At Dien Bien Phu
Dien Bien Phu was one of the decisive battles of the post-1945 era. Not since the British were turfed out of Afghanistan in the 19th century had an indigenous army inflicted so resounding a defeat on a colonial power.
The Reality of India’s GDP, Incomes, Consumption, Private Investment – 2 Articles
‘Ignore the Spin, Incomes, Consumption and Private Investment Have Stagnated’: The FM’s budget speech reiterated Modi govt’s achievements over the past decade; facts have never come in the way of Modi’s penchant for weaving self-congratulatory narratives. Also: ‘The K is Indian GDP’s Reality: Why Deny?’
Chaos in Ecuador
In recent years, the surging violence in Ecuador has made international headlines. Ecuador wasn’t always this cliche of a narco-state. It was once hailed as an ‘island of peace’, a security success story. What explains its spiral into chaos?
Communication By and For the People: A Conversation with Thierry Deronne
Thierry Deronne is a Belgian-born filmmaker who has long accompanied working-class and campesino struggles in Latin America. He talks about the philosophy driving the community media movement and the future of popular communication, and specifically his current project: Hugo Chávez Popular Cinema and Theatre School.
Lenin’s ‘Last Testament’: The Prophetic Last Words of a Marxist for Our Times
‘Lenin led to Stalin’ is not even given the status of a historical controversy in schools and colleges. It is accepted as fact. This belief is destroyed by a document known as Lenin’s Testament. The Testament was dictated by Lenin as he lay dying in Gorky.
How the Union Govt Is Slowly but Surely Blurring India’s Federal Structure
Responsibilities of the state governments are being slowly overtaken by the Centre, keen as it is to take credit for all welfare programmes. Meanwhile, state coffers are not getting the assistance they need from the Union government.
Modi’s Drifting Flagship Schemes and Failed Guarantees
At least 142 schemes in the last 10 years have been launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With new schemes being announced every other day aimed at boosting Modi’s cult, there has been no evaluation or scrutiny of these programmes.
In the Name of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Looting the Poor, Benefiting the Rich – 5 Articles
‘Dharmic SEZ and “Hindu Renaissance”: Ram Rajya for the Rich’; ‘Temple Construction Meant Small Business Owners in Ayodhya Lost Money – and Hope’; ‘Survival at Stake: Meat, Liquor Ban Hits Livelihoods of Thousands in Ayodhya’; ‘Ayodhya: All Eyes Skyward at Grand Temple; Shopkeepers Left With Rubble Below’; ‘When Death Came Knocking on a Family in Ayodhya’.
How the Food Industry Uses Big Tobacco’s Playbook
The article outlines four tobacco industry tactics that are being modeled across industries, such as the food and beverage sector, disproportionately affecting communities of color and exacerbating diet-related disease crises.
The Amended Biological Diversity Act Puts Profits Over People
The amended Act weakens accountability for large corporations exploiting biodiversity resources, enabling them to deny fair compensation to tribal and local communities.