Showing 1 - 10 of 25
The promise and peril of Bangladesh's 'youthquake'
Oped, M Niaz Asadullah, Published on 20/08/2025
» The past year has been marked by a series of revolutions and political shocks as young people across Asia and Africa have taken to the streets, demanding accountable governments, fairer societies, and economic opportunities -- a wave of resistance that Binaifer Nowrojee has aptly termed "youthquakes".
Pakistan's best chance to save its economy
Oped, Aasim M Husain, Published on 17/05/2025
» As the military confrontation between Pakistan and India continues, Pakistan's economy could be caught in the crossfire. The ongoing crisis has fuelled concerns that India may try to halt the flow of the Indus River into Pakistan -- a threat that Pakistan's struggling economy can ill afford.
Bigger Asean could counter tariffs
Oped, R M Manivannan, Published on 17/04/2025
» When US President Donald Trump finally unleashed his long-threatened tariff blitz, the scale and scope were far worse than most governments expected. It came as no surprise that China would be the hardest hit, but the punishing duties imposed on most Asian countries were a profound shock.
Centre-left parties must regain relevance in Germany
Oped, Bartosz M Rydlinski, Published on 01/03/2025
» Germany's Social Democrats are one of the West's oldest political parties, with a legacy of advocating parliamentary democracy, opposing Nazism, and leading the modernisation of postwar Germany. In addition to many notable labour, economic, and human-rights reforms the party has implemented over the years, ex-SPD leader and West German chancellor Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik in the 1970s laid the groundwork for Germany's reunification in 1990.
Democracy is in need of workers
Bartosz M Rydliński, Published on 12/12/2024
» Donald Trump shocked the world in 2016 when he was elected US president, winning swing states in America's Rust Belt, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, that had traditionally backed Democrats.
Bangladesh's youth uprising has Arab Spring echoes
News, Niaz Asadullah, Published on 27/07/2024
» In recent weeks, the Bangladeshi government has cracked down violently on students demanding equitable access to coveted government jobs amid an unemployment crisis. To contain the protests, authorities have shut down all educational institutions, imposed a strict curfew, and cut off internet access. Thousands of police officers and paramilitaries have been patrolling the streets, and more than 170 people have died.
Poorest countries can't be ignored
Indermit Gill & M Ayhan Kose, Published on 18/06/2024
» They are home to a quarter of humanity -- 1.9 billion people. They possess prized natural resources, including one-fifth of the world's copper and gold reserves, as well as many of the rare metals essential for the transition to clean energy. Their working-age populations are set to expand for the next five decades amid demographic decline nearly everywhere else. Yet a historic reversal is underway among the world's 75 countries eligible for grants and low-interest loans from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA).
Sanctions need global governance
Oped, Paola Subacchi & Rosa M Lastra, Published on 12/04/2024
» As Russia's war against Ukraine has entered its third year, Western governments are finding it increasingly difficult to muster the funding Ukraine needs to defend itself. The European Union struggled to reach a €50 billion (1.9 trillion baht) aid deal in February, and the United States remains deadlocked over its own US$60 billion (about 2.2 trillion baht) funding package. Now, calls to use Russia's own assets to fund the Ukrainian war effort are growing louder.
Turning momentum for women
Oped, Putri Maha Lima, Siti Rozaimeriyanty & Jamshed M. Kazi, Published on 05/03/2024
» Over the past few years, women's leadership and participation have gained momentum in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations especially in promoting inclusive governance and decision making. There has been a rising demand for more of an inclusive and diverse representation of leadership within the region.
Shifting ties: Thailand's new balancing act
Business, Marthe M Hinojales and Allen Ng, Published on 05/01/2024
» Thailand finds itself at a crossroads as global geoeconomic alignments shift amid rapid changes in the technological landscape. Its top trading partners and foreign investors are changing, raising concerns about the relevance of its development model.