BLACK, WHITE & GREY
Lessons from four elections: More challenges to democracy ahead
Do these elections indicate a strategy to beat populist politics?
India’s election opens the door to the past
India witnessed a tumultuous time between May 1996 and October 1999 when coalition governments came and left in quick succession.
Bertelsmann Transformation Index 2024: Another indictment of Bangladesh’s state of governance
Bangladesh, since 2018, has been classified as a 'moderate autocracy.'
What democracy indices say about Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s declining score in the EIU Democracy Index should provide an opportunity to discuss not only how EIU has rated Bangladesh, but also how others have characterised the country’s state of democracy—or lack thereof.
The Great Game will continue
The absence of democratic behaviour is no longer hidden under the carpet.
Opinion / What comes after January 7?
If AL’s victory in the 2014 election was a hollow one, the 2024 victory in the making is nothing short of a Pyrrhic one—a victory which inflicts so much damage that it cannot be considered worthwhile.
Elections without choice: A leaf out of autocrats’ playbook
As the country is heading towards an exercise that the incumbent is calling an election, it is imperative that we understand what is in the making.
EC’s act is ‘an improbable fiction’
The EC’s action has already contributed to the deterioration of the political situation, and it will continue to reverberate in the coming days.
Five questions about the president’s dialogues
It seems like deja vu in Bangladeshi politics. As President Abdul Hamid is holding dialogues with various political parties to seek suggestions for members to form the search committee for the next Election Commission, it has brought back the memories of 2012 and 2017.
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks: A day of remembrance, a day of reckoning
This is not how the day marking the 20th anniversary of the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States was expected to be commemorated, but unfortunately, the day has turned out to be not only a day of remembrance, but also of reckoning.
A cancelled 1971 conference in Pakistan sends a message
An institution of higher learning in Pakistan had to cancel an academic conference about 1971.
An assault on democracy: What’s next in the US?
Since the atrocious attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters on Wednesday, the Congress has formally certified the victory of Joe Biden, some Cabinet members of the Trump administration have resigned, and some are considering invoking the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution and removing Donald Trump from office.
Three challenges to the 2020 US election
Although the US presidential election is less than 90 days away, it is—unlike any other election year before—not at the centre of public discourse or media coverage.
A Tale of Misplaced Priorities
It’s mind-boggling to think of a situation where there is an urgency, poor people are in dire need, and money is in the hands of the government allocated to help those in need, but the money is not being distributed properly.
Covid-19: The era of perpetual emergency and the emerging new normal?
Little did we know on the night of December 31, 2019 that we were about to begin not only a new year but a new epoch which can only be compared to a century-old calamity.
Is banning student politics the solution?
“Ban student politics” has become the rallying cry for the past few days, in both the social and mass media.
Politics Gone Missing
Politics have gone missing from Bangladesh. This may sound naïve, considering that the country had a national election less than two months ago and several elections are upcoming.
What kind of an election will it be?
In the next 24 hours Bangladesh will have a national election. The question is what kind of an election will it be? It has already become unprecedented on many counts: the incumbent is seeking a third term, an election is being held under an incumbent government which is being participated in