"As the first South Asian to serve on the federal bench in California, he has also made California's Indian-American and South Asian community proud."

Samantha Power will come to the job [as US Ambassador to the United Nations] with a deep and nuanced understanding of how the UN works. Her latest book, Chasing the Flame, chronicled the life and death of Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top UN official who was killed when terrorists struck the UN Compound in Iraq in 2003. Since the publication of the book...Power has been a vocal advocate for the safety and security of UN humanitarian workers around the world. This is a critically important issue [as] The UN has become a preferred target of Jihadi organizations in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel...The UN is now gearing up for a major mission in Mali where the UN will almost certainly come under direct assault from Jihadi groups in a way that...could be unprecedented...On Syria, her influence could be lasting. Power is best known for her...A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide, which was hugely influential in liberal foreign policy circles. The book argues that the institutions of US foreign policy failed to respond adequately to the big mass atrocity events since World War II.

Sri Srinivasan became the first South Asian American United States Circuit Judge on May 24, following a confirmation vote from the United States Senate of 97–0. Before becoming a judge, Srinivasan was the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the United States, arguing 20 cases on behalf of the Obama administration in front of the Supreme Court. 

While eating breakfast with colleagues on a recent trip to Brazil, a friend who'd spent several formative years in South Asia casually asked if I'd like to try his watermelon juice. At that moment, the proverbial record scratched. Because he was never exposed to the history of watermelons and American blacks, he was quite puzzled at the awkward silence and darting glances.

...over the next two or three decades, vulnerable regions (particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia) will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises, and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change. In addition, the depletion of groundwater in agricultural areas will pose risks to national and global food markets in the next decade, threatening social disruption...These developments could demand U.S., European, and international humanitarian relief. Future interventions will also occur while financial resources are under stress, meaning that cooperation and effective burden-sharing will be crucial.

...delves into the influence of Indian cuisine in Britain, New York City ("Dreams of Pakistani Grill in Manhattan") and the contemporary South Asia café scene.

This hefty volume, which offers a sweeping portrait of modern Pakistan, is a curious product.

...the truth is that racial barriers still exist and are a point of discussion. For example, Daniel Dae Kim...told that audience that he was currently in the midst of discussing what race the love interest of his “Hawaii Five-O” character Detective Chin Ho Kelly should be—a conversation that was more difficult than he had initially thought. He noted that while he was excited that race was a topic of discussion, the decision was more difficult than he originally thought, because he realized that the ultimate choice would have cultural ramifications. He then took a quick poll of the audience to see if they thought Kelly should be with another Asian, another non-Asian minority, or a Caucasian woman. (The reply was weighted toward the first two options.)

Indian-Americans are the most educated, most affluent and among the most entrepreneurial of all groups in this country, according to the U.S. India Political Action Committee. Their median household income is $69,470, nearly twice the $38,885 of all U.S. families; close to two thirds of those over 25 have at least a bachelor's degree and almost 58 percent of all Indian-Americans in the work force are professionals and managers..."Like any immigrant community, South Asians [Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans] had survival as their first priority, which translated as 'I want to make sure my child is getting to Harvard,'" explained Shefali Razdan Duggal, 39, an Indian-born Democratic activist in San Francisco who has worked with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Barbara Boxer. "The next generation, my generation, has the luxury to be able to pursue and participate in politics"...Her generation is also flexing its political muscle in both parties as never before...