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.

The people have the right to call for a referendum at any time on any public issue with relation to self-determination. Any measure which might restrict the ability of the people to self-determination through the process of holding referendums should itself be subject to a public referendum on whether the measure should be outlawed. For details, 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.

Myanmar has a long way to go in its quest for democracy because of its constitution, which guarantees the military 40 per cent of the seats in Congress and does not provide for elections. In order to solve Myanmar's ethnic and religious issues, Myanmar must carry out constitutional reform that calls for One World under One Set of Laws, with international law given precedence over domestic law. Reform should include a semi-presidential government with a parliament and cabinet, as well as popular election of the heads of government branches.

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 is ample evidence that the US version of democracy is not perfect. People are lazy, and they pin their hopes on leaders. But this is a remnant of 18th century feudal ideology, not the spirit of the rule of law in the 21st century. The only way to assure long-term stability is through comprehensive constitutional reform so that a great system will push leaders to be great. The prerequisite for clean government is free speech and media access without charge in election campaigns.

Taiwan’s judicial system is often criticized for its unfair application of the rules in decisions handed down by judges. The branch’s investigative arms are also condemned for their habit of carrying out investigations at different speeds according to the political ‘color’ and status of persons involved. All of these problems can be addressed by forcing the heads of governmental branches to face the people through elections and limiting the terms of office to minimize the opportunities for corruption. The people must have the power to monitor government officials and vote poor performers out of office. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development for more.

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.

The people have the right to call for a referendum at any time on any public issue with relation to self-determination. Any measure which might restrict the ability of the people to self-determination through the process of holding referendums should itself be subject to a public referendum on whether the measure should be outlawed. For details, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Syria is at the center of much of the unrest in the Middle East, and considerable changes in the nation’s government must be considered in order to help bring about peace in the area. Setting up a semi-presidential system with a Parliament modeled after Switzerland’s is the first step toward democratization and the rule of law. This must be followed by adoption of a legal system in which international law takes precedent over domestic law. For details, see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.