I am inclined to believe that the Venezuela adventure is not an indication of American strength, alas, but rather of American weakness, points out Rajeev Srinivasan.
China has made serious inroads into Latin America, which the US may now be hinting is simply not ok: Stay in your lane, Xi! In simple terms, China will no longer have access to Venezuelan oil, points out Rajeev Srinivasan.
The 2025 US National Security Strategy marks a major pullback, with America turning backward and effectively allowing China greater dominance in Asia. while long-time partners like India are left to face an increasingly unstable global order largely on their own, observes Rajeev Srinivasan.
'What the US appears to be doing is to force India to be "the buyer of last resort", on whom their products can be dumped, 1.4 billion people have to eat something, so why not eat American corn?' 'What is exercising the Trump lot is the fact that most of the farms are in solidly Republican Midwestern states: Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin,' points out Rajeev Srinivasan.
'Indian education has, after Independence, produced nothing whatsoever -- yes, absolutely nothing -- of global calibre. Not one earth-shaking discovery or invention, not one outstanding theoretical insight!' Rajeev Srinivasan on how Indian education is unable to anticipate what the future holds.
Rajeev Srinivasan on why Narendra Modi is a threat to the establishment because he overturns many of the convenient myths they propagate
With Piravi, Shaji N Karun joined the select group of great masters of film. Malayalam once upon a time used to produce such films. Today, it is only mindless violence, politics and grotesque humour. The films have no soul, although they are technically quite good. With Shaji's passing, and earlier with his mentor G Aravindan's untimely death, an era is coming to an end. Rajeev Srinivasan salutes the master, who passed into the ages on April 28.
I hope those who underestimate Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be proved wrong in this fight for Thiruvananthapuram's future, notes Rajeev Srinivasan.
The Lok Sabha contest in Thiruvananthapuram is shaping up to be a significant battle involving key candidates like Shashi Tharoor, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and Panniyan Ravindran. This three-cornered fight highlights the political dynamics in Kerala's capital city, with each candidate bringing their own vision and promises for the region's development, notes Rajeev Srinivasan.
India is one of the few countries in the region that enjoys good relations with both Israel and Saudi Arabia, and IMEC would allow it to recreate the old Spice Route to Europe. All this is in jeopardy now, notes Rajeev Srinivasan.
The full-court press on India over Ukraine, the BBC 'documentary', the Oxfam report, the Hindenburg attack on Adani and obliquely on the Indian economy, and any number of other acts are signs that India is a target, warns Rajeev Srinivasan.
Henry Kissinger once said, 'It may be dangerous to be America's enemy, but to be America's friend is fatal.' India will have to wait and see, observes Rajeev Srinivasan.
Notes from the recent Keral film festival: how two great films handle the delicate issue of death.
'Sasi Annan did far more right than wrong in his life.' 'I, and a great many others who appreciated his kindness and thoughtfulness, mourn for him and wish him godspeed and sadgati.' Rajeev Srinivasan pays homage to a noble soul.
Rajeev Srinivasan wonders why the Nehru Dynasty's usual Teflon isn't working for Robert Vadra
'India's parliamentary democracy is ridden with flaws,' argues Rajeev Srinivasan. 'Parliament has become a monarchy, with seats captured by a strongman, and then inherited by his wife or children.'
Rajeev Srinivasan on India's reduced options in Afghanistan, now that it seems like the Americans have finally lost the war
'Without demeaning Einstein, I believe the most astounding achievement of a single human mind in all of history was that of Panini, 2,500 years ago. He achieved a Grand Unified Theory of Language: An even more daunting task... Computer scientists in the 1950s rediscovered the Paninian rules for formal languages; for instance, the C language is defined by 100 or so rules in the Panini-Backus form.'
The proximate cause is the Budget, with its Black-Swan event of a 50-year rollback and retroactive taxation of deals. This strengthens the notion that India is still a Banana Republic, says rajeev Srinivasan.
Rajeev Srinivasan on how Ramdev, Hazare, and Husain are all representative of different strands in Indian society.
Who can motivate and appeal to the young and idealistic who are willing to work hard to create an India that matches their ambitions? Who is their role model? Someone like Modi who has worked his way up from the lower middle class, and has shown steely leadership and produced results? Or some child of privilege? You be the judge, says Rajeev Srinivasan.
'There is the hangover from colonial practices, which should disappear with greater educational freedom for women, and also, ironically, because of the looming woman shortage due to selective foeticide.'
The possibilities are: Apple, Google and a third player. The pursuit of that third slot is where there will be blood on the streets -- who will win, RIM or HP or Microsoft?
'I would not be surprised if there is a spectacular act of Pakistani terrorism in India in 2012 intended to celebrate the triumph over the hyperpower. Of course, the home minister of India will once again mouth the terrifying formula: 'If there is another terrorist attack, we will...'
'Well, what can be done now, when the economy is tanking? 'Austerity', the officials cry. That would be fine, but austerity by whom? Normally, the answer is: Belt-tightening by the common man (Indians already pay some of the highest prices in the world for petroleum products, and a lot of that is punitive taxes), but ostentatious spending and extravagance by the political classes and their cronies,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
The digital revolution in education is coming at a most opportune time for India. Leadership in this is something India could seize, if only it had the vision, feels Rajeev Srinivasan.
Rajeev Srinivasan on why consumers must be careful with their powerful mobile devices.
Three issues should be dominating media coverage in India: China's imperial ambitions, Pakistan's increasing closeness to the US and its crucial role in Afghanistan and the Naxal insurgency, not the IPL controversies, writes Rajeev Srinivasan
Rajeev Srinivasan on how EVM problems are much bigger than technology or politics. Second and final part of the series.
'We were optimistic that if only that single missing, magic ingredient were to be found -- leadership -- India would once again rise from the ruins. We looked forward to the day that India became a leading economy and power in the world.' Rajeev Srinivasan's personal tribute to his late friend Varsha Bhosle.
'It's becoming a bit of a pilgrimage in December in Kerala. On the one hand, you have black-clad Ayyappa devotees. On the other, you have throngs of film enthusiasts showing up. With good reason, too -- this is arguably the best film festival in India, with a good selection of films, with great diversity.'
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