Riot Acts
History shows that tumult is a companion to democracy and when ordinary politics fails, the people must take to the streets. Read Here – Aeon Also Read: Are Riots Good For Democracy
The Muslim World’s Nightmare Decade
A new era for the Muslim world would de-emphasise the purist obsession with minutiae and rituals, and emphasise the overarching moral codes of egalitarianism and compassion that are at the core of Islamic teaching. It would embrace the critical thinking that was key to the Islamic Golden Age, which kept the flame of progress alive […]
10 Conflicts To Watch In 2020
Local conflicts serve as mirrors for global trends. The ways they ignite, unfold, persist, and are resolved reflect shifts in great powers’ relations, the intensity of their competition, and the breadth of regional actors’ ambitions. They highlight issues with which the international system is obsessed and those toward which it is indifferent. Today these wars […]
Loser Teens
In keeping with the adage that history does not repeat but rhymes, the decade from 2010 to 2020 ushered in a new age of disorder and distrust, just as the 1810s and 1910s did. Each era shows how unmet promises and unrealized hopes inevitably lead to disillusion and cynicism. Read Here – Project Syndicate
Asia in 2020: Trends, Risks, And Geopolitics
How Asia is changing and what are the challenges for 2020 … a presidential election year in the United States and how it will change the dynamics between Washington and key Asian capitals after a bruising trade war with China that impacted the global economy. Then there are elections in Taiwan, North Korea.. and other […]
How A World Order Ends And What Comes In Its Wake
A stable world order is a rare thing. When one does arise, it tends to come after a great convulsion that creates both the conditions and the desire for something new. It requires a stable distribution of power and broad acceptance of the rules that govern the conduct of international relations. It also needs skillfull statecraft, since […]
When Politics Hurts Diplomacy
In his speech at a rally in Delhi on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to India’s expanding friendships in the Middle East during the last few years. The PM, however, might be in the danger of squandering a major diplomatic achievement, if he miscalculates the external costs of the government’s domestic politics. Worse still, Delhi […]
Why the US-China Trade War Could Re-escalate
The “phase one” trade deal between the United States and China addresses only some of the US government’s concerns, and its remaining demands will be much harder to resolve. But while both America and China have an interest in the success of the open multilateral global trading system, current US policy is undermining that goal. […]
The End Of Gandhi’s India?
This year, as the world marked the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, Indian voters repudiated his legacy by re-electing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. By doubling down on Islamophobia and Hindu nationalism, Modi and his party has rejected Gandhi’s vision of interfaith harmony and political pluralism. Read Here – Project Syndicate
We’ve Just Had The Best Decade In Human History. Seriously
Let nobody tell you that the second decade of the 21st century has been a bad time. We are living through the greatest improvement in human living standards in history. Extreme poverty has fallen below 10 per cent of the world’s population for the first time. It was 60 per cent when I was born. […]
looking beyond borders 