Rahul Gandhi Completes Four Month Long Peace March
The Bharat Jodo Yatra peace march led by Rahul Gandhi seems to have opened a tiny door for many people to escape the prevailing political uncertainty and to vent their frustration at BJP rule.
Biden Outpaces Trump on Oil and Gas Permits
Although US President Joe Biden vowed on the campaign trail to phase out federal leasing for fossil fuel extraction, his administration approved more permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in its first two years than the Trump administration did in 2017 and 2018.
UK Conservatives Aim to Crush Labor Unions
The United Kingdom’s Conservative Party government has unveiled an anti-strike bill which has been branded a “full-frontal attack on working people” by the nation’s largest trade union. This legislation arrives amidst a continued campaign of industrial action by workers across the United Kingdom against “real-terms pay cuts.”
Establish a US-Japan-Korea Center in Tokyo
The recent efforts to encourage cooperation between Washington, Tokyo, and Seoul in diverse fields, from science and technology to diplomacy and security, comes as welcome news, especially in light of the decline in collaboration during the Trump administration. Even before that time it was never particularly vibrant.
Visible Minorities: Remilitarization is a Bad Idea
Pushing Japan to remilitarize was never, and still is not, a good idea. This is not just because an arms race in Asia is the last thing the region needs. But also because Japan, consistently unable to face up to its own history, is simply not the country to represent the world’s liberal democracies in Asia, especially as a military power.
Greece Slides Back into Police State
Greece’s far-right ruling party New Democracy recently introduced a new police force which will be deployed to all universities. Not only is Greece now ranking first in Europe in terms of the proportion of its budget spent on the police, but it also reverses steps the country had taken to liberalize the nation after the end of the military junta in 1974.
Culture War Erupts Between Westminster and Holyrood
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared that her government will challenge the United Kingdom in court after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government acted to veto a recently-passed LGBT rights bill—a move that critics say will harm sexual minorities, imperil national unity, and represents fuel on the fire for a culture war.
Democrats Abroad Japan Soft on Student Debt Crisis
When it comes to highlighting issues affecting US citizens such as the student debt crisis, Democrats Abroad Japan has taken a passive approach, focusing mainly on voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, rather than promoting a progressive agenda for positive change.
Campbell Keen to See India Stop Purchases of Russian Arms
Kurt Campbell, White House Coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs, has indicated that Washington is keen to see India diversify away from its “reliance” on Russian military supplies, while another State Department official highlighted the potential threat to the subcontinent posed by China.
Russia Looks East to Overcome Sanctions
Economic sanctions and corporate boycotts have not caused the rapid collapse of the Russian economy, as some Western commentators had hoped. Sanctions are, however, pressuring economic lifelines for the Russian people and forcing Moscow to embrace Eurasian ties.