I’m back from a couple of great weeks on the road in two of my favourite cities – Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. On the face of it they’re a study in contrasts – Jakarta’s raucous streets and baffling traffic rules perhaps an echo of the lack of coordination that comes with a proudly democratic andRead… Read more »
www.homelandsecuritynet.com Many social scientists referred to guerrilla warfare as the “weapon of the weak” and terrorism as the “weapon of the weakest,” using violence to generate fear, and thereby to achieve their political goals, when direct military victory is not possible. Today terrorists usually prefer to avoid attacking heavily defended “hard targets” such as militaryRead… Read more »
Branding a nation, location or city in Asia is not just advertising. AsiaPac cities must develop a global reputation of creating and adding value and yet concurrently command emotional resonance as part of their unique selling proposition. Those which do not invest enough to build the relevant and visible brand equity will not be effectiveRead… Read more »
Nineteenth-century San Francisco went from a rough-and-tumble boomtown to a Victorian city with cosmopolitan ambitions. Its development was controlled by a small group of oligarchs: miners, industrialists, financiers and real estate speculators who hoped to forge a world-class metropolis in a single generation, enriching themselves in the process. The private sector is made up ofRead… Read more »
ADB reports that in 1950, the Asia and Pacific region was mostly rural with only 17% or 232.0 million of its 1.4 billion people living in towns or cities. The United Nations (UN) estimates that by 2030, 55% of 4.9 billion Asians, or 2.7 billion people, will live in urban areas. Starting in about 2015,Read… Read more »
2009 is the Year of the Ox, according to the Chinese zodiac. The Ox is the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Many Asians expect 2009 to be the Year of the Skinny Ox. Asia’s political leaders, civil service, businesses and citizens are preparing for the worst year since the 1997 Asian crisis.Read… Read more »
Two of Asia’s problems are now reduced FDI inflows and too much trade export dependency on the US and Europe. In 2008, FDI inflows to Asia and Oceania decreased by 2.2 percent to US$313.5 billion. For South, East and South-East Asia, there was a marginal increase of 3.3% to US$256.1 billion. This region is theRead… Read more »