Suchergebnisse

The modish dresser meets the Mahatma -- Gandhi's original sin: injecting religion into politics -- The two-nation theory: a preamble to partition -- A rising tide of violence -- Born in blood -- The infant twins at war -- Growing apart -- Nehru's "forward policy": a step too far -- Shastri's tallest order: Pakistan's nightmare comes alive -- Indira Gandhi slays the two-nation theory -- Zulfikar Ali Bhutto: the savior of West Pakistan -- Islamist Zia Ul Haq, builder of the A-bomb -- Benazir-Rajiv rapport cut short -- Gate-crashing the nuclear club -- General Musharraf buckles under US pressure -- Nuclear-armed twins, eyeball-to-eyeball -- Manmohan Singh's changing interlocutors -- Competing for Kabul -- Shared culture, rising commerce -- Overview and conclusions

Nearly four decades ago, Dilip Hiro's Inside India Today, banned by Indira Gandhi's government, was acclaimed by The Guardian as simply "the best book on India." Now Hiro returns to his native country to chronicle the impact of the dramatic economic liberalization that began in 1991, which ushered India into the era of globalization. Hiro describes how India has been reengineered not only in its economy but also in its politics and cultural mores. Places such as Gurgaon and Noida on the outskirts of Delhi have been transformed from nondescript towns into forests of expensive high-rise residential and commercial properties. Businessmen in Bollywood movies, once portrayed as villains, are now often the heroes. The marginal, right-wing Hindu militants of the past now rule the nominally secular nation, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as their avatar, one whose electoral victory was funded by big business. Hiro provides a gripping account of the role played by Indians who have settled in the United States and Britain since 1991 in boosting India's GDP. But he also highlights the negatives: the exponential growth in sleaze in the public and private sectors, the impoverishment of farmers, and the rise in urban slums. A masterful panorama, The Age of Aspiration covers the whole social spectrum of Indians at home and abroad.

To some, Islamic fundamentalism means the restoration of a true religion. To others, it is a politics that stands apart from capitalism and socialism. To many Westerners, it has come to constitute a threat to established order and international security. 'Holy Wars' comprises a non-partisan narrative that takes account of both the socio-cultural values expressed in fundamentalism, and its political consequences. Dilip Hiro's starting point is that fundamentalist forces have been active within Islam since the death of the Prophet Muhammad. He presents the two major sects, Sunnis and Shias, in this light.

Introduction --. - 1: Turkey: from militant secularism to grassroots Islam --. - 2: Uzbekistan: the complex hub of Central Asia --. - 3: Turkmenistan: molded by a megalomaniac despot --. - 4: Kazakhstan: rising oil state courted by big powers --. - 5: Kyrgyzstan: the Tulip Revolution, a false dawn --. - 6: Tajikistan: the rise and fall of political Islam --. - 7: Iran: the geopolitics of the Islamic Revolution --. - Summary and conclusions --. - Epilogue

Rise and fall of the bi-polar world -- America's place in the sun-eclipsed by wars and fiscal meltdown -- Return of the Russian bear -- Iran and Venezuela : oil fuels defiance -- China : the peaceful rise of a giant -- India strives -- European Union, work in progress -- Democracy : one size doesn't fit all -- Soft power challenges to America -- Future flash points