In The News
U.S. Military and the Philippines: What do Philippine Citizens Really Think?
February 01, 2012
No sooner did I warn in last week's blog on my way to Washington, D.C., that there is "a danger that U.S.-Philippine relations will be viewed entirely through the lens of ‘the rise of China'" than I was greeted upon arrival by the morning front-page story in The Washington Post entitled, "Philippines may allow greater U.S. military presence in reaction to China's rise." The article stated that "the sudden rush by many in the Asia-Pacific region to embrace Washington is a direct reaction to China's rise as a military power and its assertiveness in staking claims to disputed territories, such as the energy-rich South China Sea."
Notes from the Field
Helping Sri Lanka's Banks to Trust Small Businesses
February 01, 2012
Since Sri Lanka's decades-long civil war ended in 2009, we're now witnessing the beginning of reconstruction in the country's battered North and East. The government is rapidly investing in roads, rail, ports, and telecommunications that help connect marginalized communities with the vibrant, growing capital of Colombo.
SLIDESHOW
Consolidating Peace in Sri Lanka
February 01, 2012
Colombo is shedding its image as Sri Lanka's charming but dilapidated capital. Pulsing with new energy and growth, major investments and improvement is palpable since the end of the war. But in the North and East and bordering regions, clashes, attacks, and decades of economic neglect have left a legacy of division and hardship.
In The News
At Davos, Will Asia Be Seen as the Solution to or the Victim of Global Economic Crisis?
January 25, 2012
Notes from the Field
A Step Back for a Closer Look at the Philippines and Development
January 25, 2012
It would be a gross exaggeration to say that panic swept the development community in Manila when word spread that after 12 years on the scene as country representative of The Asia Foundation I was disappearing into a 4-month teaching sabbatical at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies...
Notes from the Field
O and Sal: The Jaipur Literature Festival in Two Names
January 25, 2012
Oprah Winfrey looked nervous. Making her way across the stage, she stopped to smile for the herd of photographers and then quickly sat down in her chair. Waiting for the applause to die down, she folded her hands in her lap. This was Oprah's first visit to India; the press has tracked her every move as she traveled across the country...
