Tag: History

The New Icon? Savarkar and the Facts. Purushottam Agrawal & Arun Shourie

In this podcast, Purushottam Agrawal interviews Arun Shourie on his latest book “The New Icon: Savarkar and the Facts?“. Along with the book, they also discuss Savarkar – his ideas, his hatred for Gandhi and what he thought of himself. Prof. Purushottam Agrawal is a writer, historian, political commentator, public intellectual, former member at UPSC… Read More The New Icon? Savarkar and the Facts. Purushottam Agrawal & Arun Shourie

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Noises off

As drones and missiles shoot across borders, it’s worth thinking of Pahalgam as a cautionary tale. The final destination of majoritarianism is the complete dehumanisation of the Other Mukul Kesavan The residents’ association’s WhatsApp group was alive with information about mock drills and blackouts. This was gleaned from notices sent to condominiums in distant Gurgaon… Read More Noises off

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Fist fights, ghostly pranks and schism: a brief history of conclaves past

Selecting a new pope has always been an arduous process, but some conclaves seemed to suffer more than others… 1268-71 – The longest papal election in history lasted two years and nine months – mainly due to factional infighting between cardinals. Three of the 20 cardinal electors died before a decision was made. Harriet Sherwood… Read More Fist fights, ghostly pranks and schism: a brief history of conclaves past

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On VE Day, remember the war – but can we resolve to honour all who fought in it?

The heroism of soldiers from India, Africa and the Caribbean is too often airbrushed, as is the struggle of those who resisted colonial powers… About 2.5 million personnel from the Indian subcontinent, more than 1 million African-Americans, 1 million people from Africa and tens of thousands of people from the Caribbean fought for the allies during the… Read More On VE Day, remember the war – but can we resolve to honour all who fought in it?

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General Munir is losing a far more fateful war within Pakistan / Arif Jamal on the Pakistan military and it’s misuse of Islam (2022)

Praveen Swami The new political movements do not seek secession. They demand a nation ruled not by generals, but by its constitution. Their grievances have not made them enemies of Pakistan. Nationalism continues to be a powerful force… A genuinely democratic Pakistan, however, would be one where the generals’ jihadist proxies no longer enjoy state… Read More General Munir is losing a far more fateful war within Pakistan / Arif Jamal on the Pakistan military and it’s misuse of Islam (2022)

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Vietnam celebrates 50th anniversary of victory against US imperialism

Thousands of Vietnamese have waved red flags and sang patriotic songs as a grand military parade held in Ho Chi Minh City concluded Vietnam’s 50th anniversary celebrations of the end of war with the United States. Wednesday’s event commemorated the first act of the country’s reunification on April 30, 1975, when communist-run North Vietnam seized… Read More Vietnam celebrates 50th anniversary of victory against US imperialism

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How the Vietnam and Gaza Wars Shattered Young Illusions About US Leaders

For vast numbers of Americans, disproportionately young, the monstrous warfare overseen by Presidents Johnson and Nixon caused the scales to fall from their eyes about the character of U.S. leadership. And like President Donald Trump now, President Joe Biden showed that nice-sounding rhetoric could serve as a tidy cover story for choosing to enable nonstop horrors without… Read More How the Vietnam and Gaza Wars Shattered Young Illusions About US Leaders

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