India should ignore the US president’s rhetoric. It should continue to stay the course in its current approach to trade negotiations with the US. There is no trade war today between India and the United States. On the other hand, there is not exactly peace. In early October, President Donald Trump called India “the tariff king, bringing to the fore bilateral trade frictions that have been simmering beneath the surface for a while. They’ve already called us to make a deal,” he … [Read more...]
Articles
Frank blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and writes occasional columns and articles for publications such as the International Business Times and The Economic Times of India.
Frank writes on a wide variety of topics that are critical to shaping the future of America and the American dream and to making the United States and the world a better place. These include: Business; education; poverty and inequality; politics and public policy; immigration; manufacturing; innovation; leadership; citizenship; and social commentary.
Frank’s most recent blogs are highlighted on this page. To read other blogs or articles by Frank, click on the categories or publications links on the left.
“I am extremely positive about the future of America”
Frank F. Islam is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader and thought leader. Frank has a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes. In all of his endeavors, he strives to create opportunities that are sustainable and uplifting for humanity — guided by the virtues of hard work, focus, quality, innovation and kindness. Frank currently heads the FI Investment Group, a private investment holding company that he established in 2007 after he sold … [Read more...]
Realising the power of purposeful philanthropy
Pakistan is moving forward on its agenda to become a developed country. To help the country achieve that status and realise its full potential as a democratic nation, the citizens of Pakistan must exercise the power of purposeful philanthropy. Pakistanis are already among the most generous people in the world. The country contributes more than one per cent of its GDP to charity according to the Stanford Social Innovation Review. This is just below the United Kingdom where … [Read more...]
A “Radical” Proposal for Starting Up Rural and Urban Small Business Engines
Over the past few years the American economy has continued to recover, and this year the American economy has been firing on all cylinders. Because of this, access to capital for businesses of all sizes has increased substantially. As the Federal Reserve noted in a 2017 Report, however, “By 2017, credit flows to small businesses had improved, though they remained below their pre-crisis levels.” Small business access to capital varies considerably. Businesses in certain urban and rural locations … [Read more...]
Time To Increase Government Investment In Small Business
In the first week of October, President Donald Trump donated $100,000 — one quarter of his annual salary for this year — to the Small Business Administration. This money is to be used in a training program to help veterans make the transition to the private sector. President Trump’s donation should be viewed as a generous gesture. It could also be seen as an indication, as SBA administrator Linda McMahon stated in announcing the award, that “he clearly understands the value of small … [Read more...]
India needs a world-class higher educational system
India has the third-largest higher educational system in the world. In 2016, there were 799 universities and 39,071 colleges spread across the country. These numbers are staggering. The growth of higher education in India over a little more than half a century has been even more staggering. Between 1950 and 2014, the number of universities in India increased by 34 times. And, between 1950 and 2013, colleges increased by 74 times. This quantitative explosion in higher education institutions … [Read more...]
Susan Collins Stands by Her Man
On Friday, October 5, the day before she voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as a justice to the Supreme Court, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) delivered a speech of over 40 minutes before the Senate. In her remarks, Collins tried to explain and defend her decision. Her argument was well structured, logical and presented in a passionless and objective manner. There was only one problem. It was impossible to defend the indefensible. The evidence against it was far more compelling. That was Brett … [Read more...]
Pakistani Diaspora helping Pakistan achieve its potential
Although the Pakistani diaspora is spread across the world, the government in Islamabad always accords special importance to Pakistani Americans, owing to their contribution towards the country and their influence over policy makers of the United States. Realising the importance of overseas diaspora, Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a passionate appeal to Pakistanis living abroad to donate at least US $1000 for the construction of Diamer Bhasha Dam. Responding to the call, a prominent … [Read more...]
America’s Uncivil War
The American civil war was fought between 1861 to 1865. It resulted in the deaths of an estimated 620,000 people. America’s current uncivil war began near the end of the 20th century; ramped up a little at the beginning of this 21st century; accelerated in the second decade of the century, and, has moved into nearly full-fledged and continuous conflict since Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2017. There are not many dead yet from this escalation. But this war has affected … [Read more...]
The U.S. Mid-Term Elections in Perspective
“I just hope there won’t be any violence.” That was Donald Trump’s comment on August 29 about what to expect from the mid-term elections. He made these remarks after warning his supporters earlier to beware of violence from the left if the Republicans won the mid-terms. This observation might be viewed as sincere, ironic given the violence that Trump has wrought to date on the American psyche, or as a not-so subtle nudge toward violence by his supporters if the Democrats … [Read more...]