The Next Asia: banker’s book doesn’t add up

Stephen Roach was one of the big shots on Wall Street for decades before moving to Hong Kong to head investment bank Morgan Stanley’s Asian operations. Lauded as a “thought leader” in the finance world, Roach’s book The Next Asia demonstrates how little thought it takes to win that accolade. Roach doesn’t have much to say about Asia that you haven’t heard before, but the book is instructive as an illustration of the arrogance that crashed the global economy and believes those same bankers deserve seven figure bonuses so they can try again.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, financial crisis, and cheap lingerie.

Nopenhagen saviors US, China deserve praise

In the fallout from last month’s failed climate change conference, the US and China emerged as villains. But the real blame for turning Copenhagen into Nopenhagen rests with the UN, small developing countries, and environmental groups. Those parties had little to contribute to the negotiations and were committed a flawed concept that, even it had been adopted, would not have effectively curbed emissions. The US and China, countries that really can make a difference in emissions, came up with a plan that can actually help save the planet, and they deserve to be praised for it.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, financial crisis, and cheap lingerie.