The debate over the MaX system and the Bell Curve is no longer simply about performance rankings. It has evolved into something deeper: trust. The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) is right in one crucial aspect. Bhutan cannot return to a culture where almost everyone is rated “excellent” and accountability …

By Dr Ugyen Tshewang Modern healthcare in Bhutan began only in the early 1960s, at a time when the country had limited health infrastructure and very few trained health professionals. A defining milestone in Bhutan’s healthcare history was achieved in 1962 when Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother, Azhi Kesang Choden …

Bhutan’s GST experiment is increasingly looking like an expensive solution in search of a problem. Four months into implementation, the numbers already raise serious doubts about whether the country should continue down this path. The government’s own figures show that GST collected Nu 3.17 billion in net revenue over four …

By Shlomo Ben-Ami TEL AVIV—Major wars usher in new international orders. The Thirty Years’ War brought the Peace of Westphalia. The Napoleonic Wars gave rise to the Concert of Europe. World War II spurred the creation of the Bretton Woods system, decolonization, and European integration. Even the Cold War gave …

By María Lombardi BUENOS AIRES—Recent AI advances have created widespread expectations of substantial productivity gains. Early studies, such as one showing that AI increased the productivity of customer-support agents by 15% on average (with less-experienced workers getting a much bigger boost), as well as emerging evidence of AI-driven productivity gains …

Bhutan is increasingly confronting an unintended consequence of mass migration to Australia. As more Bhutanese families return home with children educated abroad, schools are discovering that many of these students struggle to cope with Dzongkha, especially when it is a compulsory pass subject tied directly to promotion. The issue is …

Concerns over rainfall and Thorthomi International climate research agencies forecast that global temperatures could spike up this year, as experts say there is a high chance of a ‘super’ El Niño’. This developing phenomenon is expected to bring higher temperatures to India and the Hindu-Kush Himalayas (HKH), raising concerns over …

By Richard Haass and Carolyn Kissane NEW YORK—It is too soon to know when or how the war with Iran will end, or what its geopolitical or economic consequences will be. But one thing is already certain: What is meant by energy security must be rethought. Roughly 20% of the …

The recent spike in fuel prices has placed Bhutan in a familiar but uncomfortable position of being  dependent, exposed, and largely in the dark. From Nu 63 to over Nu 100 for petrol, and with diesel effectively cushioned only by a staggering Nu 1.16 billion in subsidies, the official explanation …

By Dr Pem Namgyal I watched this bridge at Pangri Zampa slowly rise from the river bed to become what it is now. There are two things that were right about this bridge which makes me immensely happy. First, the traditional architecture of the bridge that blends modern cement and …