The world in May
7 May 2014

The world in May

Neelam Deo, Director, Gateway House, briefs you on the important geopolitical events and developments in May. She assesses the success of U.S. President Obama's visit to Asia, the escalating tensions in Ukraine where pro-government loyalists are trying to take control of cities under the command of pro-Russians, and the upcoming elections in the West.

brts2 Courtesy: IncMan/Wikimedia Commons
6 May 2014

Re-evaluating rapid transport

India’s transport network has failed to keep pace with the ever-expanding cities. This has necessitated the import of alternatives such as the Bus Rapid Transit System. However, unless impediments like the absence of a dedicated corridor and lack of city planning are addressed, the project is destined to fail

raghuram rajan_right Courtesy: Dhiraj Singh/getty
6 May 2014

Decoding RBI’s policy on foreign debt

The RBI’s two-pronged strategy to protect the economy from tapering-led volatility discourages unproductive external borrowings and prods foreign portfolio debt investors to think long-term. There's another vexed issue: the IMF has sounded a cautionary note on the rising number of foreign currency debt laden Indian firms

Spratly Islands_google map Courtesy: Google Maps
2 May 2014

South China Sea: escalating tensions

Braving potential retaliation from China, the Philippines has now challenged Beijing’s sovereign claims over the South China Sea before a UN tribunal, and raised the stakes in a longstanding dispute