WASHINGTON ― Why did it take Washington nearly eight months to apologize for the deaths of 24 Pakistani soldiers? But you know the answer: It’s because the U.S. and Pakistan have the most neurotic, mutually destructive “friendly” relationship in the world. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finally said the magic words in a July 3 phone call with her Pakistani counterpart: “We are sorry for the losses suffered by the Pakistani military.” A tepid apology, but enough that the Pakistanis agreed to

NEW DELHI ― India’s sliding economy has inspired gloom and doom far and wide, but increasingly bearish sentiment is misplaced. India still offers hope, but, to understand why, you have to leave macroeconomic indicators aside and go micro. To take one example: Google the phrase “frugal innovation,” and the first 20 search results all relate to India.Indian companies have long recognized the opportunities in meeting previously overlooked demand at the “bottom of the pyramid.” Shampoo sachets origi

MELBOURNE ― According to the United States Federal Reserve, Americans’ net worth has fallen 40 percent since 2007, returning to its 1992 level. Progress towards recovery will be slow and difficult, and the U.S. economy will be weak throughout the run-up to November’s presidential and congressional elections. Can any incumbent ― and especially President Barack Obama ― win reelection in such conditions?To be sure, the blame for America’s malaise lies squarely with Obama’s predecessors: Bill Clinto

BEIJING ― The purge of Chongqing’s Party chief, Bo Xilai, is China’s most serious political crisis in recent decades. What seemed like a relatively stable system of political transition ― two five-year terms for top leaders ― has been thrown into chaos.Or so we are told. Such predictions about the collapse of China’s political system have been constantly repeated since the suppression of the pro-democracy uprisings in 1989. But the system didn’t collapse then, and it won’t collapse now.The key r

You should probably sit down before you read this.Syria has put its name up for membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council, and it will most likely win a seat.Yes, Syria, the state that has slaughtered close to 15,000 of its own people over the last 16 months, including hundreds of women and children. It’s on track to take a seat on the United Nations body whose mission is to uphold human rights around the world.The United States happened to find Syria’s name on a roster of candidates

AMMAN ― The behavior of Jordan’s Royal Court in the days following the official announcement of the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi in Egypt’s presidential election tells an intriguing story. At first, Jordan’s King Abdullah II hesitated to sign a long-sought-after election law. This was followed by approval of the law, a request for its revision, and a surprise official meeting with the leader of Hamas.During the past year, King Abdullah has been adamant that Jordanians should

Just when you thought Wall Street couldn’t sink any lower ― when its excesses are still causing hardship to millions of Americans and its myriad abuses of public trust have already spread a miasma of cynicism over the entire economic system ― an even deeper level of public-be-damned greed and corruption is revealed.Sit down and hold on to your chair.Consider the most basic services banks provide you: You put your savings in a bank to hold in trust, and the bank agrees to pay you interest on it.