No evidence pandemic is boosting xenophobia in Europe
by Rashmee
Posted on March 29, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
Post-coronavirus, both the left and the right may be increasingly in sync, albeit for different reasons. One might have thought the coronavirus pandemic would have been an instant and massive boost to xenophobia in Europe and this would be particularly true of Italy. For it is in Italy that the pandemic has taken its greatest … Continue reading “No evidence pandemic is boosting xenophobia in Europe”
Read MoreHow the pandemic is testing the solidarity of the European Union
by Rashmee
Posted on March 24, 2020 / The National
In Albert Camus’ novel The Plague, the narrator, a doctor, describes the determined, almost surreal air of normality that prevails even as the full force of an epidemic is about to hit the Algerian town of Oran. “Our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves,” he says. “How should they have given a … Continue reading “How the pandemic is testing the solidarity of the European Union”
Read MoreIn time of coronavirus, ISIS shows method in its murderous madness
by Rashmee
Posted on March 22, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
ISIS urged its followers to avoid Europe like the plague. The unfolding coronavirus crisis has elements of the surreal, one of which is the extremist group Islamic State’s “travel advice” to its members. In its al-Naba newsletter, the Islamic State (ISIS) urged its followers to avoid Europe like the plague. Literally. The “healthy should not … Continue reading “In time of coronavirus, ISIS shows method in its murderous madness”
Read MoreBlack swans, grey rhinos and the global oil market
by Rashmee
Posted on March 15, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
Until Russia’s refusal to accede to production cuts, the global oil market was suffering the effects of falling demand on account of the coronavirus outbreak. Once upon a time there were “black swans,” a term used by Lebanese-American scholar, statistician and risk analyst Nassim Nicholas Taleb to describe unknown unknowns — unforeseeable, or highly improbable, … Continue reading “Black swans, grey rhinos and the global oil market”
Read MoreCoronavirus is teaching us all how to be vulnerable together
by Rashmee
Posted on March 10, 2020 / The National
On Sunday, Italy, the eurozone’s third largest economy, locked down Milan and the industrial regions that serve as the country’s economic engine for a whole month. The day before, South by Southwest, the influential tech, film and music conference held every year in Austin, Texas, was cancelled. So was the London Book Fair, one of … Continue reading “Coronavirus is teaching us all how to be vulnerable together”
Read MoreSix decades after independence, Middle East still looking for growth model
by Rashmee
Posted on March 8, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
Though a large youthful population would normally be regarded an economic blessing, it’s become the bane of the MENA region. It’s been 75 years since World War II ended and the idea of decolonising the Middle East and North Africa began to gain ground but, while formal colonisation ended about six decades ago, the region … Continue reading “Six decades after independence, Middle East still looking for growth model”
Read MoreXenophobia is stock-in-trade of Europe’s far right
by Rashmee
Posted on March 1, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
Until very recently, the threat posed by white supremacists was underestimated in Germany and across much of the Western world. It speaks to the tension of the moment that, when a car was driven into a crowd of people at a carnival parade in the small German town of Volkmarsen, the first thought was of … Continue reading “Xenophobia is stock-in-trade of Europe’s far right”
Read MoreWith Donald Trump’s visit, US-India chemistry can no longer be dismissed as fiction
by Rashmee
Posted on February 25, 2020 / The National
There were bespoke broccoli samosas in Ahmedabad in western India; a watermelon carved with the faces of Donald Trump and Narendra Modi in Theni in southern India; sand art featuring Mr Trump and his wife Melania on Puri beach in eastern India and the “Trump collection” of specially designed gold and silver-plated tableware in Delhi … Continue reading “With Donald Trump’s visit, US-India chemistry can no longer be dismissed as fiction”
Read MoreWhen China sneezes, the world takes to its sick bed
by Rashmee
Posted on February 23, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
Regional tourism may suffer the debilitating effects of Covid-19, which can be passed through the air. The MENA region’s first confirmed coronavirus deaths — two Iranians in the holy city of Qom — are reminders of a two-pronged reality: the world is increasingly linked and it has a growing reliance on China. In the 19th … Continue reading “When China sneezes, the world takes to its sick bed”
Read MoreTrump’s invisible wall is not just for Muslims
by Rashmee
Posted on February 15, 2020 / The Arab Weekly
The virtual wall takes the United States back to a century ago, when being white was key to acquiring US citizenship. The battle to replace Donald Trump in the White House got properly under way with the Democratic Party primary election in New Hampshire, so it’s worth examining the state of Trump’s signature campaign promise … Continue reading “Trump’s invisible wall is not just for Muslims”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK