In The News

Modi Throws Down Gauntlet to Pakistan and China

Harsh V. Pant August 25, 2016
India and Pakistan have battled over territory since winning independence in 1947. Efforts by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ease tensions over the past two years have hit a wall as terrorism backed by Pakistan continues in Kashmir. Meanwhile, Pakistan tightens relations with China. Efforts for peace came to a standstill after Pakistan hailed Burhan Wani – a rebel commander who fought...

Food for Thought

Nayan Chanda August 15, 2016
US presidential candidates, sensing anti-trade sentiment among voters, rely on populist strategies, much like Indian Prime Minister Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, encouraging manufacturers to create jobs close to home. “Even if protectionist urges dwindle after the election, anti-trade sentiment will linger to the detriment of export-dependent emerging economies,” writes Nayan Chanda in his...

The Change Luck City: Dhaka’s Climate Refugees

Nellie Le Beau and Hugh Tuckfield August 12, 2016
As many as a half million people flee their homes in Bangladesh each year because of the “devastating effects of climate change – floods, salinization of land, destructive super cyclones, and reduced agricultural yields,” explain Nellie Le Beau and Hugh Tuckfield in an essay with photographs for the Diplomat. “Displaced primarily from Bangladesh’s southern and eastern regions, these are climate...

Asia Sentinel: Malaysia’s PM Sells His Country to China

Philip Bowring August 10, 2016
“The vulnerability of Southeast Asian countries to the combination of Chinese money and their own corrupt politicians has been laid starkly bare by a new report on Malaysia’s scandal ridden 1MDB,” reports Philip Bowring. International authorities are investigating Prime Minister Najib Razak for transferring 1MDB sovereign fund money into his personal accounts. The prime minister is accused of...

India’s Digital Revolution Poised to Propel Services

Nandan Nilekani July 26, 2016
India is poised to revolutionize the service industry, in such a way that borrowing, saving and transferring money could happen as swiftly as sending an email. This technological leap enables India to rely more on services and domestic consumption even as world trade is slumping. A nationwide government initiative encouraging financial inclusion and bank accounts, combined with biometric-based...

It’s Just a Stealth Reform

Nayan Chanda July 25, 2016
The Indian government is promoting textile and garment production to restore the country’s manufacturing prowess while also slipping in labor reforms. “By highlighting subsidies and higher wages for workers while increasing the hiring and firing power of employers the government has adopted the tactic of stealth reform,” writes Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, in his column for...

A Quarter Century of Market Reform Leaves India Richer With Wider Inequality

Dilip Hiro July 12, 2016
India opened to the world in 1991 with its New Economic Policy that embraced economic liberalization and privatization. The policies lifted India’s GDP, but also widened the gap between rich and poor, explains Dilip Hiro, author of 36 books including “The Age of Aspiration: Power, Wealth, and Conflict in Globalizing India.” Services have climbed, contributing to a growing economy boosted by the...