In The News

Wolf-Pack Terrorism: Inspired by ISIS, Made in Bangladesh

Saroj Kumar Rath July 5, 2016
Ongoing political squabbles and vendettas do not stop terror, and militants will use such differences to drive a wedge into societies. “Ongoing conflict between the two major political parties, Bangladesh National Party, which considers itself custodian of Bangladeshi nationalism, and Awami League, which regards itself as the sole guiding force of Bangladeshi liberation, has left the field open...

Week of Terror Underscores a “Desperate” Islamic State

Jessica Durando and Jim Michaels July 4, 2016
Surprise attackers willing to sacrifice their own lives are an ongoing and dangerous threat to major cities.The Islamic State is linked to attacks on the airport in Istanbul that killed 44, a restaurant in Dhaka with 22 deaths and a Baghdad shopping area with more than 200 dead. Analysts suggest that the terrorist group, while losing territory in Syria and Iraq, is shifting strategy toward...

Time to Review FDI Rules

Nayan Chanda July 4, 2016
Politicians can’t resist hounding companies to create more jobs. Nayan Chanda outlines how India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejected Apple’s proposal to set up stores because the firm could not source at least 30 percent of manufacturing materials from local vendors. “The kind of offset arrangement that foreign manufacturers might agree to – like building parts of an aircraft in exchange for...

War of Words: What's in the Name “Rohingya”?

Azeem Ibrahim June 16, 2016
Myanmar's constitution recognizes 135 ethnic groups, but excludes the Rohingya. Some estimates put the minority at 1.4 million, a fraction of the nation’s more than 50 million people. Nationalists have concocted a revisionist history, insisting that Rohingya Muslims are really from Bangladesh, brought in by British colonizers, to deny the group citizenship rights and identification cards...

Ambition and Chinese Hostility Push India Closer to the US

Harsh V. Pant June 7, 2016
Narendra Modi, on his fourth visit to the United States as India’s prime minister, makes a case for strengthening ties between the two nations. The relationship centers on trade, defense cooperation and concerns about China. “Indian moves towards the United States are driven in large measure by China’s openly hostile acts vis-a-vis India,” explains author Harsh V. Pant. “The Modi government’s...

Modi in America: Strategic Convergence Alone Won’t Deflect Scrutiny on Treatment of NGOs and Minorities

Nayan Chanda June 6, 2016
The United States fought a war in Vietnam to prevent the expansion of communism, and more than 40 years later, the two countries are strengthening ties to curb Chinese expansionism. The United States lifted a ban on arms sales to Vietnam but human rights concerns could still block transactions. US President Barack Obama, during his visit to Vietnam, insisted that human rights reinforce rather...

Official Religious Orthodoxy Driving Malaysia to Extremes

The Asia Sentinel, June 2, 2016
Malaysia has been credited for moderation and quick response on any connected with the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, “Yet even some Islamic scholars are now accusing the government itself of fostering extremism through official actions,” notes the Asia Sentinel. Malaysia’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but Islam is the nation’s official religion. Salafist preachers dispatched and...