2021

As far as the Afghan Taliban’s fanaticism is concerned, together with their overwhelming military superiority rooted in trademark guerrilla tactics, there ought to be no surprises at the brigands’ return to Kabul with commanding ease. It is also not a huge surprise that the US spilled unimaginable quantities of blood and money in the 20 years of its occupation of the landlocked impoverished nation with precious little to show for it.
The savagery showcased the nature of the beast for both (…)

( August 16-17, 2021)
1. Collapse of the Afghan Army
Social media reported that at the Kabul residence of the Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib who post-haste fled to Tajikistan on Saturday with President Ashraf Ghani, three Toyota Landcruiser SUVs were found stacked with American dollar bills.
Mohib was the shadow king of Afghanistan. He controlled the country’s defence budget. In the coming year, he would have handled over $3 billion, which the US has earmarked as (…)

by James M. Dorsey*
August 19, 2021 Abu Omar Khorasani was taken from Kabul’s Pul-i-Charkhi prison and unceremoniously shot.
The first and only person to have been executed since the Taliban gained full control of Afghanistan, Mr. Khorasani was the head of the Islamic State in South Asia until he was arrested by government forces last year.
The precise circumstances of his execution are not known. His killing was, however, at least in part designed to send a message to the (…)

The Taliban have quickly received support from Pakistan and China , to some extent even from Iran and Russia, and apppear set to take control of Afghanistan with the recognition by at least about five or six countries to start with. In their first meeting with the press they have sought to partly reduce the widespread fears regarding their support for terrorist activities aimed at other countries and regarding their oppressive attitude towards women, particulrly professional women. Only (…)

by P. S. Jayaramu
( 16th August, 2021)
India has entered the 75th year of it’s independence and it is a proud moment for us, though it is not a long time in a nation’s history. An attempt is made here to reflect on the role played by India in world affairs.
In a way, India’s role in international affairs preceded its independence. The Indian National Congress (INC) which led the freedom movement, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi had a cell devoted to foreign affairs. It was (…)

(Note: How relevant to the dot this poem remains after 17 years? It was first published in Times of India on 19 April 2004. It referred to the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and to the 11 vows of Gandhi; The moral compass was pointing to the 2004 General Elections - the ’India Shining’ campaign was leading the country nowhere. For the 11 vows of Gandhi please see link: https://www.gandhi-manibhavan.org/educational-resources/the-eleven-vows-of-gandhiji.html)
Do come to my old (…)

by Bhawesh Pant*
United Nations’ (UN) 49/214 resolution of 1994 decided to observe 9th August as International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. With intent to respect, promote and protect indigenous (tribal) cosmologies. This year’s theme “Leaving no one behind Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract”, aims to comprehend the unique relationship with their lands and varied concepts of development based on their worldviews and priorities. Let us take the opportunity (…)

Pavittarbir Singh Saggu*
Abstract
Culture mediates society’s response to global climate change in all of its manifestations. To demonstrate that climate change impacts cultural elements such as material and lived culture, identity, community cohesiveness, or sense of place, this article examines studies from across the social sciences. Moreover, it contends that cultures’ responses and adaptations to climate-related risks have major cultural elements. This article demonstrates how (…)

BOOK EXTRACT
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Yusuf and Zuleika:
The Return of the Despot
by Murzban Jal
Aakar Books
(8-E, Pocket-IV Mayur Vihar Phase-I Delhi-110 091)
2019
152 pages
Paper Back
ISBN : 9789350025994
https://www.aakarbooks.com/details.php?bid=902
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The Indian Elites as Caste Overlords
The idea that caste is rooted in pre-capitalist society while seeming to be historically correct would turn out to be phantasmagorical if it is not contextualized in concrete material and (…)

by Shriya Bajaj and Sandeep Pandey*
Recently population Control bill has been in the light in India. Two states Assam and Uttar Pradesh have proposed Population Stabilization Bill. Also, many other states; Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Odisha are following two-child norm for the local body elections (Two-child policy in Indian states, 2019). Indian prime minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech in (…)