Farah Naqvi: Father Stan, UAPA and the Performative Solidarity of Politicians

“Stan Smith (84) passes away. The system sucks. UAPA. No bail. Little hope of early trial. Others too languish in jail. Lawyers , Academics , Social Activists ….raise their voices for the voiceless. They too are now “voiceless”. The State calls them “ terrorists,” Kapil Sibal, Congress MP, tweeted on July 5, 2021. Sibal got the name wrong.… Read More Farah Naqvi: Father Stan, UAPA and the Performative Solidarity of Politicians

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Terry Bell writes from South Africa: The challenge of real democracy

The political elite elected ostensibly to represent the majority, is effectively — and often all too obviously –  under the influence, if not direct control, of elements of the monied minority. It is a classic case of who pays the piper invariably calling the tune. If the “tune” – the policies and decisions affecting the… Read More Terry Bell writes from South Africa: The challenge of real democracy

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Danny Postel – The Other Counter-Revolution: Iran’s Role in the Shifting Political Landscape of the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s role as a counter-revolutionary force in the Middle East is widely understood and thoroughly documented. Historian Rosie Bsheer calls the Saudi kingdom “a counter-revolutionary state par excellence,” indeed one that was “consolidated as such.” The Saudi monarchy has gone into counter-revolutionary overdrive since the onset of the Arab uprisings, scrambling to thwart popular… Read More Danny Postel – The Other Counter-Revolution: Iran’s Role in the Shifting Political Landscape of the Middle East

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Bharat Bhushan – Rafale deal: Could French investigations turn up a Bofors?

A judicial probe has been ordered in France into the corruption surrounding the Rafale fighter jet deal with India. In India, the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General have already given a clean chit to the Narendra Modi government in the deal. The Parquet National Financier (PNF) responsible for tracking down complex economic… Read More Bharat Bhushan – Rafale deal: Could French investigations turn up a Bofors?

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"I will probably die" – Express Editorial on Stan Swamy // A Requiem for Father Stan Swamy: Justice of the Supreme Court (Retd) Madan Lokur

“If justice perishes, human life on earth has lost its meaning” – Immanuel Kant “Once crime was as solitary as a cry of protest; now it is as universal as science. Yesterday it was put on trial; today it determines the law” – Albert Camus The death of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy in judicial custody Monday brings… Read More "I will probably die" – Express Editorial on Stan Swamy // A Requiem for Father Stan Swamy: Justice of the Supreme Court (Retd) Madan Lokur

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Fr Stan Swamy, accused in Elgaar Parishad case, dies at 84

One of Fr. Stan Swamy’s last messages: “What is happening to me is not something unique, happening to me alone. It is a broader process that is taking place all over the country. We are all aware how prominent intellectuals, lawyers, writers, poets, activists, student leaders – they are all put in jail just because they have… Read More Fr Stan Swamy, accused in Elgaar Parishad case, dies at 84

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Rafale Papers: France opens judicial probe into fighter deal with India, new revelations emerge // Opposition Parties Say it's Time for Investigation in India Too

A French judge has been appointed to lead a judicial investigation into suspected “corruption” and “favouritism” over the 7.8-billion-euro sale to India of 36 Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter aircraft, Mediapart can reveal. The highly sensitive probe into the inter-governmental deal signed off in in 2016 was formally opened on June 14th. It was following Mediapart’s “Rafale Papers”… Read More Rafale Papers: France opens judicial probe into fighter deal with India, new revelations emerge // Opposition Parties Say it's Time for Investigation in India Too

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Daniel Immerwahr: The Strange, Sad Death of America’s Political Imagination // AV Lecture: How to Hide an Empire

The world didn’t expect much from Edward Bellamy, a reclusive, tubercular writer who lived with his parents. Yet if he lived small, he dreamed big, and in 1888 he published a phenomenally successful utopian novel, Looking Backward, 2000-1887. It told of a man who fell asleep in 1887 and awoke in 2000 to electrified cities,… Read More Daniel Immerwahr: The Strange, Sad Death of America’s Political Imagination // AV Lecture: How to Hide an Empire

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