Picture the Maldives, and you’re probably imagining crystalline waters and perfectly groomed white beaches. Yet outside the five-star resorts, real life is very different and the image of an idyllic paradise has been tarnished by the growing problems of gang violence, drug addiction, unemployment, political corruption and religious extremism. Read Here – The National
Britain’s most senior civil servant says the country is in a 20-yer generational battle to re-balance the economy and return the nation to financial health. Read Here – The Telegraph, London
New Delhi’s undignified response to revelations that the U.S. spied on it is in sharp contrast to its stand on the same issue in the 1950s. Read Here – The Hindu
The protests have many different origins. In Brazil people rose up against bus fares, in Turkey against a building project. Indonesians have rejected higher fuel prices, Bulgarians the government’s cronyism. In the euro zone they march against austerity, and the Arab spring has become a perma-protest against pretty much everything. Each angry demonstration is angry […]
Dark clouds hang over Nepal, promising rain and rejuvenation, but at the same time, threatening a destruction of life and property. The political scene is no different. In the next five months before November 19, the date for the election of the second Constituent Assembly (CA), we will witness the full effect of this year’s […]
In the run-up to Hong Kong’s return to China in 1997, the world wondered what officials in Beijing would do with the place. Would Hong Kong’s dynamism and openness catalyze change in China, or would the Communist Party try to remake the freewheeling city-state in its image? Read Here – Bloomberg
Africa‘s thriving democracies and economies, and its alarming transnational security threats, make it more important than ever to the United States. Obama, however, has largely ignored the continent. Regardless of who wins in November, Washington cannot afford to continue on the president’s current path. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) remains in power because its governance system has proven flexible enough to either respond to or preempt emergent social, economic and political pressures. Read Here – The Diplomat
The problem is that China does not really have a liquidity crisis; it has a debt crisis, and the debt crisis is the result of a slowdown in the economy. Despite claims from China’s National Bureau of Statistics that the economy is growing 7.7 percent, growth is more like 3 to 4 percent. And if […]
Thein Sein often mentions that the aim of Myanmar’s foreign policy is to live peacefully with the rest of the world. Who would disagree with this vague formulation? But in more specific terms, Myanmar’s current foreign policy can be best termed “Look West”—similar to India’s “Look East” and the American “Pivot toward Asia.” Read Here – The […]
looking beyond borders 