ViewsWeek Views from around the world
In a remote rugged mountainous region in Pakistan’s northwest, a bomb killed a senior army general on September 15 while he was returning from a visit to military posts on the frontier with Afghanistan. Two other soldiers were also killed in the bombing. Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the attack. Days before the attack, Pakistan’s central government had announced a …
September, 2013
-
22 September
Getting Grip on Poverty in Bhutan
The new government will be addressing poverty in Bhutan with a different and a broader approach. This is a welcome initiative given that poverty reduction has been the central theme for the last many years and yet we still have a significant number of people under the poverty line. Going by the 11th Plan report presented in the National Assembly, …
-
22 September
Afghanistan’s Evolving Election Scenario
Nominations for the Afghan presidency opened on September 16, 2013 and with this milestone the country formally entered the pre-election period. Over the next seven months Afghanistan will be turned into one great reality TV show, watched by the world, while the candidates practice our unique brand of politics. In the run up to nominations, the alternating announcements of electoral …
-
22 September
Myanmar’s Stateless Rohingyas
Every human being has the right to live in his birthplace irrespective of religion, color and race. But in case of Rohingyas in Myanmar, it is different and difficult. Rohingyas ( an ethnic group who practice Islam and speak Rohingya) have been living in the state of Arakan in Myanmar since the 8th century, but have not been recognized as citizens. After decades of oppression …
-
22 September
What House Continuing Resolution Means to You?
This article was published by the Center for American Progress Action The House of Representatives has passed a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded through Dec. 15 and withhold funding for the Affordable Care Act. The 230-189 vote comes just 10 days before a possible shutdown and includes instructions authorizing the Treasury “to pay some bills and not …
-
21 September
Agriculture Trade Rules Must Protect World’s Poorest
The Agreement on Agriculture negotiated in the Uruguay Round was expected to bring about a structural change in the global agricultural trade and lead to efficient agricultural producers. Yet despite several further rounds of negotiations there has been minimal progress on all issues related to the Agreement and agricultural trade continues to be distorted. Given the prevalence of these distortions and …
-
21 September
Bangladesh’s Nuclear Plant — A Disaster in Waiting
The government is all set to get a nuclear power plant built, using Uranium 236 as the reactor fuel at Rooppur in Pabna. Of utmost concern is that Russia, which is due to supply the nuclear power plant, experienced the biggest number of civilian fatalities, injuries and related radiation sickness following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Officially, many hundreds were killed, …
-
20 September
Combating Impunity of Crimes Against Media in Pakistan
Media in Pakistan continues to face grave threats, including threats to the lives of journalists. The recent statistics are stark. Over 60 journalists have been killed in the last six years (2007 to 2013) – about two-thirds of them shot dead in target killings and the rest killed in suicide attacks and bombings in public places. On average, for each journalist …
-
20 September
Russia’s Pivot to Eurasia And The Battle For Ukraine
Nearly one year after the APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Russia’s trade policy focus seems to have drifted away from the Asia Pacific. Russia has reverted to a relatively silent profile in APEC, showed ambivalence towards the economic dialogue with ASEAN, and suspended negotiations for an FTA with New Zealand after the last negotiating round was held in July 2012. There …
-
20 September
Indian Politics — Memory Versus Forgetting
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting,’ novelist Milan Kundera wrote. Indeed, those who wield power often try to efface the imprints of their despicable past, recreating on the slate of a cleansed public memory an endearing image of themselves. Yet, their darkled past returns to haunt them because of individuals who want to …
