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 Elders call for urgent review of foreign military assistance to Israel over Gaza atrocities

“If the world can watch this scale of brutality and suffering and not prevent it, we have lost our common humanity” – The Elders was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007. We are an independent group of global leaders working for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. Statement: The Elders today call for governments… Read More The Elders call for urgent review of foreign military assistance to Israel over Gaza atrocities

Dilip

Drowning Voices

How legal frameworks are being used to throttle free speech and the media…The dangerous beauty of this framework is that each bill touches upon only certain key aspects that may be crucial for freedom of speech, but, together, they constitute a gargantuan web that is difficult to escape. ANANT NATH On 10 November 2023, the… Read More Drowning Voices

Dilip

The Blood Telegram

First posted November 28, 2011 Archer Kent Blood (March 20, 1923 – September 3, 2004) was an American diplomat in Bangladesh. He served as the last American Consul General to Dhaka, East Pakistan. The Blood telegram (April 6, 1971) was seen as one of the most strongly worded messages ever written by Foreign Service Officers to the State Department. It was signed… Read More The Blood Telegram

Dilip

The UK’s nuclear Narnia is a ‘bottomless pit of hell, money and despair’

Described as a nuclear Narnia, the site is a source of economic support for Cumbria – and a longstanding international safety concern Ministers who visit Sellafield for the first time are left with no illusions about the challenge at Europe’s most toxic nuclear site. One former UK secretary of state described it as a “bottomless… Read More The UK’s nuclear Narnia is a ‘bottomless pit of hell, money and despair’

Dilip

West Votes Against Democracy, Human Rights, Cultural Diversity at UN; Promotes Mercenaries, Sanctions

The West voted against the rest of the world on United Nations General Assembly resolutions, opposing democracy, human rights, and cultural diversity, while supporting mercenaries and unilateral coercive measures (sanctions). By Ben Norton / Geopolitical Economy Report Western governments frequently claim that their foreign and domestic policies are motivated by “human rights” and “democracy”. They often… Read More West Votes Against Democracy, Human Rights, Cultural Diversity at UN; Promotes Mercenaries, Sanctions

Dilip

Racist Genocide by Israel: over 1,000 murdered in 48 hours with US/UK Arms, Finance and Permission

Hundreds more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli air raids in the past 24 hours in Gaza as the Israeli army ordered more areas in and around the enclave’s second-largest city of Khan Younis to evacuate. The Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza told Al Jazeera on Sunday that more than 700… Read More Racist Genocide by Israel: over 1,000 murdered in 48 hours with US/UK Arms, Finance and Permission

Dilip

The Guardian view on Gaza’s devastation: don’t look away. See the bigger picture too

NB: This is a watery editorial on a blatant massacre which warrants far more serious analysis. It recognises the plain facts, but ‘demands our attention’ doesn’t cut it. You’re still sleeping. A child is killed every ten minutes in Gaza; and over 700 have been murdered in the last 24 hours. What attention are you… Read More The Guardian view on Gaza’s devastation: don’t look away. See the bigger picture too

Dilip

‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal

Fahad Shah, whose case was a symbol of harassment of region’s media, says he has different outlook after months behind bars Aakash Hassan During his more than 600 days behind bars, Fahad Shah, a Kashmiri journalist, had begun to lose hope that he would ever see freedom again. It was in February last year that… Read More ‘Jail crushes you slowly’: Kashmiri journalist reflects on prison ordeal

Dilip

Has the fallout from the Pannun incident really been capped? Brazen overreach backfires for India

Bharat Bhushan The indictment by US agencies of Indian criminal Nikhil Gupta for plotting the murder of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on behalf of an Indian government agent may cause the unravelling of a macho narrative being prepared for the general election of 2024. The unfortunate events may have emerged from the virile foreign… Read More Has the fallout from the Pannun incident really been capped? Brazen overreach backfires for India

Dilip