Illiberal democracy rising
Indian democracy is quite often about the politics of visibility, the image most often replacing the substance. Political parties celebrate their leaders, both living and dead, in huge newspaper advertisements…
An illiberal democracy?
The appointment of Raja Parvaiz Ashraf as prime minister comes hot on the heels of the disqualification of his predecessor and instant accusations by the rulers of a so-called judicial…
Oligarchs already own much of US – can they buy democracy?
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could…
South Korea’s sub-optimal experience with Neoliberalism: lessons for Pakistan
Pakistan has been actively under neoliberal policies since late 1980s when it first started to come under major International Monetary Fund (IMF) programmes, while its engagement with IMF during earlier…
Ailing democracy
AT a time when democracy across the world is under challenge, there have recently been a number of developments, some that may shape its future trajectory. Elections in India saw the…
After neoliberalism
SLOWLY but surely, the signs of a global political and cultural realignment are becoming apparent. Several commentators trace the origins of this realignment to events of the last two and…
India’s illiberal election
GENERAL elections are underway in India in a phased voting process that concludes on June 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely predicted to win a third term in office. The Bharatiya…
Democracy Summit
TOWARDS the end of March, the US hosted the second Democracy Summit. The stated objective was to put democracy and human rights at the heart of the Biden administration’s foreign…
Democracy and prosperity at 75
THOUGH it was a few years ago, I still vividly remember an elderly acquaintance telling me about his perilous journey from East Punjab to Multan during partition. The gentleman was…
A racist liberalism
THE post-1945 liberal world order based on human rights and democracy is unique in history given its wide coverage of key issues and global acceptance. Many philosophies had earlier given…
