In The News

Non-Resident Supporters Prop Up AAP's Lok Sabha Campaign

Himanshi Dhawan April 9, 2014
People who relocate do not leave behind an interest in the politics of their homeland – and use the internet and global financing to support candidates: “A motivated band of non-resident Indians (NRIs) are pitching in from across the globe to lend a helping hand to AAP's ambitious Lok Sabha campaign through the party's ‘support a state’ (SAS) initiative,” reports Himanshi Dhawan for the...

Of Climate and Political Change

Nayan Chanda April 3, 2014
The threat of climate change – which poses an array of economic consequences – is missing from the political debate as Indians prepare for April-May general elections. “The impact of climate change has become more urgent and definitely more evident than it was five years earlier,” suggests Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal editor, in his column for Businessworld. The “monstrous cyclone Phailin that took...

The Cult of Cronyism

Siddharth Varadarajan April 2, 2014
India’s general election kicks off 7 April and by May should determine the next prime minister for the world’s largest democracy. Analysts anticipate a single-minded focus on global corporate interests and wealth creation from candidate Narendra Modi. Writing for Seminar, Siddharth Varadarajan suggests the shift in corporate allegiance from INC, the Congress party, to BJP, or Bharatiya Janata...

Philippines Prepares for Historic Peace Deal

Ted Regencia March 28, 2014
Benigno Aquino III, president of the Philippines, signed a historic agreement with the country’s largest rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, mediated by Malaysia and a team of international observers. Aquino was initially criticized for meeting with the rebel leader. “Supporters hope the deal creating the autonomous Bangsamoro region will bring an end to 40 years of armed conflict...

So Much for “China-Malaysia Friendship Year”

Bruce Einhorn March 27, 2014
China is in the position of having to rely on an investigation and initially less than forthright communications from a smaller neighboring state after the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Most of the passengers on the flight were Chinese, and China is frustrated. The year “2014 was supposed to be a time to celebrate the strong ties between China and Malaysia,” reports Bruce...

Missing MH370: China, Malaysia Mistrust Becomes War of Words

Alastair Jamieson and Constance Cheng March 26, 2014
The disappearance of Malaysian Flight MH370 over the Indian Ocean has ignited resentment between China and Malaysia. Most passengers were Chinese. Around the globe, researchers and technicians have volunteered hours to figure out why the flight went off course, and volunteers studied satellite images for debris – so common in oceans. Shortly after the flight from Kuala Lumpur failed to arrive in...

Defying the Taliban, Afghans Head to the Polls

Marc Grossman March 20, 2014
Despite threats from the Taliban, as evidenced today, March 20, in Jalalabad and impending withdrawal of international forces, Afghans head to the polls to elect a new president April 5. But there is reason for hope as “Afghanistan is not the same country it was in 2001, and Afghans seem ready to fight for what they have achieved at such great cost,” argues Marc Grossman, the former United...