With the excitement, dust, heat and frenzy generated by the US presidential elections seemingly behind us, the recent developments in Asia and other parts of the world deserve attention. The Economist, as usual, leads other world publications in bringing to us news stories in an insightful and succinct manner.
First, how Australia and China facing the global financial crisis? Well they seem to be joining hands… During my five-month stay in Australia, it was clear that Mr Kevin Rudd’s government was focusing mainly on two countries for closer relations: China and India (in that order).
China’s appetite for its minerals offers Australia some shelter from the storm, writes The Economist. “China’s demand for the Pilbara’s minerals to feed its insatiable steel mills has been a bedrock of Australia’s boom for much of this decade.
“With the onset of the global financial crisis, the region is now proving crucial to whether Australia can defy the fate of other rich countries and avoid a recession.” More here…
Can China, the world’s fastest-growing economy, avoid a sharp downturn? “If China, the world’s third-biggest economy, can manage to sustain reasonably robust growth, it will help to cushion global output.
“A massive stimulus package of 4 trillion yuan (nearly $600 billion) announced by the government on November 9th was therefore widely cheered at home and abroad. Will it be enough to re-stoke the dragon’s fire?” More here…
The Economist has a fascinating story about Bhutan, a small country sandwitched between two mighty giants – China and India – where democracy and the king enjoy equal popularity. “Most Bhutanese would have preferred to preserve royal rule, but loyally obeyed the king’s order to rule themselves.” More here…
If Bhutan is a tourist paradise in the Himalayas, Maldives is a fascinating Asia’s smallest country in the Indian Ocean. “The residents of the Maldives, however, face collective homelessness as a result of rising sea levels, which are expected eventually to engulf the 1,200-island nation, whose highest point is 2.3 metres above sea level.
“Faced with this alarming prospect, the country’s new president, Mohamed Nasheed, has come up with an equally dramatic solution: put aside some of the Maldives’ tourism revenues to buy another homeland. At first blush Mr Nasheed’s notion seems a bit over the top. Countries don’t usually go round purchasing large lumps of other nations.
“The only precedent he cites—Jews buying up bits of Palestine before Israel was established—does not inspire confidence that his plan would increase world harmony.
“And since the rich countries that caused the climate to change and the seas to rise can easily absorb the Maldives’ 370,000 people, it seems reasonable to assume that Mr Nasheed and his compatriots will be offered citizenship elsewhere. Reasonable, but wrong…” More here…
Finally,the LA Times report about Myanmar (formerly Burma): “Myanmar’s military regime handed down harsh prison sentences to 14 pro-democracy activists Tuesday, a slap in the face to the United Nations and foreign governments that have demanded reforms from the ruling generals.” More here…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.