In The News

Writing the Global Journey

Salil Tripathi September 12, 2011
The age-old quest for a better life, the ever-increasing speed of travel that forms the heart of globalization, has also transformed modern literature. London-based writer Salil Tripathi describes Amitav Ghosh and Salman Rushdie, both born in India and now living and celebrated in the West, as among the most successful authors in portraying an individual’s ability to survive and adapt to a...

An America Adrift

Paul Kennedy September 9, 2011
The 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks is a time of reflection, and historian Paul Kennedy analyzes the American responses and mood of the past decade. After 9/11, the US quickly invaded Afghanistan, putting the Taliban on the run. Then in March 2003, the US invaded Iraq, intent on deposing dictator Saddam Hussein who had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. Kennedy offers anecdotal...

Colombia: Saving Dying Languages

John Otis August 29, 2011
Colombia currently ranks fourth in the world in the number of spoken indigenous languages, after Brazil, Mexico and Peru. Nevertheless, only three of those indigenous languages are spoken by more than 50,000 people, and most of the indigenous languages could vanish by the end of the century, reports John Otis for the GlobalPost. Increasingly more indigenous people choose to learn Spanish over...

The End of China's One-Child Policy?

August 10, 2011
China has lost the will to enforce its unpopular one-child policy, largely because the need for enforcement has vanished. Europe and the US have long criticized the one-child policy, blaming it for China’s ballooning aging population and a gender imbalance. Fertility rates have gradually fallen throughout urbanizing and industrializing East Asia, and China is no different. China’s overall...

Why My Father Hated India

Aatish Taseer July 19, 2011
Resentment lingers since Pakistan’s 1947 birth and partition from India, with an ongoing rivalry that embroils the closest of personal relationships and endangers international security. “In the absence of a true national identity, Pakistan defined itself by its opposition to India,” explains novelist Aatish Taseer, son of a Pakistani father, recently killed by militants, and an Indian Sikh...

Bollywood Sets Sights on Wider Market

Shabnam Mahmood, Manjushri Mitra July 13, 2011
Unlike the Academy Awards, historically hosted close to home in Hollywood, the Indian International Film Academy roves around the globe. In its 12th year, the IIFA awards event will be held in the Americas for the first time: “Toronto, home to a prestigious international film festival of its own, is seen as a fitting launch pad for world cinema hoping to gain a foothold in the US market,” report...

Eastern Japan Edgy as Power Demand Soars

July 4, 2011
Japan has a tradition of conservation – and awareness about power usage – that serves the nation well through the current nuclear disaster. Households are accustomed to monitoring temperatures, generating capacity, power loads and comparing power supply and demand with a competitive spirit. A range of policy adjustments and public alerts are preventing severe power shortages. “Now that energy...