Opinion

Jan-Werner Mueller Around the world, right-wing populists are hollowing out democracy and the rule of law. But unlike many twentieth-century dictators, today’s aspiring authoritarians have tried to preserve the façade of the institutions they are destroying, which creates a dilemma for opposition parties. Should they...

Rup Narayan Das What happened at the Chamber of Rajya Sabha in the just-concluded session of Parliament, when Opposition members protested against the passage of the farm Bills, was most unfortunate and stands out in the recent history of Indian Parliament. The act can be...

Bharat Jhunjhunwala The government has provided that sale of agricultural produce through the mandis will no longer be compulsory. Large companies will be able to enter into direct contracts with farmers to buy their produce at predetermined prices. Certainly, this will hit at the interests...

Dr. D K Giri India has deep and historical relations with Afghanistan consisting of trade, culture, education and security. However, New Delhi has been on the periphery of diplomacy on restoring peace and security in Afghanistan.  In December 1979, Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The United...

Ban Ki-moon Covid-19 has shone a light on the acute vulnerabilities of a deeply interconnected world. No country, regardless of its size, wealth, or technological sophistication, can tackle this crisis alone. Owing to the pandemic, the United Nations General Assembly this month is being held...

Kamal Baruah Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for over 60 per cent of the population. Farmers here suffer more in marketing their produces than in raising their crops or harvesting them season after season. Markets are not farmer-friendly. Will the new farm legislation...

Brahma Chellaney China's foreign minister Wang Yi recently declared that aggression and expansionism have never been in the Chinese nation's "genes." It is almost astonishing that he managed to say it with a straight face. Aggression and expansionism obviously are not genetic traits, but they...

Melvin Durai If you happen to visit Khao Yai National Park in Thailand, please be careful not to litter. Littering in a national park could earn you a stiff punishment. The authorities may make you pay a fine as high as `12 lakh or sentence...

José Antonio Ocampo As the United Nations marks its 75th anniversary, the world is in turmoil. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in nearly one million deaths so far and is nowhere close to being contained. The world economy is experiencing its worst recession since the...

Prof SN Misra I have had the rare privilege of working with four defence ministers --beginning with Mulayam Singh Yadav during 1996-98, and later with George Fernandes for 1998-2004, Pranab Mukherjee during 2004-06 and AK Antony for 2006-2014. Each of these had their own unique...