Bøger af Ramesh S Arunachalam

Afghanistan, a beautiful country with lovely people, has also long been a haven for drug and arms traders and terrorists. The country's instability and lack of law enforcement have created an environment where illegal activity can flourish. Espionage, drug trafficking, arms trafficking, and crime are all common in Afghanistan. In addition, the country is home to numerous terrorist groups. These groups often use Afghanistan as a base of operations, planning and carrying out attacks both inside the country and abroad. As a result, the security of Afghanistan is of paramount importance to the international community. James, Iftikhar, Rubbiaya, and John travel to Badakhshan, Afghanistan, on a covert international mission to expose and, if possible, destroy the drug and arms trafficking and terrorist nexus in Afghanistan, whose very existence has strategic implications for many countries globally. Two events startled these four passengers as their plane approached the runway in Fayazabad, Badakshan: a blast and a massive plume of smoke on the tarmac as one of the Land Cruisers blew up. Two more powerful explosions were heard almost simultaneously. A large cloud of soot-laden black smoke billowed from two locations in the sleepy town. Flames leaped into the sky, providing a stark contrast to the snow-clad peaks laden with cloud cover. Inside the plane, four passengers appeared shaken and exchanged glances. They did not speak, but there was a palpable sense of unease and discomfort as the plane reached a grinding halt. As the passengers started to disembark from the plane, they heard yet another loud explosion and saw a startling sight from the windows. There was a large crater in the middle of the tarmac-as if a bomb had gone off. Smoke and flames were billowing out from it. The tarmac in front of them was littered with debris, a large hole blown in the side of the nearby terminal building. James, Iftikhar, Rubbiaya, and John realized they were not safe and panicked. What happened to them and whether they succeeded in their mission or not is the story called the PAMIR Knot. Informed by real-life events (but fictionalized sufficiently to shroud the privacy of those involved), the PAMIR Knot is a unique story of these four courageous people in their quest to liberate Afghanistan and the rest of the world from the clutches of drug peddlers, arms dealers, terrorists, and insurgents.

"No one can do an excellent, cost-effective job by themselves, dependency is universal...optimizing each system sub-optimizes the whole NAS...sharing information globally will be the basis for free flight...sharing information presupposes common interpretation of information otherwise too much is lost in translation ($, meaning, time, and safety)...we don't have $ and time to waste on duplications to ensure safety" -NIAC Co-Chair and NAS Information Architecture Project Lead, NIAC (FAA) Data Architecture Conference, April 21-22, 1998. The import of the statement would not be felt until three years later, until September 11, 2001 to be precise, when America came under attack from four terrorist-hijacked airplanes. The impunity with which the attacks were carried out and the devastating aftermath that followed altered global perception of terrorism irrevocably thereafter. It is surprising or perhaps shocking then that the official 9/11 Commission, formed to investigate into the horrific crimes that were perpetrated on that day, failed to take cognizance of both the statement and its impact on America's airspace security. In this meticulously researched book, Ramesh S Arunachalam takes on the role of a forensic analyst as he painstakingly examines the findings in the 9/11 Commission's official report as also the various evidences and testimonies available. He reveals that, in the sixteen years spent researching the subject, what captured his attention most is the inexplicable absence of certain lines of enquiry, whether by omission or by design. In outlining all these gaps in the report and the Commission's approach, he leads the reader to question if the Commission truly discharged its obligation of unearthing the whole and complete truth behind the horrific attacks. Close to two decades after the crime, the questions the author raises remain possibly unasked and unanswered. In the absence of a concerted and holistic investigation, will the world remain uninformed forever on certain fundamental truths that may have well facilitated if not perpetrated the terror attacks?

POWERING INDIA TOWARDS DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH AND SHARED PROSPERITYIn the last 72 years, much has been attempted in India to push the country towards economic growth and prosperity while at the same time trying to reduce poverty and associated inequality. We have had mixed success but largely, India remains a dualistic economy with huge inequality and real wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. And for this and other reasons, India has never been able to have annual GDP growth rates consistently in double digits.The key question here is how can India consistently have an annual GDP growth rate in the double digits in real terms and yet ensure this growth is equitable in terms of sharing of wealth and prosperity. The above book suggests practical implementable strategies using grassroots, multi level and multi-sectoral experience of Ramesh S Arunachalam in 640 districts of India and 31 other countries spread across 30 years. I also use the lessons from my vicarious learning.Sub-questions explored include (but are not limited to) the following: a) How to rationalize the direct and indirect tax regime and enhance revenue generation while at the same time make it less burdensome for the citizens? b) How to bring the parallel economy in the real estate and infrastructure sector into the formal economy and eliminate the vast hoards of black money and corruption in real estate? c) How to fight and prevent regular and spectacular corruption so that the parallel (black) economy is eliminated and the country as a whole benefits? d) How to make the political system more accountable, effective and efficient so that they can seamlessly contribute to India having a vibrant democracy, which, in turn, can assist the move towards double digit GDP growth and a resilient economy?In the author's opinion, five key big bang steps (as outlined in the chapters and conclusion) are necessarily required to push the Indian economy into a high growth trajectory. Without a doubt, these five big bang steps must be implemented-otherwise the Indian economy will continue to remain in its current state of inertia, of slow growth and other associated symptoms, as elaborated here.

"If you are not certain whether you will vote for Secretary Clinton or are a stalwart supporter or detractor of hers, you should take a look at this book." Andris Mitt. So far, America has only been allowed to see the tip of the iceberg. Can a President, whose campaign has largely been funded by the 'billionaire class' and Wall Street really 'walk the walk' on corporate crime? The book raises this, among many other questions, as it lays out a factual analysis of strategic issues related to a possible Madam Clinton Presidency. As a former First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State and now the Democratic Party's nominee for the 2016 U.S. Presidential elections, Hillary Clinton enjoys the advantage of bringing experience to the table that her opponent cannot boast of. The advantage of experience does not come alone though, but is accompanied by baggage in the form of track record. Will Hillary's immense experience and charisma override this baggage and catapult her to the Oval Office to make history as its first ever woman occupant? If that happens, will these issues come back to haunt her Presidency or will she be able to bury the ghosts of the past and indeed live true to her word and achieve all her election promises? Grab a copy of the book, a clarion call to rescue American democracy from the fatal embrace of money and power!

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning"-Henry Ford The 2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement, a mini-revolution that continues to this day, is standing testimony to the above fact. In fact, the last decade has seen large scale upheavals in global banking and financial systems the world over. Whether the subprime crisis of 2007/8 in the United States, 2010 Indian microfinance crisis in Andhra Pradesh (AP) or the recent (2018) damning revelations of huge scams and crisis in India's financial sector, the global financial system at large continues to be in the throes of a credibility crisis. What must banks and financial institutions do to win the trust of the public? How should their governance, risk management, compensation and audit practices undergo reform so that they win the confidence of the people? How can the existing regulatory and supervisory paradigm be changed to make it more robust and devoid of conflicts of interest so that it ensures stability, security and inclusiveness in the financial system? As a financial sector development and technology professional-who accurately predicted the 2010 Indian micro-finance crisis in AP-Ramesh S Arunachalam, with close to 30 years of multi-country diverse financial sector experience, is uniquely placed to provide a pragmatic perspective to the current disturbing scenario. He delves into the causative factors and also delineates practical remedial measures that can not only restore public faith in the larger financial ecosystem (including its regulatory and supervisory paradigm) but also contribute to making it more stable, secure and inclusive.

Ten years after the financial crises of 2008, the governance of central banks continues to be a critical area of debate-embedded in this are the key aspects of central bank independence, accountability and transparency. Accordingly, several key questions have emerged regarding the role, functioning and governance of central banks: -What should the key priorities of central banks be in terms of mandates?-Given these pressing real time mandates of central banks, how to make them more strategically and operationally accountable while preserving their strategic and operational autonomy?-What implications do the above have for central bank governance and transparency of central bank operations?-How to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and adaptability of central bank functioning, especially in terms of ensuring the development of a stable, inclusive and accountable financial sector? In this seminal work, Ramesh S Arunachalam-a professional with 30 years of multi-country experience in finance, technology and regulation-explores the above questions and provides pragmatic suggestions on how the autonomy of central banks can be preserved while at the same time ensuring that central banks remain accountable to the people at large in their respective countries.

"On the stroke of twelve, the spell will be broken, and everything will be as it was before" - Fairy Godmother, Cinderella (1950 film) At least Cinderella had fair warning. India's 1000 and 500 rupee notes weren't given any. On the evening of November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on national television to announce his government's decision to demonetize the specified bank notes. His countrymen were given four hours notice to prepare themselves for the demise of the notes that accounted for 86% of the country's currency in value. The objective of the mission was to purge the economy of black (unaccounted) money and counterfeit currency, both considered serious threats to the country's security and stability. The scale of the mission was massive given that the Indian economy has been predominantly cash driven with a significantly sized flourishing shadow economy. While the act of demonetization with multiple objectives is laudatory, it needs to be supplemented by an avalanche of backup measures to yield true benefits.The author, Ramesh S Arunachalam, a financial sector professional, offers practical prescriptions based on his three decades of work experience across India at the grassroots and also in macro-level policy and planning. He adopts a sector wise approach, evaluating prevailing realities and making practical recommendations. How prepared are we for the great digital switch? Is our infrastructure robust enough? Are the vast majority of our people sufficiently conversant with technology and process? How do we guard against attendant risks that technology brings? Written in simple, conversational style, the book deconstructs and demystifies concepts and theories, making it a worthy read even for an audience uninitiated into the complex world of economics and finance.

"Over a fourteen-year period from 1999 to 2013, one hedge fund carried out out an investment strategy utilizing hundreds of millions of trades, virtually all of which lasted less than 12 months, and characterized the vast majority of the resulting $34 billion in trading profits as long-term capital gains ... resulting in estimated tax avoidance of more than $6 billion."- Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, United States Senate, 2014 This publicly recorded statement exposes the shocking truth about how Wall Street, and the billionaire class, have continued to manipulate and exploit the financial system, taking advantage of loop holes to pull the wool over the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Routing some of this `dirty money' into the election campaign coffers of various presidential candidates provides them with access to the levers of power in Washington D.C.. The 2016 U.S. presidential election has seen a lot of attention focused on this 'corrupt' political campaign finance system. It's time the real truth emerged. Using this watershed 2016 election as the context, this book makes a candid analysis of the campaign contributions to various presidential candidates across three presidential election cycles (2008, 2012 and 2016) to trace the total flow of 'dirty money' from its source to those presidential campaigns. While America has typically been allowed to see just the tip of iceberg so far, 'Dirty Money, ' reveals the dirty money trail it in its entirety, making available previously hidden information on the top donors in each presidential election cycle, and the beneficiaries of their vast contributions. If you believe in democracy, at all, this is a must read.

The Indian microfinance industry was once the darling of global investors and bankers. Offering small loans to better the lives of the poor was both a noble and profitable goal. In hindsight, it may have been too profitable. Overzealous industry commercialization and an obsession with profits transformed an inclusive financial system, with potential to succeed, into all-out profiteering, with tragic results. Just how tragic became clear in 2010, when the government of Andhra Pradesh, the "microfinance capital of India," reported that fifty-four people committed suicide in response to strong-arm MFI loan recovery tactics, especially in the context of rampant over indebtedness. The announcement ruined the international reputation of MFIs, leading one stakeholder to famously announce "microfinance in India has become a macro-mess." In An Idea Which Went Wrong, microfinance expert Ramesh S. Arunachalam chronicles the regression of Indian microfinance from philanthropic and pragmatic idealism to profiteering at any cost, revealing the events leading up to the 2010 Andhra Pradesh crisis. Equally important, he discusses the future of Indian and global microfinance. Many believe legislation and distrust have effectively killed the microfinance industry, especially in India. Arunachalam argues this is not the case, laying out a framework of practical remedial measures necessary to restore microfinance to its original purpose: serving the needs of the poor, disadvantaged, and excluded people-albeit, in a sustainable manner.