FROM A BYSTANDER
Aung San Suu Kyi at ICJ / Nobel peace laureate will defend genocide
The Myanmar military and the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi are literally between a rock and a hard place. Two cases of violation of the Genocide Convention filed against Myanmar have shaken its leaders.
Hongkongers’ search for an identity
Protests and demonstrations are not new in Hong Kong. Even before returning to Chinese control in 1997, Hongkongers had demonstrated on different demands. When Chief Executive Carrie Lam wanted to push an extradition bill—that would allow both Hong Kong residents and visitors to be sent to China for trial—through the Legislative Council in March, it immediately triggered criticism and protests, particularly from the millennials of Hong Kong, demanding immediate withdrawal of the law. It is not surprising that the current protests that began in June continues with violent weekend street battles with the police.
Recounting the Brexit drama in five acts
It’s been more than three years that the Brexit drama is being enacted in Britain—dividing the country, its political parties and the parliament.
Will the US-Iran relations ever normalise?
It is amazing that the United States and Iran have maintained an extremely bellicose relation for the past four decades, much to the anxiety of nations of the Middle East. It all began when the Islamic Republic of Iran was proclaimed under Imam Ayatollah Ruhollah
G7 Summit: Semblance of unity
The two-day 45th G7 Summit concluded recently at the French resort in Biarritz. What was unusual this time was the fact that the summit ended without issuing a final communique, essentially because there was hardly any consensus on any of the major issues
Hong Kong Protest / Beijing’s Catch-22
It’s been just 22 years since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, after 156 years of British colonial rule. Recent events in Hong Kong suggest that the long British rule has left considerable English influence on the ethnic Chinese of the region. Though the older English-speaking generation is on the wane, the young English-speaking millennials seem to be spearheading a political movement for democracy and social justice.
Will the Rohingyas ever return to Myanmar?
Since the massive exodus of Rohingyas from Rakhine to Bangladesh in 2017, a lot has been written and said about the plight of these unfortunate people. After nearly two years, it appears that the outraged world community has forgotten about this persecuted ethnic minority.
Dawn of the second phase of Arab Spring
The second phase of Arab Spring has dawned on the Arab world. It is not a surprise that people in Algeria and Sudan have risen to demand changes in the leadership in their countries, while Libya is also locked in serious conflict over who should rule the country.
Of Triumphs and Losses
State Assembly Elections were recently held in five states of India – Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. Let us look at West Bengal and Assam – two bordering states of Bangladesh.
Political crisis in Brazil
Brazil's progressive centre-left government of Dilma Rousseff has come to an awful end. On May 12, 2016 Brazil's Senate
Turkey's democracy on trial
The recent political developments in Turkey has not come as a surprise. On May 5, 2016, the popular Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that he will resign following serious rifts with the president.
Shadow of Pathankot still hangs over Delhi and Islamabad
While the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan held talks in Delhi on April 26, 2016, the event went largely unnoticed, except for the media in India and Pakistan.
Obama's fence mending trip to Saudi Arabia
President Barack Obama has undertaken the Riyadh visit (April 20-21) at a time when US–Saudi relations are in the doldrums. Saudi
OIC Summit calls for unity
The Muslim world needs to develop a common denominator of issues over which no Muslim country will differ. Had the Muslim nations been united, the Palestinian issue would have been resolved long ago.
GOP desperate to derail Donald Trump
The campaign to win the nomination for the US presidential election has become nasty. It has degenerated into
The threat of a Brexit
What is amazing is that at a time when nation states are keen to form or join regional economic blocs, Britain wants to leave the largest powerful economic bloc in the world.
Myanmar gets ready for NLD government
Clearly there is lack of confidence in the armed forces. The military is suspicious that the new civilian government may resort to vengeance and throw some of the generals behind bars.
Iran's re-entrance in the global economy
One should not be surprised if Washington re-establishes diplomatic ties with Tehran before the end of President Barack Obama's term in November 2016. However, what will be the fate of the JCPOA after the November 2016 US presidential elections is anyone's guess, particularly if a Republican is elected to the White House.