There is one recurring theme: Young people feel robbed of their future Pratap Bhanu Mehta NB: A timely and typically thought-provoking essay by this scholar. I add some observations below 1/ The crisis of the 1960s and 1970s culminated in the Trilateral Commission’s 1975 report on The Crisis of Democracy, authored by Samuel Huntington et… Read More Nepal, France, America: democracy seems overtaken once more
Its impact on Pakistan’s citizens is an important issue, but not the only one. At stake are India’s water sharing agreements with Nepal and Bangladesh. Bharat Bhushan Despite public enthusiasm in India about the Indus Waters Treaty being held in abeyance, the move is strategically flawed, and will have adverse consequences for India in the region.… Read More Weaponising Indus Waters Treaty is a strategic mistake
The Minister’s Millions I Al Jazeera Investigations Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit goes on the trail of The Minister’s Millions to find out how he built a half-billion-dollar property empire – on a thirteen-thousand-dollar salary. Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, a close ally of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, bought hundreds of luxury properties in London, Dubai, and New… Read More The Minister’s Millions: Crime and politics in Bangladesh
Bharat Bhushan The political dynamics are moving into uncharted territory in Bangladesh as the agenda of the leaders of the student movement becomes clearer. It seems to be shifting towards an accommodation of Islamic ideology within the structure of the state. In a strategically significant move, the political guru of the students’ movement, Mahfuz Alam, a 26-year-old… Read More In Bangladesh, the Government Agenda is Taking an Alarming New Direction
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Sumanta Banerjee In a repeat of the same political script, the army has stepped in Bangladesh to replace an elected government. The million dollar query is whether the present army chief who has taken over command of the country , General Waker-uz-Zaman will follow in the iron-spiked boot steps of his predecessors Ziaur Rahman, Ershad… Read More Countdown to the next stage in Bangladesh
WITH THE Hindu minority in Bangladesh facing attacks in the last week, after Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled to India on August 5, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who is heading the interim government, reached out on Tuesday with a visit to the Dhakeshwari Temple where he met community leaders and assured “justice” and “equal rights” for… Read More Reaching out to Bangla Hindus, Muhammad Yunus visits temple, underlines equal rights
Any signal that undermines the political achievements of Bangladeshi youth brought about by sacrificing more than 300 lives, will make them feel let down by their biggest neighbour, once again Bharat Bhushan If India finds itself on the wrong side of history in Bangladesh it has only itself to blame. It has uncritically supported the… Read More India needs a fresh approach to new Bangladesh
Trusting in the students to lead us to a brighter tomorrow Tanvir Haider Chaudhury Let’s get one thing straight: The only north star here is the students. They fought, suffered incarceration and torture, bled, and died to see this revolution happen. The only people I trust in this whole mess we find ourselves in are… Read More Our north stars
It is necessary to exercise caution in arriving at Indo-centric conclusions without empirical evidence. We need to understand the true motivations so as to better be able to prepare for what may follow Deb Mukharji The precise sequence of events leading to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister of Bangladesh and departure for India on… Read More What explains the Bangladesh crisis?
After the truth-shower 