It’s been almost a week since the Olympic Torch made its way through the streets of San Francisco, amid protests and calls for boycotts of the August Olympics. How do historical tensions between the U.S. and China, play out as China becomes a global economic contender? We speak with Helen Zia, a social justice activist, author, Olympic Torch bearer, and second generation Chinese American, who reflects on the events in the context of her multiple identities.

On April 10th, Nepal went to the polls in a historical election in which the 239- year monarchy lays severely under threat. With 60% voter turnout and the Maoist expected to take power, what will this mean for the King Gyanendra who believes he has a birthright to the throne? Is a new democratic model in the works? Further, what lies in store for the months ahead, in which the leading Maoist party, begun as an anti-state rebel force, is met with responsibility of writing the Constitution, managing divisive political parties, and sustaining its legitimacy among the country and internationally.

In her novel Love Marriage, Vasugi V. Ganeshananthan shifts between Sri Lanka, the country of her roots, and the Western world, to craft an immigrant story mired in politics and personal conflict. The main character Yalini leaves Sri Lanka, only to be summoned to Toronto to care for her uncle Kumaran, a former member of the militant Tamil Tigers, to find violence is not a relic of the Sri Lankan past, but very much a part of her Western present.