Fareed Zakaria
Zakaria at Charles Schwab Institutional Impact 2007
Born	Fareed Rafiq Zakaria (1964-01-20) January 20, 1964 (age 48) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Alma mater	Yale University (AB) Harvard University (PhD)
Occupation	Journalist, commentator, author
Notable credit(s)	Time magazine, contributing editor (2010) Fareed Zakaria GPS, host (2008–present) Newsweek International, editor (2000–2010) Foreign Exchange, host (2005–2007) Foreign Affairs, former managing editor
Spouse	Paula Throckmorton Zakaria
Children	Omar, Lila, Sofia
Website
www.fareedzakaria.com

Fareed Rafiq Zakaria ( /fəˈriːd zəˈkɑriə/; Konkani/Hindi: फ़रीद राफ़िक़ ज़कारिया, Urdu: فرید رفیق زکریا; born January 20, 1964) is an Indian-American journalist and author. From 2000 to 2010, he was a columnist for Newsweek and editor of Newsweek International. In 2010 he became editor-at-large of Time magazine. He is also the host of CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, and a frequent commentator and author about issues related to international relations, trade and American foreign policy.^[1]

In 2010, the government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution towards journalism.^[2]

Early life[link]

Zakaria was born in Mumbai (then Bombay), Maharashtra, India, to a Konkani Muslim family.^[3] His father, Rafiq Zakaria, was a politician associated with the Indian National Congress and an Islamic scholar. His mother, Fatima Zakaria, was for a time the editor of the Sunday Times of India.

Zakaria attended the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University,^[1] where he was president of the Yale Political Union, editor-in-chief of the Yale Political Monthly, a member of the Scroll and Key society, and a member of the Party of the Right. He later earned a Doctor of Philosophy in political science from Harvard University in 1993,^[1] where he studied under Samuel P. Huntington and Stanley Hoffmann, as well as international relations theorist Robert Keohane.^[4]

Career[link]

After directing a research project on American foreign policy at Harvard, Zakaria became managing editor of Foreign Affairs magazine in 1992. In October 2000, he was named editor of Newsweek International,^[1] and wrote a weekly foreign affairs column. In August 2010 it was announced that he was moving from Newsweek to Time magazine, to serve as a contributing editor and columnist.^[5]

He has written on a variety of subjects for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and as a wine columnist for the web magazine Slate.^[6][7]

Zakaria is the author of From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America's World Role (Princeton, 1998), The Future of Freedom (Norton, 2003), and The Post-American World (2008); he has also co-edited The American Encounter: The United States and the Making of the Modern World (Basic Books).

In 2007, Foreign Policy and Prospect magazines named him one of the 100 leading public intellectuals in the world.^[8]

Zakaria was a news analyst with ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos (2002–2007); he hosted the weekly TV news show, Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria on PBS (2005–2008); his weekly show, Fareed Zakaria GPS (Global Public Square) premiered on CNN in June 2008.^[1] As of November 2011, It airs on Sundays at 10:00am and 1:00pm Eastern Daylight Time.^[9]

Political views[link]

Zakaria self-identifies as a "centrist",^[10] though he has been described variously as a political liberal,^[11][12] a conservative,^[13] or a moderate.^[14] George Stephanopoulos said of him in 2003, "He’s so well versed in politics, and he can’t be pigeonholed. I can’t be sure whenever I turn to him where he’s going to be coming from or what he’s going to say."^[15] Zakaria wrote in February 2008 that "Conservatism grew powerful in the 1970s and 1980s because it proposed solutions appropriate to the problems of the age", adding that "a new world requires new thinking".^[16] He supported Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign and also for president. In January 2009 Forbes referred to Zakaria as one of the 25 most influential liberals in the American media.^[11] Zakaria has stated that he tries not to be devoted to any type of ideology, saying "I feel that's part of my job... which is not to pick sides but to explain what I think is happening on the ground. I can't say, 'This is my team and I'm going to root for them no matter what they do.'"^[10]

Fareed Zakaria at World Economic Forum 2006, Davos, Switzerland (second from the right)

Zakaria's books include The Future of Freedom and The Post-American World. The Future of Freedom argues that what is defined as democracy in the Western world is actually "liberal democracy," a combination of liberal constitutionalism and participatory politics. Zakaria points out that protection of liberty and the rule of law actually preceded popular elections by centuries in Western Europe, and that when countries only adopt elections without the protection of liberty, they create "illiberal democracy." The Post-American World, published in 2008 before the financial crisis, argued that the most important trend of modern times is the "rise of the rest," the economic emergence of China, India, Brazil and other countries.^[17]

After the 9/11 attacks, in a Newsweek cover essay, "Why They Hate Us," Zakaria argued that Islamic extremism was not fundamentally rooted in Islam, nor could it be claimed a reaction to American foreign policy. He portrayed Osama bin Laden as one in a long line of extremists who used religion to justify mass murder. Zakaria argued for an inter-generational effort to create more open and dynamic societies in Arab countries, and thereby helping Islam enter the modern world.^[18]

Zakaria initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq.^[13] He said at the time, “The place is so dysfunctional... any stirring of the pot is good. America’s involvement in the region is for the good."^[13] He argued for a United Nations-sanctioned operation with a much larger force—approximately 400,000 troops—than was actually employed by the administration of President George W. Bush. After the invasion, he frequently criticized the way the Bush administration was running the occupation of Iraq.^[19] He continued to argue that a functioning democracy in Iraq would be a powerful new model for Arab politics but believes that at this point, an honest accounting would have to say that the costs of the invasion and occupation have been much higher than the benefits. He opposed the Iraq surge in March 2007, writing that it would work militarily but not politically, still leaving Iraq divided among its three communities. Instead he advocated that Washington push hard for a political settlement between the Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, and Kurds, and begin a reduction in forces to only 60,000 troops.^[19] In January 2009, he stated flatly that the surge "succeeded," militarily and did better politically than he would have predicted.^[20][21]

From 2006, Zakaria has also criticized what he views as "fear-based" American policies employed not only in combating terrorism, but also in enforcing immigration and drug smuggling laws, and has argued in favor of decriminalization of drugs and citizenship for presently illegal immigrants to the United States of all backgrounds.^[22][23][24]

Before the 2008 US Presidential election, Zakaria endorsed Barack Obama on his CNN program.^[25] In May 2011 The New York Times reported that President Obama has "sounded out prominent journalists like Fareed Zakaria ... and Thomas L. Friedman" concerning Middle East issues.^[26]

Wolfowitz meeting[link]

In his 2006 book State of Denial, Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward described a November 29, 2001, meeting of Middle East analysts, including Zakaria, that was convened at the request of the then Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. According to a New York Times story on Woodward's book, the Wolfowitz meeting ultimately produced a report for President George W. Bush that supported the subsequent invasion of Iraq. Zakaria, however, later told The New York Times that he had briefly attended what he thought was "a brainstorming session".^[27] He was not told that a report would be prepared for the President, and the report did not have his name on it.^[28]

Personal[link]

Zakaria is a naturalized American citizen.^[29] He currently resides in New York City^[1] with his wife, Paula Throckmorton Zakaria, son Omar, and daughters Lila and Sofia.

Awards[link]

Zakaria was conferred India Abroad Person of the Year 2008 award on March 20, 2009, in New York.^[30] Filmmaker Mira Nair, who won the award for year 2007, honored her successor. He has received honorary degrees at the University of Miami, Oberlin College, Bates College, Brown University, Harvard University,^[31] and Johns Hopkins University.

In January 2010, Zakaria was given the Padma Bhushan award by the Indian government for his contribution to the field of journalism.^[32]

In 2005, Zakaria was awarded the Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize from the Anti-Defamation League ("ADL"). In July 2010 the ADL expressed its opposition to the Park51 Islamic cultural center and mosque, planned for a site that is two blocks from the World Trade Center site. Zakaria returned the award in protest, saying that he could not "in good conscience keep it anymore". In support of his decision, he stated that the larger issue in the controversy is freedom of religion in America, even while acknowledging that he is not a religious person. He also wrote that a "moderate, mainstream version of Islam" is essential to winning the war on terror.^[33][34][35] On the August 8, 2010, edition of Fareed Zakaria GPS, Zakaria addressed the issue, stating that in returning his award, he had hoped that the ADL would reconsider their stance.^[35]

Zakaria has accepted invitations to give commencement addresses to the 2012 graduating classes at Harvard University ^[36] and Duke University.^[37]

Bibliography[link]

• The Post-American World, Release 2.0, Fareed Zakaria, (W.W. Norton & Company; 2011) ISBN 0-393-08180-X
• The Post-American World, Fareed Zakaria, (W.W. Norton & Company; 2008) ISBN 0-393-06235-X
• The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, Fareed Zakaria, (W.W. Norton & Company; 2003) ISBN 0-393-04764-4
• From Wealth to Power, Fareed Zakaria, (Princeton University Press; 1998) ISBN 0-691-04496-1
• The American Encounter: The United States and the Making of the Modern World Essays from 75 Years of Foreign Affairs, edited by James F. Hoge and Fareed Zakaria, (Basic Books; 1997) ISBN 0-465-00170-X

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fareed Zakaria

• FareedZakaria.com Official site
• Fareed Zakaria on Facebook
• Fareed Zakaria on Twitter
• Global Public Square at CNN
• Column archive at The Daily Star
• Column archive (through 2010) at Newsweek
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Fareed Zakaria on Charlie Rose
• Fareed Zakaria at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Fareed Zakaria in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Fareed Zakaria collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Fareed Zakaria at the Notable Names Database

Interviews and articles

• Marion Maneker. "Man of the World". New York magazine profile.
• Coverage of his many appearances on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart". Sajaforum.org
• Review roundup of "The Post-American World" at SAJA Forum
• One-on-One with Thomas L. Friedman. Omnivoracious. September 7, 2008
• "Sweet Justice". Zakaria says that German wines get a bad rap. Slate (magazine).
• Audio: Fareed Zakaria in conversation on the BBC World Service discussion show The Forum
• Q&A with Fareed Zakaria on five-year anniversary of 9/11 attacks. South Asian Journalists Association blog. September 10, 2006.
• "The Interpreter". Village Voice profile. August 9, 2005.

Mukesh Ambani
Chairman & MD of Reliance Industries
Born	(1957-04-19) 19 April 1957 (age 55) Colony of Aden[1]
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Alma mater	University of Bombay Stanford University (dropped out)
Occupation	Chairman & MD of Reliance Industries Director of Bank of America
Net worth	US$ 22.3 billion (2012)[2]
Religion	Hinduism
Spouse	Nita Ambani
Children	Akash,Anant,Isha[3]
Parents	Dhirubhai Ambani Kokilaben Ambani
Relatives	Anil Ambani (Brother)
Website
Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (Gujarati: મુકેશ ધીરુભાઈ અંબાની) (born on 19 April 1957) is an Indian business magnate who is the chairman and managing director of the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the foremost company of the Indian energy and materials conglomerate Reliance Group.^[4] The company was ranked #134th in Fortune Global 500 and is India's most valuable company by market value and second-largest Indian company by turnover.^[5][6] Ambani remains the largest individual shareholder, with 44.7 percent stake in RIL. The company is the operator of the world’s biggest oil refining complex and owner of India’s biggest natural gas field.^[7] Mukesh's younger brother is Anil Ambani, who heads Reliance Group. The Ambani family is the richest family in India and one of the richest in the world, their wealth inherited from Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of 2nd largest Indian conglomerate Reliance Group (after Tata Group).^[8]

In 2010, he was named among the most powerful people in the world by Forbes in its list of "68 people who matter most"^[9] As of 2012, he is the second richest man in Asia^[10] and the 19th richest person in the world with a personal wealth of US$22.3 billion. In 2007, a strong rally in the Indian stock market and the appreciation of the Indian rupee boosted the market capitalisation of Reliance group companies, briefly making him the world’s richest man.^[11][12][13]

He is a member of the board of directors of Bank of America Corporation and a present member of the international advisory board of the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2012, Forbes named Mukesh Ambani the 2nd richest sports owner ^[14] in the world. According to the list of richest sports owners, he is richer than owners of Chelsea and AC Milan. Ambani's company Reliance Industries owns the Indian Premier League domestic cricket club Mumbai Indians ^[15].

Early life[link]

Mukesh Ambani was born on 19th April, 1957 to Dhirubhai Ambani and Kokilaben Ambani in a Colony of Aden, Yemen.^[16] He has a brother, Anil, and two sisters - Dipti Salgaoncar & Nina Kothari.^[17]

The Ambani family lived in a two bedroom apartment in Bhuleshwar, Mumbai until the 1970s.^[18] Dhirubhai Ambani then purchased a 14-floor apartment block called 'Sea Wind' in Colaba, where, until recently, Mukesh and Anil each lived with their families on different floors.^[19]

Mukesh Ambani was educated at Abaay Morischa School in Mumbai and completed his graduation with a bachelor`s degree in chemical engineering from the UDCT, now Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. He stood sixth in the University exams.<sup>[20]</sup> Mukesh later enrolled for an MBA from Stanford University but completed only one year of the two year program and dropped out in the year 1980.<sup>[21]</sup> Indira Gandhi administration threw open the doors of PFY (Polyester Filament Yarn) manufacturing to the private sector in early 1980. Dhirubhai Ambani had applied for a license to set up PFY manufacturing plant. In spite of stiff competition from Tatas, Birlas and 43 others, Dhirubhai was awarded the licence.<sup>[22]</sup> To help him build the PFY plant, Dhirubhai pulled his eldest son Mukesh out of Stanford where he was studying for his MBA. Mukesh Ambani, then dropped out to help his father and initiated Reliance`s backward integration from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, beginning in 1981.^[23]

In 2010, Mukesh Ambani has been conferred the 'Degree of Doctor of Science Honoris Causa' by M.S University, Baroda, Gujarat^[24]

Business career[link]

He joined Reliance Industries in 1981.^[25] He initiated Reliance's backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production.^[26]

Ambani set up one of the largest and most complex information and communications technology initiatives in the world in the form of Reliance Infocomm Limited (now Reliance Communications Limited).^[27]

Ambani directed and led the creation of the world’s largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, India, with a current capacity of 660,000 barrels per day (33 million tonnes per year) integrated with petrochemicals, power generation, port and related infrastructure.^[28]

Board Memberships[link]

• Chairman, Managing Director, Chairman of Finance Committee and Member of Employees Stock Compensation Committee, Reliance Industries Limited
• Former Chairman, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited
• Former Vice Chairman, Reliance Petroleum
• Chairman of the Board, Reliance Petroleum
• Chairman and Chairman of Audit Committee, Reliance Retail Limited.
• Chairman, Reliance Exploration and Production DMCC
• Director, Member of Credit Committee and Member of Compensation & Benefits Committee, Bank of America Corporation^[29]

Awards and honours[link]

• Ranked 5th best performing CEO in the world by Harvard Business Review in its ranking of top 50 global CEOs.^[39]
• Only Indian to be a part of the United Nations MDG Advocacy Group^[40]
• Re-elected as Vice Chairman of the Business Council for Sustainable Development's (WBCSD) Executive Committee for a second consecutive term in 2010.^[41]
• Ranked 33rd among the 'Top 50 Most Respected Business Leaders of the World' in a survey conducted by Pricewater House Coopers and published in Financial Times, London in 2003.
• Conferred the 'Membership Award' by The Textile Association of India in December 2002.
• Ranked 13th in Asia’s Power 25 list of 'The Most Powerful People in Business' published by Fortune magazine in 2004.
• Ranked No.2 by IMRB International in The Power 100 list of India's Most Powerful CEOs, in 2004

Award Gallery[link]

• 

  Mukesh Ambani received 'Juran Quality Medal' in 2009

• 

  Mukesh Ambani conferred the 'Asia Society Leadership Award'

Personal life[link]

He is married to Nita Ambani and has three children.^[42] They live in a private 27-story building in Mumbai named Antilia.^[43] The value of the home is US$1 billion and it is claimed to be the most expensive home in history.^[44] Billionaire Mukesh Ambani earns an annual salary of 150 million rupee (Rs 15 crore), which has remained unchanged since the fiscal 2008-09.^[45]

References[link]