William Pfaff - The meeting on nuclear security convoked by Barack Obama this week was meant to prevent nuclear proliferation. This is a worthy cause, but -- while I am writing before the meeting closes -- I would assume that it will at best produce empty promises, as the meeting itself is fatally flawed. Its conceptual basis is that the United States is a disinterested world leader, calling on others to do what is self-evidently in the general interest. This is not true. The underlying incitement to...
Discussing language, politics and the role of the media in information dissemination at the Commonwealth Club in California earlier this month, Noam Chomsky also makes some interesting observations about nuclear powers, including Pakistan, which this week has been under siege of violence. Newspapers vs. the Internet Responding to the following question, Chomsky reflects on the role of newspapers and journalism in modern day society as well as access to information. In light of the...
Sirddharth Varadarajan, Deputy Editor of The Hindu, India's largest English language newspaper, talks about the consequences of the Mumbai bombings for Indian politics, as well as the issue of Islamophobia in India. Indians have rejected attempts to politicize the attacks, says Varadarajan. Nevertheless, the death toll from the attacks tops 170 and two senior officials have resigned. For more analysis, please see here.