Democracy

by Asif Showkat Kallol  In the bustling constituencies of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, a new political drama is unfolding as top opposition figures break with tradition to contest seats in the urban heartland for the 13th national parliamentary elections. Amid festive…

Dedicating her life to improving the lives of vulnerable communities by creating a more just and equitable society for all, and the struggle for self-rule and protection of human rights has paved the path for conferring the ‘Indira Gandhi Prize…

Across headlines and political speeches, we hear constant warnings about the “end” or “collapse” of democracy. The assumption is clear: democracy is a fixed, universally understood system now under threat. But this framing obscures a deeper reality. Democracy has never…

by Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau) As Bangladesh counts down to its 13th general election on 12 February, political attention is increasingly focused on a group that could determine the outcome: swing voters. With more than 40 million first-time voters…

In today’s rapidly emerging multipolar world, humanity has once again become disposable. The international order that once claimed to defend democracy, human rights, and collective peace has either collapsed or been hollowed out to symbolism. The ideals that once placed…

The people of Bangladesh have bid a final farewell to former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia with unprecedented respect and love. She was laid to rest with full state honors beside the grave of…

The entire nation of Bangladesh is overwhelmed with grief following the death of Begum Khaleda Zia, the country’s first female Prime Minister and a figure renowned in political history as the ‘Uncompromising Leader.‘ On the morning of December 30, the…

In her excellent book, Résister, the journalist for the independent media outlet Blast, Salomé Saqué, paints a portrait of the rise of fascism within Western societies. Systems considered to be democratic are now facing severe challenges. Authoritarianism is no longer…

“They want obedient workers. Obedient workers. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paperwork, and just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the…

From the “end of history” to the beginning of a new contradiction. Or how a Pinochet supporter managed to captivate an electorate he does not represent. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in…