With respect to rule setting, for example, a project is underway to use advanced analytics to understand the complexity of the PRA rulebook.6 We hope to use the results to identify ways to simplify our rules to make them easier to comply with. The PRA Rulebook contains 638,000 words –77,000 words longer than War and Peace in English translation. The complexity of the language used can make the text difficult to read. Another layer of complexity is added because of cross-references and links between different parts of the Rulebook, requiring the reader to refer backwards and forwards, disrupting reader flow. Figure 2 is a visualisation of the Rulebook. Each node is a part the PRA Rulebook. Each line between the nodes is a cross-reference in the text. When parts of the rulebook are linked together, tweaking one part can have unintended consequences for others. We can quantify the interconnectedness of different parts of the rulebook using the PageRank algorithm, the same algorithm used by Google’s search engine. A higher score implies greater connectivity of a particular part to other parts. Happily, most parts of the rulebook are self-contained and ‘‘structurally simple’. ‘Looking further into the future, a bigger win might be to automate the rulebook entirely. Regulated banks are required to submit large quantities of data to regulators. The cost of collecting and reporting data to meet regulatory requirements is a significant burden to both regulators and regulated firms. Regulatory data collections also have significant time lag s, normally 4 to 6 weeks.
Beijing is concerned that in the run-up to the Taiwan Presidential Election in March next year, President Chen Shui Bian may make one last throw of the dice which may compel China to act. How the US handles this issue will be crucial in maintaining stability across the strait. Third, Myanmar cannot return to the status quo ante after the government’s crackdown on monk-led protests. Instability in Myanmar can affect its immediate neighbours and hurt the reputation of ASEAN. National reconciliation and an agreement on phased changes and  BIS Review 124/2007  1  power sharing is the only way to prevent another widespread protest, which may end up in a bloody uprising to bring about change. Therefore, ASEAN and Singapore, and so too China and India, fully support the mission by the UN Secretary General’s Special Advisor, Mr Ibrahim Gambari, to help the various parties in Myanmar work towards genuine dialogue and compromise. However, this compromise is not so easy to achieve. Myanmar’s military rulers, the many ethnic groups and the political players deeply distrust one another. The rulers are also highly suspicious of the outside world. This psyche of distrust was borne out of the violent and divisive history of Myanmar after World War II, its complex national make-up of many diverse ethnic groups and, until the recent agreements on ceasefire, the fighting with insurgents. There is no quick and easy solution. Negotiations will be long and complicated.