Nine months after Hosni Mubarak’s regime was overthrown, unrest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continues. Egyptians are still waiting for that evasive democracy as protests continue in Cairo. Libya witnessed a bloody end to 42 year old Gaddafi regime. Syria is in the midst of a severe crisis as protests and government crackdowns continue. The fate of Arab League’s peace plan still hangs in balance. Will we witness an end of the dictatorship across the world or will it lead to more chaos in countries facing the revolution? Part of the problem lies with the inability of the respective regimes to foresee the crisis and their refusal to undertake reforms. Had the regimes been flexible enough to relinquish power or had the dexterity to resolve internal issues, they could have continued to enjoy public support, prevented the loss of lives of hundreds of people, avoided the present chaos and external intervention in the region. Although human rights violations and non-cooperative attitude of regimes may sometimes necessitate external intervention, the latter often fails to bring the desired results. As we have seen in Afghanistan and Iraq, while external intervention makes a good start, they often fail to achieve what they had set to achieve. Best solutions lie within a country, and require foresight by people at the helm of affairs.
Climate change impacts all living beings. Cutting of trees and development activities have their impact on various beings such as birds and animals. While langurs are occasional visitors, crows have disappeared in many places including in Bhilai. So it was a pleasant surprise to find crows hovering around the nearby zoo that I visited, with…
States in India may have been divided due to linguistics, economic, development, or administrative factors. However, in reality if people visit any place in Madhya Pradesh (MP) from Chhattisgarh or vice versa, they don’t usually say we are going to MP or CG, people simply refer to the name of the city such as Bhopal,…
2024 has arrived. It’s a leap year. Like every year, many from India and across the world garnered accolades in 2023 in various forms of arts and sports. People were recognized for their work in literature, medicine, science, information technology, academics, humanitarian work, and peace as well. However, life is not just about winning prizes…
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