Rohingya refugee crisis can be solved only if ASEAN musters the will do to so

For the boat people of Southeast Asia, each day begins with a thickening sense of uncertainty, despair and a fading glimmer of hope. Thousands have been rescued in the past month by authorities and fishermen in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia after being stranded in the Andaman Sea. While some are Bangladeshis migrating for better jobs… Read More

Great expectations in Dhaka: Modi has an opportunity to reboot India-Bangladesh relations after many erratic flip-flops

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Dhaka from June 6-7 to discuss the ‘entire gamut’ of bilateral issues. The Modi government has shown decisiveness in passing the Land Boundary Agreement that was in limbo for more than four decades. While the Indira Gandhi government made the deal, Congress failed to ratify it in Parliament,… Read More

China must live up to the challenge of leadership in a new economic order

China’s success at rallying both developed and developing nations to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank gives it an opportunity for global economic leadership. This role hinges on its dual identity. On the one hand, China is the world’s second-largest economy; on the other, it is a developing country which still receives aid from the… Read More

AIIB is as much an opportunity as it is a challenge for the ADB

As governors of the 67-member Asian Development Bank gather at Baku, Azerbaijan, for the bank’s 48th annual meeting, Asia braces itself for a second major multilateral development bank around 50 years since ADB was founded. The Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank — a brainchild of Chinese leadership as a means of realizing the One Belt, One Road vision… Read More

Bangladesh is a huge opportunity for India.

India-Bangladesh relations were discussed during last month’s meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The latter was reportedly supportive of the NDA government’s move to pass the India-Bangladesh Land Border Agreement (LBA) Bill. She was also positive on the Teesta water sharing pact. Modi is keen to settle both… Read More

Nut rage case exposes cracks in S. Korean society

The recent public furore over the South Korean nut rage incident culminated in the arrest of Heather Cho, daughter of Korean Air’s chairman and a former executive at the airline. She has been charged with breaches of an aviation safety law linked to her outburst over the way she was served nuts on the plane…. Read More

Abe sets the stage, but can Abenomics really work?

Published in Insight & Opinion. As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe starts his new term in office, his priority was captured in his new year message. “This year, we will once again make the economy the foremost priority, delivering the warm winds of economic recovery to every corner of the nation,” he said. He has… Read More

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sets the stage, but can Abenomics really work?

As Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe starts his new term in office, his priority was captured in his new year message. “This year, we will once again make the economy the foremost priority, delivering the warm winds of economic recovery to every corner of the nation,” he said. He has smartly captured his putatively irreplaceable… Read More

Will Japan, South Korea & Australia ever say yes to China’s AIIB?

As the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank inches closer to being established, China still has a monumental challenge to hurdle: convince Asia-Pacific’s three most influential nations -Japan, South Korea and Australia – to join the proposed $100 billion financial institution. The fact that China is leading the creation of the bank, which will be based in… Read More

An open letter to Modi, ST’s Asian of the Year

Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulations on being named as the Asian of the Year 2014 by The Straits Times. In the seven months in office, you have limned out in powerful strokes your priorities and style of governance, and now the delivery time begins. As the Asian of the Year and in the days… Read More