Rawalpindi-Riyadh embrace

BRUCE RIEDEL, fellow at Brookings' Saban Center states that understanding the Saudi-Pakistani relationship was important to understand the future of both the countries, the nuclear balance in Near East and South Asia and the crisis in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia today.
In an op-ed for Force, "Enduring Allies", he states that Riyadh-Rawalpindi relationship was a longstanding, intimate alliance, with a decades-old strategic military relationship, an as yet unacknowledged nuclear partnership to provide Riyadh with a nuclear deterrent at short notice, if needed.
He states that Pakistan was the largest recipient of Saudi aid outside the Arab world and the Pakistani madarsa system was funded by the kingdom's Wahabbi clergy while Rawalpindi provided military expertise and resources, augmented by close intelligence and security relations and apprehensions about a Shia Iran.
He concludes that turmoil both in the Arab World as well as Pakistan and tensions with Washington were impelling the House of Saud and Pakistan towards even closer partnership.

Growth of the metros

ALAN BERUBE and PHILIPP RODE examine economic and employment data in 150 of the world’s largest metropolitan economies located in 53 countries for their analysis "Global MetroMonitor: The Path to Economic Recovery". The Brookings Institution analysis shows that these metropolitan areas function as locations for high-value economic activity in their respective nations and world regions, accounting for 46% of world GDP with only 12% of the population.
They state that the the past two decades had seen a shift in the metro map with the emerging market metros closing their gap with higher-income metros due to increased mobility of capital, market reforms and offshoring, with this shift accelerated by the global financial crisis of 2007-09. They forecast a rise in demand from emerging middle-classes for consumer goods and services, improved public services such as infrastructure, environmental quality, and educational opportunities this could provide further opportunities for both low-income and high-income metropolitan economies.

Channeling foreign capital inflows

ESWAR PRASAD, fellow at Brookings Institution and Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University analyzes India’s record current account deficit and asserts that policymakers must look for more ways to channel capital inflows into productive investments, which would help the country attain the potential benefits of foreign capital with less exposure to the risks of volatile short-term flow. In an op-ed for the Wall Street journal, "How India Can Cope With Plenty", he recommends multiple measures that policymakers could implement such as: opening up FDI to various sectors, reforming corporate bond markets, tackling corruption and red-tape, reining in government expenditure, and switching from inefficient subsidies to direct cash transfers, arguing that the current period of high growth and large capital inflows could be the best ever opportunity for India to implement those reforms.

Analyzing Pakistan

Experts led by STEPHEN COHEN of the Brookings Institution present a grim but realistic picture of Pakistan which was failing along multiple dimensions with a rapidly deteriorating law and order situation, while analyzing potential future scenarios. In a series of analyses presented in Bellagio, Italy, "Pakistan's Future: The Bellagio Papers", they question the will of the Pakistani elite to make structural and ideological changes that would allow it to become a state at peace with itself and its neighbors while discounting the capability of outside powers such as the U.S. to transform Pakistan.

Disputed hydrocarbons

GUO RONGXING of the Regional Science Association of China at the Peking University analyzes critical issues relating to the management of exploitation of

seabed hydrocarbons in the disputed regions of the East China Sea. In an analysis for the Brookings Institution, "Territorial Disputes and Seabed Petroleum Exploitation: Some Options for the East China Sea", he examines the factors that have limited collaboration between China and Japan in exploring and extracting the resources and outlines potential principles to enhance Sino-Japanese interaction.

South Asian Security and economics

MICHAEL O' HANLON of Brookings proposes a policy of complementing the hard power aspects of US policy in South Asia with a big push in soft power, particularly within the arena of economics. In an opinion piece for Politico, "Economics of Security in South Asia", he outlines a four-point economics and security initiative plan with tripling of annual economic aid to Pakistan, free-trade for Pakistan's tribal areas, encouragement of Indo-Pak trade and fuel pipelines from Central to South Asia through Afghanistan as the four key components.

US - Pakistan strains

STEPHEN COHEN of the Brookings Institution traces the history of the fluctuating relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. since the inception of Pakistan over 60 years ago.In his book, "Superpower Rivalry and Conflict: The long shadow of the Cold War on the 21st century" he states that this relationship has resulted in the transformation of the Pakistani self-image from that of a staunch, reliable and strong moderate Muslim ally to that of a state that has suffered on behalf of the West and which has not being adequately compensated for its suffering.

U.S. Climate change pressure - cyclone in India

Arvind Panagariya, Professor at Columbia University, states that developed countries have chosen to play strategically on climate change by framing the negotiation in terms of mitigating commitments rather than emission rights that could let them claim the moral high ground for large cuts and yet walk away with maximum rights to pollute in the future. In an article for Brookings Institution, “Climate Change and India: Is There a Basis for U.S. Pressure?“, he calls on the developed countries to substantially cut their emissions before asking developing countries to commit to mitigation.

Fighting corruption in Afghanistan

Michael E O’ Hanlon, Director of Research at Brookings Institution and Jane Harman, member of the U.S. Congress lament that anti-corruption campaign had been largely overlooked in the west’s strategy to address the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. In an article for Brookings Institution, “Troops to Progress on Afghanistan’s Corruption“, they argue that the counterinsurgency strategy would not succeed if a larger anti-corruption effort including such measures as ombudsmen at various levels to handle citizen complaints and firing of corrupt officials, were not implemented.