Liberalism of the Enlightenment Era thinkers like John Locke and Adam Smith was about political and economic liberty. Individual freedom, human rights, minimalist state, democracy and economic liberty were its desideratum. Frederic Roosevelt (FDR) had added welfarism to it after the Second World War and projected it as the Progressive Liberalism or simply the Progressivism. […]
Ram Madhav
Contest for the Indo-Pacific: Why China won’t map the Future
Indo-Pacific is fast emerging as the battleground of the 21st century. At the dawn of this century, the global power axis has shifted away from the Pacific–Atlantic to the Indo–Pacific. Rise of the Asian Tigers – Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea – towards the end of the last century and the unprecedented economic […]
A Citizen of the Subcontinent
It’s a tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, whose centenary celebrations conclude today, that India and Bangladesh have forged a very close friendship. ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary celebrations are going on in Bangladesh. Mujib was born on March 17th, 1920, in the Bengal province of undivided India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected […]
Approach with caution: cleaning the Afghan mess
The Americans now want India to be a part of Afghanistan deliberations. US Secretary of State Tony Blinken wrote to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recommending an UN-led deliberation hosted by Turkey and participated in by the US, Pakistan, India, Iran, Russia and China. In other words, the “Doha process” will become the “Istanbul process”. But […]
The rationale and future of Quad
Militarism is in the air in the Indo-Pacific. But it is important to keep the level of competition non-militaristic United States (US) President Joe Biden is credited with taking the initiative for the summit-level meeting of Quad that took place on March 12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, thanked Biden for taking this initiative in […]
Towards peace on the border
Things seem to be looking up for India in the neighbourhood. China has withdrawn its troops in eastern Ladakh across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Pakistan has voluntarily come forward for a ceasefire across the Line of Control (LoC). The new U.S. administration has been issuing positive statements. Shift in strategy This is the […]
Dignity, Freedom of Choice and Equity – New Gender Agenda
Feminism in India should not fall victim to Western discourse. Dignity, freedom of choice and equity must be ensured for all women drawing inspiration from Indian ethos. Women have been central to the civilisational discourse of many nations from ancient times. For Hindus, the creator-gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv are incomplete without their female […]
Respect the freedom: Who is accountable? The authoritarians or the anarchists or the digital platforms like Facebook and Twitter?
Technological innovations are not going to stop. But those responsible for those innovations must remember that it was democratic freedoms and human rights that have helped their innovations flourish. They should ensure that those values survive and flourish. As Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the American Constitution, walked out of the famed […]
The Heteropolar Challenge
India needs a coherent legal framework to deal with non-state players like Greta Thunberg and Disha Ravi Greta Thunberg has done a great service to India by inadvertently exposing the toolkit through social media. While it helped the Indian Government understand the sinister nature of the external supporters of India’s farmers’ agitation, it also highlighted […]
Govt’s agricultural reforms allow for greater access to investment, job creation in rural sector
An entrepreneur invests his money, manufactures output and looks for a maximum profit from it. Any businessperson who invests money, time and energy would do the same. The travesty in our country is that a farmer, who also invests his money and energy and produces a crop has to look not for the “maximum profit […]