Mexico’s AMLO Shows How It’s Done
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Mexico’s AMLO Shows How It’s Done

Ellen Brown   While US advocates and local politicians struggle to get their first public banks chartered, Mexico’s new president has begun construction on 2,700 branches of a government-owned bank to be completed in 2021, when it will be the largest bank in the country. At a press conference on Jan. 6, he said the…

Apartheid in the Global Governance System
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Apartheid in the Global Governance System

Jason Hickel   In my research I have argued that rising global inequality is driven in large part by power imbalances in the global economy, in that rich countries have disproportionate influence when it comes to setting the rules of international trade and finance.   Nowhere is this problem more apparent than when it comes…

The United States as Destroyer of Nations
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The United States as Destroyer of Nations

Daniel Kovalik   In the aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003—an invasion which many Iraqis believe left their country in the worst condition it has been since the Mongol invasion of 1258—there was much discussion in the media about the Bush Administration’s goal for “nation-building” in that country.   Of course, if…

Private Players Line Up to Run Private Trains
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Private Players Line Up to Run Private Trains

Sabrangindia    After vehemently denying the entry of private players, the Indian Railways has proposed a plan to allow private players to run their trains on around 100 routes across the country, mostly for tourism purposes.   The proposal was also mentioned by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while discussing the Budget 2020 where she said…

At Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah, Basant is the Colour of Harmony
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At Nizamuddin Auliya’s Dargah, Basant is the Colour of Harmony

Bharat S. Tiwari   The very idea of a festival marking the onset of spring is uplifting, but when it also brings with it the fragrance of a syncretic culture, it becomes incomparable. Such is the annual celebration of Basant Panchami at the dargah, in Delhi, of Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya (1238–1325 C.E), of the…

Jamia – An Offspring of the Freedom Movement
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Jamia – An Offspring of the Freedom Movement

Aamir H. Khan, Aban Usmani   In October 1920, under the shadow of serious British colonial and imperial repression in various parts of the world, a group of influential Muslim leaders in India conceptualised the foundation of a nationalist university that would be free from British colonial control.   Unrest had been simmering amongst Muslims…

Isalak and its Struggles Against CAA–NRC
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Isalak and its Struggles Against CAA–NRC

Amey Tirodkar   Its a tale of something extraordinary occurring in a tiny pocket of the country, one which could turn out to be important for the future of Indian democracy as well as for people’s movements in the country. A small village called Isalak has passed a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)…

This Won’t Be Breaking News: CO2 Levels Hit Record High of 416 ppm
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This Won’t Be Breaking News: CO2 Levels Hit Record High of 416 ppm

Jessica Corbett   The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record high Monday, a reading from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that elicited fresh calls from climate activists and scientists for the international community to end planet-heating emissions from fossil fuels and deforestation.   According to NOAA’s Mauna Loa Observatory, an…

Supreme Court’s (New) Reservations Judgment and Its Discontents
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Supreme Court’s (New) Reservations Judgment and Its Discontents

Gautam Bhatia   On 7 February, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court handed down a judgment holding that Article 16(4) of the Constitution is only an enabling provision, and does not confer a “right” to reservations. The context of the case was as follows: in 2012, the government of Uttarakhand decided to fill up…