Politics
Politics
Fair Observer's analysis of political issues, events and trends and their national, regional and international consequences.
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Afghanistan / India / Islamabad / Manmohan Singh / Mumbai / New Delhi / Pakistan / Politics / Prakhar Shama / South Asia / The Economist / Focus Article / BRIC / AsiaIndia needs to make structural, ideological and strategic transformations to assume a greater role in the world. Any astute observer of India’s strategy in South Asia would infer that the country is not only passive in its approach, but it also continues to punch below its weight. The sight of a regional power resigning to the unfortunate turn of events rather than taking charge in its own backyard is somewhat baffling. This dichotomy – between increased economic profile and global stature, and a disconcerting reluctance to understand and exert its power – is apparent most notably in Afghanistan. Despite having invested 2 billion dollars and being the sixth largest...
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360° Analysis / China Press Freedom / Hu Jintao / Karl Marx / Politics / Professor Zhan Jiang / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaBy Zhan JiangChina’s idea of the free press differs from the Western idea of an independent fourth column. Professor Zhan Jiang looks at how a Marxist model of press freedom can be developed under the existing system. During and after the 18th Party Congress, party and state leaders restated that China should be ruled by law and governed according to the Constitution. They also said that the supervision of power should be tightened, including oversight through public opinion by news media. “Four Rights” The 17th Party Congress report of 2007, mentioned citizens’ “Four Rights” — the rights to stay informed about, participate in, express views on, and oversee...
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1950 / 360° Analysis / Atal Bihari Vajpayee / Chinese incursions / Chinese military / Chinese troop / Communist China / Indian Army / Indo-China / Ladakh / Manmohan Singh / Nehru / Northern India / People’s Liberation Army / Politics / Salman Khurshid’s / war in 1962 / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaBy Mayank SinghWith the recent incursion of PLA soldiers inside Indian territory, Mayank Singh argues that the bilateral trade agreement with China needs to be made an instrument to resist Chinese aggression. “Not a blade of grass grows there,” proclaimed Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, while referring to the Chinese incursion in Aksai Chin in the Ladakh region of Northern India. Nehru was then at the peak of his popularity. Therefore, the few dissenting voices who contested Nehru’s myopic view of Indo-China relations and sought to know the truth behind the Chinese incursions, received this self deceptive reply. Emboldened by the craven policies of a leader warped in the...
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1962 war / 360° Analysis / Beijing / Chinese military / economy / India-China War / Indian Army / Manmohan Singh Chinese troops / Mulayam Singh Yadav / Nisar Ahmed / Nitin A. Gokhale / Politics / Salman Khurshid / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaThe longer the India-China border face-off persists, the worse it will for the Indian government since the perception that New Delhi is unable to deal with Beijing’s bullying tactics will only get reinforced with time. For Nisar Ahmed, the sudden arrival of television crews into Leh, Ladakh’s capital, last week was disconcerting. As a top hotelier, he was sprucing up his two properties to get ready for domestic tourists who start flocking in droves to this high altitude desert. But last week he also had a small worry. A border incident in which Chinese troops had entered 19 km deep in the Indian Territory and stayed put, created quite an international stir. For Ahmed,...
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360° Analysis / Asian Football Development Project / Assad / IMF / Jordan / King Abdullah / Politics / Qatar / Refugees / Saudi Arabia / Soccer / Syria / UN / Water Crisis / Zatari Refugee Camp / Middle East / Global SecurityA groundswell of Syrian refugees pouring into Jordan threatens to increase social and political tension as a result of greater claims to limited resources and differing perceptions of refugees’ rights and obligations. The risk for Jordan is heightened by the fact that it could upset King Abdullah’s cautious reform policy aimed at preventing widespread discontent from morphing into a popular revolt. The unending flow of Syrian refugees into Jordan has placed acute pressure on the kingdom’s ability to cope with the crisis. It threatens to increase social and political tension as a result of increased claims to limited resources and differing perceptions of refugees’...
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360° Analysis / Barack Obama / Chuck Hagel / Congress / Holocaust / Israel / Israel Lobby / Jewish Vote / John Mearsheimer / Palestine / PLO / Politics / Ronald Reagan / Stephen Walt / United States / United States / Middle EastJerome Slater analyzes the power of the Israel lobby and argues that US support for Israel is the result of the convergence of a wide range of factors, not solely determined by the Israel lobby. In light of Israeli rigidity and continuing expansion into the Palestinian territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank, it is clear that there is no chance for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement in the absence of serious and sustained US pressures on Israel. Mere verbal admonitions and even diplomatic pressures would almost certainly be insufficient, for nothing would be likely to bring about a radical change in Israeli policies short of a simple and blunt message from the Obama...
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360° Analysis / cyber attacks / Lenta.ru / Politics / Russia Internet / Svetlana Bocharova / Europe / BRIC / Arts & CultureBy Lenta.ru -By Svetlana Bocharova As the Russian Internet is actively moving from the periphery to the avant-garde of socio-political life, the government brands it “the main threat to the wellbeing and stability” of Russia. Analysts from the human rights group Agora have released a new report about Internet freedom in Russia. The full text of the document can be found on the site eLiberator. According to the head of Agora, Pavel Chichikov (who also curates the topic of internet freedom in the Presidential Council on Human Rights), the project was designed to monitor violations by the government and consult Internet users and sources. The number of Internet freedom violations is growing...
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360° Analysis / immigration / Politics / President Obama / United States / US Congress / Washington DCThe US has been in dire need of a new immigration system for almost 30 years. With the immigration reform bill, millions of families across the country can genuinely hope for a brighter future for themselves. To approximately 11 million individuals, the last six years or so have been something of a political rollercoaster. In 2007, when George W. Bush promised new immigration reform legislation as his outgoing good deed, the nation’s largely working-class and undocumented migrants heeded with anticipation. The “mega-marches” of 2006 organized across the country were a clear indication that the United States' “silent minority” was ready to emerge from the...