The moral argument for the invasion and War in Afghanistan used to be that of liberal interventionism—the claim that intervening in the domestic politics of a country is justified if it delivered the people of that country from the clutches of illiberality and coercive governance. Further the claim went that if offered a chance, the people […]
I was going to let this pass, but after some thoughts I am left puzzled as to why a country teetering on the verge of economic collapse and political turmoil would – out of the blue – conduct this kind of publicity stunt. The only conclusion that I can come up is that this seems […]
A day after President Obama vowed no delays to the drawdown of troops in Iraq, synchronized car bombs killed 33 people and five police officers were murdered in Baghdad. In both cases, the attackers hoisted the black flag of the Islamic State of Iraq — a clear sign that al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) is […]
The Globe & Mail has an interesting editorial on the Parks Canada expedition to find the wreckages of three lost ships in the Northwest Passage, which I wrote about last week. The expedition has already discovered the HMS Expedition shipwreck, which had been missing for 150 years. The editorial quotes Environment Minister Jim Prentice, who […]
Professor Simon Hix, Director of the Political Science and Political Economy Group at the London School of Economics, has some interesting points on the democratic deficit of the EU post-Lisbon. In spite of an extension of the powers of the European Parliament and further involvement of national parliaments in the European decision making process, Simon […]
Rabindranath Tagore, Nobel Laureate and the first universally acclaimed Bengali poet died 69 years ago today. Cultural fora and celebrations in India and Bangladesh mark this day every year. And though there’s much to say about his accomplishments, I can say little about the man or the tremendous impact he’s had on Bengali letters. Therefore, […]
In 55 days 49 civilians have died in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with no sings of public protests waning any time soon. Despite all efforts of the State administration to impose curfew, the people continue to challenge the writ of the Government. A lull after the first round of protests was deceptive and public violence […]
Walter Russell Mead, an esteemed scholar of American history, and provocative observer of current geopolitical trends is attempting to see the world through Pakistan’s eyes. Here’s his Pak-Vision of the situation in Afghanistan through Islamabad’s view: The second major issue shaping negative Pakistani feelings about the United States is almost as important. Pakistanis are on […]
Kenyans appear to have overwhelmingly approved the country’s proposed new constitution with about 65% support in preliminary tallies. More important, perhaps, is the fact that the referendum appears to have gone off peacefully and without a hitch.
You probably already heard this, but at the International Court in Hague where she testified in the trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, Naomi Campbell confirmed receiving a gift of “dirty-looking stones” in 1997. These dirty-looking stones turned out to be precious diamonds, prosecutors believed to be Charles Taylor’s “blood diamonds, which fueled Sierra […]
India desperately needs to enact momentous labor and educational reforms in order to capitalize on its demographic dividend and secure its economic future. Whether the country’s political class can muster the requisite will to do so, however, is a perilously open question.
Popular from Press
