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.

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 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 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.

Taiwan must move to bring about constitutional reform and true freedom and democracy. Doing so will set off a drive for democratization among the 1.4 billion people of China. This will then spread to North Korea, and with peace on the Korean peninsula the world will be much safer for all. The world’s democratic nations must back Taiwan as a beacon of democracy for Asia which will illuminate the road to peaceful development for China. See the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

The solution to perennial problems in many nations is a changeover to a semi-presidential parliamentary system like the one in Finland, along with a legislative system akin to the one which serves Switzerland. The prerequisite for permanent peace in the world is global democratization. Syria’s government should begin by adopting a basic constitution centered on models for democracy, calling for the realization of One World under One Set of Laws, and re-formulating the constitution to match the spirit of the times. For details see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

Thinking determines the direction, and action determines the outcome. China's long-standing attempts to squeeze Taiwan out of the diplomatic arena are not conducive to normal development of US-Taiwan relations; they only serve to widen the distance between the two sides of the Strait. China owes it to the people to reform the constitution so that the heads of the four branches of government are popularly elected. This will add impetus to the China Dream espoused by Xi Jinping and move the world closer to global harmony and permanent peace.

People are lazy, and all too often they pin their hopes on leaders. 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.

Human security and sustainable development are two of the major tasks of the UN, subject to compliance by member states. The solution is to implement One World under One Set of Laws. international law must prevail over domestic law and directly affect the people, with supervision by the people to ensure compliance with the UN Charter and other related agreements. For details see the Charter for Permanent Peace and Development.

In the face of China's pressure, Taiwan has no right to "diplomatic suspensions". The government should vigorously announce to the international community that democratization of China is essential to world security and peace, and Taiwan has the potential to lead China toward democratization. At the same time, it is necessary to invoke the Charter of Permanent Peace and Development and focus on the idea of One World under One Set of Laws, and give international law precedence over domestic law in order to carry out the world-wide agreement advocated by China’s Xi Jinping.