Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Trump's return presents an opportunity for India
Oped, Arvind Subramanian, Published on 10/12/2024
» It might be tempting to assume that Donald Trump's return to the White House augurs stability in US-India relations. After all, there is strong bipartisan support in Washington for deeper ties, particularly as a counterbalance to China's growing economic and geopolitical influence.
Are Trump's tariffs going to be worth it?
Oped, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Published on 03/12/2024
» US President-elect Donald Trump's promise to impose a 60% tariff on imports from China and a 10-20% tariff on all other imports has triggered a public debate about whether such policies are really so bad. After all, a tariff is a consumption tax, and most economists favour taxes on consumption over income taxes.
Monetary policy really needs to tighten in Japan
Oped, Koichi Hamada, Published on 12/11/2024
» Last month, returning to Japan for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, I was struck by how significantly prices had increased. In February 2020, a simple lunch in downtown Tokyo cost about JP¥1,000, then the equivalent of about $10 (324 baht); today, it costs more like JP¥2,000. To some extent, this mirrors the experience in the US, where, even as inflation moderates, prices remain well above their pre-pandemic levels. The difference is that Japan has also experienced a sharp currency depreciation, which benefits foreign visitors: that JP¥2,000 bill translated to just $13.
Trump redux and US-Thai-Asean ties
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/11/2024
» Under President Donald Trump, the trajectory of US-Thai-Asean relations will be defined by three factors -- rising trade imbalances, intensifying US-China rivalry and Asean's long-term aspirations under its Community Vision 2045. Donald Trump's "America First" policies will impose many challenges.
Strengthening vulnerable coastlines
Oped, Karen Sack, Published on 05/11/2024
» Roughly 40% of the world's population inhabits coastal areas. In addition to being home to 12 of the world's 15 largest cities, these regions serve as an essential lifeline for countless small villages and towns. With around 80% of international trade passing through seaports, coastal regions also play an outsize economic role, accounting for 60-70% of global GDP.
Age begins to show for Chinese Communists
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 08/10/2024
» 'No one can stop the wheel of history," said China's President Xi Jinping on the recent 75th anniversary of the day when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) proclaimed the creation of the People's Republic of China. And the wheel is indeed still turning -- but that may not be good news for the fourth-generation heirs of that revolution.
New IMF debt deal needs a rejig
Oped, C P Chandrasekhar & Martín Guzmán & Jayati Ghosh & Charles Abugre, Published on 03/10/2024
» Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka's president, recently lost his re-election bid after voters overwhelmingly rejected the debt-restructuring deals he negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other creditors. Instead, Sri Lankans elected Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the left-wing National People's Power (NPP) alliance and a vocal critic of IMF-imposed austerity measures, who has vowed to renegotiate the country's agreement with the fund.
'Bulldozer justice' reigns in an unchanging India
Oped, Debasish Roy Chowdhury, Published on 11/09/2024
» Politically motivated bulldozing has returned with a vengeance in India. Earlier this month in the state of Madhya Pradesh, a local Muslim leader and member of the opposition Congress party watched his home, supposedly "illegally built", reduced to rubble. A district official then gloated on social media that justice had been served for recent attacks on the police. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, bulldozers flattened an "illegal" shopping complex owned by a Muslim functionary of an opposition party who had recently been arrested on charges of gang-raping a minor girl.
Humble Asean advice for Madame Pae
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 10/09/2024
» Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, aka Madame Pae, has a unique opportunity to demonstrate her leadership to Asean colleagues and dialogue partners in Vientiane, Laos, from Oct 9-11. Her inaugural international outings with 21 different Asean-related summits will define her premiership — or the lack of it. It is a herculean task.