Viswapramod blog

The recently passed citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) of 2019 has been in headlines giving scope for a public debate, often turning controversial without entering into the underlaid nuances, legal, moral and civilizational issues, which have to be addressed. This act is not about underlaying a Hindu- Muslim communal divide or neither is it about outrightly denying anyone citizenship based on a religious basis. Also, it's interlinked with the recently conducted NRC( National Register of Citizenship) process in Assam, which is brawling with several lacunes in the process and structural lapses.  But questions are being raised about the liberal-secular values of India, the constitutional validity and the justiciability with the basic structure doctrine of the constitution. Critical historical factors of the partition of India and its aftermath, followed by the Bangaladesh liberation war of 1971 and the Assam Accord of 1985 are under the scanner of the commentariat and opinion-makers. ...

I was listening to Arif Mohammed Khan, in one of his speeches, where he reveals the conversation between Mosses and Allah, which are mentioned in the Hadiz,( one of the holy books of Islam ). In it,  Mosses said to Allah, " Oh Allah, when you become agonized with our people, capture everything from us, but leave our brains( intellect) alone. Allah replied, "No! When  I  get agonized, the first thing that I take away from people, are their brains, rest falls apart and collapses on its own". Perhaps the problem with the acromanial territory of Pakistan, which unfortunately became a nation-state in 1947, has lost the power of critical and rational thinking. ( A Hadiz revealed previously, has come true). If we turn back, to the dark pages of history, and read the tragic story of partition and it's origins, all that a normal and a sensitive person would get is a handful of tears, or probably, into traumatization. Because the doctrinal basis of the creation of Pakistan ...

US President Donald Trump’s administration will implement a new asylum policy at the border that will result in potentially thousands of asylum seekers being turned away before they can plead their case in court. The guidance issued on Wednesday also applies to refugee applicants — immigrants seeking similar protections in the US who are still abroad, media reported. Under the new guidance given to the officers who interview asylum seekers at the US’ borders and evaluate refugee applications, claims based on fear of gang and domestic violence will be immediately rejected. In addition, the guidance tells officers they should consider whether an immigrant crossed the border illegally and weigh that against their claim, potentially rejecting even legitimate fears of persecution if the immigrant crossed illegally. It says officers “may find an applicant’s illegal entry, including any intentional evasion of US authorities, and including any conviction for illegal entry where the al...

New gateways One of the ways to overcome this may be to shift the focus from trade liberalization or large-scale integration towards building a wider framework of integration and cooperation in the developing world that opens new gateways for cooperation among BRICS and their partners across continents. This kind of framework may be realized through China’s initiative to create a BRICS+ circle that according to China’s foreign minister Wang Yi will represent a new platform for the South-South cooperation via holding dialogues with other major developing countries or groups of developing countries to establish a more extensive partnership. The new BRICS+ initiative is coming not just at the right time as the BRICS is seeking to find new gateways to development, but it will also perhaps be one of the first truly global undertakings of the developing world in shaping a new, more balanced economic order. This in turn is made possible due to the unique nature of the BRICS, which is represen...

The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague against China’s claim on the South China Sea in a case brought before the court by the Philippines should prima facie have remained a bilateral matter between the litigants. In reality, however, it has become an exemplar of China’s role in the ongoing contest to determine the world order. China’s shrill and bellicose response during and after the ruling has only served to heighten alarm over Beijing’s intentions and behaviour among all the major powers, including India. China’s attitude ranged from benign disengagement and denial of the court’s jurisdiction to rabid intimidation and downright threats. It made little effort to engage with either the PCA or to build support for its cause. Instead, it erroneously assumed that as a global power, it had earned the right to violate the very rules that it had signed up to earlier. Among China’s paltry and dubious supporters were land-locked Afghanistan and Niger. Ironically, ...

While China is actively seeking to diversify energy routes to reduce its dependence on the Straits of Malacca, the strategic waterway still remains a safer bet than other untested alternatives. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore are one of the most vital sea lines of communication in the world, constituting the principal passage from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. More than 30 percent of the world’s seaborne trade passes through this narrow 500 nautical-mile-long waterway. Apart from serving the strategic needs of the riparian states, China, Japan, and South Korea are reliant on this strategic waterway for their supplies, especially energy. Despite increased imports through Russia and Kazakhstan, China remains heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil, with up to  80 percent of its energy supply  passing through the Straits. Having little control over the passage, any disruption – ranging from piracy to fears of a potential naval blockade by the United States and its...