Showing 1 - 10 of 26
Tariff chaos could halt 80 years of economic progress
Oped, Published on 26/04/2025
» International trade and exploration have captivated the human imagination for millennia. From Alexander the Great to Marco Polo, from the Silk Road to the East India Company, history is filled with examples of commerce redrawing the map of the known world. But for much of history, trade was shaped more by power than by fairness.
Tariff man doubles down on his passion
Oped, Published on 27/03/2025
» US President Donald Trump has long been a staunch advocate of import tariffs, proudly calling himself "Tariff Man" and asserting that tariff is "the most beautiful word in the dictionary."
The late Manmohan Singh, India's 'reformer' PM
Oped, Published on 30/01/2025
» At a time when demagogic populists often overshadow experienced, empathetic politicians, the recent passing of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the age of 92 serves as a stark reminder of how our perceptions of leadership have changed.
Developing nations face solvency crisis
Oped, Published on 08/01/2025
» High debt levels are again setting off alarm bells worldwide. In developed countries, attention is focused on the rapid increase in public debt, while developing economies are struggling to service their external obligations amid slowing growth and stagnating exports.
US' protectionist trade policies are backfiring
News, Published on 14/10/2024
» The United States has adopted increasingly protectionist policies over the past few years, raising tariffs, revising or withdrawing from free-trade agreements, and restricting trade with countries considered strategic threats. While these measures aim to exert pressure on perceived adversaries like China, there is growing evidence that economic sanctions are at best ineffective and, at worst, counterproductive.
Divestment from Israel will not bring peace
News, Published on 27/05/2024
» The Oct 7 terrorist attack by Hamas has rightly generated enormous sympathy for the people of Israel, especially given Jews' history of persecution, culminating in the Holocaust. But the plight of civilians in Gaza since the attack is horrifying as well. Both sides need to support an immediate cessation of hostilities, followed by good-faith efforts to address the underlying issues.
Why sanctions against Russia are failing
Oped, Published on 23/01/2024
» When bilateral talks fail to resolve disputes between sovereign countries, aggrieved parties may turn to an international judicial body, such as the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Alternatively, treaties or agreements often incorporate provisions for arbitration or mediation of disputes by a pre-designated entity.
Debtors rock but creditors may not roll
Oped, Published on 26/12/2023
» In its latest World Economic Outlook, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that a rising share of countries -- 56% of low-income countries and 25% of emerging markets -- are "in or at high levels of debt distress".
The risks that are threatening India's rise
News, Published on 23/11/2023
» A few decades ago, India was a relatively minor player on the world stage. Despite its size and vast population, it grappled with what became pejoratively known as the "Hindu rate of growth," with GDP increasing at a tepid annual pace of 4%, or 2% per capita from 1947, when it gained independence, until the 1980s.
Addressing the great debt conundrum
Oped, Published on 30/09/2023
» The exponential growth of international capital flows, predominantly in the form of debt, has been one of the great development successes of the past 50 years. But while foreign lending has played a pivotal role for developing economies, loans are a two-edged sword. When used judiciously, they can generate high returns, boost GDP growth, and improve the well-being of borrower countries. But if debts accumulate and the debt-servicing burden increases without a commensurate increase in repayment capacity, the consequences can be severe and even disastrous.