Grit and glamour: how Mahua Moitra shook up the misogyny and hypocrisy of Indian politics

Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi Mahua Moitra is a misfit in Indian politics. She rejects the notion that a woman must ideally be married, and if she happens to be divorced, single or widowed, should not openly date or be seen to be in a relationship. Nor should she drink or smoke in public or be… Read More Grit and glamour: how Mahua Moitra shook up the misogyny and hypocrisy of Indian politics

Squeezing communities dry: water grabbing by the global food industry

Pension fund managers, private equity firms and other financial players are moving aggressively to snatch up lands around the world with access to water for irrigation. Their strategy is to pump as much water as they can and as fast as they can into the production of crops, like fruits and nuts, that reap high… Read More Squeezing communities dry: water grabbing by the global food industry

The Palestinian people have a right to their lives, land and sovereignty

Israel’s retaliation for the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas has rapidly evolved into another phase of what can only be considered a genocidal campaign to destroy and displace the 2.2 million residents of Gaza. As this article goes to publication (October 27, 2023), indiscriminate aerial bombings by the Israeli army have killed over 7,000 people in… Read More The Palestinian people have a right to their lives, land and sovereignty

Across the globe, compassion for migrants has given way to cruel, performative politics

Kenan Malik On Wednesday, the UK supreme court will give its verdict on the Rwanda deportation scheme. The decision will clearly have a major impact on those who face deportation. It will have an impact, too, on the political debate about immigration, with government supporters either hailing a victory or bemoaning the treachery of the liberal elite.… Read More Across the globe, compassion for migrants has given way to cruel, performative politics

Obsession, jealousies and Joséphine: has Ridley Scott captured the real Napoleon?

Andrew Hussey Napoleon Bonaparte is probably the most famous Frenchman of all time and is, according to academic sources, second only to Jesus as the most filmed figure in cinema history. Napoleon is a complex subject whose aura, monstrosity and genius is a perfect fit for great cinema and who is therefore an irresistible challenge… Read More Obsession, jealousies and Joséphine: has Ridley Scott captured the real Napoleon?

‘We’re Rolling Out Nakba 2023,’ Israeli Minister on Northern Gaza Strip Evacuation

Michael Hauser TovIsraeli security cabinet member and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter (Likud) was asked in a news interview on Saturday whether the images of northern Gaza Strip residents evacuating south on the IDF’s orders are comparable to images of the Nakba. He replied: “We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba. From an operational point… Read More ‘We’re Rolling Out Nakba 2023,’ Israeli Minister on Northern Gaza Strip Evacuation

Whither philosophy?

The discipline today finds itself precariously balanced between incomprehensible specialisation and cheap self-help Siobhan Lyons As long as there has been such a subject as philosophy, there have been people who hated and despised it,’ reads the opening line of Bernard Williams’s article ‘On Hating and Despising Philosophy’ (1996). Almost 30 years later, philosophy is… Read More Whither philosophy?