Why is there still no Gaza ceasefire? Because self-interested world leaders are obstructing it

NB: The world order is grounded on the most evil, ignoble and murderous features of human nature. All political conversation has been reduced to sneering and abuse (and post-modern, ‘post-truth’ academicians aren’t helping); all compassion and human concerns have been sub-divided by racism, identity politics and communalism; all moral philosophy to sophistry and ideological bullshitting.… Read More Why is there still no Gaza ceasefire? Because self-interested world leaders are obstructing it

8th February 2024 Dilip

God Forbid Israelis Show Any Humanity to Innocent Palestinians in Gaza

GAZA casualties live statistics B. Michael One of the most puzzling and saddening spectacles of the past few days is the sight of Jewish protesters at the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Ashdod Port, fighting like lions to ensure we do not fail in our inhumanity. They have joined the experts on evil on the… Read More God Forbid Israelis Show Any Humanity to Innocent Palestinians in Gaza

7th February 20247th February 2024 Dilip

Black thread in the brightness: the second death of Pablo Neruda

By Graciela Mochkofsky It may come as no surprise that a country as deeply polarized by its recent history as Chile is also at war over the relevance of its preëminent poet, Pablo Neruda. In December, fifty years after the coup d’état that brought General Augusto Pinochet to power, Chileans rejected an attempt to write a new constitution… Read More Black thread in the brightness: the second death of Pablo Neruda

7th February 20247th February 2024 Dilip

‘Treated us like criminals’: Masjid committee after Delhi authority razes mosque

A centuries-old mosque was razed in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area during an encroachment drive, with the Delhi High Court ordering a status-quo on the land. The Masjid Committee said they were not given prior notice and “treated like criminals” by the authorities. The Delhi High Court directed the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to maintain the… Read More ‘Treated us like criminals’: Masjid committee after Delhi authority razes mosque

7th February 2024 Dilip

Tractor chaos, neo-Nazis and a flatlining economy: why has Germany lost the plot?

A few years ago, Germany seemed like it had all the answers. But in 2024, we find ourselves in a land of bleak absurdity Peter Kuras Germany doesn’t have a reputation as a funny country, but its dark humour is currently shaming the best recent efforts of both Britain and the US. Not that there… Read More Tractor chaos, neo-Nazis and a flatlining economy: why has Germany lost the plot?

6th February 2024 Dilip

Svetlana Alexievich’s Nobel Lecture (2015)

‘I have written five books, but I feel that they are all one book. A book about the history of a utopia …’ Svetlana Alexievich held her Nobel Lecture on 7 December 2015, at the Swedish Academy, Stockholm. She was introduced by Sara Danius, Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy. The lecture was in Russian.… Read More Svetlana Alexievich’s Nobel Lecture (2015)

5th February 20244th February 2024 Dilip

Looking for Indraprastha

Raghu Karnad According to the Mahabharata, the legendary city of Indraprastha was founded by the five Pandava brothers for their queen, Draupadi. Its wide streets and orchards surrounded a palatial hall, built by the demon-architect Maya, which appeared ‘like a mass of new clouds conspicuous in the sky’. The hall was ‘so rich and well built’… Read More Looking for Indraprastha

4th February 20244th February 2024 Dilip

Madhavan Palat: Forms of Union – Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (1991)

NB: This most perceptive essay on concepts of imperium was delivered at the Indian History Congress in 1991, and published by the Indian History Congress proceedings Vol. 52 (1991), pp. 831-887) The Soviet Union has just expired, and it seems only natural to know why. It appears as a failure; and to most it illustrates… Read More Madhavan Palat: Forms of Union – Russian Empire and the Soviet Union (1991)