In The News

Amid Chaos, Citizens Spread Word on Web

Mei Fong December 2, 2008
After Indians heard blasts from terrorism activity throughout Mumbai, many calmly turned to cellphones, digital cameras and laptops to document the experience. “The Mumbai attacks have unleashed a storm of live updates from residents, swelling traffic and content on sites such as Twitter and Yahoo Inc.'s photo Web site Flickr,” report Mei Fong and Loretta Chao for the Wall Street Journal. “...

The Gateway Of India

Saikat Datta December 1, 2008
Since 9/11, the US has urged countries to be vigilant about tracking any terrorist activity, and analysts with the US Central Intelligence Agency had warned India offiicials that the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba might try to attack Mumbai. The terrorists, by hijacking a trawler and using dinghies, took advantage of blending in with hundreds of fishing vessels that dock in the port. This...

Terror in Mumbai: Two Faces of Globalization

Sadanand Dhume December 1, 2008
After hijacking a fishing trawler in the Arabian Sea and plotting targets using Google Earth, a group of young men then set course for India’s financial center of Mumbai, landing by dinghies on November 26 and unleashing brutal attacks on locations that symbolize a diverse and connected world – two upscale hotels, a religious center, a hospital, a café and a rail station, among others. Nearly 200...

The Last Days of Paradise

Jon Henley November 11, 2008
Rising seas threaten to overwhelm the Maldives, and the first democratically elected president plans to put together a sovereign wealth fund directed at finding a new, environmentally secure home for a population of more than 350,000. President Mohamed Nasheed is looking at Sri Lanka, India, Australia and other nations with climates similar to that of the Maldives, known for its beautiful...

A Silver Lining to the US-India Nuclear Deal

Pavel Podvig October 21, 2008
India conducted nuclear research outside the limits of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and analysts disagree whether a deal between the US and India, allowing for trade and cooperation on civilian nuclear materials, hampers or strengthens that international treaty. “Without a doubt, the U.S.-India nuclear deal presents a serious challenge to the NPT,” writes physicist...

Pakistan Democracy: An Interview with Husain Haqqani

October 15, 2008
With a democratic government now in place in Islamabad, Pakistan has set out to redefine goals for its people and communicate for greater predictability and security. In this interview with YaleGlobal editor Nayan Chanda, Husain Haqqani – ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, as well as leading journalist and former advisor to Pakistani prime ministers including the late Benazir Bhutto –...

Islamic Challenge to Indonesia’s Democracy

Sadanand Dhume October 15, 2008
Gains by radical parties around the globe highlight democracy’s ongoing vulnerability to anti-democratic movements. Indonesia – with its free press, stable economy, free elections, tolerant and inclusive policy – is no exception. But in local Indonesian politics, the radical Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has made dramatic gains, with extremists pressing for dress codes, Koran reading...