In The News

Ambassador: Germany Needs Skilled Workers From India

February 4, 2013
Germany’s ambassador to India has announced that his country welcomes skilled workers from India and noted that immigration procedures and education regulations have been eased, reports the Times of India. One catch: Ambassador Michael Steiner urged Indians interested in studying or working in Germany to learn German. Language study unites country and people, and the ambassador was quoted as...

Singapore Calls for 30% Population Growth

Jeremy Grant February 4, 2013
Asia’s vibrant city state has a problem: Its citizens are not producing enough children to sustain the economy. The government’s response is traditional and paradoxical: More people spur a society’s economic growth and wealth, but more children for individuals can curtail careers and prosperity. Singapore’s government has released a report pointing to a need for foreign workers as long as...

The Legacy of the Silk Road

Valerie Hansen January 25, 2013
Modern-day diplomats in Asia and beyond envision reviving the Silk Road, an ancient network of routes crisscrossing the continent for trade and security. But Valerie Hansen, author and professor of history at Yale University points, out that trade was not the primary purpose of the network. “Instead, the Silk Road changed history, largely because the people who managed to travel along part or all...

US Lags in Race for Tech Talent

Vivek Wadhwa October 26, 2012
The US is highly protectionist on labor and jobs. The country remains a top destination among skilled talent because of its opportunities in education, angel investors and markets. But regulations on visas that allow immigrants to work at US firms increasingly lead to bottlenecks in the application process and career obstacles for individuals in a highly mobile global market for top talent. US...

India’s Treacherous Northeast

Bertil Lintner September 26, 2012
The Northeast corner of India may not top a list of volatile trouble spots for most global leaders, yet a quick glance at a map immediately shows the region’s challenges: shared borders with China, Burma, Bangladesh and Bhutan and slim connection to the rest of India via the Siliguri corridor, a legacy of British India. Boundary lines and governments were quickly drafted in 1947 and redrafted...

Illegal Immigrants in Greece

Andreas Ulrich June 5, 2012
Greece is a favorite point of entry for immigrants seeking to begin new lives in Europe. About 100,000 arrive per year from Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Africa – far more than attempt to cross borders in central European states like Germany. The immigrants are unpopular in the troubled economy, and Greece is stepping up security and border patrols. With so many willing to...

Tide Turns on Border Crossing

Miriam Jordan April 26, 2012
The reasons are many – demographics, recession, a rise in enforcement and hostility toward immigrants – but net immigration from Mexico to the US has plummeted to zero, reports Miriam Jordan for the Wall Street Journal. A decline in the Mexico’s birth rate has increased families’ wealth and reduced the need to immigrate in search for work. “Mexican families have fewer mouths to feed as the...