Author: Dilip

I'm a scholar, writer and teacher; and my blog is designed for intellectual exploration. It carries no advertisements and requires no cash subscription

‘The big story of the 21st century.’ Is this the most shocking documentary of the year?

Six years in the making, jaw-dropping new film The Grab shows a secret scramble by governments and private firms to buy up global resources…‘There’s no doctrine for what we’re going through right now. It’s just capitalism’. : what oil was to the 20th century, food and water will be to the 21st – precious, geopolitically… Read More ‘The big story of the 21st century.’ Is this the most shocking documentary of the year?

Dilip

Over 117 million people now displaced worldwide: UN Report

The number of people forced out of their homes around the world last year was the equivalent of the population of London, according to the UN’s refugee agency. 1.5% of the world’s population is now forcibly displaced The latest annual assessment from the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) said a sharp rise in the number… Read More Over 117 million people now displaced worldwide: UN Report

Dilip

U.S. Jewish Army Officer Quits over Gaza, says he sees echoes of Holocaust

U.S. Jewish Army Intel Officer Quits over Gaza, Says Impossible Not to See Echoes of Holocaust We speak with U.S. Army Major Harrison Mann, the first military and intelligence officer to publicly resign over the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s war on Gaza. Mann left his role at the Defense Intelligence Agency after a 13-year… Read More U.S. Jewish Army Officer Quits over Gaza, says he sees echoes of Holocaust

Dilip

Underdevelopment and War

Dependency, neocolonialism, and the agrarian problem in Colombia Sandra Jaramillo Restrepo In the 1960s and ‘70s, the Colombian national government embarked on an ambitious agrarian reform program to address poverty in the increasingly violent countryside. Under the bipartisan project of the National Front, which alternated power between the Conservative and Liberal parties, these efforts sparked… Read More Underdevelopment and War

Dilip

Naidu, Nitish Ignore the Pain of All Those Who Have Suffered During Modi’s 10-Year Tenure

It’s all the more striking that Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar have run to be alongside Narendra Modi as he prepares once again to step into the role of the prime minister after describing the country’s largest minority group as “infiltrators”.  Anand Sahay It is noteworthy that two leading political figures — the resurrected Andhra… Read More Naidu, Nitish Ignore the Pain of All Those Who Have Suffered During Modi’s 10-Year Tenure

Dilip

The Grit That Makes the Pearl: An Interview With Paul Theroux

I am appalled by today’s sensitivities—how easily people take offense. It impels me to be offensive, or at least to ignore the shrinking violets. George Salis: Your latest book is Burma Sahib, a novel about a young Eric Blair (aka George Orwell) in India. What attracted you to this part of Blair’s life? Paul Theroux: A line in… Read More The Grit That Makes the Pearl: An Interview With Paul Theroux

Dilip

The Amini effect: The impact of a single life and the importance of accountability

NB: The crimes of the Iranian theocracy prompt the question: what is it in God’s will that calls for such barbarous cruelty and killing of people for leading an ordinary life? Does the tyranny of the Ayatollahs represent God’s will or is it simply the murderous rage of old men and hooligans using any opportunity… Read More The Amini effect: The impact of a single life and the importance of accountability

Dilip

Professor’s Harassment by ABVP Shows Near-Complete Takeover of Universities by RSS-BJP

NB: There’s no wonder why lacs of Indian students are migrating to campuses abroad to pursue higher studies (800,000 in 2022 alone). The Headquarters of Truth based in Nagpur have taken over most public universities. At this rate, nothing will be left for Indian teachers to do except praise whatever the RSS considers to be… Read More Professor’s Harassment by ABVP Shows Near-Complete Takeover of Universities by RSS-BJP

Dilip