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Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh (Cambridge UP, 2023) analyzes the growth of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan during the 1950s and 60s, highlighting the interplay of global politics and local socio-economic changes. The book posits that the 1969 revolution and the 1971 liberation war were influenced by the "global sixties," which reshaped Pakistan's political environment and paved the way for Bangladesh's creation. It challenges the conventional view of Bangladesh as solely a consequence of the Indo-Pakistani conflict, instead portraying it as a nation forged by Bengali nationalists resisting internal colonization by the Pakistani military-bureaucratic regime. The narrative explores how this resistance and nation-building process was inspired by concurrent decolonization movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while also being influenced by the Cold War competition between the USA, the USSR, and China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs
Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh (Cambridge UP, 2023) analyzes the growth of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan during the 1950s and 60s, highlighting the interplay of global politics and local socio-economic changes. The book posits that the 1969 revolution and the 1971 liberation war were influenced by the "global sixties," which reshaped Pakistan's political environment and paved the way for Bangladesh's creation. It challenges the conventional view of Bangladesh as solely a consequence of the Indo-Pakistani conflict, instead portraying it as a nation forged by Bengali nationalists resisting internal colonization by the Pakistani military-bureaucratic regime. The narrative explores how this resistance and nation-building process was inspired by concurrent decolonization movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while also being influenced by the Cold War competition between the USA, the USSR, and China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh (Cambridge UP, 2023) analyzes the growth of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan during the 1950s and 60s, highlighting the interplay of global politics and local socio-economic changes. The book posits that the 1969 revolution and the 1971 liberation war were influenced by the "global sixties," which reshaped Pakistan's political environment and paved the way for Bangladesh's creation. It challenges the conventional view of Bangladesh as solely a consequence of the Indo-Pakistani conflict, instead portraying it as a nation forged by Bengali nationalists resisting internal colonization by the Pakistani military-bureaucratic regime. The narrative explores how this resistance and nation-building process was inspired by concurrent decolonization movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while also being influenced by the Cold War competition between the USA, the USSR, and China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies
Intimation of Revolution: Global Sixties and the Making of Bangladesh (Cambridge UP, 2023) analyzes the growth of Bengali nationalism in East Pakistan during the 1950s and 60s, highlighting the interplay of global politics and local socio-economic changes. The book posits that the 1969 revolution and the 1971 liberation war were influenced by the "global sixties," which reshaped Pakistan's political environment and paved the way for Bangladesh's creation. It challenges the conventional view of Bangladesh as solely a consequence of the Indo-Pakistani conflict, instead portraying it as a nation forged by Bengali nationalists resisting internal colonization by the Pakistani military-bureaucratic regime. The narrative explores how this resistance and nation-building process was inspired by concurrent decolonization movements in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, while also being influenced by the Cold War competition between the USA, the USSR, and China.
This week we talk about British India, Kashmir, and water treaties.We also discuss the global order, sovereignty, and tit-for-tat escalation.Recommended Book: Power Metal by Vince BeiserTranscriptWhen then British India was partitioned by the British in 1947, the country carved up by its colonialist rulers into two new countries, one Hindu majority, the Union of India, and one Muslim majority, the Dominion of Pakistan, the intention was to separate two religious groups that were increasingly at violent odds with each other, within a historical context in which Muslims were worried they would be elbowed out of power by the Hindu-majority, at a moment in which carving up countries into new nations was considered to be a solution to many such problems.The partition didn't go terribly well by most measures, as the geographic divisions weren't super well thought out, tens of millions of people had to scramble to upend their entire lives to move to their new, faith-designated homelands, and things like infrastructure and wealth were far from evenly distributed between the two new regions.Pakistan was also a nation literally divided by India, part of its landmass on the other side of what was now another country, and its smaller landmass eventually separated into yet another country following Bangladesh's violent but successful secession from Pakistan in 1971.There was a lot more to that process, of course, and the reverberations of that decision are still being felt today, in politics, in the distribution of land and assets, and in regional and global conflict.But one affected region, Kashmir, has been more of a flashpoint for problems than most of the rest of formerly British India, in part because of where it's located, and in part because of happenings not long after the partition.Formerly Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmir region, today, is carved up between India, Pakistan, and China. India controls a little over half of its total area, which houses 70% of the region's population, while Pakistan controls a little less than a third of its land mass, and China controls about 15%.What was then Jammu and Kashmir dragged its feet in deciding which side of the partition to join when the countries were being separated, the leader Hindu, though ruling over a Muslim state, but an invasion from the Pakistan side saw it cast its lot in with India. India's counter-invasion led to the beginning of what became known as both the Indo-Pakistani war of 1947-1948, the first of four such wars, but is also sometimes called the first Kashmir war, the first of three, though there have been several other not-officially-a-war conflicts in and over the region, as well.Things only got more complicated over the next several decades; China seized the eastern part of the region in the 1950s, and while some Kashmiris have demanded independence, both India and Pakistan claim the region as totally their own, and point at historical markers that support their claim—some such markers based on fact, some on speculation or self-serving interpretations of history.What I'd like to talk about today is what looks to be a new, potentially serious buildup around Kashmir, following an attack at a popular tourist hotspot in the territory, and why some analysts are especially concerned about what India's government will decide to do, next.—Early in the afternoon of April 22, 2025, a group of tourists sightseeing in a town in the southern part of Kashmir called Pahalgam were open-fired on by militants. 26 people were killed and another 17 were injured, marking one of the worst attacks on mostly Indian civilians in decades.In 2019, Kashmir's semiautonomous governance was revoked by the Indian government, which in practice meant the Indian government took more complete control over the region, clamping down on certain freedoms and enabling more immigration of Indians into otherwise fairly Muslim-heavy Kashmir.It's also become more of a tourist destination since then, as India has moved more soldiers in to patrol Indian Kashmir's border with Pakistan Kashmir, and the nature of the landmass makes it a bit of a retreat from climate extremes; at times it's 30 or 40 degrees cooler, in Fahrenheit, than in New Delhi, so spendy people from the city bring their money to Kashmir to cool off, while also enjoying the natural settings of this less-developed, less-industrialized area.Reports from survivors indicate that the attackers took their time and seemed very confident, and that no Indian security forces were anywhere nearby; they walked person to person, asking them if they were Muslim and executing those who were not. Around 7,000 people were visiting the area as tourists before the attack, but most of them have now left, and it's unclear what kind of financial hit this will have on the region, but in the short-term it's expected to be pretty bad.In the wake of this attack, the Indian government claimed that it has identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistani, but Pakistan has denied any involvement, and has called for a neutral probe into the matter, saying that it's willing to fully cooperate, seeks only peace and stability, and wants to see justice served.A previously unknown group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Indian security forces have demolished the homes of at least five suspected militants in Kashmir in response, including one who they believe participated in this specific attack.The two governments have launched oppositional measures against each other, including Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines and shutting down trade with its neighbor, and India shutting down a vital land crossing, revoking Pakistani visas, and suspending a 1960 treaty that regulates water-sharing along the Indus River and its tributaries—something that it's threatened to do, previously, and which could devastate Pakistan's agricultural sector and economy, as it basically regulates water that the country relies on for both human consumption and most of its crop irrigation; and for context, Pakistan's agricultural sector accounts for about a forth of its economy.So if India blocks this water source, Pakistan would be in a very bad situation, and the Pakistani government has said that any blockage of water by India would be considered an act of war. Over the past week, a Pakistani official accused the Indian government of suddenly releasing a large volume of water from a dam into a vital river, which made flooding in parts of Pakistan-held Kashmir a real possibility, but as of the day I'm recording this they haven't closed the taps, as Pakistan has worried.For its part, India wouldn't really suffer from walking away from this treaty, as it mostly favors Pakistan. It serves to help keep the peace along an at times chaotic border, but beyond that, it does very little for India, directly.So historically, the main purpose of maintaining this treaty, for India, has been related to its reputation: if it walked away from it, it would probably suffer a reputational hit with the international community, as it would be a pretty flagrantly self-serving move that only really served to harm Pakistan, its weaker arch-nemesis.Right now, though, geopolitics are scrambled to such a degree that there are concerns India might not only be wanting to make such moves, whatever the consequences, but it may also be hankering for a larger conflict—looking to sort out long-term issues during a period in which such sorting, such conflict, may cause less reputational damage than might otherwise be the case.Consider that the US government has spoken openly about wanting to take, by whatever means, Greenland, from the Danish, a long-time ally, and that it's maybe jokingly, but still alarmingly, said that Canada should join the US as the 51st state.These statements are almost certainly just braggadocio, but that the highest-rung people in the most powerful government on the planet would say such things publicly speaks volumes about the Wild West nature of today's global order.Many leaders seem to be acting like this is a moment in which the prior paradigm, and the post-WWII rules that moderated global behavior within that paradigm, are fraying or disappearing, the global police force represented by the US and its allies pulling inward, not caring, and in some cases even becoming something like bandits, grabbing what they can.Under such circumstances, if you're in a position of relative power that you couldn't fully leverage previously, for fear of upsetting that global police force and tarnishing your reputation within that system they maintained, might you leverage it while you can, taking whatever you can grab and weakening your worst perceived enemy, at a moment in which it seems like the getting is good?It's been argued that Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty may have helped kick-off this new paradigm, but Israel's behavior in Gaza, the West Bank, and increasingly Syria, as well, are arguably even better examples of this changing dynamic.While the Democrats and Joe Biden were in the White House, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu seemed to be mostly playing ball, at least superficially, even when he very clearly wasn't—he did what he could to seem to be toeing rules-based-order lines, even when regularly stepping over them, especially in Gaza.But now, post-Trump's return to office, that line-toeing has almost entirely disappeared, and the Israeli government seems to be grabbing whatever they can, including large chunks of southwestern Syria, which was exposed by the fall of the Assad regime. The Israeli military launched a full aerial campaign against the Syrian army's infrastructure, declared a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria to be void, and though it initially said it would hold the territory it has taken temporarily, it has more recently said it would hold it indefinitely—possibly permanently expanding its country's land mass at the expense of its neighbor, another sovereign nation, at a moment in which it felt it could get away with doing so.It's not clear that India has any ambitions on Pakistani territory, beyond what it holds in Kashmir, at least, but there's a chance it sees this moment the same way the Israeli government does: as a perhaps finite moment during which the previous state of things, the global rules-based-order, no longer applies, or doesn't apply as much, which suggests it could do some serious damage to its long-time rival and not suffer the consequences it would have, reputationally or otherwise, even half a year ago.And India's leader, Narendra Modi, is in some ways even better positioned than Israel's Netanyahu to launch such a campaign, in part because India is in such a favorable geopolitical position right now. As the US changes stance, largely away from Europe and opposing Russia and its allies, toward more fully sidling up to China in the Pacific, India represents a potential counterweight against Chinese influence in the region, where it has successfully made many of its neighbors reliant on its trade, markets, and other resources.Modi has reliably struck stances midway between US and Chinese spheres of influences, allowing it to do business with Russia, buying up a lot of cheap fuel that many other nations won't touch for fear of violating sanctions, while also doing business with the US, benefitting from a slew of manufacturers who are leaving China to try to avoid increasingly hefty US tariffs.If India were to spark a more concentrated conflict with Pakistan, then, perhaps aiming to hobble its economy, its military, and its capacity to sponsor proxies along its border with India, which periodically launch attacks, including in Kashmir—that might be something that's not just tolerated, but maybe even celebrated by entities like China and the US, because both want to continue doing their own destabilizing of their own perceived rivals, but also because both would prefer to have India on their side in future great power disagreements, and in any potential future large-scale future conflict.India is richer and more powerful than Pakistan in pretty much every way, but in addition to Pakistan's decently well-developed military apparatus, like India, it has nukes. So while there's a chance this could become a more conventional tit-for-tat, leading to limited scuffles and some artillery strikes on mostly military installations across their respective borders, there's always the potential for misunderstandings, missteps, and tit-for-tat escalations that could push the region into a nuclear conflict, which would be absolutely devastating in terms of human life, as this is one of the most densely populated parts of the world, but could also pull in neighbors and allies, while also making the use of nuclear weapons thinkable by others once more, after a long period of that fortunately not being the case.Show Noteshttps://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20250427-indian-pakistani-troops-exchange-fire-for-third-night-in-disputed-kashmirhttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250422-at-least-24-killed-in-kashmir-attack-on-tourists-indian-police-sourcehttps://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20250424-india-will-identify-track-and-punish-kashmir-attack-perpetrators-modi-sayshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/world/asia/india-pakistan-kashmir.htmlhttps://archive.is/20250426143222/https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-pakistan-exchange-gunfire-2nd-day-ties-plummet-after-attack-2025-04-26/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/world/asia/india-pakistan-indus-waters-treaty.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/world/asia/kashmir-pahalgam-attack-victims.htmlhttps://apnews.com/article/india-pakistan-kashmir-attack-829911d3eae7cfe6738eda5c0c84d6aehttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11693674https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_Indiahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmirhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashmir_conflicthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_war_of_1947%E2%80%931948 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe
In this intense episode of STRAT, retired Marine Intelligence Officer LtCol. Hal Kempfer dives into dynamic regional conflicts and their far-reaching consequences. With a critical lens, he examines the ongoing tensions between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India, focusing on the intricate web of territorial disputes, religious divides, and water rights. Hal also delves into current issues affecting Ukraine and Russia, covering potential ceasefire talks and the economic strains undercutting Russia's military efforts. On the Middle Eastern front, discussions cover Iran's nuclear ambitions amidst fragile regional stability and the challenges facing the Gaza Strip. As Hal scrutinizes these geopolitical struggles, he highlights the impacts of diplomatic maneuvering, domestic politics, and international interventions shaping global risk landscapes. Stay informed and gain deep insights into these complex situations, offering a comprehensive understanding of current global strategic threats and peace prospects.Takeaways:• Tensions between India and Pakistan hinge on Kashmir conflict.• Water rights disputes may ignite broader Indo-Pakistani conflict.• US role diminishing in mitigating India-Pakistan nuclear tensions.• Ukraine negotiations advance amidst strained Russian resources.• Iran may face heightened pressures over nuclear program specifics.• Egypt proposes a comprehensive ceasefire deal for Gaza.• Elephants in Ukraine discussions include Trump's political challenges.• Middle East dynamics shaped by shifting alliances and nuclear capabilities.#STRATPodcast #GlobalConflicts #NuclearTensions #GeopoliticalRisk #MiddleEastPeace #IndiaPakistanConflict #UkraineRussiaWar #IranNuclearAgreement #USDiplomacyChallenges #PakistanNuclearSafeguards #KashmirConflict #GazaCeasefire #HamasPeaceProposal #StrategicThreatAssessment #HalKempferInsights #PoliticalRiskAnalysis #ConflictResolution #MilitaryStrategy #InternationalRelations #PeaceTalksProgress #MillitaryIntelligence
In this episode of 'Do I Like It', we dive into the enigmatic world of 'Barzakh', the new web series starring Fawad Khan, Sanam Saeed, and Salman Shahid. We explore the themes, religious imagery, and intricate storytelling that make this Indo-Pakistani co-production a unique viewing experience. From spiritual metaphors to complex world-building, find out why this series demands more than just casual watching. Tune in for a spoiler-free guide to this intense narrative. Leave a comment if you'd like a full spoiler deep dive—12 chosen buzurgs might just make it happen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we talk about student protests, curfews, and East Pakistan.We also discuss Sheikh Hasina, Myanmar, and authoritarians.Recommended Book: The Identity Trap by Yascha MounkTranscriptBangladesh is a country of about 170 million people, those people living in an area a little smaller than the US state of Illinois, a hair over 57,000 square miles.It shares a smallish southeastern border with Myanmar, and its entire southern border runs up against the Bay of Bengal, which is part of the Indian Ocean, but it's surrounded to the west, north, and most of its eastern border by India, which nearly entirely encompasses Bangladesh due to the nature of its historical formation.Back in 1905, a previously somewhat sprawling administrative region called Bengal, which has a lot history of human occupation and development, and which for the past several hundred years leading up to that point had been colonized by various Europeans, was carved-out by the British as a separate province, newly designated Eastern Bengal and Assam, at the urging of local Muslim aristocrats who were playing ball with then-governing British leaders, the lot of them having worked together to make the region one of the most profitable in British India, boasting the highest gross domestic product, and the highest per-capita income on the subcontinent, at the time.This division separated Bengal from its Hindu-dominated neighboring provinces, including nearby, and booming Calcutta, which was pissed at this development because it allowed the British to invest more directly and lavishly in an area that was already doing pretty well for itself, without risking some of that money overflowing into nearby, Hindu areas, like, for instance, Calcutta.This division also allowed local Muslim leaders to attain more political power, in part because of all that investment, but also because it freed them up to form an array of political interest groups that, because of the nature of this provincial division, allowed them to focus on the needs of Muslim citizens, and to counter the influence of remaining local Hindu landowners, and other such folks who have previously wielded an outsized portion of that power; these leaders were redistributing power in the region to Muslims over Hindus, basically, in contrast to how things worked, previously.In 1935, the British government promised to grant the Bengalese government limited provincial autonomy as part of a larger effort to set the subcontinent out on its own path, leading up to the grand decolonization effort that European nations would undergo following WWII, and though there was a significant effort to make Bengal its own country in 1946, post-war and just before the partition of British India, that effort proved futile, and those in charge of doing the carving-up instead divided the country into areas that are basically aligned with modern day India and modern day Pakistan, but two-thirds of Bengal were given to Pakistan, while one-third was given to India.This meant that a portion of Pakistan, the most populous portion, though with a smaller land area, was separated from the remainder of the country by Indian territory, and the logic of dividing things in this way was that the British wanted to basically delineate Hindu areas from Muslim areas, and while large, spread-out groups of Muslims lived roughly within the borders of modern day Pakistan, a large, more densely crowded group of Muslims lived in Bengal, hence the otherwise nonsensical-seeming decision to break a country up into two pieces in this way.Frictions developed between mainland Pakistan and the portion of Pakistan, formally Bengal, that was initially called East Bengal, and then renamed East Pakistan in 1955, almost immediately. There was a movement to get the Bengali language officially recognized as a state language, alongside Urdu, which was promoted as the exclusive federal language of Pakistan, early on, and a list of six demands were presented to the Pakistani government by East Pakistan-based politicians, all of which aimed to get the region equal representation in what they felt was a West Pakistan-biased system, despite the fact that, again, East Pakistan, formally Bengal, was the most populous part of the country, and they had the most thriving economy, as well, bringing in most of the country's income.These demands led to what's become known as the Six Points Movement, which in turn, just a few years later, kicked off the Bangladesh War of Independence, which was exactly what it sounds like: an effort by folks in East Pakistan to achieve independence from the larger government of Pakistan, which had in recent years been taken over by a military junta which, like the previous government, didn't give as much political power to Easy Pakistanis.That junta, in late March of 1971, launched a military operation called Operation Searchlight that was meant to take out separatists in East Pakistan—but in practice this meant they swooped in and started targeting academics, members of the local intelligentsia, and people of Hindu faith, alongside members of the rabble-rousing groups that were petitioning for more power in this smaller-by-landmass, but larger by population and income, segment of the country.Operation Searchlight sparked the aforementioned Bangladesh War of Independence, and nine months later, the military government's efforts during this conflict were deemed to be genocidal because of how they targeted ethnic Bengalis, killing somewhere between 300,000 and 3 million of them, while also intentionally and systematically raping hundreds of thousands of Bengali women, the soldiers who committed these acts doing so with the formal go-ahead from their government—they were told to do so, basically.These atrocities eventually pulled India into the conflict, in part because millions of Bengalis were fleeing across their border to escape the genocide, and in part because the genocide was occurring, to begin with, and that sparked the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, which eventually led to an end to that genocide when Pakistan's government surrendered at the tail-end of 1971.That victory led to, formerly Bengal, then East Pakistan, now Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. It also concretized India's military dominance in the region, and Pakistan, what remained of it, lost more than half its population, much of its economic base, and suffered a long period of embarrassment that left it questioning the basis of its militant, braggadocios approach to both nationalism and foreign policy; it was previously a well-respected and feared military force, but it became a somewhat eyes-downcast entity in the region for a while, lots of reforms eventually helping it shore-up its economy, but remnants of this period still percolate in its internal politics and government operation, to this day, including its antagonism toward India, and its support of local jihadist groups, which the government uses as a counterbalance against India and other local power structures, which it can no longer face head-on.What I'd like to talk about today is a swirl of new tumult in modern day Bangladesh, and what this moderate uproar might mean for the country's future.—Modern Bangladesh is surrounded by conflict.Myanmar's military government is in the midst of a civil war, following the recent overthrow of its democratically elected civilian government, and the subsequent rise and loose collaboration between rebel groups in various parts of the country.India is booming, and is broadly considered to be the next big power player on the world stage, though it's already a regional titan. It also continues to scuffle with Pakistan to its northwest, and with China along its shared borders, which are located just a short distance north of Bangladesh.Bangladesh's coast, along the Bay of Bengal, has long underperformed economically, despite being surrounded by some of the most impactful producers of goods in the world, and this coastline, including the one occupied by Bangladesh, has become incredibly unpredictable in recent years: regularly flooding, entire villages being swept out to sea, and freshwater sources increasingly tainted by those incursions of salt water.This area already has a lot going on, in other words, and many of those goings on seem primed for amplification in the coming years, as global power structures and economic tangles continue to flex and break and rearrange, and as the climate continues to behave in increasingly distressing ways; there's a political and military realignment happening in this part of the world, but geopolitics and global economics are also swirling and rearranging in all sorts of unpredictable ways.All of which serves as context for a recent series of protests that arose around Bangladesh beginning in July of 2024.These protests were held by mostly students who were not fans of a quota scheme that was originally implemented by the government in the wake of that 1971 war with Pakistan, this system abolished in 2018, but which was reimplemented by the country's High Court shortly before the protests began.And this system basically promised that 30% of all government jobs would go to the descendants of people who fought in that war against Pakistan, for independence, alongside some jobs for minority groups, folks from traditionally underrepresented districts, and people who are disabled—though mostly it was meant to honor the descendants of those veterans.The protesting students were pissed about this reimplementation because the country's economy isn't great at the moment, and unemployment is rife; the jobs that are available are not paying much, and are not terribly secure. About 18 million young people are currently unemployed in Bangladesh.Government jobs, in contrast, tend to provide some level of consistency and predictability, pay relatively well, and tend to stick around—folks in such jobs aren't worried about being fired or their jobs disappearing, because of their very nature. So the best jobs, by that standard, are government jobs, and nearly a third of those jobs have been promised to people who, in many cases, just happened to be born to the right parents or grandparents; and notably, the majority of folks with families who fought in that conflict, are also supporters of the current, authoritarian Bangladeshi government—so part of the criticism here is that these quotas offer a means of giving cushy, reliable jobs to supporters of the current regime, without seeming like that's what they're doing.These peaceful student protests were met with heavy resistance and violence by the government, which deployed police and soldiers who shot at protestors and shut down universities and the internet in the country, and that led to more protests, including by non-students, who were also met with at times deadly force.About 150 people have been confirmed killed, so far, though that's the government's figure, and other, independent counts have tallied more than 200 dead. Hundreds of protestors were also arrested and curfews were implemented.The Supreme Court responded to the initial protests by reducing the quota in late July, to the point that about 5% of government jobs would go to descendants of those veterans, which in practice meant about 93% of all government jobs would be divvied-out in a normal way, hiring people based on who's the best candidate.Protests largely ceased after that announcement, and the government restored internet services 11 days after shutting it down across the country. Social media platforms like WhatsApp and TikTok remain restricted, however, as these services were used to promote and organize protests.Curfews have also been relaxed somewhat, though police are reportedly sweeping through schools and cities, grabbing people who were recorded at protests, arresting thousands of them, including at least half a dozen students who led the initial protests that kicked everything off.Protest leaders are now demanding that the remaining curfews be lifted, that those who were arrested are released, charges against them dropped, and that the leaders responsible for the heavy-handed response should resign.Some protestors have also called for the country's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, to step down, as she initially called the students traitors, though she later backtracked and said she didn't want them to be harmed.Hasina is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Bangladeshi history, having initially stepped into the position in 1996, then stepping back into the role in 2009—she's held the office ever since.She's generally considered to be an authoritarian, and has been accused of fixing elections, extrajudicial killings, and the imprisonment, or worse, of politicians and journalists who challenge her in any way.She is, given all that, then, perhaps not surprisingly blaming these protests not on the students—not any longer, at least—but instead on opposition political parties who she says are attempting to challenge her rule, and thus, the wellbeing of the country as a whole.Given that this is a relatively well-established authoritarian regime, there's a nonzero chance those who are in charge of these protests will take the win with the quota system, even though it wasn't fully removed, and step back from these other, more substantial demands that are unlikely to be met, short of perhaps a token resignation here and there by lower-run government officials who take the bullet for those higher up.Outside demands for impartial investigations into who caused what are likewise unlikely to move forward, and the government has made it pretty clear it intends to double-down on the "it's the political opposition doing this to us, and you" narrative, which could help them justify further clamping-down on these groups, even to the point of more imprisonments and killings, but bare-minimum, in such a way that it makes dislodging the current ruling party even more difficult in the future.It's possible that tumult elsewhere around the world, including in Bangladesh's own backyard, might encourage overreaction, not under reaction, from those in charge, as Myanmar's military government is having a lot of trouble with rebels, these days, and while it's not impossible that the prime minister will give in to more moderate demands, publicly apologizing for the violent response and firing some of her higher-level ministers, her government's history hints that things are more likely to tilt in the other direction, at least for the foreseeable future, and at least if the protestors fail to scale-up their operations to incorporate more of the country's population than they have, thus far.At the moment, then, things have calmed a bit in terms of protests and government responses to those protests in Bangladesh. But there are elements to this story that have made things even more volatile than they already were, and because of how uncertain so many variables in the region are right now, there's a chance we'll see this, or connected movements and storylines, bubble back up at some point in the near-future.Show Noteshttps://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/bay-of-bengal-climate-change/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Hasinahttps://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-protests-quelled-anger-discontent-remain-2024-07-26/https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/26/bangladesh-student-protests-mass-movement-against-dictatorhttps://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-campus-violence-hasina-bc513b6d68cf5b94cfd898f3c7f153d2https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bangladesh-student-group-vows-to-resume-protests-if-demands-not-met/article68456310.ecehttps://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/25/bangladesh-minister-defends-govt-response-to-protests-amid-calls-for-probehttps://www.aljazeera.com/program/newsfeed/2024/7/24/bangladeshs-deadly-protests-explainedhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/largest-U-S-state-by-areahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladeshhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Pakistani_war_of_1971 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe
Fika with Vicky is eager to welcome Author Zohra Zoberi to Episode 77. Her Memoir, The Other I, takes us on an incredible journey from Pakistan to Nigeria, then Sweden and finally Canada. And Oh, yes…there will be various other stops along the way. This work, spanning 52 years of travel, changes, and observations, is a testament to the human spirit's ability to adapt, grow, and find peace in a personal world as well as a global one. About The Other I: A Memoir - “Settled in Canada since 1976 , I'll bring you exciting life stories from four different continents. By common definition—a Canadian of Indo-Pakistani origin, but in spirit, I'm a Global Citizen. Experience my attempts to achieve the best of both worlds. Melding values from the East and the West Enjoying a fine process of combining, retaining, rejecting, and upholding! You'll see how my Canadian dream is achieved, and when...at a certain point in my life, there is a Paradigm shift!” About Zohra - An award winning banker (20 yrs) Zohra made a career switch to manage an Optometric Dispensary Her poetry, short stories, and plays have been published in over two dozen anthologies in Canada and the USA. Four books to her credit are ‘True Colours' From the Universe to the Inner Mind (eclectic poetry collection) ‘Questionably Ever After' (published plays) also staged. “The Other I” a memoir zohraz.com. This bilingual author has appeared in radio & TV interviews, locally and abroad. Founder and Artistic Director of Bridging the Gap Productions with a mission of ‘Enlightenment through Entertainment' 'Social Activism through Literary Arts' Winner of: 2 Performing Arts group Awards – 2007 and 2008 (From Mississauga Arts Council (Live plays staged in Mississauga) Literary Arts Award –2011 (Mississauga Arts Council) Ambassador of Peace Award -- Universal Peace Federation 2012 Woman of Courage Award - Endless Possibilities 2013 Nominated for other awards including Hazel McCallion Volunteer Award Her Story award Women's Federation 2023 Heritage Hero Award 2023 Nominated for Literary Award 2024 Mississauga Arts Council Won as: Top Artistic Director of a non profit organization by IAOTP (USA) 2018 (International Association of Top Professionals) see Press Release IAOTP
Our Tiger series retrospective is now available as a Patreon exclusive. Subscribe for 1$ to get access! Ek Tha Tiger Tiger Zinda Hai Welcome to Khandaan: A Bollywood Podcast where we're celebrating Diwali with our bhaijaan in TIGER 3. The latest instalment of the YRF Spyverse, Tiger 3 is, as the name suggests, the third in the Tiger series that kicked off the Spyverse. Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif as the Indo-Pakistani spy duo who navigate difficult loyalties in the midst of forever love, this movie takes us unexpected places. We're joined by Abbas Momin of the Has It Aged Well? Podcast to discuss this Maneesh Sharma directorial and we have a lot to say! Show notes: Tiger 3 Promo: Tiger Ka Message Tiger 3 Trailer Follow us on Socials: Amrita, Sujoy, Asim YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok Sujoy's Instagram Amrita's YouTube Book Channel- Amrita By The Book You can listen to Khandaan- A Bollywood Podcast episodes on the following apps: Apple Podcast Spotify Jio Saavn Deezer Audible Amazon Music Omny iHeart
Shaunak Agarkhedkar is the author of acclaimed spy thriller ‘Let Bhutto Eat Grass', and its sequels. He also runs a newsletter focused on short stories about espionage all over the world. In this episode, hosted by Sharan Setty, they delve into topics such as the reality of spy work, how spies function in India, information-gathering techniques before the Internet Age, the US' position on various Indo-Pakistani interactions, and more. Shaunak's Substack: https://substack.com/profile/12083892-shaunak-agarkhedkarShaunak's profile on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Shaunak-Agarkhedkar/e/B074VB5LK3?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1664141425&sr=1-1 Join this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBfBd-1kvCOPxVll8tBJ9Q/join
On this episode of Magical Moments Jill interviews Aliya LeeKong! Aliya is a Chef, Cookbook Author, Television Personality and Mother with a passion for bringing global and socially conscious foods, spices, and traditions into everyday cooking and eating.She has been a guest chef on The Today Show. She has been a judge on Food Networkshows Kitchen Casino, Beat Bobby Flay, and Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition, aculinary expert on MSNBC's Morning Joe, and has been widely covered in publications likeFood & Wine, Vogue India, Shape, Oprah, Eater, and Food Republic. Aliya is extremelypassionate about culture and it's influence. She is a first generation American whose parentsare Tanzanian and Indo-Pakistani immigrants, which has molded her multi dimensional insightinto cooking through a lens that layered culture upon culture.Aliya is passionate about translating her maternal experiences into culinary adventures in thekitchen, which inspired her to create a children's app, Issa's Edible AdventuresTM.I met Aliya years ago at JILL LINDSEY and instantly felt a beautiful bond to her! We actually did a supper club in 2015 and have stayed close through the years! I have watched your daughters grow and you have always been such a huge supporter of the JL community! Stay tuned for our supper club with Aliya in the future and have the MOST MAGICAL DAY!XOXOXO!
Welcome back, Brave Table fam! Joining me today all the way from Bali is the incredible Shayoon, a Trauma Specialist and Co-Founder of The Lightforce Center, a facility that uses ancient practices for deep healing. As a fashion icon from Los Angeles, to Ibiza, to Bali, she has been featured on the covers and in publications like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Harper's Bazaar, Travel + Leisure, plus many more, and was called “the powerful and most sought-after female healer” by Grazia Magazine. Here's what we are diving into today: - Dating outside of your culture and how to tell your family - How to break free from the confines of family obligations to discover yourself - Using your trauma as a tool for your healing and growth - How to question when conventional medicine says you won't be able to walk again - Undoing your cultural and religious programming and creating your own traditions - The lessons your children have to offer and how they can help you clear trauma from your lineage - The distinction between faith and religion - How to fiercely use your voice, speak your truth, and stand up for what you believe in - Taking the leap when your soul is asking for more of life - Sitting with ayahuasca, freebirthing, and moving through fear Shayoon was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to a mixed-culture (Indo-Pakistani) and a conservative Muslim family. Shayoon's family moved around the world before eventually landing in Oklahoma City when she was a teenager. Immediately, she noticed the differences between being Muslim in Kenya versus the United States, feeling like, in the US, she had to adhere to a certain identity that didn't align with who she was and led her to ‘rebel' against what was expected of her in her culture. Then at 18, she got in a terrible car accident that left her feeling broken. She was told she wasn't going to walk properly again, wouldn't be able to have children, and couldn't continue to play volleyball, causing her to fall into a deep depression and experience anxiety. Longing for more than Oklahoma City could offer her, Shayoon moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in fashion. In 2010, during a weekend at Coachella, she would enter into a powerful love story, meeting her twin flame and now husband, Alexander. Shayoon's relationship with Alexander was the catalyst for her deep healing journey and the beginning of her spiritual awakening. Still in immense pain from her car accident and managing it with Western medicine, Alexander opened Shayoon up to holistic healing, in particular, the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). Within minutes, after years of pain, medication, and feeling anger toward her body, Shayoon was freed from her chronic pain for good—and never took medication for it again. After seeing what was possible when you begin to release unhealed trauma and stagnant emotion, Shayoon trained herself in various healing modalities and techniques so she could pay it forward. Today this mama of two is dedicated to spreading the gift of healing far and wide to relieve others of their pain and disease, help them realize their power, and live healthy, thriving lives. Alongside Alexander, they have been able to heal clients of The Lightforce Center of everything from asthma to fertility issues to depression and anxiety. In this conversation, she also shares her free birth story, how nervous she was to bring home a non-Muslim boyfriend to meet her parents, clearing ancestral trauma, how to have unshakeable faith over fear, and trusting and honoring your intuition in choosing what practices will be most supportive for you. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to check out… - Shayoon's Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/shayoon_/ and The Lightforce Center at https://thelightforcecenter.com/ - More about your using voice and being yourself with Vasavi Kumar https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vasavi-kumar-how-to-be-more-of-yourself/id1608226580?i=1000555690092 - Pursuing your dharma with Sahara Rose https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sahara-rose-pursuing-your-dharma-to-be-your-highest-self/id1608226580?i=1000551753870 - More on healing generational trauma https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/healing-generational-trauma-breaking-free-from-asian/id1608226580?i=1000553426419 Thanks for listening and I hope you loved this episode. If you did, please consider leaving a 5-star review to help others find and benefit from the show. After you do, make sure you send a screenshot to support@globalgrit.co to receive my course on Emotional Mastery as my FREE gift to you. Thank you so much for being here, and see you next time!
"Inspired by the content of the original recording, I manipulated contemporary music and found sounds to invoke a landscape where war visited suddenly, and just as quickly dissipated." Composition by Jeff Economy. Part of the Shortwave Transmissions project, documenting and reimagining the sounds of shortwave radio - find out more and see the whole project at https://citiesandmemory.com/shortwave
In this episode, Caitlin Woolsey (Assistant Director of the Research and Academic Program at the Clark Art Institute) speaks with Asma Naeem, the Eddie C. and C. Sylvia Brown Chief Curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Asma shares her circuitous path into the discipline, from her sensitivity to the visual landscape of her childhood within an Indo-Pakistani immigrant family, to the formative challenges of practicing law in a district attorney's office in Manhattan, and how her tenacious passion for art history led her to explore the intersections between sound technologies and nineteenth-century American painting and into her current curatorial work.
Bro History Kashmir Is the India/Pakistan dispute over Kashmir the most dangerous conflict in the world? Well, you can make a strong case for it since both nations are armed with nuclear warheads. Today we go over the history of the Indo-Pakistani conflict and what led to the tensions over Kashmir. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS Bluechew.com PROMO CODE – […] Kashmir szamotah
In this episode of Pod Bless Canada, MLI Munk Senior Fellow Shuvaloy Majumdar is joined by Dhruva Jaishankar, one of India’s foremost experts on international affairs. With India’s elections – the world’s largest democratic exercise – fast approaching Majumdar and Jaishankar discuss the top geopolitical issues facing the country. Topics of discussion include the role of China in the Indo-Pacific region, India’s careful but constructive economic engagement with China, the need for macro-economic reforms in India and their role the upcoming election, the recent escalation of tensions in Indo-Pakistani relations, and opportunities for greater collaboration between Canada and India. Dhruva Jaishankar is Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings India in New Delhi and the Brookings Institution in Washington DC. He was previously a Transatlantic Fellow with the German Marshall Fund (GMF) where he managed the India Trilateral Forum. Before that, he was a David Rockefeller Fellow with the Trilateral Commission and Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow with the Aspen Strategy Group. He holds a master's degree in security studies from Georgetown University.
On this edition of the Nixon Now podcast, we’re talking the Nixon Tapes again, with specific focus on President Nixon’s conversations about India’s War with Pakistan in 1971, and the international and domestic implications of U.S. policy in the conflict. Our guest again is Luke Nichter, Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Central Texas. He’s the nation’s foremost expert on the Nixon White House Tapes, and founder of NixonTapes.org. Interview by Jonathan Movroydis. Read the transcript here: https://www.nixonfoundation.org/2019/02/podcast-luke-nichter-white-house-tapes-indo-pakistani-war-yeoman-radford-affair/ Photo: President Nixon with India Prime Minister Indira Ghandi on 4 November 1971. (Richard Nixon Presidential Library)
Manto is a 2018 Indian biographical drama film about the famous Urdu author Saadat Hasan Manto, written and directed by Nandita Das. The film stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the title character of Indo-Pakistani, author and writer Saadat Hasan Manto. Tahir Raj Bhasin plays the 40’s Bollywood superstar Shyam Chadda. Reknown Astro-Numerologist Swetta Jumani reveals whether Manto will be Nawazuddin's best film to date. Check out the video! Log On To Our Official Website : http://www.lehren.com Download LEHREN App For Android: Android Play Store Link : https://goo.gl/xtpQgq Facebook : https://bit.ly/LehrenFacebook Twitter: https://bit.ly/LehrenTwitter
On the debut episode of Food Without Borders, host Sari Kamin sat down with chef and cookbook author, Aliya LeeKong. Aliya is the author of "Exotic Table: Flavors, Inspiration, and Recipes from Around the World--to Your Kitchen." She grew up in a Tanzanian and Indo-Pakistani household and has traveled the globe, learning about people from different backgrounds by tasting their food and cooking in their homes. Immigrant cuisine has always inspired Aliya's recipes, but since Trump's election, she has made it her mission to think about food as resistance. Through her #bannedfood series, Aliya is able to show solidarity for the people living in the countries targeted by Trump's executive order and educate others though food.
In this episode we explore the first clash between India and Pakistan in the mountains of Kashmir. What was so important about this region and why did India and Pakistan fight a war over it ? How did the Kashmir conflict become involved in the wider Cold War and how did the conflict shape the future of both nations and the wider region? Learn all this and more !
In this episode we discuss Salman Khan’s three most profitable films to date. Show Notes: List of highest-grossing Indian films worldwide The popularity of the three Khans Baahubali: The Beginning (Which Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions released, but maybe didn’t have much to do with the production?) Franchise power versus star power Deepika Padukone, the secret weapon to box office success? Genre diversity and social issues Kick Jacqueline Fernandez, Randeep Hooda, Nargis Fakhri The 100 Crore Club Salman Khan A controversial and divisive figure Jai Ho versus “Jai Ho” “Jumme Ki Ratt” and “Hangover” Kathy Gibson’s review in Access Bollywood INTERVAL (”Devil- Yaar Naa Miley” from Kick) Bajrangi Bhaijaan Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Harshaali Malhotra Monkey God Hanuman Indo-Pakistani relations/ Hindu-Muslim relations Missing children in India and reliability of public institutions Superfluous romance Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh The Prisoner of Zenda Too many songs “Jab Tum Chaho” and “Prem Leela” Jodi: a perfect pairing Is Salman Khan Bollywood’s Elizabeth Taylor of Richard Burton? (and should he be cast as Freddie Mercury?) Fun soccer/football scene Should Neil Nitin Mukesh be cast in Game of Thrones? NEXT TIME: Three films from Kabir Khan on real life acts of terrorism Find us on iTunes! and Stitcher! Follow us on Twitter! Like us on Facebook! #SalmanKhan, #Kick, #BajrangiBhaijaan, #PremRatanDhanPayo, #JacquelineFernandez, #RandeepHooda, #NargisFakhri, #NawazuddinSiddiqui, #KareenaKapoor, #HarshaaliMalhotra, #SonamKapoor, #NeilNitinMukesh, #Bollywood, #BollywoodIsForLovers, #BiFL
For the 5th edition we focus on our Writer in Focus, Aatul Taweri and Director in Focus, Shyam Benegal who are coming to the 5th IFFI. We talk about an exclusive Irish premier at this years, Mardaani about a police going rogue and taking down the child trafficking mafia and look at Kya Dilli Kya Lahore, a film about the Indo-Pakistani border.
On today's THE FOOD SEEN, Aliya LeeKong brings her multi-national home (Indo-Pakistani, Tanzanian, Trinidad, Hong Kong) to the forefront through her video series, Exotic Table. Though she travels to far off lands like Turkey, Goa, and South Africa, she also finds flavor inspiration here Staten Island where a band of grandmothers run the kitchen at Enoteca Maria. Aliya is also the Culinary Creative Director at Junoon, a restaurant highlighting South Asian cuisine, where she blends spices as she does cultures. This episode was sponsored by Fairway Market.