It is increasingly clear to communities and countries that the distribution of agency in the international system is inequitable and no longer reflects contemporary realities. It is this anger and disappointment, directed against globalisation, that has powered the rise of these strongmen and women.
The India the world once celebrated – the world’s fastest-growing free-market liberal democracy – seems to be giving way to a violent, intolerant, illiberal autocracy. It is a turn that was long in the making, reflecting the impact of eight major factors on the country’s society and politics.
Also Read: Is India Still A Democracy?
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 in the Medieval era.
Stupidity, especially in the political sphere, often comes with a side of brutality, and keeping track of it, rather than allowing it to pile on, might help us to hold fast to our higher selves. Also, there is something innately comical about stupidity; if we are forced to suffer fools, we can at least have some laffs in the process.
Since the invention of writing, human innovation has transformed how we formulate new ideas, organise our societies, and communicate with one another. But in an age of rapid-fire social media and nonstop algorithm-generated outrage, technology is no longer helping to expand or enrich the public sphere.
Disinformation is harmful on and offline. The people who spread disinformation have various motives. They might use it to seek attention, promote an ideology, sway an opinion, or receive financial gain.1 The issue of financial motivation is particularly problematic when it comes to programmatic advertising…Those who seek to disinform have taken advantage of an increasingly connected world to push online narratives that sow division and spark conflict.
Zuckerberg at Facebook, Sundar Pichai at Google, at its parent company Alphabet, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Brin’s ex-sister-in-law, Susan Wojcicki at YouTube and Jack Dorsey at Twitter. The Silicon Six — all billionaires, all Americans — who care more about boosting their share price than about protecting democracy. This is ideological imperialism — six unelected individuals in Silicon Valley imposing their vision on the rest of the world, unaccountable to any government and acting like they’re above the reach of law. It’s like we’re living in the Roman Empire, and Mark Zuckerberg is Caesar. At least that would explain his haircut.
Every day, journalists go to press with stories that could endanger them and their families, understanding that the repercussions might be severe, even a matter of life and death. They are the sentries protecting the values of truth, accountability, and justice. These values are under attack. In an age of growing authoritarianism and repression of freedom and democracy, the very notion of facts and fairness is being called into question.
China’s growing engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in recent years has captured the attention of policymakers, business leaders and foreign policy observers across the region. It seems nearly everyone these days wants to talk about China’s evolving presence and role in the region…But largely absent from the conversation has been a serious, dedicated look at the normative impact of relations with Beijing on governance.
Has Indian nationalism turned utterly exclusivist? What would one of the icons of nationalism, Swami Vivekananda, have to say about this shift? Nationalism, after all, is a battle for the myths that create a nation.
