Newspaper and magazine columnists are part of a wider circle of intellectuals prone to roam freely between the worlds of journalism, corporate affairs and government.
So Asian Affairs takes pleasure in acknowledging and congratulating a recent contributor to this magazine, Peter Burleigh, who has been appointed by President Barack Obama as 'Interim Ambassador' of the U.S. to India. He will be in charge of the U.S. Embassy in Delhi until next September.

California-born Burleigh, who has written about Nepalese politics for Asian Affairs, first served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, before joining the State Department and in UN diplomatic missions in Nepal, Bahrain, Sri Lanka, India and the United Nations. He was U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives between 1995 and 1997.

In one of the Peace Corps websites, Burleigh writes of himself, 'After graduating from Colgate in 1963, I spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, then a year of graduate study in South Asian Affairs at the University of Pennsylvania, and another year in Nepal on a student Fulbright grant.

On returning from Nepal in 1967, I joined the State Department and was assigned — you guessed it — to Sri Lanka, where I was a junior officer trainee until 1970. I learned the language, Sinhala, at that time and, courtesy of Senator Jesse helms (who, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, help up final confirmation of 35 of us), was able to spend another seven months in resurrecting that language ability. I use the language a lot, with Buddhist monks and village people in particular. English is widely used in government and the commercial sector of the economy. Between 1970 and December 1995 I served in India, Bahrain and Nepal in positions of increasing seniority and for the past 13 years I was in Washington in a series of jobs. These included three deputy assistant secretary positions as well as coordinator for counter-terrorism. The last position carried with it ambassadorial rank, though I was based in Washington.'

India's dubious distinction

As President Obama and other leaders struggle to cope with the deepening international economic recession, a report has highlighted how wealthy Indians and Russians head the list of secret off-shore bank account holders.

The amount of cash stashed away would be enough to float the economies of several middle ranking powers, but the problem is accessing the accounts where the money is held.

Corrupt politicians and industrialists, arms dealers and mega rich film stars are among those who favour Switzerland as a secure haven for their stupendous wealth.

According to one estimate, the amount of Indian money hidden in Switzerland is sufficient to pay off the country's entire foreign debt with enough leftover to give a generous handout to each of the 500 million Indians listed as acutely poor.

Last year under pressure from the international community, the Swiss government reluctantly agreed to provide details of the hitherto secret accounts, provided a request for information was formally made by a relevant foreign government.

Not surprisingly, critics say, the Indian government has avoided asking Berne to come up with details of those Indians who choose to secrete their wealth in Swiss banks. This is because too many high ranking Indians would be embarrassed by any such disclosures and Delhi is not willing to risk the political blowback.

A report by the Swiss Banking Association says Indians with U.S.$ 1,456 billion head the list of Swiss bank account holders, followed by Russians with $ 470 billion, Britons with $390 billion, Ukrainians with $100 billion and Chinese with $96 billion.

Analysts who criticise tax havens for encouraging the movement of scarce capital from poor to rich countries like to cite the research findings of the Tax Justice Network, which disclosed in 2005 that some $11.5 trillion of personal wealth was held offshore by rich individuals across the globe.

A subsequent report by author Raymond Baker, entitled, 'Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free Market System', estimated that at least $5 trillion have been shifted from poorer countries to the West since the mid-1970s.

New chief for IAEA

A Japanese diplomat is tipped as the hot favourite to succeed Egypt's Mohamed ElBaradei for the prestigious position of Director of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that has the twin role of promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear power while clamping down on those countries that misuse the technology to make weapons.
A graduate of Tokyo University, Yukiya Amano is country's current Ambassador to the IAEA, as is his rival for the job, South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty

Minty represents a country that gave up its nuclear weapons programme, but Amano comes from a country that survived two nuclear attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Japan also contributes a massive 19 per cent of the IAEA's annual operating budget, second only to the U.S.

Amano has previously served in a number of foreign diplomatic postings, as well as director of the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Nuclear Energy Division, director general for Arms Control and Scientific Affairs, director general for Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science.

He is also said to be supportive of U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy of using constructive dialogue to wean Iran away from any ambitions of becoming the world's next nuclear weapons state. In a recent interview Amano was quoted as saying Iran should be treated with respect through fruitful dialogue.

The IAEA's 35-member executive board was due to vote on the director's position at the end of March, but the decision will not be announced until June and ratified until next September. If Amano or Minty fail to win the required two thirds majority, IAEA rules allow for additional nominations.

Tibetan idol

A new voice has emerged for Tibetan exiles in the shape of a bespectacled 23 year old who is a whiz on computers and likes to relax by playing war games on his play station.

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, known as the Karmapa Lama and revered as the third highest ranking lama in Tibetan Buddhism, is unlikely to succeed the elderly 73 year old Dalai Lama because he does not belong to the relevant school of Buddhism entrusted with choosing the Dalai Lama.

But the India-based Karmapa embodies a mix of spiritual authority and modern tastes that make for an irresistible appeal for fellow Tibetan exiles who seek to avoid the jackboot of Chinese occupation.

Uniquely for such a senior lama, he has been recognised by both the Chinese authorities and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Dalai Lama who brings back gifts for him from his overseas trips.

Born in 1985, the Karmapa was only 14 years old when he jumped from the window of his monastery in Tibet and fled by jeep, horseback, foot and helicopter across the border to India. His dash for freedom has made him a hero to fellow exiles, in particular the younger generation, but Beijing is both embarrassed and displeased by his actions.

A spokesman for the Chinese government-backed Centre for Tibetan Studies in Beijing has been quoted bas saying of the Karmapa, 'His reincarnation was recognised by the central government. But he left without saying 'goodbye' and he has failed to live up to the expectations religious circles had for him.'

The unrepentant Karmapa has responded by describing himself as a 'free man' with no desire or reason to connect himself to China.

In a recent interview with the foreign media he has also spoken respectfully of the Dalai Lama, saying he 'has been very successful in laying the foundations for the Tibetan struggle. Now it is time for the next generation to build on this and carry it forward.'

Showcasing Asian literature

British journalists make up an extraordinary 25 per cent of the authors participating in what has been billed as 2009 Asia House festival of Asian Literature due to be held in London this coming May.

Former BBC correspondent Mark Tully and current BBC staffers, Frank Gardner, John Simpson and David Loyn, are among the invitees for the event sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank.

A Standard Chartered Bank spokesman said, 'Being an international bank with deep roots in Asia, we fully support Asia House in its mission to promote closer ties between Asia and the UK. Therefore we are delighted to sponsor the Asia House festival of Asian Literature which celebrates Asia's talent and diversity.

Christina Lamb of the Sunday Times and Patrick Cockburn of the Independent are among the other writers who will attend the event to highlight writing from 10 Asian countries, including India, China, Malaysia. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Tibet and Japan.

A spokesman for Asia House describes the institution as the 'leading Pan-Asian organisation in the UK, with geographic coverage of over 30 nations from the Gulf in the West to Indonesia in the East.

'The mission of Asia House is to prepare the peoples, communities and institutions of Britain so that they may enjoy and take full advantage of the 'century of Asia' — a century in which Asian nations will play an increasingly dominant role on the world stage.'

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