Newsletter
First published
Bangladesh’s Record Budget and the Illusion of Fiscal Strength
Budgets often arrive wrapped in numbers, projections and political language. But their real meaning is found elsewhere: in the price of essentials, the quality of public…
Republished
Where is The Money?
THE proposed budget for the 2026–27 financial year is impressive by almost any numerical measures. At Tk 9.38 trillion, it is the largest budget in Bangladesh’s…
Republished
The World Cup and Human Trafficking: What Research Reveals About Real Risks at Major Sporting Events
As U.S. cities prepare to host the FIFA World Cup, familiar warnings about human trafficking “spikes” at major sporting events have reemerged. Media outlets point to…
Analysis
Democratic Refuge?
Electioneering in Gilgit-Baltistan centers on these slogans and promises: should you (s)elect us to power, we would make G-B like Karachi; if (s)elected, we would make…
Republished
India Will Pay a Heavy Price for Modi’s Israel Tilt
The idea of an Indian alliance with Israel and the UAE, which some on the Indian right have projected, is particularly delusional. In an article two…
Analysis
A Hope for a Hormuz Coalition
Nearly two months have passed since the April 7 ceasefire in the Iran war. Yet negotiations aimed at turning that pause into a durable settlement remain…
Analysis
Myanmar’s Military ‘Comeback’ Claim Doesn’t Hold Water
Coup maker Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s allies want the world to believe that Myanmar’s military is “on the upswing” and “mounting a comeback” in a…
Republished
Bangladesh at A Fork in The Road
At present, Bangladesh displays two distinct pictures. On the one hand, there is growing alarm over the slowdown in GDP growth, challenges within the country's banking…
Republished
Taliban Legalizes Child Marriage in Afghanistan
The Taliban’s Islamic Emirate has launched another legal offensive against women’s human dignity: its new “Code on Judicial Separation of Spouses.” This law is testament to…
Republished
In Myanmar’s Info War, Foreign Pens Mouth Junta’s Lines
With lobbyists on retainer and think tanks bought and sold, coup regime is winning the narrative that it is the nation’s only choice Myanmar’s revolution is…