In The News

Twitter to Take India Election Innovations Global

Aditya Kalra June 3, 2014
Twitter became a key tool for politicians and media companies during the world’s largest democratic elections in India, and “Now, with polling due in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the United States later this year, the San Francisco-based company plans to take its India lessons abroad to expand its foothold in the political arena and increase its user base,” reports Aditya Kalra for...

How Egyptian Elections Alter Regional Balance

Abdullah Kamal May 30, 2014
Egypt, long considered a center of the Muslim world, has been in turmoil since the Arab Spring and the ouster of two presidents, dictator Hosni Mubarak and democratically elected Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president after barring the political party associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which won the only real democratic vote in Egypt’s history....

National Front's Marine Le Pen of France Leads Anti-EU Drive

Gabriele Parussini May 26, 2014
Far-right parties gained power in European parliamentary elections with wins in Denmark, Austria and France and calls for dismantling the EU. Europeans are distraught over high unemployment, the struggling eurozone, high debt, immigration and competition from foreign trade. In France, Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front and a member of the European Parliament for 10 years, appealed with a...

Gujarat Model of Foreign Policy: Let Economy Be the Driver

Walter Andersen May 20, 2014
The parliamentary victories of the Bharatiya Janata Party in India were decisive. Narendra Modi will take the oath as prime minister later this month, and economic growth and nationalism will be likely drivers of Indian foreign policy, notes Walter Andersen, an expert on the BJP who heads the South Asia Program at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. As the...

IT-Savvy Army Takes Modi’s Campaign to New Levels

Victor Mallet May 19, 2014
Candidates who gain the early support of young workers in the IT and finance industries can distribute their messages far and wide. High-tech projectors and satellite dishes allowed Narendra Modi, now India’s prime minister-designate, to address more than 100 simultaneous meetings each night. “The nationwide deployment of 10-foot high holograms of Mr Modi – requiring scores of shipping containers...

India’s Shinzo Abe

Brahma Chellaney May 16, 2014
Indian voters have handed a landslide victory to the Bharatiya Janata Party, ushering in Narendra Modi as prime minister. For the first time in 30 years, India will not need to hobble together a coalition government. Brahma Chellaney, of the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, compares Modi to Japan’s Shinzo Abe: “Like Abe, Modi is expected to focus on reviving India’s economic fortunes...

Central Demands

Nayan Chanda May 8, 2014
Corruption and economic stagnation go hand in hand, and voters in India are hungry for change, suggests Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online. But big challenges – including a lack of jobs for the young, budget deficits, inflation and a regulatory morass – along with the need for coalition partners could delay change. “The formation of a new government may well alleviate some investor...