India Abroad | August 23, 2013 | By Manik Suri
On the occasion of India’s 66th anniversary, the world’s largest democracy has made significant strides in its economic, social, and political development. Notwithstanding serious governance challenges in the near term, there are fundamental reasons to remain optimistic about India’s long term prospects. Read the full piece here.
Harvard International Law Journal | Volume 54, Issue 1: Winter 2013 | By Manik Suri
Immanuel Kant’s 1795 essay, “Toward Perpetual Peace,” established a concept of cosmopolitan law as the nemesis of war, instilling in generations of liberal thinkers and practitioners a vision of a world without conflict. Kant’s paradigm posited that “republican constitutions, a commercial spirit of international trade, and a federation of interdependent republics” would provide the basis for a “perpetual peace” amongst states bound together under international law. Yet cultural relativists since the time of Kant have argued that only certain nations – namely those with a “Europeanized” culture – are capable of coming together to secure this lasting peace. This article challenges such claims and assesses the contemporary relevance of Kant’s ‘perpetual peace’ in light of one of the key geopolitical developments of our time: the rise of China. Read the full piece here.
The U.S. Studies Center at the University of Sydney | August 21, 2012 | By Devesh Kapur and Manik Suri
Asia is witnessing a growing divergence between “geoeconomics” and “geopolitics,” centered around China. While China offers unparalleled near-term economic opportunities, cumulative decisions taken by thousands of American, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean firms are ironically helping to build these countries’ most formidable strategic competitor. Beijing’s growing competitiveness – and assertiveness – are forcing Asian nations to hedge against the risks created by deepening economic networks binding the region together. Read the full piece here. (Forthcoming as a chapter in the Oxford Handbook of the Economics of the Pacific Rim)
The Hindu: Business Line | August 15, 2012 | By Manik Suri
India’s efforts at strategic autonomy — being part of both Chinese and American plans in Afghanistan — may not prove workable. Read the full piece here.
India in Transition | August 13, 2012 | By Manik Suri
The United States and India face an opportunity to expand their strategic partnership in Afghanistan — but only if New Delhi accepts that maintaining its “strategy autonomy” will likely prove increasingly costly. Read the full piece here.
The Diplomat | August 4, 2012 | By Manik Suri
India is a nation of superlatives. So it should seem unsurprising that its massive power failure earlier this week was the largest in history, affecting nearly 10 percent of humanity. As photographs depicting Indians huddled around candlelight spread worldwide, India’s blackout has ironically cast a bright light on the nation’s deep-seated structural problems – particularly severe shortages of public goods like infrastructure, education, and health – that continue to leave millions behind. Reformers should seize this moment, for the power outage provides an opportunity to spur India’s weak national government into action. The country’s political leaders must heed this warning, or they will remain its greatest obstacle to growth. Read the full piece here.
Harvard International Review | Fall 2003 | By Manik Suri
Along the banks of China’s longest river, the water is rising — forcing over a million villagers settled in the surrounding valley to relocate their homes hundreds of miles away. Yet this is not a natural occurrence, like the great floods of 1931 and 1954. The rising level of the Chiang Jiang, as the Chinese call the Yangtze, is a deliberate consequence of the Three Gorges Dam, one of the largest infrastructure projects ever undertaken. Read the full piece here.
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