obamaxi Courtesy: Systemman, Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Wikimedia Commons
21 October 2013

U.S. government shutdown, China’s gain

The U.S. government shutdown and President Obama’s absence gave China immense diplomatic and political space at the APEC and East Asia Summit meetings. China’s declaration of a “de-Americanised” world may be premature but the crumbling old order is doing little to dispel this notion

dilma Courtesy: Ministério da Saúde/Flickr
17 October 2013

Brazil’s new global agenda for the internet

After revelations that the U.S.’s NSA spied on her, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has ordered a series of measures to ensure online independence and called for an equitable global internet infrastructure. India can follow Brazil’s lead and make its communication systems less vulnerable

Karanarticle Courtesy: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/Flickr
16 October 2013

India needs business activism

In the face of a severe economic slowdown and an impending balance-of-payment crisis, the Indian business community has a clear opportunity to pull the country out of the current crisis. However, this can only achieved if the apex chambers of commerce restructure themselves

maldives flag Paolo Rosa flickr Courtesy: Paolo Rosa/Flickr
4 October 2013

The Maldives: Awaiting another election

The September 28 run-off presidential election in the Maldives was postponed indefinitely by the country’s Supreme Court after allegations of ballot-rigging. However, national and international observers have said the elections were fair. Settling the political crisis in the Maldives may now require more than an election

UNSC Syria UNSC Courtesy: United Nations
4 October 2013

Decoding the UNSC Resolution on Syria

The recent UNSC Resolution, which mandates the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, demonstrates that after more than a year, a degree of international agreement on the Syrian issue has been possible. In the evolving situation, Russia will now emerge as a major player

bombay for sifra guy_incognito flickr Courtesy: guy_incognito/Flickr
3 October 2013

Raghuraman Rajan: Making Mumbai great again

Earlier in September, Raghuram Rajan took over as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India for three years. While his entry has indeed alleviated the gloomy market environment in Mumbai, there’s more that needs to be done. How can Mumbai reclaim the natural cosmopolitan and intellectual legacy it once boasted of?