India & The New World

  Wars Are Forever Deepak Razdan Friday, 20 June, 2025 The New World emerged out of America’s new tariff regime. Nations were expected not to think multilaterally. They were to now think of their own interests first, and then negotiate with the US or other nations. It was a financial transformation forced on the world by the US. It came suddenly but it changed the scenario completely. The New World has not however given up some of the old world ways. It still thinks of wars, and quick wars, to settle issues. As a result, instead of trade deals, the world is today witnessing frequent war deals. Tariff negotiations are forgotten. There are stories about drones and missiles falling over hospitals and nuclear facilities, and about how they destroy lives and property built over years. First, it was the Russia-Ukraine War. Then came the Palestine-Israel confrontation. As US President Donald Trump made efforts to bring peace and facilitate deals, the Israel-Iran war started ...

    G7 Working Session, Kananaskis, Alberta,           Canada 17 June, 2025 Coming Wars in New World Known Before Deepak Razdan Tuesday, 17 June, 2025 Uncertainty is the most certain feature of the New World. Much of the world trade is stalled today because no nation is certain of the tariffs that are applied. Friends appear foes and foes are wooed with respect. Pacts are forgotten or don’t matter. But it is not so with wars or attacks with deadly missiles. Wars can be predicted in the world today, unlike the Ukraine-Russia war or the Hamas-Israel war which started in the past. Like the US tariffs war started on 2nd April, on a date known before, war dates too can be guessed in advance. Israel attacked Iran with missiles as per a schedule -- at the end of a 60-day ultimatum US President Donald Trump gave to Iran to conclude a deal about its nuclear capabilities. Iran failed to respond within the stipulated period, and the Israel at...

          International Labour Organisation Director-                 General Mr Gilbert F Houngbo Peace Will Last With Social Justice Only Deepak Razdan Friday, 13 June, 2025 Unlike the twentieth century when democracies thrived by combining political equity with economic inclusivity, the 21st century has seen in its past few decades a marked erosion of this balance. The result is decent jobs are not available sufficient in numbers, inequality has soared, labour income has stagnated, the cost of living has gone up, the debt burden has strangled developing economies, and trust in institutions has plummeted. These disturbing findings are mentioned in International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director General’s Report to the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), held in Geneva from 2 to 13 June. Mr Gilbert F Houngbo, who made history in 2022 by becoming the first African to be elected the...

G7: Mark Carney’s Moment of History Deepak Razdan Tuesday, 10 June, 2025 Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney will have a moment of history when the next G7 Leaders Summit takes place in Kananaskis under Canada’s Presidency in the country’s Alberta State from 15 to 17 June. The G7 leaders meet each year at a Summit to discuss pressing issues and build consensus on coordinated actions. This is the seventh time that Canada has held the Presidency of the G7. The coming Summit is taking place when the world faces such tricky issues as it has not encountered since the end of World War II in 1945. As the Chair, Canada will set the agenda and speak on behalf of the G7. The G7 comprises France, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada, besides the European Union (EU) which attends the G7 Summits but does not host them like the individual members. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi will be a special invitee at the Summit. Prime Minister Carney extended an in...

President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in White House on 5 June, 2025    National Interests Delay Ceasefire, Trade Deals Deepak Razdan Saturday, 7 June, 2025 The New World continues to live in turmoil. Neither trade deals to halt tariffs war, nor a ceasefire to stop human bloodbath by missiles is in sight. The world’s most powerful rulers want peace but are unable to hasten agreements. The leaders have met and engaged in phone talks. The results are surprising, particularly for the armed conflict, as the leaders belong to the same countries which saw the worst of the six-year World War II at close quarters, and celebrate its end each year on the Victory Day and the D-Day marking the Normandy Landings. In discussions of war and peace, there is greater romance over the inevitability of wars, so to say, than over their resolution. The NATO Defence Ministers met in Brussels on Thursday, and there were earnest calls to raising defence budgets by membe...

  Ukraine War Lessons for Europe Deepak Razdan Wednesday, 4 June, 2025 If the Ukraine-Russia war enters the Europe mainland, as members of the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom fear it every day, Ukraine will be its undeclared leader for Europe. Ukraine’s Spider’s Web drone attack on far-flung Russian airfields last Sunday left little doubt about this. US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the attack over phone on Wednesday, with Mr Putin saying Russia would have to respond. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s country is the only country in Europe which has fought a modern war, for over three years in a stretch, and replied drones and missiles in the same language, though not equally, but with an indefatigable spirit against a bigger and powerful rival. The other European powers, the UK, France and Germany, two of them nuclear-armed, are strong militarily, well-stocked with deadly arsenal, but without knowledge what a drone-missil...