BRIC
BRIC
Fair Observer provides analysis of important issues, events and trends in the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
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1947 / Book Excerpt / British / India / Pakistan / Politics / UK / Focus Article / BRIC / AsiaIshtiaq Ahmed, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the Stockholm University, presents an introduction to his book, The Punjab, Partitioned and Cleansed: Unravelling the 1947 Tragedy Through Secret British Reports and First Person Accounts. The partition of the Punjab in mid-August 1947 took place as part of a negotiated settlement brokered by the British between the Indian National Congress, the All-India Muslim League and the Sikhs of Punjab to partition India and transfer power to India and Pakistan. The total population of the undivided Punjab Province was 33 million. It included territories directly administered by the British (pop. 28 million) and several princely states. The...
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Best of the Month / Britain / Israel / Jordan / Mali / obama / Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / OceaniaFair Observer's five best articles for January. Apparently the world didn't come to an end. On the contrary, the new year is in full-swing. Barack Obama has been inaugurated for his second term in office, Israel and Jordan have held their parliamentary elections, David Cameron has spoken of a referendum over Britain's EU membership, and Mali has seen a French military intervention. As political unrest in the Arab world enters its third year, January has seen excerpts from our first book, The Arab Uprisings: An Introduction. To celebrate the end of the month, we share with you a selection of our best articles, and invite you to tell us what you think. From all of us at Fair...
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360° Analysis / ahimsa / assassination / Gandhi / India / Islam / Muslim / non-violence / rape incident / resistance / satyagraha / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaOn the occasion of Gandhi’s assassination anniversary, Dr. M. Krishnamurthi speaks about the real meaning of Gandhi’s fasts. There is a general impression doing the rounds and assiduously circulated by interested politicians and agitators, that Mahatma Gandhi undertook a number of fasts unto death to press his demand for the independence of India. There is nothing more distant from truth than this belief. Two things have to be made clear about Gandhiji’s fasts. Except for one fast in the early thirties before independence and another one undertaken at Calcutta immediately after independence, all his other fasts were for a limited period (mostly 21 days). They were more in...
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ahimsa / assassination / british empire / Gandhi / India / legitimacy / non-violent / resistance / satyagraha / 360° Context / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaBy Atul SinghOn the 30th January 1948, Gandhi was assassinated. 65 years later Gandhi is still a pertinent, iconic and inspiring figure to India and to the world. Background Nearly 65 years after his death, Gandhi remains a symbol of peace for the planet. His emphasis on “ahimsa” (non-violence) and “satyagraha” (insistence on truth) robbed the British Empire of its legitimacy and eventually led to its collapse. A British trained barrister, Gandhi was a canny political operator. He inspired Indians to refuse to cooperate with the British, stop paying taxes and boycott British made goods. He wore a loin cloth that he spun himself to get the country to consume goods made in India in...
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360° Analysis / ASEAN / China / Japan / North Korea / obama / Politics / United States / BRIC / AsiaIn his first term, Obama had indicated that Washington was serious about its pivot to Asia. However, much remains to be seen in order to prove that the US means business. The world has seen a shift in the international system over the last few decades. The world’s attention is focused on China, ASEAN states are becoming more assertive — encouraged by steady economic growth rates — whilst Japan’s influence in East and Southeast Asia is declining. Asia-Pacific has become the hub of the international economy. Being home to approximately four billion people and a number of the fastest-growing economies on earth, the region today attracts investors from all over the globe...
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360° Analysis / Change / China / Communist party / Leadership / Li Keqiang / Politics / Xi Jingping / BRIC / AsiaBy Kevin KwokWhat to expect from China's new leadership in 2013. It’s now been well over two months since the Communist Party in China handed power to a new generation of leaders led by Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang. Since then we’ve had copious analysis on what can be expected from a Xi-Li administration, and while nobody really knows for sure, Xi most definitely offers a livelier public presence than his wooden predecessor, Hu Jintao. This was demonstrated once again last month, when Xi embarked upon his first domestic inspection trip, a five-day tour of Guangdong province. As Xi visited the cities Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Guangzhou, observers noted a new, casual style emanating from...
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United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Oceania / Environment & SustainabilityIn the past few years, the political map of Antarctica, a region rich in mineral-fuel resources, has changed immensely. How can the ongoing geopolitical polarization in this region have unfavourable global effects in the long run? Even after 50 years of peaceful multilateral research initiatives, various nations would still like to seize Antarctica. Although annexation of the continent is now difficult, ongoing geopolitics might disable the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) after it expires in 2048, or even before that date. If Antarctica is seized, either by force or deception, this can lead to a global conflict. The ATS refers to extensive multilateral accords which came into force in 1961....
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360° Analysis / Politics / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaBy Karan KharbIndia's public cries for harsher punishment for rapists, but the judiciary is blinded by corruption. India is not the largest democracy just for its size; it also has world’s most voluminous constitution – 448 articles. And the most amended too; over 100 amendments in 62 years. As against this, the US constitution is the world’s shortest with seven articles. The effectiveness of this constitution may be judged from the fact that ever since its adoption in 1787, the US constitution has only 27 amendments inserted in a span of 225 years. Constitution in a democracy is its supreme law from which flow all other laws and systems. Questions, however, arise as to why are...
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360° Analysis / Politics / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaDecline in moral values is as much to blame as abdication of governance for the crime against women in India. When Damini, a human being and a woman first — medical student, daughter, sister, friend, someone’s sweetheart, law abiding citizen — not just a Delhi gang- rape victim died on Dec. 29 in Singapore, India’s soul splintered into a billion bits and disappeared to a land beyond shame. At times like this, it is natural to point fingers and lay blame for the crime to a breakdown of governance. While, I agree that the declining (or would non- existing be more pertinent) standards of political stewardship have significantly contributed to dumping India into an...