ViewsWeek Views from around the world
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting,’ novelist Milan Kundera wrote. Indeed, those who wield power often try to efface the imprints of their despicable past, recreating on the slate of a cleansed public memory an endearing image of themselves. Yet, their darkled past returns to haunt them because of individuals who want to …
September, 2013
-
18 September
A Language That Built A Nation
For newly independent nations, the choice of an official, national language was crucial, and often controversial, made especially so in the context of polyphonic and geographically diverse countries like China, India, and Indonesia. In China, the Communist Party, opted for Putonghua, or Mandarin, the language of the capital, Beijing. In India, the initial intention of the postcolonial state — to …
-
14 September
Will Release of Top Taliban Leader Restore Peace?
As a remarkable sign of Pakistan’s new phase of cooperation with the Afghan peace process, Islamabad is to release Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a prominent Taliban leader who was in prison in Pakistan since he was captured in 2010. The Afghan government has long urged for release of Baradar as he is considered a moderate and pro-peace figure among the …
-
12 September
Message from India’s Communal Riots
A series of riots that claims the lives of about 40 people (60% Muslim, 40% Hindu, according to a police source) may appear insignificant. After all, this is a country born in sectarian violence, where the main ruling and the Opposition parties have engineered and/or abetted pogroms against minorities. As Delhi’s authority slowly recedes and regional leaders grow more powerful, …
-
11 September
The Anatomy of Radicalism
When the Indian Mujahideen’s bomb-maker, Yasin Bhatkal, was caught in Pokhara (in western Nepal) last week (August 29), there was justifiable jubilation in India. Yasin spilled the beans on interrogation, revealing that Nepal’s scenic lakeside resort has become a hideout of choice where Indian extremists can lie low. But few know that Yasin was radicalized by what he erroneously believed …
-
11 September
Dispatches from An Unfinished African Revolution
After a struggle with white farmers over nearly two decades, Zimbabwe’s peasants are now owners of more than three-fourths of all agricultural land. The ZANU-PF’s success has been to take this autonomous movement and project this as an outcome of its policies.
-
8 September
Syria: South Asian Media Calls for Caution
As President Barack Obama weighs his options on Syria, media in South Asian countries is advising caution, fearing despite all good intentions, an attack on Syria could spiral out of control.
-
8 September
Will Iranian Gas Resolve Pakistan’s Energy Woes?
Pakistan's crippling energy crisis demands urgent initiatives for sustainable supply of natural gas at affordable political, economic and diplomatic cost. Is Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project worth the price Pakistan seems to be willing to pay?
August, 2013
-
31 August
Deserts’ Photovoltaics Promise
In the US, a vast glittering Ivanpah solar facility will be commissioned by the end of this summer. It will produce 392 megawatt electricity, making it the largest concentrating solar power (CSP) plant in the world. In the desert near Abu Dhabi, Middle East’s first large CSP — Shams-I — has already been commissioned, producing 100MW of electricity. The Saudis have bigger and ambitious …
-
31 August
Google Chrome’s Password Security is Absolutely Zero
By Jehangir Khattak Google’s Chrome may be one of the most popular browser in the world, but it may have another distinction too — It is one of the most vulnerable in terms of password security as well. Google acknowledges the huge security flaw but has no plans to rectify it, reports Charles Arthur in the British daily The Guardian. The flaw, …
