ViewsWeek Views from around the world
The fact that the army is the most powerful state organ in Nepal is fairly unremarkable. It is an established norm of most countries, especially a post-conflict state managing a difficult democratic transition to peace. The interesting aspect of the Nepalese Army (NA), however, is its limited public role in national politics. This stands in stark contrast to other militaries …
October, 2013
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5 October
Shutdown to Ax Food Stamps, Job Training Programs Funding
After waging a noisy summer-long campaign to modify food stamps rules in the name of rewarding work, House Republicans have cut off funding to the job training programs that go along with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by shutting down the government. Those employment and training programs, known as SNAP E&T, are being left to their own devices during the …
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5 October
India’s High Price For Slow Growth
Oscar Wilde would fancy himself prescient. In The Importance of Being Earnest, he had the governess warn her impressionable charge: ‘Cecily, you will read your Political Economy in my absence. The chapter on the Fall of the Indian rupee you may omit. It is somewhat too sensational. Even these metallic problems have their melodramatic side’. There has been much concern about …
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4 October
A Bangladeshi Perspective on 1971 ‘War Crimes’
We are a severe critic of this government on many issues. But on the issue of holding war crimes trial we have no hesitation in saying that without the AL (Awami League party of prime minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid who also happens to be daughter of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman) in power, and without Sheikh Hasina’s determined leadership, …
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4 October
Foreign Policy Not Glorious Legacy of Manmohan Singh
Foreign policy will not be among the glorious legacies that Manmohan Singh will leave behind. But that will not be for want of trying, although on many occasions he blundered badly. Ties with Pakistan remain strained, since he has been repeatedly outsmarted Coming at the tail end of his almost decade-long prime ministerial tenure, Mr Manmohan Singh’s trip to …
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4 October
Tugging At The Heart Strings
About half a kilometer (.3 miles) from Karachi’s famous Banaras Chowk, to the left side of Banaras Nullah, stands a tiny old shop. The exterior is far from impressive; the interior even less so. A small space has been cleared out on the floor to provide seating; two old exhaust fans are tied to the roof in place of …
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3 October
Gazans say Egypt is Now Turning The Screw
GAZA: The shift of power in Egypt over the past few months has led not just to border closures for those wanting to cross into the country from Gaza, but also to a sharp reduction in the transport of basic goods, as well as fishing rights, further isolating residents of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The Egyptian Army says that since …
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3 October
No Clear Trends Ahead of Afghan Presidential Elections
No other topic is of interest for Kabul’s chattering classes these days than the upcoming presidential election. The making and breaking of political and electoral alliances, the likely candidates and the expected winner are discussed threadbare as the Afghans prepare for their third presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. This would be the first election …
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3 October
Appeasement Has No Future in India-Pakistan Relations
There was speculation but little expectations about the (September 29) meeting between prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Indian government functionaries and almost all political leaders have fallen over themselves competing with the vociferous Indian media in consistently attacking Pakistan. In their near unanimous opinion, conditions were not conducive for …
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2 October
Sri Lanka’s Post-Conflict Economic Development
The end of three decades of armed conflict in 2009 had many Sri Lankans believing that sustained economic development would now be possible. This groundswell of optimism catapulted the incumbent government to an electoral victory in early 2010, and while a large share of its support stemmed from military successes, the ruling party’s economic message was also a decisive factor. From …
