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Articles

R K Pachauri: Carrying 6 billion hopes: Dr. RK Pachauri, the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is leading the international campaign against Climate Change for his services to the environment he has recently been awa......read more
India's Climate Change crusader: Mr. Jairam Ramesh: India is a fast developing nation but this development comes at a price, the environment. Our interview with him made us aware that Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Union Minister of State for Environment and F......read more
He does not deserve the nobel: I have developed the art of using money in creative ways to a point where it has become scientific. The deeply unfortunate occupational hazard that accompanies this rather fulfilling pastime is that m......read more
US & Co: I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and......read more
Jaswant Singh on people, politics and partition: One of India's longest serving politicians, Jaswant Singh's controversial book on Jinnah and India's partition sparked both criticism and praise from people across India and Pakistan. His bold decisio......read more
Statue-tory warning: Your narcissism is injurious to national health: At a time when Maharashtra's notorious Vidarbha region witnesses one farmer suicide every 8 hours, when the entire state is frequented by power cuts as a result of the rains playing truant and the sta......read more
Try: I am 17 years old. I go to school. I come home. I eat, sleep, study.
I go out on the weekends, avoide my parents and am addicted to facebook.
By a broad standard, I am normal.
Can I c......read more
Theplas in Thailand & pickles in Paris: Say hello to the Indian tourist: The Indian tourist seems to have earned himself a global reputation. He may don many avatars, but the stereotype he has earned for himself remains like an unsightly splotch on Indians' reputation aboa......read more
Red tapism in India: "The Common Man walks into the Passport office for the fifth time in ten days. He is sick of standing in the heat. He is sweaty. He is tired of the never ending trips to try and procure his passport. ......read more
Naxalites - a burning problem: The Maoists-Naxalites have been in the news lately. These little understood, much maligned groups, with a common leftist ideology, have been the cause of long-standing violence, arson and disruption. ......read more
Unity in diversity?: With hundreds of different ethnicities, myriad religions, thousands of languages, and an infinite set of values, (some of which are diametrically opposite) India could easily be considered the most di......read more
Every One: India is a country that is progressing at an astoundingly rapid rate. It has proved itself to be a country to watch out for. Its economy is booming, and its people are continuing to prove their abilit......read more
The Indian Judiciary: Does the pillar of strength need to be strengthened?: Do judges in India need to be policed and to what extent? There has recently been focus on the Indian judiciary system. The question has arisen on whether Indian judges need to be policed. The Union C......read more
Defence, Development & the Indian Economy: India today occupies a unique position on the world stage. We are perhaps the only country trying to juggle a rapidly advancing economy, an extraordinary array of infrastructural develoments, an inher......read more
26/11: A year on, an overview of the city of Mumbai yields a result no different then what one would have expected. The city continues to be a bustling, shining beacon of India's ascent to global success, w......read more
Wake up and smell the carbon: Few years ago, there was only one problem the world had to deal with - the nuclear bomb. Today's youth are growing up in the shadows of three bombs any of which can go off any moment, leading to a rad......read more
Apocalypse - impossible? Think again!: 2050, India-a young boy stares at the barren landscape of his hometown, where rising tempartures and water scarcity have made living life a burden. The ganga river has dried up, the once snow capped p......read more
Congress ka 'raj' Thackeray: For anyone who doubts that politics is a dirty game, the recent Maharashtra State Assembly polls was an eye-opener. With cousins standing against each other in a family feud of epic proportions and th......read more
Change after 26/11: On 26^th November, 2008 a catastrophe stuck the city of Mumbai. While the elite class of South Mumbai was dining at 5 star hotels, The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Trident, and the commuters were......read more
The future of Mumbai: Milind Deora's victory for the second term in a row has silenced all his critics. In a candid discussion, Mr. Deora spoke to us about the Maharashtra elections, the MNS, chqanges since 26/11 and of hi......read more
VOTE INDIA: Over the last few weeks, the nation has been keenly observing the movements of a new found political scion, Varun Gandhi of the BJP. Gandhi's radical views, to say the least, have "shocked" some and "......read more
26/11: Are we so naive that we cannot see that some of the problems are from within our country? We don't see the greater good but act in our own selfish and devious ways......read more
Arun Jaitley-a candid discussion: An interview with the General Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta Party, Arun Jaitley gave us an insight into the mind of strategic planner and mast head of this election's opposition party. After years o......read more
The Criminalisation of Indian Politics: India boasts of being the largest democracy in the world; with an estimated 671 million eligible to vote for the 15th General elections to be held in April - May 2009. However, over the last 61 years ......read more
Democracy: As we are made to see it: What do you think about putting 1.147 billion puzzle pieces together? Indian democracy is just that. It is not as simple and sinless as a puzzle, but putting 1.147 billion thoughts together, fixing th......read more
Goolam Vahanvati - the youth's role in India's future: Mr. Goolam Vahanvati, one of the best lawyers in India, tells us we as the youth need to look beyond corruption, he tells us to a look at the larger picture. He says, "You must believe that this is a ......read more
Indian National Congress: The way forward?: We citizens of India are not in the mood to listen to comments like "Bade bade sheharo mein chotte chotte cheese hote rehte hain". The youth want to see some degree of accountability in the entire pol......read more
Jyotiraditya Scindia-India's tomorrow: We arrived at 27 Safdarjung Road, home to one of the most promising and visionary leaders in this country. Part of the Congress youth brigade Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, having studied at Harvard and St......read more
Omar Abdullah - our hope for change: Mr. Omar Abdullah one of the few leaders in this country who commands respect and does not demand respect, speaks to us about his vision for India. He is one of the most protected men in India with si......read more
PAKISTAN: at the brink of destruction?: Two twins, India and Pakistan separated at birth due to numerous complications, travelled through a long journey since partition. This difficult path took off in August 1947, when, after having surviv......read more
Third Front - an illusion?: We the youth of India desire change and to some the Third front is the only option to provide this change, which makes the Third Front seem as a serious contender. On the other side of the spectrum mo......read more

Article of the month

US & Co

I have experienced three kinds of news. There is American news, which although accurate, skims past the destruction caused by their troops. There is PAkistani news, which tells us of their 'power' and triumph over India and terrorist organizations time and time again, and then of course, our very own Indian news, which is somewhat like the previous one, but in reverse with however, more truth and less fiction.

Text: Rishav Kapoor

So, due to these factors, nobody is really sure what�s going on in countries like Afghanistan and Iran. We don�t really get an accurate picture of the war there and about how it has managed to sustain itself financially.

After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the USA needed a way to fight off the Kremlin without much direct interference. Washington did not want a real war with the Kremlin, just a conflict. So, as always, the USA steps in rather �heroically� to save the Afghans. They arm the Pashtun tribes with whatever they can, and start another war on foreign soil. They created what is now known as the Taliban. After the USSR withdrew and later collapsed, it seemed as though the US was victorious; but without an enemy, Islamic radicals turned their forces against the �Western Civilization�, and the USA as their target.

What we often forget is that Afghanistan was, at one point, and not so long ago, a prosperous nation. What ruined them was a war between two major superpowers and the creation of a crude, fundamental Islamic regime. The US was not really bothered about Afghanistan until 9/11. Only then did the US step in and help with the establishment of a �democratic, fair and just� regime. Even now, very few areas are not under the Taliban. The Kabul based government is practically restricted to Kabul. Even in that, corruption is rather evident; some centres had ballot boxes filled in under an hour, all voting for only one leader: Hamid Karzai.

The recently held elections were confused, to say the least. The two most important candidates were Abdullah Abdullah and Hamid Karzai. Karzai is associated with the unruly, Pashtun South, which is linked with the Taliban. If he had lost, it would mean that the Pashtuns would be further alienated from politics. On the other hand, if Abdullah, a man associated with the Tajik�s Northern alliance lost the elections, it would spell disappointment for the more educated Afghans.

Therefore, 2009 has not been a good year for Afghans. The elections were disappointing, and both the US and Taliban troops have become stronger, leading to more violent warfare.

The foreign aid coming in is lost in corruption, bribes and of course, protection money to the Taliban. Terrorist organizations across the globe, such as those in Somalia, have increased tenfold. The Tehrik-e-Taliban is reforming and seems to be even more motivated than before. The Taliban has deep pockets, which gets its funds from various (and nefarious) sources. They have official tax rates for different types of opium. The $4 billion earned by the opium trade is then divided between the Talibs, insurgents, warlords and the middlemen.

The ever diversifying terror organizations have now found an even less strenuous way of funding. They charge a �protection� tax on all internationally funded infrastructure and aid projects. Ironically, that same money is often used to destroy it.

Whether US taxpayers directly or indirectly fund the Taliban is impossible to say; and that raises the question, does the US have any deeper intentions?

With natural resources and the Russians out of the way, what does the US want? Maybe they want their security, or possibly it is a way to keep an eye on India and China via Pakistan. Perhaps they have a hunch that �Weapons of Mass Destruction� are secretly hidden in Afghanistan. Whatever their reasons may be, this will not be the first war they are fighting for seemingly confused reasons. The US (with completely honest intentions) has ended up being a large wrecking ball for every country they befriend; Iran, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq; and now Afghanistan?

Not befriending the US is probably India and China�s greatest achievement. Iran�s leader, Dr. Ahmadinejad (he secured a PhD in traffic management) must be envious of this.

Iran would rightfully feel that if the USA could build hundreds of nukes, how could they be condemned for wanting to set up a peaceful reactor? US sympathizers would then answer that Iran is not as �responsible� as the US.

The United States of America has participated in eleven official wars, set up the Taliban to counter the Soviets and been the only country to use two WMD, let alone one! What we must realize is that the US is not a responsible superpower. They in fact seem to be the most reckless country. To me, the only difference between the US and the governments of countries like Iran is that they get more bad press.