Democracy doesn’t have to be Western-style, nor the development template
by Rashmee
Posted on September 19, 2020
Veteran foreign policywallah Kishore Mahbubani once wrote a piece for The New York Times titled ‘How Strongmen Co-opted Democracy’. He should know. Mr Mahbubani was, from 2004 to 2017, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (National University of Singapore). His country knows all about strongmen. That’s not to be snarky, just … Continue reading “Democracy doesn’t have to be Western-style, nor the development template”
Read MoreGeopolitics and conscious uncoupling – up to a point
by Rashmee
Posted on September 18, 2020
‘Conscious uncoupling’ became famous – both as a term and a concept – in 2014, when actress Gywneth Paltrow and singer Chris Martin were in the throes of a divorce. But the neologism was coined much before, and not by Ms Paltrow. In fact, it was California marriage and family therapist Katherine Woodward Thomas who … Continue reading “Geopolitics and conscious uncoupling – up to a point”
Read MoreFrance and Italy are food and beverage superpowers
by Rashmee
Posted on September 15, 2020
There’s no question that Europe’s food and beverage superpowers are France and Italy. Half of the products on the 100-strong list of unique European products that China agreed to protect (on Monday, September 14) come from France and Italy. The list has 200 products altogether – equal numbers from China and the European Union (EU). … Continue reading “France and Italy are food and beverage superpowers”
Read MorePakistan…Palestine: Sacred vs secular spaces in ummah politics
by Rashmee
Posted on August 29, 2020
Does the “Arab street” still exist? I mean in the sense of the broad swath of Arab public opinion, passive, non-violent and emotionally attached to the idea of helping Palestinians achieve justice and self-determination. Does the politics of ummah still work? I mean in the sense of Muslim solidarity on certain core issues to … Continue reading “Pakistan…Palestine: Sacred vs secular spaces in ummah politics”
Read MoreDonald Trump’s America is trying to gaslight the world – without much success
by Rashmee
Posted on August 17, 2020
On August 14, the Trump administration’s attempt to indefinitely extend a UN arms embargo on Iran failed in fairly pitiable fashion. The resolution secured only two votes on the 15-strong UN Security Council – the US and the Dominican Republic. China and Russia voted against. Eleven UNSC members abstained. The US was revealed as isolated, … Continue reading “Donald Trump’s America is trying to gaslight the world – without much success”
Read MoreWhat to make of Mike Pompeo’s ‘crusade’ against China
by Rashmee
Posted on August 16, 2020
Jeffrey Sachs’ contextualisation of America’s “crusade” against China is worth reading, what with Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump’s secretary of state, recently touring the world to push his aggressive agenda. On August 11, Mr Pompeo took off for Europe – Prague, Pilsen, Ljubljana, Vienna and Warsaw. He finished the tour at the weekend. In the Slovenian … Continue reading “What to make of Mike Pompeo’s ‘crusade’ against China”
Read MoreXinjiang is a bit like New Zealand. Here’s why
by Rashmee
Posted on August 13, 2020
Xinjiang is like New Zealand because it means “new territory”. No, really. Did you know that? Me neither. I didn’t know. All that reporting on Xinjiang from major Western news outlets. All the agony of concern on the part of the West. And no one said that Xinjiang’s name was a Chinese invention meant to … Continue reading “Xinjiang is a bit like New Zealand. Here’s why”
Read MoreAi Weiwei’s ‘History of Bombs’ makes an interesting point 75 years after Hiroshima
by Rashmee
Posted on August 4, 2020
This is the right week to be considering the great wrongs done by bombs. Small bombs such as the 2-kg Cipolli grenades dropped by Italy on Turkish positions in Libya in 1911. Big bombs such as the 22,000-pound Grand Slam used by RAF Bomber Command on Dresden in WWII. And the biggest one of all … Continue reading “Ai Weiwei’s ‘History of Bombs’ makes an interesting point 75 years after Hiroshima”
Read MoreTurning the NYT’s Morning Briefing into a ‘good news’ bulletin – Part II
by Rashmee
Posted on July 29, 2020
Here’s an update on my July 24th creative experiment in positivity bias in which I turned part of the NYT’s ‘Morning Briefing’ into a good news bulletin. A reader, whose profile says they are a “startup engineer”, commented that “the doom laden news cycle isn’t a representation of reality – it has huge negative bias … Continue reading “Turning the NYT’s Morning Briefing into a ‘good news’ bulletin – Part II”
Read MoreThe case for good competition
by Rashmee
Posted on July 25, 2020
Last weekend, Tony Blinken, former diplomat and current foreign policy adviser to Joe Biden, made the case for good competition. The US, he said, needs to be engaged in a revivifying competition with China. It needs to be “a race to the top, not a race to the bottom”. That race, he predicted, would be won … Continue reading “The case for good competition”
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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