Author: imadahmed

Art, Interviews with the mediaLeave a comment

Performance art, Toni Stuart and I am Somebody!

imadahmed

My dear friend Toni Stuart, founder of I Am Somebody!, an initiative to give South African youth a voice by helping them narrate their stories, is also a poet. Here is a recording of one of her recent performances in Stellenbosch outside Cape Town. At 8m46s, she tells my story as it was in the wake of the financial crisis in late 2008, and recites a poem, ‘For Imad’. She certainly makes me feel like I am somebody. Related: I Am Somebody! Newsletter – USA Toni’s profile of a graffiti artist on p24 of Word Up! eZine, Aug 2011 edition … Continue reading Performance art, Toni Stuart and I am Somebody!

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, International RelationsLeave a comment

Korean corporate land acquisition in Madagascar: how the law governs it, and how it ought to

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Imaduddin Ahmed Executive Summary In 2009, the government of Madagascar was overthrown for negotiating a seemingly unfavourable deal with Korean conglomerate Daewoo. Of concern to the nation with malnutrition rates as high as 50% were land grabs and food security. The subsequent Malagasy president revoked the deal. Yet despite the bitter experience, Daewoo and the government of Madagascar may still want to consider negotiating for a deal that can better ensure the food security of both nations through Daewoo’s superior farming technologies. A prerequisite to a deal, however, is a legal framework that protects from the Madagascan government the interests … Continue reading Korean corporate land acquisition in Madagascar: how the law governs it, and how it ought to

Interviews with the media, The Fletcher School (Interviews)Leave a comment

A better view from abroad

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The Independent Being cheaper is just one of the advantages of studying for an MBA overseas. By Widget Finn Thursday, 7 April 2011 ‘[ . . . ] Imad Ahmed from the UK, a correspondent on the BusinessBecause.com website, also chose a US business school. “They set the gold standard in education and networks. At the Fletcher School, Massachusetts, my tutors include the former CEO of Xerox Corporation and the founder of Saturn Corporation. The programme also offers the chance of a term at HEC Paris to get the European perspective. Studying away from the UK allowed me to make … Continue reading A better view from abroad

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, PolicyLeave a comment

Regulating Frontier Market Funds as Value Creating Enterprises

imadahmed

Imaduddin Ahmed I.      Introduction Do the current U.S. laws regulating the fund-raising activities of private equity funds raising capital for portfolio companies adequately balance the interests of sophisticated investors seeking higher returns, foreign private equity funds and firms in least developing countries requiring growth capital with the interests of lay investors? This is the question that I will attempt to answer in the forthcoming paper. It is a question that came to the fore when sent a response by a colleague on a networkers’ email listserv. I, a graduate student, had invited colleagues via email to attend a speaker event … Continue reading Regulating Frontier Market Funds as Value Creating Enterprises

Fletcher Alumni, International Relations1 Comment

Rafeeuddin Ahmed, F56, discusses some of his 21 years as Under Secretary General of the UN

imadahmed

Fletcher Features February 3, 2011 As Fletcher students returned recently from discussing careers with alumni at the United Nations in New York, retired Under-Secretary General of the UN, Rafeeuddin Ahmed, F56, recounts his involvement in the Iranian hostage crisis of 1980, more recent UN activities, as well as his Fletcher connections through the years in an interview with his grand-nephew, Imaduddin Ahmed, F11. Imaduddin Ahmed: Amongst your several Under-Secretary roles spanning 21 years, you were Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs, Trusteeship and Decolonization. You served as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to Secure the Release of the Crew of the … Continue reading Rafeeuddin Ahmed, F56, discusses some of his 21 years as Under Secretary General of the UN

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, International Finance, Published Op Eds, Published Work, The GuardianLeave a comment

Is your economy sharia compliant?

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The Guardian Also linked to by the Wall Street Journal Our system of sovereign sukuk ratings could benefit the global economy and promote better cross-cultural relations Imaduddin Ahmed Wednesday 2 February 2011 Think of two of the most common problems highlighted in today’s news: the state of the global economy and violence at the hands of Islamists. Here’s a possible remedy to both: a sovereign sukuk rating system. Such a rating would show which economies are sharia-compliant and hence suitable candidates for asset-backed Islamic bonds in the form of sovereign sukuks. The metrics used in such a rating would mean … Continue reading Is your economy sharia compliant?

Finance for PPPs & entrepreneurs, International Finance, Published Op Eds, Published Work, The GuardianLeave a comment

What if the world had been following Islamic financial practices?

imadahmed

The Guardian Also linked to by Bloomberg Businessweek It has its limitations, but it’s worth considering how the Islamic approach to banking might have prevented the financial crisis Imaduddin Ahmed 7 January 2011 Sub-prime loans, which caused housing foreclosures in the US, are not allowed in Islamic finance. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images Imagine a world without a financial crisis. No moral hazard, so brokers won’t sell mortgages without carrying out appropriate credit checks. Imagine banks not deliberately selling complex derivatives, knowing that they will be worthless. No short-selling speculation, so companies tinkering on the edge won’t be pushed over. Imagine … Continue reading What if the world had been following Islamic financial practices?

International Finance, International Relations1 Comment

China’s economic rise will not make it the dominant political power

imadahmed

Given its domestic market size, resources and untapped potential for leverage, China, according to Goldman Sachs’ projected rates of growth, is set to become the largest state economy by 2030.[1] The other BRIC economies, meanwhile, are projected to an aggregate economy worth half of the USA’s by that time, which will be relegated to the second largest economy. By 2050, China’s economy will, according to the same projections, be worth almost double the USA’s. The core EU states and Japan’s economies will have grown relatively little. A discussion, therefore, of China’s economy becoming the largest economy is relevant. This paper attempts to model the incentives, constraints and … Continue reading China’s economic rise will not make it the dominant political power