Opinion News - Page 29

Wheat and woes: Pakistan’s food security crisis is brewing

Pakistan’s food security challenge is not just about wheat, it’s a test of governance, economic foresight, and political will

How India can navigate the new world order in Trump 2.0

While an actual military conflict may not result from the unilateral moves by Donald Trump on the trade front, the danger of his use of the tariff lever to browbeat his allies, partners and adversaries alike could trigger trade wars between the major centres of economic power

Trumponomics and the end of globalisation: A doomed future?

The Trumpian blitzkrieg has upset the economic order in the world, and so, every country will be inclined to be self-reliant in the future in as many spheres as possible

Head-on | Why Trump could face whitewash in next year’s midterm elections

The full economic consequences of Trump’s global tariff war will be felt during the 2026 midterm elections. If Trump loses control of the House of Representatives next November, his agenda will be crippled

Great Tariff Wall of US: How Trump has signed death warrant of globalisation

President Donald Trump is transactional, and his tariffs are what they are. Globalisation, as we knew it, is dead. It's time to learn how to navigate the new global order

How Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ over Iran can hurt his MAGA dream

The US must realise the focus on China could be diluted by its aggressive muscle-flexing focused on Iran and may de facto strengthen the Russia-Iran-China (North Korea?) axis

PM Modi’s Sri Lanka visit: How Colombo appears more receptive than ever

As President AKD gains political confidence, and as India's credibility continues to rise in Colombo, the strategic balance in the region is being recalibrated. India has shown it is ready to be a stable, long-term partner—and Sri Lanka appears more receptive than ever

US Sikh Coalition’s denial of terror betrays majority of Sikhs

The best way to ensure civil rights and communal safety is not to deny terror and silence valid discussion, but rather to stigmatise militancy and ostracise those who twist religion to justify terror

Why Nepal deserves democracy

Amid rising pro-monarchy protests and the failure of republicanism to ensure stability, Nepal deserves better. It deserves democracy – something far greater than simply holding elections and forming coalitions

Ukraine war: How Russia is using its strong position to dictate peace terms

President Putin now seems to be in a position where he sees the opportunity of imposing a Russian-designed peace plan as Trump’s administration has shown itself to be comfortable with a global order where great powers dictate terms

How Trump’s puzzling trade tariff policies will affect India and world

A more reasonable US policy option in response to unfair trade practices would have been to examine individual sectors that export subsidised and dumped goods and apply countervailing duties, which are permitted by existing trade rules

Canada is a textbook case of the rot corroding Western liberal democracies where civil liberties are under siege

Canada is an example of an affliction affecting Western liberal democracies where a violent minority has figured out a way to bend the state to its will, aided by weak, devious politicians who prioritise votebank politics over the rule of law, all in the name of ‘principles’ and ‘values’

Forgotten temples of Bengal: When venerable becomes vulnerable

While private ownership of heritage is not an unwelcome thing, such sites need to be monitored and any efforts to modify them needs to be done by trained hands. Else, in a state where several venerable shrines are already vulnerable, it is only a matter of time that they entirely vanish

Indophobia in the British South Asian dance education system

The oppressor/oppressed castes terminology, derived from critical race theory and contemporary US woke and DEI ideologies, is problematic because it creates false and harmful caste-based binaries in a small minority sector of British South Asian dance

Xi’s sacking of Chinese Generals continues: Is the PLA corrupt or is he insecure?

If Xi Jinping cannot trust the Chinese military leadership or capability, he is less likely to risk combat operations against Taiwan or India. The importance of success in such conflicts is too high for the Chinese president’s own legitimacy

How Trump’s disruptive tactics with Iran bring both hope and fear

Hopefully, the second visit of Israeli PM Netanyahu to the White House on Monday and President Trump’s upcoming visit to West Asia will create a regional modus vivendi and not deepen differences

Yunus’s China visit shows Bangladesh is toeing Pakistan’s path

Islamic fundamentalism at home and the invitation to the Chinese debt trap will make Bangladesh the Dragon’s vassal state

BIMSTEC Bangkok Summit: Regional cooperation amid global challenges, bilateral differences

The summit was held under the theme ‘BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open’, reflecting the shared aspirations of member nations and a collective vision for inclusive regional development amid global uncertainties

India should be cautious of its steps in Dragon-Elephant Tango

No tangible policy shift can be expected as China’s strategic calculus seeks a conducive periphery and a subdued neighbourhood; marginalised India well aligns with its grand design

Trump’s ‘tariff war’ shows he values business more than superpower ambitions

President Donald Trump too wants the US to remain on top of the world as the ‘sole superpower’, but as a businessman, he knows that the economy is in shambles, which everyone else has been covering up

Is US State Department sabotaging Marco Rubio and promoting Islamism in Bangladesh?

The State Department’s announcement that ‘Women Student Protest Leaders of Bangladesh’ would receive the Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award suggested a deliberate attempt to embarrass Rubio, undermine the Trump administration, and derail President Trump’s outreach to PM Modi

Amid Trump’s tariff war, BIMSTEC FTA can strengthen India’s access to markets abroad

Currently, India’s trade with BIMSTEC is a meagre $45 billion, which can easily grow manifold with an FTA

Bigger scandal in Signal leak: US war crimes in Yemen

More than 160,000 people have been killed in Yemen, according to an ACLED report, and 19,200 civilians, including more than 2,300 children, have been killed or maimed due to coalition airstrikes alone

Val Kilmer: The Hollywood leading man who never played it safe

Val Kilmer’s career was a testament to the kind of acting that transcends mere performance

Muhammad Yunus and Bangladesh’s dangerous pivot: A new geopolitical flashpoint for India?

India must remain steadfast, ensuring that its strategic interests in the region are not undermined by the ambitions of a transient yet dangerous leadership in Dhaka

Trump, tariff and America: The rise of a lonely superpower

The United States under the Trump Administration may end up being a lonely superpower without reliable friends, followers or admirers

Trump declares sweeping ‘reciprocal tariffs’, but his trade war may still allow India to hold some cards

Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which violate core WTO rules, could backfire, harming even American consumers

French democracy in question: Le Pen’s conviction shows judicial overreach, leftist bias

A Paris court has barred French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen from running in elections for five years over alleged embezzlement of funds, sparking concerns of overreach and leftist bias in the judiciary

Tinderbox of West Asia: India’s stake in Iran-US standoff

India is in a difficult situation where it has to balance its long ties with Iran against its growing ties with the US and Israel; any larger conflict would challenge New Delhi’s delicate balancing act

How Israel has origins in progressive ideas, and not encroachment

Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Technion at Haifa have completed a century of their service. These renowned institutions of higher learning, which antedate the foundation of Israel, prove that the Jewish republic was underpinned by a progressive idea