In The News

Internationalizing the Kashmir Issue: Hindu Times

Karan Thapar November 1, 2019
A small group of EU members of parliament, mostly representing right-wing, anti-immigrant and anti-trade interests, visited Kashmir. Other MPs pointed out they were disinvited after insisting upon meeting ordinary people of Kashmir and opposing the tight restrictions imposed by the Modi government that would prevent hearing opposition voices. Violence broke out in Kashmir during that visit,...

Stateless People in Asia: DW

Rodion Ebbighausen September 27, 2019
Governments block citizenship for people whose families have lived in regions for multiple generations. India published a National Register of Citizens listing 31 million people in Assam province; those not on the list are considered migrants. “Any applicant unable to prove that they lived in the state before the March 24, 1971 deadline was considered to have ‘doubtful’ status,” reports Rodion...

Myanmar as Asia’s Last Frontier: Korea Herald

Jung Min-kyung September 5, 2019
Myanmar’s government opened its economy this decade, and South Korean firms see “economic potential and geographic attractiveness,” reports Jung Min-kyung for the Korea Herald. For example, Posco International, described as the trade and resources development arm of Korea’s leading steelmaker, has completed a rice processing complex in Myanmar’s rice-producing Ayeyarwady region. The facility...

Stateless People in India: Diplomat

Rudabeh Shahid, Champa Patel and Ravi Hemadri September 1, 2019
Far-right governments abruptly revise policies and eliminate rights for immigrants and religious minorities, leaving some stateless. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are 10 million stateless people worldwide. India has stripped the state of Jammu and Kashmir of autonomy and special status, and similar disenfranchisement is underway for as many as 4 million Muslims in Assam....

South Asia and Trump: Times of India

Nayan Chanda August 25, 2019
Donald Trump, intent on winning reelection as US president and avoiding corruption investigations, is doubling down on “America first” policies and transactional foreign policies. “America’s foreign partners will now more than ever be evaluated on whether they help or hurt his election outlook,” explains Nayan Chanda in his column for the Times of India. Chanda is the founding editor of...

Indian IT Fears US H-1B Moves: Economic Times

August 20, 2019
The United States, in efforts to slow legal immigration, is planning changes for the H-1B visa process that allows skilled workers from around the world to work in the United States. One regulation would “mandate employers to register without paying the H-1B visa fees of those employees they intend to sponsor” and a “lottery system would shortlist people for the work permit.” About 70 percent of...

Microloan Problems in Cambodia: Spiegel

Vanessa Steinmetz August 19, 2019
Even small amounts of debt can contribute to lasting trouble for those living in developing nations. Vanessa Steinmetz describes the plight of a cassava farmer and father of five in Cambodia who struggles to repay a bank microloan of $3250 just before the prices of that commodity fell. He had placed a hectare of his farm as collateral, before selling other land at a loss and taking out another...