In The News

On a Shoestring, India Sends Orbiter to Mars on Its First Try

Gardiner Harris September 26, 2014
All of India is celebrating the grand achievement of its spacecraft reaching Mars’s orbit. Fewer than half of 51 attempts by nations to reach Mars have worked, and India is alone with success at the first try – and on a low budget at that. Launching Mangalyaan, Hindi for Mars craft, cost $74 million. “An ebullient Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on hand at the Indian Space Research Organization’...

Hindi Chini Shy Shy

Tansen Sen September 24, 2014
Uneasy ties between China and India prompted analysts to scrutinize every detail of President Xi Jinping’s first visit to India and his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Intense focus on “the border issue, overhyped business prospects and even seemingly trivial unawareness of past relations…are symptoms of serious structural problems in India-China relations,” explains history...

Silk Road Diplomacy – Twists, Turns and Distorted History

Tansen Sen September 23, 2014
In foreign policy initiatives, China’s leaders promote an idyllic version of the Silk Road network of land and maritime routes stretching from Europe to Asia’s eastern coast, linking diverse cultures in trade. The goal is to link China’s historic and modern roles in promoting peace and prosperity for Asia. But the history of ancient expeditions is complicated, with goals and practices...

Dockyard Attackers Planned to Hijack Navy Frigate

Fahim Zaman and Naziha Syed Ali September 17, 2014
Extremists can sign up for military service and bide their time, as suggested by a September 6th attempted hijack of a navy frigate in Karachi for an unstated purpose. The Pakistani government resisted releasing details, reports Dawn, perhaps because 17 serving navy personnel, including a senior officer, allegedly participated, using rocket launchers, assault rifles and hand-grenades. The Dawn...

Match Speech With Action

Nayan Chanda September 8, 2014
Political leaders understand what their countries must do to compete in global markets and create sustainable economies over the long term. Education systems must prepare students with a skill set – reading for understanding complicated directions and to conduct research; math, critical thinking and analysis for problem solving of all types; confidence to sell goods or speak out on challenges to...

Jokowi’s Sea of Troubles

September 5, 2014
As Indonesia prepares for incoming President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo taking office in October, the transition is rough. The government faces a range of challenges, including a need to reduce fuel subsidies. The outgoing president dashed hopes that he would launch the needed reductions. Fuel subsidies represent 14 percent of the budget, reducing government spending on infrastructure and social...

Trans-Afghan Pipeline Initiative: No Pipe Dream

Marc Grossman August 28, 2014
Despite a stream of bad news, development plans are underway even among nations with adversarial relations. Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and India signed an agreement in early July to move forward with a 1,700-kilometer natural gas pipeline. “This $7.5 billion project known as TAPI, or the Trans-Afghan Pipeline Initiative, has the potential to catalyze investment and trading opportunities...