In The News

Dubai’s Kerala Connection

Steve Raymer July 12, 2005
In recent years, Dubai has reinvented itself as a bustling multicultural capital for education and business. A driving force behind this extreme makeover is the hundreds of thousands of unskilled South Asian workers – predominantly from India – who flock to the city every year. These blue-collar workers – whom Steve Raymer calls the "invisible foot soldiers of globalization" – are an...

A Passage from India

Suketu Mehta July 12, 2005
Author Suketu Mehta moved to America from India as a teenager with the expectation that it would bring him and his family economic prosperity. As he writes in The New York Times, future generations of Americans may find themselves trying to travel in the opposite direction, as more US companies move jobs to India. In a sense, India's gains from outsourcing are the rewards of decades of hard...

In India, Economic Prosperity Is Spreading Slowly

Saritha Rai July 5, 2005
The boom in India's technology sector, and its status as the top destination for many American and European outsourcers, has brought the country high growth and a widespread boost in standard of living – at least for the middle and upper classes. But the majority of Indians, especially those in outlying rural areas, still live in poverty and do not reap the benefits of India's success...

Asian Reaction to Unocal Bid Is Muted

Wayne Arnold June 30, 2005
China’s pending bid for Unocal, a California-based oil company, has profound implications for several Southeast Asian countries, where about half of Unocal’s assets are located. And yet these countries – Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar – appear less concerned about the possible transfer of power from the US to China than most American policy-makers are. Part of this lackadaisical...

It's Time for Pakistan to Play a Larger Regional Role

Aparna Shivpuri Singh June 23, 2005
With the completion of diplomatic visits to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei, Pakistan now participates in the growing trend of bilateral alliances in Asia. As Pakistan's economy opens to foreign investment, the government is courting Southeast Asian nations and promoting a bid to become a full member of ASEAN. Success thus far is partly due to its cooperation with Asian countries...

Whither Africa Avenue?

V. Sudarshan June 20, 2005
As a result of maneuvering by the so-called G4 (Japan, Germany, Brazil and India) to gain permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), a meeting of African Union members in early July will play a large role in determining which of the four will be successful. The meeting, which will take place in Sirte, Libya, will decide on two African countries which will put forward their own...

Prison Scandal Touches Raw Nerve of a Key US Ally

Paula R. Newberg June 7, 2005
Recent allegations of US forces' mishandling of the Quran have further inflamed Muslims worldwide. Pakistani reaction in this regard is of particular concern – in view of the country's nuclear arsenal and centrality to the US war on terror. As Paula R. Newberg explains, while the country remains a reluctant but cooperative US ally, the scandal renders the vacuum at the heart of...