India
-
Geography is Power
A reply to X.T.M’s post, this essay argues from realism that geography has shaped South Asian states’ trajectories, citing Mackinder and Spykman, Pakistan’s Cold War and GWOT frontier role, and…
-
Geography Is Not Power
India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty believing the upstream power holds the tap. It does not. From the Indus to the Nile, the country at the top of the river…
-
Who did the Brits conquer India from?
Did the British take India from the Muslims or from the Hindus? The question cannot be answered, because it was never true. The empire they inherited had already fallen apart,…
-
Indus Water Treaty: What lies in the future?
The author sets out the main disputes over the Indus Waters Treaty now held in abeyance: dispute-resolution forums, water distribution and dam design. Argues Pakistan’s deeper problem is population growth,…
-
The joy of watching Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Bombay Badshah celebrates the batting of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: his record-breaking Under-19 World Cup final 175, the IPL century for Rajasthan Royals at 14 and his call-up to India’s tours as…
-
Is Kabir Right?
X.T.M tests Kabir’s claim that many Hindu-nationalist readers come to BP to litigate Pakistan and Muslims. The essay argues that blaming outsiders gives India a permanent excuse, since caste, corruption…
-
Open Thread: India, Israel, US & Iran
An open thread asking what has happened in the Middle East over the past six weeks, and whether India-US relations have become shakier.
-
The End of Pre-colonial Modernity and it’s Present Implications
FlyDie argues that Raghunatha Siromani’s logic in the Bengal sultanate marked an early form of modernity in South Asia, and that colonial rule ended this indigenous trajectory with consequences today.…
-
Review: Pakistan: Courting the Abyss by Tilak Devasher, a 10 year retrospective
A ten-year retrospective on Tilak Devasher’s Pakistan: Courting the Abyss, comparing its projections with current figures on the army, economy, population and water. The reviewer judges the book’s trajectories largely…
-
Open Thread: Bharat wins at Norway Chess, but something is off with Bollywood
Praggnanandhaa’s victory at Norway Chess is another reminder that India, and particularly the South, is producing world-class talent at a remarkable rate. That success prompted a broader reflection on another…
