Choking off free speech on the web

"What makes SOPA and PIPA especially toxic is the threat they pose to all dimensions of a website's existence - physical presence, findability and revenue stream."

The Hindu : Opinion / Lead : Choking off free speech on the web: The two draft laws, SOPA and PIPA, in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have raised a storm on the Internet.

Strong fears haunt U.S. companies who dread losing innovation, online traffic, and thus jobs and commerce to other countries that guarantee freedom.

The toxic potential of these bills lies in their capacity to comprehensively throttle free speech, at least until a new competitive set of alternatives emerges.

Governments that guarantee free speech should baulk at the controversial American model to suppress their own citizens. Yet, in India, there will obviously be keen interest for a possible replication. Even now, the Indian IT Act, 2000 contains provisions that would not meet the accepted definition of judicial due process. There may be a specific case to remove material that is obviously inflammatory and capable of doing harm, but the policy compass clearly points to a lurking desire for censorship.

If SOPA and PIPA were to succeed in America, the move towards copycat laws in India can only be a step away!

Ban wagon

Google and Facebook are only two of the many things the sarkar should gag


Ban wagon

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

Hilarious piece of writing on the recent move towards gagging 22 websites including Google, Facebook, etc.
Must-read! 

'At a time of swift growth, China isn't inclined to conflict'

Q&A


Since their stormy separation in 1949, Taiwan has resisted Chin'a stated goal of taking over the small island state. Former member of Taiwan's National Assembly, professor Tang Shaocheng discussed  with TOI about China's dramatic rise, Taiwan's recent presidential elections and why the new regime's policy of engagement seems to work


Interview - Q&A

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

Bridging The Gap

We need a system to help civilian and military leaderships to work together smoothly


Bridging The Gap

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

The recent matters relating to Army Chief General V K Singh's Date of Birth asks relevant questions regarding the framework put in place with respect to the Indian civil-military relations.

"The problem of interfacing the military with civil society goes back to the days of Kautilya when it came to be realized that handling the army called for astute statecraft."

Protect Space

Code of conduct imperative for future activities


Protect Space

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

"Hillary Clinton's pitch for an international code of conduct for space activities is welcome," says the editor, and makes a case for the need of a code of conduct in the international community regarding all space activities. 

Allow Neutrality

Gujarat government should not play politics with Lokayukta 


Allow Neutrality

-The Times of India, January 20, 2012

The Modi government has challenged High Court's verdict on the issue of the appointment of Justice R A Mehta as Gujarat Lokayukta by appealing in the Supreme Court. The BJP, according to the editor, is displaying different standards - one at the center and another at the state. 

'Breaking the Silence' on a massacre

"A collective memoir documents the experiences during the 1965-66 anti-Communist purges in Indonesia that left half a million people dead."

It is one of the darkest periods in modern Indonesian history, and the least discussed, until now. The new book - Breaking the Silence, is a collective memoir of 15 men and women who experienced the dark times that also ushered in the 32-year rule of President Suharto and his 'New Order'." The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : 'Breaking the Silence' on a massacre

It began with a coup attempt against President Sukarno, in which six top generals were killed. Suharto, then a general, helped put down the putsch and took control of the army. He blamed Communists for the revolt and led a campaign to purge the country of party members and other leftists. In the months that followed, security forces, local militias and vigilantes hunted down and killed thousands of people.

Sharing accounts of the time, particularly with the young, was "an expression of fighting to become human again". It is important not only to discuss the purges, but also to make amends to the victims.

It's boom time for people smugglers

"The tide of Afghans leaving for Europe is fuelling a lucrative business in fake passports and Taliban death threats."

For citizens, the warren-like building across the road from the headquarters of Kabul's police chief is a one-stop shop for every document they could need. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : It's boom time for people smugglers. Buyers hope the document will persuade immigration officers many thousands of kilometres away to give them asylum in Europe or Australia. 

Two factors were driving a boom in this business: the rising fear among some Afghans for the future of their country and the existence of a class of well-off professionals who can afford his huge fees. Smugglers also offer different packages depending on what people can afford.

For these people, becoming victims of criminality and exploitation is a constant risk.

Recount strips Mitt Romney of Iowa win

"Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney suffered a setback on Thursday when the party stripped him of his victory in Iowa after a final tally of votes."

" If another of his rivals, Newt Gingrich, wins the South Carolina primary, this would mean they basically have one apiece: Romney, the New Hampshire primary, Gingrich South Carolina, and Santorum Iowa. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Recount strips Mitt Romney of Iowa win

The race for the party nomination to take on Barack Obama in November would then be wide open."

Way forward in Sri Lanka

What proponents of an early political settlement, including India, are concerned about is that more than two years after the LTTE's defeat by the Sri Lankan military, the country has made little progress in solving the nation's Tamil question.

The government has given several indications of its seriousness about a political settlement. Yet, there has been little by way of concrete movement forward on the Tamil question. The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : Way forward in Sri Lanka

"Aside from allaying Tamil apprehensions about the heavy military presence, the government must plan to hold early provincial elections in the North."

FDI in the sky

The move to liberalise the FDI norm in domestic airlines has to be seen in the context of the financial troubles that most domestic airline companies are embroiled in.

"Though this is an infinitely better option than a bailout using public funds, the reality is that there might not be too many takers among foreign airline companies for this." If the government is keen to rescue the airline industry, there are other things that it could do, discussed in this article The Hindu : Opinion / Editorial : FDI in the sky

The last thing the government should do is throw good money after bad, especially when it belongs to the public.

Krishna's visit to Israel... Historic in all sense but blended with a small blunder...

SM Krishna, External Affairs Minister Of India, visited Israel and Palestine close to a fortnight ago and many view it as a historic step in strengthening the ties between the two countries...

Though SM Krishna successfully took forward the success of the NDA led government in deepening ties between the two countries, he made a strategic and a political blunder by saying "Israel ties with India are key to countering global terrorism", Opines DNA editor Shastri Ramachandran...

Our new Israel bonhomie is marked by a blunder

First, Duncan Fletcher and now selectors...

While Sumit Chakraberty had said that Duncan Fletcher is very much responsible for the Indian cricket debacle in Australia, acclaimed Indian cricketer and formal selector Kiran More passes the buck on to the selectors...

The buck must stop with selectors...