leftlatam Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
8 April 2014

The Left surge in Latin America

Latin America continues to turn to the Left. Michelle Bachelet became president of Chile in March and has promised fiscal reform; Salvador Sanchez Ceren took over as president of El Salvador in June and will tackle inequality; and in Costa Rica too, the centre-left Luis Guillermo Solis assumed power

SansadBhavan_tv Courtesy: Indianhillybilly and Ambuj.Saxena/Wikimedia Commons
7 April 2014

Election 2014: A view from the U.S.

As India goes to the polls, many in the U.S. and at home will hope that a new government will usher in a new era in the India-U.S. bilateral. Yet, past condemnations of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and the Obama administration’s liberal leaning bureaucrats might prove to be stumbling blocks

VenProtests 2014 Courtesy: durdaneta/Wikimedia Commons
13 March 2014

Tough times for Venezuela

On the political as well as economic fronts, Venezuela is facing multiple problems – from protests against shortages and crime, to high inflation and low foreign exchange reserves. The government itself is responsible for creating this situation over the years and a change in leadership may now be the solution

damascus Courtesy: Arian Zwegers/Flickr
5 March 2014

Save Damascus, now

If the violence in Syria shifts focus to Damascus, the destruction will be incalculable. Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world, a cultural and religious centre. It is a collective heritage. Forces on both sides, led by the U.S. and Russia, must get all parties to declare Damascus a weapons-free zone

Reasserting the Ramayana
20 February 2014

Reasserting the Ramayana

The Ramayana is multiple narratives, recreated over time, as the story has passed from teller to listener and from place to place. There is no singular text. With the recent decision to withdraw Wendy Doniger’s book, it is time to once again ask: what is the Ramayana? How can it inspire us to counter intolerance?

Dialogue on Trusteeship: futuristic ideal
6 February 2014

Dialogue on Trusteeship: futuristic ideal

Gateway House and Sabarmati Ashram hosted a dialogue on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's death anniversary. The topic of the dialogue was Trusteeship, a Gandhian ideal and how it needs to be looked at as a basis for addressing problems related to environmental distress and income disparities