PROTESTS IN ISRAEL TO SAVE DEMOCRACY

ner, the dominant source of capital and technology, and the major destination for the Indian diaspora,” said columnist and former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board C. Mohan Raja in a Foreign Policy article, titled ‘It’s Time to Tie India to the West.’ With India set to become the world’s third largest economy, Raja advocated turning the Group of 7 (G-7), which groups the world’s foremost democratic economies, into a G-8 with India as its newest member.

The agreements reinforce the notion that supply chain security and geopolitics have become as important as economics and pricing in creating and/or managing global value chains. Furthermore, they are a step towards enabling India to redress its trade imbalances skewed in China’s favor. Finally, the agreements constitute a building block for a potential future multilateral security arrangement in the Gulf in which India would be a key player.

INDIA AS A

PLAYER IN THE GULF

Gulf security was not foremost in the minds of Indian

Israelis in tens of thousands have been protesting on Saturdays against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms for greater accountability of the country’s SC. The protests have been going on since January. Israelis are opposing the proposal which they fear will mark end of democracy.

Netanyahu heads a rightwing coalition which came to power on December 29, 2022. Soon after, on January 4, 2023, the law minister Yariv Levin announced plans to reform the judiciary. The reform proposed to limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against the legislature and the executive and to grant majority to the right-wing coalition on

Leaving aside the multiple domestic issues India will have to address to realize its full potential, it is already, in the words of an Indian analyst, in a “geopolitical sweet spot.” Recently concluded defense and technology agreements with the US constitute a milestone and US policymakers when they conceived the agreements. However, inevitably, that is where the Gulf is going for multiple reasons.

These include a US desire to rejigger America’s commitment to Gulf security and share the burden with regional players. The US is not yet at a point where it is willing to share control of Gulf security commitments with other external powers. Still, it is something that policymakers in both the Trump and Biden administrations have at vari-

Israelis in tens of thousands have been protesting on Saturdays against Prime Minister Benjamin’s proposed judicial reforms for greater accountability of the country’s Supreme Court the judges’ appointment committee. Following this proposal, weekly protests began to be organized in the country. The last of them on March 11, the protesters’ count was estimated to be around 5 lakh.

Netanyahu is facing trial for corruption and wants to overhaul the system to restore bal-

One focus will be the impact of the rise of Hindu nationalism, the country’s increasingly strained intercommunal relations, and what India’s motto for its chairmanship, “One Earth One Family One Future” means in practice. So far, India, like China, has benefitted from Muslim-majority states emphasizing national interests rather than communal and identity concerns. However, that may prove to be a fragile proposition.

The US may have suffered the least, given its ability to marshal its allies in Europe and some in Asia to forcefully support Ukraine while remaining focused on its rivalry with China in Asia. Even so, as former Indian national security advisor Shivshankar Menon notes, “worries remain… about the United States being distracted by Ukraine from its roles elsewhere, particularly in the Middle East and Africa.”

Those worries are compounded by the bungled US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and concern about the impact of deep polarization in the US that is likely to be reflected in the campaign for the 2024 presidential election.

SOURCE: FAIR OBSERVER

ance between the different wings of the government as, in his view, the judiciary enjoys too much power over the legislature. Many in India would be keenly watching the developments as judiciary versus the legislature and judicial accountability have been the subject of much debate. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has attacked SC for its judgment in Kesavananda Bharati case which said that Parl can amend Constitution but not its basic structure. The SC has stoutly defended its powers.

Vice President Dhankhar and the Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, on the other hand, have also questioned the Supreme Court’s power to quash the National Judicial Accountability Bill passed by the Parliament.

The BBC has come in for scathing criticism for political bias and curbing free speech. Known for unbiased reporting, the BBC has a Conservative Party supporter Richard Sharp as Chairman. In 2021 Sharp helped arrange a loan for Boris Johnson who was then the prime minister. So far there seems to have been no effort to resolve the crisis. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the BBC and Lineker to settle their differences.

Spiritual Speak

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Bible

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