Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan
A new Pew Research Survey indicates that the US still continues to be perceived in positive light; that a conflict between China and its neighbours over territorial disputes is likely; and that despite contentions over territorial issues, China’s economic standing is considered good even among Asian countries. Asia thus presents interesting pointers about the attitude towards the US and China amidst efforts to find a balance between strategic and economic compulsions.
Will Bangladeshis Ever Learn?
Prof Mahfuz R Chowdhury
Robindra Nath Togore, the great poet-philosopher and Nobel laureate of Bengal once said 'Hey mother Bengal, you gave birth to your 70 million children but forgot to educate or teach them dignity'. Are Bangladeshis victim of this curse? At the time Tagore made the above comment, Bengal was a united province of British India. Besides multiplying the population more than three folds, Bengal is now divided on religious lines. The Hindu dominated western third remained a part of India, and the Muslim dominated two thirds came to form the independent state of Bangladesh in 1971 after twenty four years of bizarre rendezvous with Pakistan. Today Bangladesh is the eighth largest country in population.Bangladesh: In pursuit of freedom
Kerry Kennedy
People love freedom so much that they have withstood great armies, famine and intractable poverty. Visiting Bangladesh has been a lifelong dream of mine, but all that I had heard about a people who love freedom so much that they have withstood great armies, famine and intractable poverty could not prepare me for what I’ve seen in the last three days.The Bengali patriots’ courage and endurance in the face of the Pakistani army forty years ago is the stuff of legend in our family...
Uneasy alliance reveals complex social issues
Bangladesh might be better known for natural disasters and human suffering, but for years this south Asian nation has been a kind of Silicon Valley in the field of social entrepreneurship and anti-poverty programs.
It is the birthplace of BRAC, the world’s largest non-government organization that’s helping survivors of the 2013 Bangladesh factory collapse, and Grameen Bank, better known in the West since winning the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.
However, the success of Grameen and BRAC is still dwarfed by the sheer scale the economic and environmental problems faced by this crowded, low-lying nation of 150 million. So the challenge for behemoths and start ups alike is to scale up — not just to have a wider social impact but also to sustain the enterprise so it depends less on charity.
...
Steady pursuit of justice and freedom in Bangladesh
Last week, at the invitation of my friend Muhammad Yunus, I traveled to Bangladesh, a truly humbling and inspiring experience. I met so many incredible people struggling to improve their country and their lives. I wrote a letter to my daughters about my travels, which follows:
Dear Cara, Mariah and Michaela,
[caption id="attachment_7748" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center (third from right), with Grameen Bank members.[/caption]
...
Kerry Kennedy, President of the Robert F. Kennedy Center (third from right), with Grameen Bank members.[/caption]
...
Capitalist solution for a capitalist failure
In April 2013, a horrendous collapse of a rickety garment factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 workers. The year before, fire swept through another, killing 117 people, and despite such tragedies, improvements in that country’s garment sector have been few and far between.
The reality is that capitalism and globalization have given Western consumers cheap goods and helped emerging economies grow, but that’s usually done through the exploitation of workers and the environment. Shop floor co...
The reality is that capitalism and globalization have given Western consumers cheap goods and helped emerging economies grow, but that’s usually done through the exploitation of workers and the environment. Shop floor co...
