Courtesy: RajniBakshi
Rajni Bakshi, Senior Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House, was recently invited to Brazil and Colombia to speak about Gandhi, her book ‘Bazaars, Conversations and Freedom’ and her forthcoming paper on Trusteeship. She reports on the longing for non-violence in these societies and the groups working to make it real
Courtesy: Springtimeofnations.blogspot
The protests in Hong Kong portray a grim future for Beijing's 'one country, two systems' policy. But do the constructively-inclined, young campaigners need a new set of symbols, signs and ideologies to differentiate themselves from the feeble-minded followers of the merely hostile?
Courtesy: cdfwatson
The stage has been set for protests by pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong’s financial district following Beijing’s rejection of open civil nominations. This decision has angered pro-democracy groups, but the debate represents a continued effort to define the scope and limits of Hong Kong’s autonomy under China
Courtesy: paula bronstein/getty images/file
An alarming pattern of complicity of the government officials in the anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar are emerging. This trend is detrimental for emerging democracy and gives rise to the question that these cases are a diversionary tactic to draw the attention away from the real issue of stalling democratic reforms
Courtesy: wikimedia\commons
British actor and film maker Richard Attenborough, director of the film 'Gandhi’, passed away on August 24th. A tribute by Rajni Bakshi, Senior Gandhi Peace Fellow at Gateway House
Courtesy: arabia.msn.com
The right to be heard and to dissent is crucial in a democracy but they come with responsibilities. The current anti-government protests are being mobilised by partisan-players with a political stake and could jeopardise Pakistan’s hard-won democracy
Courtesy: Rajya Sabha TV
Historically, India has supported the Palestinian cause but today, shares strong diplomatic relations with both West Bank and Tel Aviv. India's vote at the UNHRC has provoked much debate within the country as it marks a distinct shift in the government's stand from a few weeks ago when it was reluctant to even discuss the Gaza crisis in Parliament
Courtesy: Wikimedia\Commons
The allegations that certain foreign-funded NGOs are hurting national economic security are not new. However, the Intelligence Bureau’s claim that they have held back India’s GNP growth has been challenged. There is now a need for economic security to be defined holistically through open and democratic discourse
Courtesy: Google Maps
In 'Latin America Update' Gateway House lists some of the important events in Latin America over the past month
Courtesy: durdaneta/Wikimedia Commons
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