Numbers alone cannot tell a full story. The United States (US) has the world’s largest federal debt, yet it is not expected to default. Japan’s national debt is equally damning, at more than 120
Money is the best coward. It goes to places with the least risk. Notwithstanding such a simple formula, credit ratings have yet to achieve the status of a science. Opaque accounting systems, and fiscal
Joseph Stiglitz recently said in an interview that when the euro was created, there was general recognition that it would be difficult if one part of Europe ever faced greater shocks than other parts.(1)
These days it is vague to say that the economic and financial difficulties of the US and Europe have given Asia a golden opportunity to take its position as leaders of the world economy.
No one knows when the metaphor of ASEAN “driving the region” was first conceptualised. That however does not stop senior officials and policy makers alike from affirming its importance. For more than a decade,
The ASEAN Charter affirms that leaders from the member states will meet twice a year. When they do meet, they have many bilateral meetings at the side. This is a reflection of the growing
November 2011 is proving to be a busy month for Southeast Asia’s political and diplomatic offices. This is in contrast to the end of October, which saw private sector-led initiatives like the CIMB ASEAN
The tensions in South China Sea have ebbed and flowed for several centuries. But after US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton declared in July 2010 that the US had a ‘national interest’ in the
ASEAN’s combined GDP is USD$ 2 trillion, which is larger than India’s and Russia’s. At 600 million people, the total population of ASEAN is second only to China and India in terms of size
In spite of the beehive of activity that took place in the region, the ASEAN Summit ended not so much on what Indonesia – the outgoing chair of ASEAN – had achieved in 2011,