India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he’s ushering in a “new India” with his government’s recent moves against Kashmir. But two North American academics beg to differ. Reeta Tremblay argues this new era erases differences, dissent and the rights of minorities. And Ayesha Ray calls Narendra’s suspension of Kashmir’s state government a “stunningly dangerous, undemocratic and secretive move.”
Ethiopia has been governed as a federal state for nearly three decades. Yohannes Gedamu argues that the constitution underpinning the federal arrangement promoted group rights over individual rights. Recent calls for secession, such as the quest by the Sidama to have their own state, suggest that the arrangement is under severe strain. Mohammed Girma, meanwhile, writes that part of the problem
bedeviling Ethiopia is that it keeps rehashing its painful past, repeating old grievances, and not seeking fresh, modern solutions that would drive unity.
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Paramilitary soldiers walk past Rapid Action Force (RAF) soldiers standing guard during security lockdown in Jammu, India, Aug. 9, 2019. The restrictions on public movement throughout Kashmir have forced people to stay indoors. All communications and the internet have been cut off.
(AP Photo/Channi Anand)
Reeta Tremblay, University of Victoria
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he's ushering in a 'new India.' But this new era is of ethnic majoritarianism and erases differences, dissent and the rights of minorities.
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Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard on a deserted street during curfew in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 8, 2019.
(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Ayesha Ray, King's College
Violence, rebellion, dark days and a war with Pakistan are likely on the horizon as a result of India's latest move against Kashmiris.
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Politics + Society
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Yohannes Gedamu, Georgia Gwinnett College
Calls for secession in Ethiopia could destabilise the entire nation.
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Mohammed Girma, University of Pretoria
Politicians, activists and media outlets continue to deconstruct old narratives and perpetuate new grievances. Nobody, however, is as busy reconstructing a new, inclusive story.
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Business + Economy
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Jennifer Fang, Simon Fraser University
The Chinese National Tobacco Corporation is expanding its international markets through subsidiaries. Is the world ready for tobacco companies sponsoring or supporting schools?
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Shiro Armstrong, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Illegality doesn't matter when you've kneecapped the umpire who would have enforced the rules.
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Science + Technology
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Lubna Omar, Binghamton University, State University of New York
Armed conflict in Syria has been a disaster for the area's cultural heritage. A displaced archaeologist describes what's being lost.
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Wanning Sun, University of Technology Sydney
To stay relevant, the Chinese Communist Party is rethinking its approach to propaganda. The reviews are decidedly mixed, but overall, younger Chinese seem drawn to the messaging.
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