Suicide Protesters in Eastern Tibet: The Shifting Story of a People’s Tragedy
Memo #302 By Antonio Terrone – a-terrone [at] northwestern.edu The recent wave of self-immolations across the Eastern Tibetan regions of the People’s Republic of China continues to leave the world in dismay for both its violence and determination. They also represent a new shift in terms of the demography of protesters in Tibetan society. Among […]
Modi: Breaking the Mold of Indian Politics (Part 1 of 2)
Memo #296 Narendra Modi’s Historic Electoral Victory. By John Harriss – jharriss [at] sfu.ca HE DID IT. That Narendra Modi should have won India’s 16th General Election is no great surprise. But the scale of his triumph is. Together with most other commentators I expected Modi to win, but thought it likely that he would be constrained by […]
Modi: Breaking the Mold of Indian Politics (part 2 of 2)
Memo #297 How Modi won may tell us something about the face of a Modi premiership. By John Harriss – jharriss [at] sfu.ca Read Part 1 of this memo HERE. Yes, Modi did it—won a transformative electoral victory. But HOW he did it is also important. There are three aspects of these elections that stand […]
Coalitional Constraints in India: Why we shouldn’t fear Modi
Memo #292 By Geoffrey Macdonald – GPMacdonald [at] gmail.com Polling indicates that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be announced next week as the clear winner of India’s scheduled parliamentary elections. With this result, the worst fears of many Indians and international observers will be realized: Narendra Modi, who is banned from entering the United […]
The Rohingya, Ethnic Minorities, and Myanmar’s Enduring Dilemma
Memo #285 By Kazi Fahmida Farzana – fahmida [at] uum.edu.my Will Myanmar’s Political Transition be able to Solve the Lingering Nationality Question of its Ethnic Minorities? Myanmar in recent years has been experiencing substantive political changes in its political system with implications for its domestic policies and international relations. Since its November 2010 national elections, […]
At the Frontier of the Middle Income Trap: Remarkable Parallels between India’s and Indonesia’s Elections
Memo #274 By Yves Tiberghien – yves.tiberghien [at] ubc.ca India and Indonesia are both facing crucial elections this year: May for India and July for Indonesia (April for parliament). Although contexts are different and their ties are rarely explored, they face remarkably similar economic issues. Both are seen as successful emerging powers of the 2000s […]
Local Voices in Water Resources Management: A Case Study in Negotiated Approach from Bangladesh
Memo #265 By Mustafa Alam – mstfalam [at] gmail.com A case study from Bangladesh highlights the success of a negotiated approach to water resources management, wherein the participation of the local populace in the planning and decision-making process is ensured, local knowledge is used and local stakeholders empowered. In the Khulna and Jessore districts of […]
Saving Lives in Odisha: Disaster Mitigation Comes of Age in India
Memo #250 By Asim Arun – asimarun [at] hotmail.com The recent typhoon in the Philippines, and growing threat of climate change it may represent, has once again taught us the necessity of disaster preparedness. It was just over a month ago, on October 12, 2013, that the category-five Cyclone Phailin slammed into India’s eastern coastal states […]
Keeping Neighbours Closer: Beijing’s Geopolitical Pitch
Memo #249 By Jargalsaikhan Mendee – mendee [at] alumni.ubc.ca Lately, Chinese leaders have been busy bolstering relations with their immediate neighbours. As evidence, the Prime Ministers of India, Mongolia, and Russia arrived in Beijing for bilateral meetings with China’s President Xin Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on the same day—October 24, 2013. While Russian Prime Minister Dmitri […]
Two Challenges for the Mumbai Eastern Freeway: Congestion and Equity
Mumbai’s new Eastern Freeway (MEF) was opened to the public on June 13. The 13.59 km publicly funded MEF is meant to ease congestion between outlying suburbs and downtown Mumbai.