obama romney Courtesy: Austen Hufford/Muhammad/Flickr
31 August 2012

A crucial choice: Romney or Obama?

Partly due to support from undecided voters, women and African Americans, incumbent U.S. President Barack Obama seems to be ahead in the polls. However, much will rest on which candidate can win over the country’s middle class. Whatever the result, it will have repercussions on markets and deregulation.

foreing affairs sept_0 Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
28 August 2012

Stimulus or Reform?

Since weak demand is at the heart of the recession, governments need to enact stimulus programs along with structural reforms, argues Menzie Chinn. Structural reforms don’t always work out, writes Karl Smith. Raghuram Rajan demurs.

Bucking Beijing: An Alternative U.S. China Policy Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
27 August 2012

Bucking Beijing: An Alternative U.S. China Policy

Until now, the U.S.-China policy has been driven by a blend of engagement and balancing. The Obama administration’s concentration on ‘engagement’ has done nothing to halt Beijing’s military build-up. The next administration should work towards bolstering the ‘balancing’ half of Washington’s strategic equation.

Courtesy: FREEDOM HOUSE2/FLICKR
24 August 2012

Syria: What next?

With the Free Syrian Army being supplied aid by the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the endgame for the Syrian regime has begun. Does Assad's exit guarantee the replacement of autocracy with democracy? What implications will it have on regional politics?

wall street volker article Courtesy: Alex E. Proimos/Flickr
24 August 2012

Why we need the Volcker Rule

Front running is a form of insider trading, where investment banks use customers' trading information to trade for themselves, ahead of their clients. This practise results in huge losses to the investors, and abates trust in financial markets. How can the Volcker Rule contain this practice on a global scale?

Global Stability Map Courtesy: Gateway House
1 August 2012

Global Stability Map 2012

Gateway House prepared a Global Stability Map, using 20 differing indicators, to analyze the stability of 60 countries around the world. Using criteria that are important to the emerging economies of the world, the map provides an Indian perspective of the world today.

Indian-Americans turn Democrat Courtesy: United States Government Work
1 August 2012

Indian-Americans turn Democrat

The Indian-American voters in the U.S. seem to be prioritising their local concerns over the larger U.S.-India bilateral relationship. The Democrats, by facilitating the group’s greater inclusion in U.S. society, politics and businesses, have thus made this huge community lean largely in their favour.

wall street 2 Courtesy: Fletcher6/WikimediaCommons
23 July 2012

The shadow of LIBORgate

As the revelations pile up after the LIBOR rigging incident, it seems Europe and Britain are more committed to enforcement action than America. Real conservatives believe fully in market capitalism, that prices must come from uncorrupted market signals. Could this start a sea-change for enforcement globally?

Courtesy: Malwack/WikimediaCommons
14 July 2012

Romney vs. Obama: A problem of class

At the heart of the U.S. Presidential elections campaign is a debate about class. This time, the scenario is different: recession, slow economic recovery, the Occupy movement and many financial scandals have expanded the domain for the forbidden topic.

xerxes china Courtesy: Ministry of Defence, India
12 July 2012

The spectre of China

Though India may seem to be mirroring or competing with China’s military build-up, it doesn't seem to be doing so in consonance with a long-term plan. New Delhi would be better served by avoiding an arms race; staying away from the U.S.-China rivalry and fostering stronger relations with its immediate neighbours.