Edit

  I t is the sign of the times, transcending geographical frontiers, that democracy is being grotesquely distorted, giving a raw deal to the ordinary citizens for whom this form of government was supposed to be the best conceived as of now. The ruling class...

In a landmark verdict, the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court, that country’s highest judicial authority, on 11 September convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup d’état following his defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the October 2022 presidential elections. After a lengthy...

An American scholar has written a book in which he tries to explain China’s recent rise. Dan Wang’s thesis is that China is a society of engineers and its government is the rule of engineers, as compared to the US, which he classifies as a...

India’s top anti-corruption watchdog, the CVC, has just delivered a stinging reality check to the CBI, and it’s not a flattering picture. The agency that loves raiding others for “delays, irregularities and misconduct” seems to have no time for the skeletons in its own cupboard....

The memories of the deadly al-Qaeda strikes on 9/11 on iconic US building complexes are still alive even after several American administrations virtually wound down what was once called the “global war on terror.” As the attention of the world is now riveted on Israel-Hamas...

Violence erupted in Kathmandu 8 September as thousands of young Nepalese took to the streets and clashed with security forces, leading to the death of at least 19 persons. The unprecedented showdown is being described as an uncontrolled outburst of rage of the country’s youth...

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on 7 September announced his resignation, a move that could usher in a period of political uncertainty and policy paralysis in the world’s fourth-largest economy. Ishiba, the country’s third prime minister in five years, has directed the ruling Liberal Democratic...

As someone who prefers India as a pluralist and secular society, I have my problems with this government as many editions of this column will have shown over the years. This is based on a difference rooted in ideology and principles. I think, like many...

When the Modi sarkar unveiled its lateral entry scheme in 2018, it promised to shake up the ossified steel frame of Indian governance with an injection of fresh ideas and outside expertise. The pitch was seductive: cut through the red tape by bringing in private-sector...

I t is claimed by many that dynastic politics is a bane for democracy in many countries, including India, as the interests of a family become far more important for the rulers than those of the people at large and their country. If judicial overreach...