Israel’s continued attack on children and innocents raises serious questions about its final goal and its insistent posture as the perpetual victim.

In this issue

15-11-202429 STORIES

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GAZA AND BEYOND — THE LEDE

Israel delivers West Asia its Sarajevo moment

Netanyahu sees a “historic chance to reshape West Asia”, but with no strategy in sight, mass killing appears to be Israel’s principal war aim.

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GAZA AND BEYOND

Editor’s Note: The ghosts of Gaza

If the world will not call it by its name even now, it won’t be able to stop another Holocaust from happening.

People take shelter during an air raid

GAZA AND BEYOND

Iran’s anti-Israel stance has evolved from a purely ideological position into a sophisticated political instrument

Tehran now faces a complex balancing act: leading the fight against Israel, and avoiding an all-out war, while managing domestic unrest.

Bashir Ali Abbas

GAZA AND BEYOND

Why are Arab powers so cautious about Israel’s onslaught in West Asia?

Regional security concerns, fear of militant Islamism, and continued reliance on the US shape the Gulf states’ muted response to the Gaza war.

Md. Muddassir Quamar

Oil tanker in the sea of Oman

Gaza and Beyond

Why Israel’s bombing of Iran might not cause a spike in crude prices

Supply diversification and Tehran’s limited share of global exports have changed the geopolitics of oil, rendering regional conflicts less potent.

US Vice President Kamala Harris

The streets stay silent as America splits between Trump and Harris

From New York to Iowa City, the presidential race unfolds in controlled private spaces, suggesting a democracy run by elites rather than people.

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FROM THE SIDELINES

West Bengal’s ‘casteless’ myth

Three privileged castes control politics, culture, and education in the State, where 45 per cent of the population belongs to SC/ST and OBCs.

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Congress’ old guard: The party’s strength or its stumbling block?

After the defeats in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, Congress remains shackled by ageing satraps who struggle to adapt or make way for youth.

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Random enforcement of KYC rules is denying the poor their own money and dignity

Banks are freezing accounts without warning, forcing people to make costly trips to distant branches and pay bribes just to access pensions and wages.

Jean Drèze,Vipul Paikra,Natasha Trivedi

Demolished houses

When did Musi beautification become about erasing the poor?

Telangana’s ambitious Rs.1.5 lakh crore riverfront project starts with evictions and demolitions in old Hyderabad; detailed plans remain under wraps.

Samsung workers’ protest in Sriperumbudur

Tamil Nadu’s labour movement finds new voice in Samsung strike victory

The police action against the protesting workers and the government’s tardy response raised questions about the DMK’s stand on workers’ rights.

Ilangovan Rajasekaran

Samsung workers’ strike

What did the striking Samsung workers want?

Their demand was simple—registration of the union under the Trade Unions Act of 1926. But Samsung used its name as a shield against worker rights.

NGR Prasad,KK Ram Siddhartha

Dell Computers factory in Sriperumbudur

The decline of trade unions in Tamil Nadu

The winds of liberalisation have shaken the foundations of labour welfare across the country, and Tamil Nadu is no exception.

Ilangovan Rajasekaran

Nobel Prize for Economics being announced at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Economic Perspectives

2024 Economics Nobel winners sanitise colonial history through economic theory

Acemoglu, Johnson and Robinson’s thesis on institutional development ignores colonialism’s systematic exploitation and wealth transfer.

C.P. Chandrasekhar

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Vedanta’s oil exploration plan threatens Assam’s last gibbon sanctuary

Modi government’s new policy lets Cairn Oil & Gas advance Rs.264 crore project near Hollongapar reserve, while wildlife board demands inspection.

Science Notebook

A wild find on Covid’s origin; and Black Hole’s leftovers pack a punch

Evidence was found of the virus in samples from the Wuhan wet market, and astronomers solve a mystery about the source of a type of X-rays from space.

R. Ramachandran

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Waste Management Crisis

A sacred forest dies in Gurugram as Bandhwari landfill’s toxic waste breaches Aravalli sanctuary

Despite Swachh Bharat Mission’s giant promises, 1,600 tonnes of unsegregated waste continues to poison groundwater in villages near Mangarbani forest.

Shubhangi Derhgawen,Deepanshu Mohan

Vietnamese soldiers

Dien Bien Phu at 70: Blood-soaked battlefield that became a bustling township

Its transformation from a valley of death to a peaceful urban centre encapsulates Vietnam’s journey from colonial subjugation to self-determination.

Mani Shankar Aiyar

“Paper Jewels: Postcards from the Raj” exhibition

Reimagining the past: Inside India’s archive revolution

How India’s private foundations transform historical collections into interactive experiences, bridging past and present through technology.

Janhavi Acharekar

Counter Culture

Empty hands: Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh between symbol and reality

Today, its modernist symbols—from the towering Open Hand Monument to the unused Pit of Contemplation—float like ghostly ideals.

Prathyush Parasuraman

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A photograph captured ten novelists who transformed Indian writing forever—and marked the end of an era

Revisiting The New Yorker’s iconic 1997 photograph of 10 “original gangsters” of the Indian English novel.

Shivendra Singh

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Love in the time of ‘love jehad’: The complex lives of Hindu-Muslim couples in India

Ashis Roy explores the everyday challenges of urban middle-class Hindu-Muslim couples even as it deftly challenges toxic generalisations.

Chintan Girish Modi

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Safdar Hashmi’s transformative approach to theatre as a democratic force

Through plays like Hatyare and Aurat, Hashmi tackled communalism and gender issues while building an inclusive, collaborative artistic practice.

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Korea through Han Kang’s The Vegetarian

Han’s novel critiques Korean society and the violence that lies beneath its surface. This year’s Nobel Prize honours her statement of resistance.

Stories that are close to the bone

From menstrual taboos to interfaith marriage: Shahina K. Rafiq’s unabashed collection reveals intimate truths of Indian women’s lives.

Chittajit Mitra

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What defines ‘Odia literature’?

Is it the language, the land, or the cultural identity that makes literature truly Odia?

New books on the shelves

A Japanese cat book classic in translation, a treatise on shudra nationalism in Indian history, and much more.

Mango tree

Summers had the scent of mangoes, until today

It is strange that life trundled on in its eternal rhythm even though Ammi was gone, never to return.

P. Krishna Gopinath

‘The Dystopian Times’ by Appupen

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