The blending of left- and right-wing programs is hardly novel. The Nazis proudly called themselves National Socialists. And Mussolini, who started out as a diehard socialist, didn’t give up his core belief in state control even after he found a more effective way of rousing disaffected Italian masses. From the late 19th century onwards, political movements […]
During his years in South Africa, Gandhi sought to ingratiate himself with Empire and its mission. In doing so, he not only rendered African exploitation and oppression invisible, but was, on occasion, a willing part of their subjugation and racist stereotyping. This is not the Gandhi spoken of in hagiographic speeches by politicians more than […]
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang‘s recently published article on China’s reform drive and international cooperation shows the country’s pragmatism and determination, and charts a new and unprecedented blueprint that will also benefit world economic growth. Li’s article titled “China’s economic blueprint”, which was published in the Economist magazine on Nov. 2, depicts the direction and […]
THE LIST of things on which Jeremy Corbyn, the new leader of the British Labour party, disagrees with David Cameron is, of course, very long. But here is one that you may not have thought about, unless you happen to be a politically active member of the Hindu or Sikh community in Britain. Mr Corbyn […]
One of Merkel’s great strengths is an unerring sense for political reality. As such, her comments at the town meeting early last week show that nobody knows better than Germany’s chancellor just how precarious the situation in the country has become. The influx of refugees continues unabated and Merkel’s public approval ratings continue to fall […]
The liberalization of the one-child policy had been expected—and virtually inevitable. China, after all, is heading toward accelerated demographic decline. The country’s population is now projected to peak in 2028, well before the 2030–2035 timeframe expected just a half decade ago. In all probability, the top will be reached earlier, maybe in 2020. Read Here […]
It is hard to imagine, say, the monarchs of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, or Norway as global brands in quite the same way. And while the successful branding of the British royal family is partially a product of Britain’s historic role in the world, it also has causes closer to home—in the evolving relationship between British […]
Having discovered that the use of force in another country does not necessarily lead to wider sanctions and deepening isolation, Russia has nevertheless learned that military operations of that sort involve a tremendous number of recurring, growing and unpredictable risks. And the main risks in this war might not be military, diplomatic or even macroeconomic in nature. As happened 100 years ago, war does not always rally the people […]
This mobbing of Narendra Modi is referred to in the Indian media, in glowing terms, as a rock star’s welcome. What does that mean? The frenzied following of rock stars comes essentially from their charisma. It does not come from their humanity or their higher qualities, but from a fake heroism which is a creation of their […]
Europe’s response to waves of refugees from the war-torn Middle East raises serious questions about its commitment to humanitarian values. To be sure, Europe is facing a very difficult set of challenges. But these pale in comparison to those confronting India’s policymakers in 1971, when New Delhi was faced with a refugee surge orders of magnitude greater than […]
looking beyond borders 