bobs piece for 26,11 Courtesy: isafmedia/Flickr
18 November 2011

9/11 and 26/11: Are we any safer?

Last May, U.S. citizen David Headley confessed to being a spy for the Lashkar-e-Taiba. What no one has tackled yet is whether there are other Headleys out there whose actions threaten India, or any other country. Even with thousands of intelligence agencies scouting for terrorist activities, are we really safer?

indo us education summit Courtesy: Phil Humnicky/Georgetown University
20 October 2011

Education: The new Indo-U.S. alliance?

The first Indo-U.S. Education Summit held last week showed much promise. While education can be driving force of the strategic dialogue between the two countries, this is also an opportunity for business. India's massive education sector, estimated at $25 billion, is waiting to be tapped.

India, Financial regulatory exporter Courtesy: Niyantha/Flickr
6 October 2011

India: Financial Regulatory Exporter

With increasing debt and recession in the West, it seems no longer fitting for the rest of the world to follow traditional Western financial models. India’s long experience of capital markets, with its conservative and ‘inclusive’ financial regulatory system, on the other hand, makes for a compelling case study.

foreign affairs september issue_0 Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
1 October 2011

The Inevitable Superpower

Is China poised to take over from the United States as the world’s leading economy? Yes, judging by its GDP, trade flows, and ability to act as a creditor to the rest of the world. In fact, China’s economic dominance will be far greater and come about far sooner than most observers realize.

reasserting Courtesy: PMO
26 September 2011

Reasserting India’s independence

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech at the UN General Assembly has put Indian perceptions on the record and clearly outlined India’s independent foreign policy. India came out unequivocally in support of the Palestinian struggle & reiterated its traditional stance of respecting countries’ sovereignty.

mahmoud abbas and obama Courtesy: www.whitehouse.gov/WikimediaCommons
26 September 2011

Obama loses high ground on Middle East

Repeated applause greeted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the UN General Assembly, asking for support for the “establishment of Palestine.” But with the U.S. backing Israel, under almost all circumstances, will Abbas' proposal be able to bring about any change?

US-India: Strategic Partners with a Limitless Future
15 September 2011

US-India: Strategic Partners with a Limitless Future

India and the United States have grown close very quickly over the last decade. Their commitment towards the war on terror, pursuit of joint energy security, and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weaponry are some on a long list of common goals.

sarah chayes article Courtesy: U.S.ArmedForces/WikimediaCommons
13 September 2011

Mafia-nation: State capture by criminal syndicates

Corruption has become a galling global phenomenon: structured, vertically-integrated networks, whose objective is the extraction of resources, are forming in countries around the globe. And strikingly, these structures are masquerading as democratically-elected, seemingly-open governments.