The right of “self-determination of the people” is a double-edged sword. It has been used by postcolonial nations to reclaim their territories and economy. The idea has also been exploited by the powerful countries to divide the world on ethnic and religious lines to advance their hegemony through humanitarian interventions.
Erasing the Binary Distinction of Developed and Underdeveloped: A Comparative Study of the Emergence of the Large-scale Steel Industry in Imperial Russia, Imperial Britain, Imperial America, and Colonial India, 1880–1914 by Vinay Bahl, US: Shunya, 2019; pp 417, price not indicated.
A Theory of Imperialism by Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik, New Delhi: Tulika Books, 2016; pp xxviii + 206, ₹695.
Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: The Globalization of Production, Super-Exploitation, and the Crisis of Capitalism by John Smith, New York: Monthly Review Press, 2016; pp 382, $28.
As the neo-liberal world order declines, non-Western powers are uniquely equipped to manage the power transition and contestations over the basic tenets of the emerging system. India’s civilisational ethos of reconciling different ideas will be of immense value in navigating the uncertainty and turmoil at a critical juncture of world history.
The declining fortunes of Urdu newspapers seem to be reversing as major media houses are beginning to invest in Urdu media. Largely catering to the Muslim population in the country, its impact in terms of representing Muslim interests and shaping Muslim opinion is enormous. Domestically, almost all Urdu media outlets regularly highlight the theme of Muslim victimhood at the hands of the Indian state. Internationally, these outlets are consistently critical of Israel, the United States and the West for their propaganda vis-à-vis international Islamic terrorism and adverse foreign policy towards Muslim nations.
Economic Challenges for the Contemporary World: Essays in Honour of Prabhat Patnaik edited by Mausumi Das, Sabyasachi Kar and Nandan Nawn, New Delhi: Sage, 2016; pp 324+xvii,₹1,195.
While we should praise famous men, how does one know that today's notorious terrorists could not emerge as tomorrow's famous men? What is much more ominous, are we heading towards a situation where the world witnesses a mechanistic fissure along ethnic lines?
The only way to put a definitive end to the war is to force a withdrawal of the coalition forces. The UN now has a chance to redeem itself as an institution standing for a just and democratic global order. A new super power has emerged - world public opinion - and for the first time has challenged US domination over the UN. The anti-war movement needs a two-pronged campaign: to call for a UN General Assembly session to order a withdrawal of US-UK troops from Iraq, and to put an end to US dollar hegemony.
The vocal sections of Indians have their priorities sorted out in excellent detail. The nation, the part of it that matters, lives for cricket and is prepared to die for it. Entertain no illusion, these sections do not have the slightest inclination to pledge themselves either for Iraq or for global peace.
