Though India is not the ethnostate of the Hindu people in the way that Israel is of the Jewish people, there is obviously a special connection between Hindu-majority India and the religions that originate from Indian civilization: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and the closely related Zoroastrianism. (Islam, which now represents about 14 percent of the […]
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan is fond of using sporting clichés to explain complicated political dilemmas. “Bowling out the opposition” and forcing the “Umpire’s finger” are both regulars from his public speaking playbook. But as problems mount for Pakistan’s civilian leader, it’s getting harder to explain away reality with handy cricket metaphors. Cricket, after all, […]
Where to begin in considering the ten contenders to replace Theresa May as the Conservative Party Leader and, by extension, as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom? Maybe with the drugs. Read Here – The New Yorker
Today, as policy makers and commentators confidently assert that trade wars are easy to win or that hot wars with China are either impossible or inevitable, the experience of being proved wrong again and again should remind us that events will, more than likely, not turn out as predicted. Read Here – The Atlantic
Whether it was confidence due to his growing domestic strength, a belief that the balance of economic power in the U.S.-China relationship had already shifted, or a concern about appearing weak in front of Trump, Xi seems to have reached the conclusion that China, under his leadership, can successfully challenge the United States. This appears […]
Theresa May’s decision to stand down as the leader of Britain’s Conservative Party—and, consequently, as prime minister—has sparked a leadership battle months in the making. As many as 11 Conservatives have announced their candidacy, and more can be expected to enter the race once it formally begins on June 10. Read Here – The Atlantic
The rest of the world may be marking the 30-year anniversary of the Tiananmen crisis as a crucial episode in China’s recent past. For the Chinese government, however, Tiananmen remains a frightening portent. Even though the regime has wiped the events of June 4 from the memories of most of China’s people, they are still […]
The recent Indian election will be a case study in how to upend the conventional assumption of electoral politics that an incumbent is judged on his record of performance against his own promises. Prime Minister Narendra Modi fulfilled none of his, so why did voters reward him with a landslide victory? Read Here – Project […]
Amid the Bharatiya Janata Party’s landslide victory in India’s parliamentary elections, one result stood out, in the town of Amethi, near the border with Nepal. There, the family that has dominated Indian politics since the country’s independence more than 70 years ago suffered a humiliating blow: Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition Congress Party, […]
The standard contrast between Chinese authoritarian efficiency and Indian democratic dysfunction is, however, too simplistic. Authoritarianism is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for some of the special features of Chinese governance. Similarly, not all of the Indian state’s shortcomings are inherent in the country’s democratic system. Failure to appreciate such nuances risks overlooking three […]
looking beyond borders 