THE Modi government is deepening strategic ties with the United States on all fronts. Three events which took place in the last few weeks highlight this growing proximity to the geopolitical designs of the United States. India has joined a new grouping called the I2U2 in West Asia which consists of four countries – Israel and India (I2), the United States and United Arab Emirates (U2). Why India has done so is unfathomable, except to...
THE hegemony of the US dollar was based on the fact that the world’s wealth-holders considered it to be “as good as gold”, even when it was no longer officially convertible to gold at a fixed rate, as it had been under the Bretton Woods system, after the collapse of that system. These wealth-holders were of two kinds: private individuals and institutions, and central banks that held the foreign exchange reserves of their respective countries. The main reason...
AMERICAN democracy is in the doldrums. The bipartisan functioning of the American system is in shambles. It’s marred by a new phase of internal conflict and political violence. In the aftermath of the attack on US congressman, Lee Zeldin, the government has granted lawmakers $10,000 to beef up security at their homes. A few weeks ago, Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was subjected to harassment by a man who stood...
SINCE 1963, we have been observing the birth anniversary of Comrade Muzaffar Ahmad, popularly known to one and all as ‘Kakababu’. We observe his birthday not merely for the sake of remembrance. Our aim is to learn from his efforts in building a movement and forging a struggle, from his giant endeavour to build an organisation from scratch under adverse...
ONE China policy, a policy that recognises Taiwan as an integral part of China is almost universally accepted, including by the US. Not only the governments, but most of the political parties in the world also accept this principle. Hence, irrespective of who wins or loses in elections in their respective countries, the foreign policies of the governments reflect this acceptance to One China policy. In India too, all the major political...
THE observance of the historic 75th anniversary of India’s freedom struggle is an occasion to remember the martyrs, the struggles and sacrifices of millions who fought the British colonialists so that India could be free. Among them are the adivasis, the tribals of India.(adivasi/tribal used interchangeably in this text). History books refer to the 1857 armed uprising as the First War of Independence. There were many battles against the British fought by the adivasis...
A SCIENTIFIC vision—not in the narrow sense of natural sciences—but a larger vision encompassing the social and the natural sciences was very much a part of the national movement. India's struggle for independence was not simply to free itself from British rule. It was also to build a nation that would deliver development to its people.
A NEW kind of madness is seeping into global political discourse, a poisonous fog that suffocates reason. This fog, which has long marinated in the old, ugly ideas of white supremacy and Western superiority, is clouding our ideas of humanity. The general malady provoked by the fog is deep suspicion and hatred of China, not just of the Chinese government or its current leadership or even the Chinese political system, but hatred...
THE killing style and nature of legal defence make evident, that each of the murders has been meticulously planned for and executed with substantial help from state BJP seniors. In 2016, CPI(M) worker Shibu was hacked to death in Cherthala and even as blood from the murder remained yet to dry, RSS preyed upon its next victim, - CPI(M) worker C V Ravindran in Kannur. These killings happened close...
RAJEEV Jha, a senior colleague in the editorial team of Loklahar, died of a sudden cardiac arrest on the intervening night of August 10-11. He suffered a massive heart attack suddenly and without any pre-symptoms and did not even get a chance to reach the nearest hospital. He was over 70 years old. Rajiv Jha was born on January 21, 1952, in a well-educated family in Bihar. His father was a doctor and a senior medical administrator. Rajiv Jha came to the Russian Language...
