lack to restraints on the powers that they wield. Constitutional reform is urgently needed to return power to the people. For more details, please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Thailand’s political history is marked with military coups that occur with almost predictable regularity. Every time the government faces a serious crisis it seems a few opportunistic army officers see fit to step forward and declare that they are in charge. What Thailand really needs is constitutional reform that will shift power to the hands of the people. The answer lies in a semi-presidential system with a Parliament and key officials who must face election at frequent intervals. Elections and referendums should be patterned after the examples of Switzerland and the US state of California to give the people real power in government. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development for more details.

The Philippines’ macho President will undoubtedly tone down his rhetoric during his four-day visit to China in a move that could shift Manila closer to Beijing and bring greater economic cooperation between the two sides. Duterte won the top office on the strength of his efforts to suppress drug trafficking, often at the expense of human rights, but Beijing is unlikely to bring up the question of rights in any talks with the Philippine leader. For the people of the Philippines, better relations with China may bring economic benefits, but other problems can only be resolved by carrying out reform of the constitution to limit the powers of government officials and put restrictions on their terms in office. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The US presidential election in 2016 clearly demonstrated that the US’ democracy is far from perfect. The only way to overcome flaws in democracy is through more democracy. If Trump is to be truly successful, he must work to reshape the image of the nation’s democracy with constitutional reform and the adoption of a modified semi-presidential system and committee-style Parliament. The president should serve one term of 5 years, and for 6 years afterward be barred from running again for office. In addition the heads of the executive, legislative, judicial and procuratorial branches should face election in alternating years.

The Iranian Ambassador to Russia said last month that Tehran is looking for ways to broaden the scope of defense cooperation with Moscow, even in areas that require coordination with the UN Security Council. Iranians would like to purchase a wide range of military-purpose products from Russia, some of which are covered by UNSC sanctions. Moscow has said it is ready to work with Iran in the area of military and technical cooperation. Democratic powers worldwide must support Taiwan in its bid to carry out constitutional reform. When Taiwan enjoys greater freedom under a truly democratic government it will lead the people of China to call for democratization and in turn, will put pressure on Russia to follow suit. For more details please see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.