NB: This essay was written nearly 40 years ago, in the aftermath of the 1984 carnage of Sikhs in New Delhi. It was my first attempt at arguing that communalism was India’s version of Nazism, and that it was a singular phenomenon with different religious (and mutually influential) expressions, rather than an arithmetical total of… Read More Communalism in Modern India: A Theoretical Examination (1986)
Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Delhi The sun was setting on a June evening as Hardeep Singh Nijjar walked across the car park of the gurdwara. Nijjar’s day job was as a plumber but this gurdwara, located in the city of Surrey, in Canada’s British Columbia province, was where he dedicated most of his energy. That day he… Read More ‘Very messy’: India-Canada row over Sikh killing causes diplomatic shock waves
You might think that — after killing such a vast number of people in a war of aggression based on continuous deceptions — some humility and even penance would be in order… but no.. being the United States government means never having to say you’re sorry Norman Solomon hen Joe Biden flew out of Hanoi last week,… Read More Biden Is the Latest President To Tout the Vietnam War as Proud History
NB: The USA and UK are stuck in a hypocritical marsh when speaking of violent interventions in foreign countries. Iran and Chile come to mind, not to mention Vietnam, Argentina and Bangladesh. The brutal murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the behest of Western ally Mohammad bin Salman, did not not prevent their arms… Read More If India ordered a murder in Canada, there must be consequences: The Economist
France has been accused of an unacceptable attack on press freedom after the arrest of an investigative journalist who reported on leaked documents that alleged French intelligence was used to target civilians in Egypt. Police arrived at the home of Ariane Lavrilleux at dawn on Tuesday and took her into custody after searching her property.… Read More France accused of attack on press freedom after journalist arrest
If the Canadian allegations are true, Indian diplomacy may have to pay a price for the provocative policy of ‘Ghar mein ghus ke maarenge’ publicly enunciated by Narendra Modi in 2019 Bharat Bhushan Only a week ago, India’s pro-government media outlets were running news videos with headlines like ‘Why did Indian PM Modi scold Canadian… Read More Desist from recklessness, muscular display
It may well be that the future of the world, and thus the sense of the present and the significance of the past, will depend in the last analysis on contemporary interpretations of Hegel’s work – from Introduction to the Reading of Hegel (1947) by Alexandre Kojève Alexandre Kojève was an immense influence on many… Read More The scar of identity
US oil and gas multinationals are facing fresh questions over their trade with Russia after customs records revealed that more than $7.1m (£5.7m) worth of equipment manufactured by Halliburton has been imported into the country since it announced the end of its Russian operations. Last September Halliburton, one of the world’s largest providers of products and services… Read More Halliburton equipment worth $7.1m imported into Russia in past year
Letter from church source in anti-Hitler resistance reporting 6,000 daily killings undercuts Vatican’s claims of lack of knowledge Newly discovered correspondence suggests that the second world war-era Pope Pius XII had detailed information from a trusted German Jesuit that up to 6,000 Jews and Poles were being gassed each day in German-occupied Poland. The documentation… Read More Letter suggests Pope Pius XII knew of mass gassings of Jews and Poles in 1942
Dalya Alberge A young Australian who joined the French Resistance, worked undercover for British intelligence, and helped to save thousands of lives in war-torn France was guillotined by the Gestapo in 1943 after he was betrayed by a British double agent. Yet Corporal Bruce Dowding’s bravery and ultimate sacrifice have been largely forgotten because France’s attempt to… Read More The forgotten Australian hero who saved thousands from the Nazis crimes
After the truth-shower 