Even after the end of civil war in Sri Lanka, the fate of its ethnic Tamil refugees remains uncertain.
The lives of thousands of Sri Lankans who fled the devastating and prolonged violence of the civil war...
A multidisciplinary, multinational, multimedia journal that provides analysis of and context for issues, trends and events of global significance.
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Kurds in the Turkosphere: A Growing Sectarian Divide
By Nathaniel HandyThe rise of Kurdish political power has persuaded Turkey that it is time to strike a deal with its own Kurds.
These are fateful days for the Kurdish populations of the Middle East. Caught for almost a century between the competing policies of the states among which they were divided following the First World War, these various communities now inhabit a fast-changing landscape...
Syria's "Agro-City Regions" - Framing the Civil War
By Nicholas A. HerasIn order to fully understand the armed conflict in Syria, one has to grasp the country’s agro-city regional organization.
In the whirl and the rush of the fast-moving, bloody, and geo-politically significant events ongoing throughout Syria, it is easy to forget that certain classics of Syria studies can help us understand events in the country through culturally relevant...
UK Asylum Seekers: At the End of the Line
By Still Human Still HereA 2010 report by the Still Human Still Here coalition, “At the End of the Line: Restoring Integrity of the UK’s Asylum System”, documents destitution, inadequate access to health care and inability to work among asylum seekers which are still relevant three years on. The following is an executive summary of the ...
Sri Lankan Refugees: Voyages of Uncertainty
By William CrowneEven after the end of civil war in Sri Lanka, the fate of its ethnic Tamil refugees remains uncertain.
The lives of thousands of Sri Lankans who fled the devastating and prolonged violence of the civil war remain in a state of insecurity worldwide. For many, the desperate hope of beginning a stable life far from persecution and violence and soliciting asylum mainly in Europe...
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Gauging Myanmar’s Cautious Political and Economic Opening
By Helios GlobalDespite pitfalls, Myanmar's opening offers lucrative investment opportunities.
Long regarded as one of the world’s most reclusive and authoritarian states, the southeastern Asian nation of Myanmar (also known as Burma) is witnessing a period of cautious political and economic liberalization. Rich in oil and natural gas and an array of minerals vital to the world...
Change in Venezuela Yields Political and Economic Uncertainty
By Helios GlobalDespite his declared commitment to toe his predecessor’s ideological line, the gravity of the economic problems affecting Venezuela may force Maduro to depart from some of Chavez’s policies.
Nicholas Maduro’s narrow electoral triumph over opposition leader Henrique Capriles Radonski in Venezuela’s April 14 elections — to serve out the remainder of...
India’s 21st Century Challenge: Scientific Education
By Kathan ShuklaEconomists agree that a country with a knowledge-based economy will take global leadership in the future. However, will India participate in the global competition and be a serious contender?
The Indian economy, amid a global slowdown, is likely to grow by about 6% in 2013-14. However, if India wants to...
Africa’s 2040 Employment Problem
By Lee-Roy ChettyNorth and sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing a demographic youth bulge. However, there is a severe mismatch between the skills possessed by young workers and those demanded by employers. The education system needs to be restructured to build the skills needed to compete globally.
Over the last decade, six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies were in sub-Saharan...
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Sri Lankan Refugees: Voyages of Uncertainty
By William CrowneEven after the end of civil war in Sri Lanka, the fate of its ethnic Tamil refugees remains uncertain.
The lives of thousands of Sri Lankans who fled the devastating and prolonged violence of the civil war remain in a state of insecurity worldwide. For many, the desperate hope of beginning a stable life far from persecution and violence and soliciting asylum mainly in Europe...
Refugees in Africa's Great Lakes Region: A Perpetual State of...
By Lucy HovilRepatriating refugees in the Great Lakes region often disregards individuals' circumstances, and may even put them at risk.
A Refugee Life
Jean-Marc is Burundian by nationality, but has never lived in Burundi. In 1976, he was born into exile in Rwanda where he lived as a refugee until the 1994 genocide when his father was killed and...
INFOGRAPHIC: The Real Cost of Clothes Made in Bangladesh
By Robert RebholzIs "Made in Bangladesh" really cheaper than "Made in USA"?
*[This infographic was originally featured by...
Abuse of the Feminine: Honoring Women
By Sara El-YafiIn the 19th century, the moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century, it was totalitarianism. In the 21st century, let’s make it gender equality. As part of Fair Observer's 360° series, The Middle East: Fighting for Women's Rights, Sara El-Yafi...
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The Myths of Foreign Affairs School (Part 2/2)
By Brandon ScottBrandon Scott compares the professions IR students imagine working in, with the real world of actual IR professionals. This is the last of a two part series. Read part one here.
6: You will be Living in Paris in a Swank Apartment
This...
Translating Kurdish Poetry: Not for the Faint of Heart
By Ashley LohmannTranslating Kurdish, Iraqi, and other regional poetry has the power to shatter stereotypes, ease local tensions, and show the world a side of the region it has never seen.
Giggles. Such was the reaction Marie LaBrosse received every time she mentioned the name “Sheikh Raza” in her new hometown of Sulaimani in Kurdish northern Iraq.
LaBrosse had recently moved...
Media Should Not Make Money
By Atul Singh“The sole aim of journalism should be service” (Mahatma Gandhi).
Media is in crisis globally, and democracy as we have known it is under threat. Democracy works when voters make informed choices. The American colonies fought for independence because Tom Paine wrote “Common Sense,” which was published widely. India’s independence struggle was...
The Myths of Foreign Affairs School (Part 1/2)
By Brandon ScottBrandon Scott compares the professions IR students imagine working in, with the real world of actual IR professionals. This is the first of a two part series.
In my 13 years experience in the field of International Relations (IR), I have: run intelligence sources in Bosnia and...
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Media Should Not Make Money
By Atul Singh“The sole aim of journalism should be service” (Mahatma Gandhi).
Media is in crisis globally, and democracy as we have known it is under threat. Democracy works when voters make informed choices. The American colonies fought for independence because Tom Paine wrote “Common Sense,” which was published widely. India’s independence struggle was...
An Indian Conundrum: The Copy-Paste Culture
By Kathan ShuklaThere is a culture of not recognizing intellectual property as someone’s property, in India. The big fish with power and money may influence the people at large, and the real creative intellectual may never receive due credit.
In recent times, there has been a lot of empty rhetoric of “moving towards [a] knowledge economy” in policy circles. The bureaucrats,...
Global Business in Emerging Markets: Potential for Transformational...
By Jean AbiNaderThe role of workforce development in crafting solutions should not be overlooked or minimized as simply giving people jobs. Jean AbiNader analyzes the importance of job skills training in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), global dexterity, the renegotiation of the social contract, and impact investing in a post-Arab Uprisings environment.
At a recent corporate...
Protecting Singapore Businesses from Cyber-Espionage
By S.Rajaratnam School of Internationa...Cyber-espionage is a real and growing threat to businesses and economies in Singapore. Some counter-measures can be taken by the private sector. But the government plays an important role in protecting its businesses from cyber-exploitation.
By Senol Yilmaz
Over the few decades, Singapore’s economy has moved up from a mere producer of material...
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Syria's "Agro-City Regions" - Framing the Civil War
By Nicholas A. HerasIn order to fully understand the armed conflict in Syria, one has to grasp the country’s agro-city regional organization.
In the whirl and the rush of the fast-moving, bloody, and geo-politically significant events ongoing throughout Syria, it is easy to forget that certain classics of Syria studies can help us understand events in the country through culturally relevant...
Militarization and Impunity: The Anti-AFSPA Movement in Kashmir
By Tanvi ManiIs it time the Indian government repealed the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Kashmir?
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) stands as a testament to the clout of the Indian National Army and the tenacity with which it wields its power. Treading the thin line between a leviathan regiment and a liberal institution working for the welfare of the people, the...
Will Northern Irish Terrorism Affect the G8 Summit?
By Paul AshleyPaul Ashley analyzes the potential impact of Northern Irish militant groups on the upcoming G8 Summit. [Note: This report was produced in collaboration with 361 Security.]
Security Situation
On June 17-18, the 39th G8 Summit...
Negotiating in Mali: Why Failure is Not an Option (Part 3/3)
By Christos KyrouAfter the successful French intervention in Mali, a fragile balance still exists in the country. This article is the last of a three part series. Read part one here.
The Greatest Challenges for the Government
Repairing a tarnished image: Even...
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India’s 21st Century Challenge: Scientific Education
By Kathan ShuklaEconomists agree that a country with a knowledge-based economy will take global leadership in the future. However, will India participate in the global competition and be a serious contender?
The Indian economy, amid a global slowdown, is likely to grow by about 6% in 2013-14. However, if India wants to...
The Glowing Plant: A New Paradigm for Funding Science?
By Deeba FahamiIn a world of austerity and shrinking research budgets, the crowd-funding method at the core of the Glowing Plant Project offers a radically different approach to scientific research funding.
The first synthetic biology project that has launched on Kickstarter, the...
The Importance of Technology in Economic and Social Development
By Lee-Roy ChettyMobile technology offers extensive help on various forms of social and economic development. Lee-Roy Chetty explores why such initiatives can have a positive impact in Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and beyond.
Technological innovation and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) represent a way for developing world nations to foster economic development, improve levels of...
Countering Maritime Piracy: A Collaborative Approach
By Ari KatzSynergizing resources and technology from private and public stakeholders, can produce more effective and cost efficient counter-maritime piracy measures.
In light of sequestration, analysts project that countering maritime piracy will take a back seat to the Asia rebalancing and other more existential US foreign policy issues. Unfortunately, this rationing of focus has the...
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Combating Diabetes: Some Things Money Can’t Buy
By INSEAD - Business SchoolFaced with a deadly and expensive diabetes epidemic, Gulf states are looking at innovative business marketing techniques to promote healthy behaviour and keep a cap on spiralling health costs.
By Jane Williams
Strong oil prices have bankrolled an affluent lifestyle in the Middle East’s Gulf region, with deadly consequences. Rich foods, decreased...
Politics of Scarcity
By Dr. M. KrishnamurthiThe scarcity of food, water, education, and transportation is negatively affecting both urban and rural populations in India.
More than sixty percent of the Indian population depends upon agriculture and agriculture-related activities for their livelihood and live in rural areas. When they followed traditional practices, all agricultural inputs were locally available such...
Mindfulness and the Pursuit of Happiness
By Norman FarbHow can meditation make us happier?
There are a lot of advantages to modern living. Advances in nutrition and sanitation have increased the human lifespan almost threefold compared to ages past. Modern technology provides widespread conveniences historically reserved for the aristocracy. Modern medicine can cure an increasing variety of ailments. Around the world, billions of...
A Spiritual Life: Exclusive Interview with HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
By Sri Sri Ravi ShankarSri Sri Ravi Shankar discusses a new era of spirituality that is compatible with modern, western living.
Interview conducted by Aaron Prosser.
Question 1: It seems like more people are searching for inner peace and meaning in their life. This is especially true in...
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Guyana: Mining, Forests and Indigenous Rights
By Oda AlmåsIn light of increasing gold prices on the world market, the actual commitment under-pinning Guyana’s agreement with Norway to save its rainforests, which also includes an obligation to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, can be questioned.
The unprecedented high price of gold on the world market is leading to rapidly increasing pressure on land that may...
One Horned Rhinos in Assam: Drones to the Rescue
By Nava J. ThakuriaIn India, elite forces on the ground and drones in the sky aim to safeguard Assam's wildlife.
Assam, which has been in the national and international media for incidents related to insurgency turned terrorism, is on the verge of witnessing a new battle. Unmanned remote-controlled aircraft popularly referred to as drones which are being used by NATO forces in...
The Glowing Plant: A New Paradigm for Funding Science?
By Deeba FahamiIn a world of austerity and shrinking research budgets, the crowd-funding method at the core of the Glowing Plant Project offers a radically different approach to scientific research funding.
The first synthetic biology project that has launched on Kickstarter, the...
Americans Still Want Renewable Energy
By Anthony W. OrlandoAmericans still want investment in renewable energy in a bid to distance themselves from Middle Eastern oil producers.
James Gaddy knows manure. Chicken manure, to be exact. He’s spent years working with it. That may not sound like much fun to you and me, but Gaddy is on a mission to power the earth — and, in the process, save it.
Specifically,...
