How Can We Matter

A sense of impatience is building among many Indians, who are eagerly expecting a decisive move by the Modi Government against Pakistan after the Islamic terror attacks in the Pahalgam valley of Kashmir resulted in the deaths of 26 innocent tourists from various parts of India. Copyright: Internet Given India's current position as a politically vibrant nation with a coalition government, a rapidly growing economy, and an expanding global influence across multiple sectors, it has naturally attracted the envy of various nations who would prefer to see its progress stall or reverse.  The India-Pakistan Situation In this context, engaging in warfare with a poor and struggling neighboring country would be a self-destructive act, squandering the significant advantages the present BJP led Indian government has painstakingly built over the last decade. Pushing Pakistan deeper into poverty through a war could inadvertently lead to global sympathy for them. Other countries and international ...

I am a great fan of US President Donald Trump , who entered politics just ten years back and announced his candidature for the 2016 presidential race. On the eve of his swearing in as the 47th president of the United States , I shared my excitement with this Facebook post on January 20, 2025: Image Credit: The Web   "The world is about to experience a series of tectonic shifts that will reshape the global landscape starting tonight. The policy changes at the White House will affect every country in the world , including the US itself, impacting their governments, economies, migrant populations, and national security . Starting tomorrow, the world will enter a new era , fundamentally different from what we know today ." And this is exactly what we are witnessing today! Reshaping the Global Landscape It is undeniable that Trump is significantly transforming America and reshaping the global landscape at the speed of light. He has halted substantial USAID donations that were of...

Presently, Trump administration has announced sweeping changes to USAID, by ordering a near-total freeze on all foreign aid. Elon Musk, head of DOGE, announced the intention of shutting down USAID.  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is the acting head of USAID under  Trump 2.0. Rubio has authorized Peter Marocco, the director of foreign assistance at the State Department, to also serve as Deputy Administrator at USAID — giving him the authority to “begin the process of engaging in a review and potential reorganization of USAID’s activities.”   What is USAID? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the US government that is responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance in over 100 countries. With an annual budget of over $50 billion, USAID is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world and accounts for more than half of all US foreign assistance – the highest in the world in a...

The world is stepping into a new era, one that will be fundamentally different from what we know today. The American people elected President Trump with a decisive victory and a mandate for change. Trump's "America First" doctrine signals a departure from traditional US diplomatic practices. Historically, the US has maintained a dominant position in global politics, economics, and military affairs. Trump's new policies suggest a potential decline in US dominance, which will reshape the global political landscape. The Intelligence And Security Team The  Office of the Director of National Intelligence  (ODNI) is an independent agency that integrates intelligence to protect the United States. The ODNI's goal is to defend the country's interests abroad and homeland. The ODNI role is more supervisory, overseeing all 18 of the nation's intelligence services. Unlike the CIA, it does not deal in direct intelligence collection. ODNI assembles the intel from the var...

Given the historical context of civil code implementations in the region, why has India still not adopted a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) ? Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru passed a Hindu Civil Code in 1950s, Pakistan Military Chief Ayub Khan passed a Muslim Civil Code in 1961, and Justice Muhammad Carim Chagla proposed a Muslim Civil Code in 1964:  Hindu Civil Code of 1950s:  Traditional Hindu laws that prevailed in India prior to the Independence movement often discriminated against women in matters of property, marriage, and inheritance.  The diversity of Hindu customs across different regions of the country created a need for a unified legal framework. Realizing the demand for uniformity, B.R. Ambedkar , architect of the Indian Constitution, drafted the Hindu Code Bills championing women's rights.  Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru supported the reforms and played a crucial role in their passage during the 1950s, immediately after Independence.  Muslim Civil Code o...

In what follows, I am making an attempt to analyze the political landscapes of two large democracies, situated on diametrically opposite sides of the globe, to understand how polarization of the government manifests in different contexts and disadvantageously affects their respective populace.  Polarized World I'll analyze the two large democracies without naming either of them or their leaders. Yet, the readers can easily understand which countries and which leaders I am referring to.  The Rhetoric "He is a Hitler, he is a Fascist, he is a threat to Democracy". These epithets are employed to deride two world leaders by their political opponents. "One country, one constitution, one destiny". What is ironical is that these rhetorics are used by the opposition parties against leaders who are democratically elected by the majority populace of the respective countries - one already ruling his country for a third time, and one about to rule his country for a second t...

Donald Trump's instantaneous duck to the floor for cover behind the podium saved him from certain death.  Image Credit: The Web It was Trump's solitary and instinctive act that saved him and not any assistance from the US Security Service staff. The SS team, which uses long-range binoculars and sniper rifles, could not spot the shooter standing with a rifle astonishingly close (120 meters) to the stage where the former president was speaking. Sad Day for America Saturday, 13 July 2024 is a sad day for America and the whole world. The shooter came within millimeters of assassinating a presidential candidate. It is a despicable assassination attempt on the former President Donald Trump.   There is a news video clipping that indicated eyewitnesses had raised the alarm about a ‘suspicious’ man with a rifle on a roof. Witnesses have seen the gunman with a rifle, 20 minutes before the shooting, moving from roof to roof during the rally for a perfect place to shoot. A witness wa...

Never in the history have the American citizens and the world shown such distress in watching the Presidential election proceedings and anxiety in the eventual outcome. Imagine, once elected, the individual is expected to address a range of formidable issues affecting both his country and the world such as healthcare, the economy, immigration, abortion policy, climate change, foreign policy, and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Image credit NPR The world is closely observing another major democratic election following the turbulent exercises in half of the global population - India, Iran, Mexico, the UK, and France. In the USA, American citizens face a Hobson's choice in electing a President between two men who are well past the standard retirement age. (A Hobson's choice is a term often used to describe an illusion that multiple choices are available!). I wouldn't envy my American friends who have landed up in a situation essentially having to choose between two unappealing al...

Image Courtesy: Web A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, India said that it took special note of the New York judge's decision on Monday to set an April 15 trial date for Donald Trump's criminal hush-money case . It observed with concern that the judge's decision will up the odds the former president will face at least one verdict that could complicate his bid to retake the White House on November 5.   The MEA spokesman emphasized: "In the case of Donald Trump, India wants to encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes which should not be objected by anyone." -------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what I wish is the Latest News, Breaking News, Top News Headlines ... today from India and around the world.  This is the pleasant dream I woke up from this morning!  Our dreams are about the yearnings that are held deep inside us. Blatant Interference During the last fortnight or so  I was reading about ...

In a landmark unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court on 15 Feb 2024 struck down as “ unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary ” the electoral bonds scheme, which provides blanket anonymity to political donors. The top court said the scheme violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information . This judgment was delivered just ahead of the April-May 2024 Lok Sabha polls.  Electoral Bonds Scheme The election funding system called the Electoral Bonds Scheme , was introduced by the Government in 2017 to finance political parties. It allowed individuals and companies to make unlimited and anonymous donations to political parties through certificates bought from the State Bank of India (SBI). Any Indian citizen or organization registered in India can buy these bonds after meeting the KYC norms laid down by the Reserve Bank of India.  Each provision in the 2018 Electoral Bonds Scheme is designed: to ensure legitimacy in political f...