Mainstream Weekly

Most recent articles

• Western Sahara: No Arab Spring?

  8 October 2011, by Apratim Mukarji

  The justly-celebrated democracy movements sweeping across North Africa and the Arab peninsula somehow appear to have bypassed the territory of Western Sahara, where one of the oldest independence movements in the region, the fight for freeing Western Sahara from Morocco’s domination, is being waged by the Saharawis since 1976.
  The territory of Western Sahara has been occupied partly by Morocco and Mauritania since 1975, with the Moroccan control becoming all-pervasive since 1979. The (…)

• Imperatives for United Action

  8 October 2011, by Nikhil Chakravartty

  FROM N.C.’S WRITINGS
  The earthquake that has devastated large parts of northern Bihar and adjoining areas of neighbouring States has been characterised as the second worst in the century.
  That actually takes us back to the first one, the one in 1934, in which, as far as this writer can recall, more than a thousand lost their lives and lakhs were rendered homeless. Roads were destroyed, railway lines uprooted, bridges demolished. Many areas were cut off and marooned in utter isolation. (…)

• Earthquake in Sikkim: Natural Calamity and Potential Manmade Disaster

  8 October 2011, by J.J. Roy Burman

  On September 18 an earthquake of the magnitude of 6.8 by the Richter scale struck Sikkim at about 6.18 pm The epicentre of the quake was located about 67 kms north-west of Gangtok—the State capital. The epicenter was located to be precise at Mangan, the headquarter, of the Sikkim North district. There were about four-to-five aftershocks of lesser intensity within five-to-six hours. Minor tremors were felt even after a few days.
  The earthquake caused severe damage to the lives and property (…)

• Who Killed Burhanuddin Rabbani?

  8 October 2011, by M K Bhadrakumar

  The Taliban’s statement denying involvement in the killing of Burhanuddin Rabbani, head of the Afghan High Council for Peace, came on the third day of the incident. Evidently, the Quetta Shura thoroughly checked out with the various Taliban factions before coming out with this statement. Indeed, the Taliban, uncharac-teristically enough, was not on message this time. They are normally the first with a claim, but this time they weren’t.
  A Guardian editorial, too, makes this important (…)

• Obama’s New Afghan Strategy with Pakistan to Induct the Taliban in Kabul

  8 October 2011, by Bashir Mohammad

  DESPITE LATEST STRAINS IN US-PAK RELATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN
  The strategy devised at the London Conference on Afghanistan (held in January 2010)—“reinte-gration and reconciliation”—was a veiled scheme of once again handing over Afghanistan to Pakistan. President Obama’s rhetoric on the “Way For-ward in Af-Pak” has the same thrust.
  The consequences of this dangerous scheme are not difficult to fathom. These are as follows:
  (i) the resumption of civil war sucking in the neighbouring (…)

• Political Dramas Occupy Centre-Stage

  5 October 2011, by SC

  Referring to the new development in the 2G spectrum scam in the light of the revelation made in the note of the Finance Ministry (which is now known to be an inter-ministerial background paper on 2G), a pertinent query was raised in these columns last week: “Does this presage a brewing conflict within the UPA?” Thereafter it was observed:
  “Perhaps a new drama is about to unfold in New Delhi’s corridors of power.” That is precisely what happened in the last few days. From all available (…)

• Medicines: For Saving Life or For Superprofits?

  5 October 2011, by Bharat Dogra

  Will patent rights be used only for ensuring the legitimate interests of pharmaceutical companies, or will these be used in an exaggerated and unjust way to deprive patients of their right to life? This crucial question, which has been debated time and again in the context of the significant case of Glivec, an anti-cancer drug, has now reached a critical stage.
  It may be pointed out here that as early as 2006 many prominent persons and organisations from all over the world had petitioned (…)

• US’ Pakistan Policy in Tatters

  5 October 2011, by Apratim Mukarji

  The assassination of the former President of Afghanistan and presently head of the High Peace Council, Burhanuddin Rabbani, on September 20 at his heavily secured residence in Kabul marks yet another step forward for Pakistan in its campaign to sabotage the efforts to open up a dialogue with the Taliban.
  Does it sound cynical to jump to accuse Pakistan of having a hand in an assassination which was clearly the Taliban’s handiwork? However, the time has arrived to call a spade a spade, and (…)

• The Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi

  5 October 2011, by P R Dubhashi

  Mahatma’s Causes
  The Mahatma stood for causes for which he struggled throughout his working life. They were—Freedom, Unity, Equality, Self-Reliance and Decentralisation. They were related to each other. Though these causes were ‘ends’, he was equally concerned with ‘means’ to achieve those ends. The means had to based on the principles of ‘Truth’ and ‘Non-violence’.
  Such was the magnetic influence of his personality, his thoughts and actions that he was able to attract the support and (…)

• Gandhian Alternative to Economic Development — Relevance for India Today

  5 October 2011, by B P Mathur

  “India’s destiny lies not along the bloody way of the West, of which she shows signs of tiredness, but along the bloodless way of peace that comes from a simple and godly life. India is in danger of losing her soul. She cannot lose it and live. She must not, therefore, lazily and helplessly say, ‘I cannot escape the onrush from the West.’ She must be strong enough to resist it for its own sake and that of the world.”
  —Mahatma Gandhi
  “Agriculture is more revolutionary than industry. In (…)