The practice of resorting to torture in order to elicit vital information goes back to ancient times. While human civilization has much progressed in many areas, this tendency has held humanity back. The practice of torture is not merely repulsive to the senses. Beyond the obvious pain and suffering inflicted on the victim, it poses…
Category: Politics
All the articles that come under politics domain.
Gorbachev’s analysis of the problems confronting the USSR
“Perestroika is a pressing necessity that has arisen out of the profound processes taking place in the course of the development of our socialist society. That society is ripe for change-one might say it has suffered enough. Any delay in pursuing Perestroika could lead in the very near future to a deterioration in the situation…
Q & A on Separation of Church and State
1- Define the concept of “separation of church and state” Separation of Church and State is one of the governing principles under the Constitution of the United States, which forbids any interference of religion in affairs of the state. At the time of the inclusion of this provision in the American constitution, it was seen…
Why and how was neo-liberalism able to establish itself as the dominant paradigm in the 1980s?
By the start of 1980s, currents of change were detected in the global economic order, with nationalism and protectionism being replaced by neo-liberalism and free flow of capital. Even as elites from the West promoted this new economic order, the process was facilitated by respective business leaders from nations across the world. (Tyvela, 2004, p.156)…
The most important influences on the colonial experiences of Europeans in North America?
The European colonial experience in the New World is not one monolithic, homogenous entity. The wave of colonists arriving in the newly discovered continent comprised of several groups deriving from different religious, cultural, linguistic and class backgrounds. At one end of the spectrum were members of imperial royalty, whose purpose was one of administration and…
Propaganda Studies: Invasion and occupation of Iraq since 2003
The invasion and occupation of Iraq since 2003 is a classic example of the power and effectiveness of propaganda campaigns. For some people, subsequent revelations about the lack of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) might have come as a surprise. But even before the invasion took place, many people across the world (including Americans) took…
Have power and ideology been used to achieve consensus in India?
India is the world’s largest democracy. With a population in excess of one billion and an electoral franchise that extends to all citizens above the age of 18, the General Elections that is conducted every five years is indeed a grand spectacle. Moreover, considering the broad diversity of language, culture and religion within the population,…
Capitalism and Democracy
There is very little doubt that capitalism is a highly potent economic system for generating wealth and prosperity. In the last four decades of its implementation globally, there are numerous examples that support this claim. As Peter Berger writes, capitalism is a “horn of plenty that heaped…immense material wealth and an entrepreneurial class, on the…
Does free trade cause development?
Free trade is a buzzing concept in modern times, with all governments across the world proclaiming to promote it. Indeed, the last thirty years or so of global economic integration is based on free trade principles – also referred to as laizzez-faire capitalism. Definitely, there are many advantages to be availed as a result of…
What role does culture play in Western Marxism?
One of the major contributions of the Frankfurt School is the spawning of critical theory, the term first being coined by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Frankfurt. One other leading intellectual of the Frankfurt School (which was founded in 1923), is Max Horkheimer. In his 1937 essay titled ‘Traditional and Critical…