Power over principle: Turkey’s skin-deep opposition

Kaya Genç Power to the powerful, contempt for the weak: in replicating this rule of Turkish politics, the opposition CHP differs in no way from Erdoğan’s AKP. Indeed, in persecuting all critics of the Turkish state, the Islamists are simply re-enacting the republican legacy. Pessimism derives from pessimus, the Latin for ‘the worst’. In the days leading… Read More Power over principle: Turkey’s skin-deep opposition

Dilip

National Westminster Bank boss worked for oil firm under investigation in ‘world’s biggest financial scandal’

The new chairman of NatWest is facing scrutiny over his former role with international oil group PetroSaudi, which is embroiled in one of the world’s biggest financial scandals. City veteran and former MasterCard boss Rick Haythornthwaite worked for PetroSaudi International (UK) Ltd, the oil group’s British arm, for eight years, earning £200,000 a year. The oil… Read More National Westminster Bank boss worked for oil firm under investigation in ‘world’s biggest financial scandal’

Dilip

India calling itself Bharat fulfills Pakistan’s age-old wish

I am reminded of a conversation years ago with Pakistan’s defence attaché in London, who later became the Director-General (Analysis) in the Inter-Services Intelligence. I got a call from Brigadier Javed Alam asking what I was doing then. I responded that I was working on my doctoral thesis and a chapter titled ‘threat perception in… Read More India calling itself Bharat fulfills Pakistan’s age-old wish

Dilip

The Four Billionaires Who Want to Control the Universe

The gang-of-four powerful oligarchs: Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg and Marc Andreesen, are after increasing profits and world domination — and no one is trying to stop them. In Jonathan Taplin’s new book, The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars and Crypto, the internet innovation… Read More The Four Billionaires Who Want to Control the Universe

Dilip

Leader of the Martians

J.L. Austin: Philosopher and D-Day Intelligence Officer by M.W. Rowe Reviewed by Thomas Nagel Among philosophers​ of the 20th century, John Langshaw Austin is not a cultural celebrity like Heidegger, Russell, Sartre or Wittgenstein. But for a period after the Second World War, he was the leading figure of the school of ordinary language philosophy that dominated Oxford, achieved substantial… Read More Leader of the Martians

Dilip

And then Elon Musk said there’ll be no more war – not via his satellite. Aren’t we lucky to have the world in his hands?

Please let’s put much, much more of our future security in the hands of people who treat war and the fallout from invasion like a broadband contract… it remains one of the more pathetic tragedies of our age that Musk is seen as a superhero analogue – but perhaps also an inevitable one, given that… Read More And then Elon Musk said there’ll be no more war – not via his satellite. Aren’t we lucky to have the world in his hands?

Dilip

Net zero minister linked to oil-funded group that targeted climate protesters

Ruby Lott-Lavigna The UK’s newly appointed minister for net zero is facing questions over her links to a think tank funded by oil giants that called for climate protesters to be jailed. Claire Coutinho, appointed minister for energy security and net zero this week, was a senior fellow to the opaquely funded right-wing think tank… Read More Net zero minister linked to oil-funded group that targeted climate protesters

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