Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

Sunday View: The Best Weekend Opinion Reads, Curated Just for You

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US-Israel Strikes Tip Middle East Into a New Crisis

In his Times of India column, Harsh Pant argues that the coordinated US and Israeli military strikes on Iran mark a decisive escalation in regional dynamics, crossing a strategic “Rubicon” that diplomacy had been straining to address. Pant characterises the operations — including Israel’s offensive and the US’s backing — as political acts designed to degrade Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure while signalling deterrence in a deeply polarized geopolitical landscape.

"The convergence of American maximalism and Israeli insecurity has produced a moment of decisive escalation. At the heart of the crisis lies Iran’s nuclear trajectory. The June 2025 US-Israeli strikes had damaged facilities but failed to eliminate Tehran’s capacity to regenerate. Reports of covert rebuilding and IAEA’s concerns reinforced suspicions that Iran was edging closer to weapons-grade enrichment."

Harsh Pant, Times of India

Brace For a Roller-Coaster Ride

In his column for The Indian Express, P Chidambaram argues that US President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff policies have plunged global trade into uncertainty.

After the US Supreme Court struck down his “reciprocal” tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Trump swiftly reimposed similar duties using other trade laws. For India, tariffs remain steep — 15 per cent on most goods and 50 per cent on steel, aluminium, semiconductors and select auto components — affecting exports and delaying trade negotiations.

He writes: "Meanwhile multiple voices have emerged out of the US Congress. Until the US Supreme Court intervened and quashed the IEEPA tariffs, the Congress was helpless against the Executive’s grab of taxation powers. Even after the judgment, the Congress is helpless because Mr Trump will not go to Congress to ask for authorisation."

Why a Social Media Ban Makes Sense

In the Hindustan Times opinion “Why a social media ban makes sense”, Namita Bhandare argues that social media has profound negative effects on users’ ability to focus, real-world connection, and especially young people’s mental health, who are more prone to peer pressure, addiction and online abuse.

"Social media’s harms cut across ages. We are less connected, less able to focus, and our brains are turning into mush. But young people are far more susceptible to peer pressure, to be vulnerable to abuse by strangers, to be more open to addiction. This week, a California court heard from the therapist of a woman who is suing Meta and Alphabet for her childhood addiction that she says damaged her mental health," Bhandare writes.

She cites global research and expert warnings that platforms contribute to harms like cyberbullying, misogyny and body-image issues.

While acknowledging that bans have limitations — including enforcement challenges and the need for broader education on consent and respectful behaviour — Bhandare supports a ban for minors because it could make parenting easier and reduce social media’s pervasive harms, stressing that parents, schools and governments must work together.

Economic Muscle

In The Telegraph, Rudra Chatterjee reflects on how India has transformed from a modest economy at independence to the world’s fourth-largest, driven by structural reforms and millions choosing productivity over despair. But in a shifting global order marked by great-power rivalries and weakened rules-based trade, economic strength now underpins sovereignty.

"Recent free trade agreements with OECD economies opened access to large markets and facilitated deeper supply chain integration. But they are only a gift for the prepared. When trade barriers fall, investment flows to countries that combine price, quality, reliability, and scale. India must navigate these headwinds to grow."

Rudra Chatterjee, The Telegraph

55 Years Ago, When Parliament Erupted Over India-China Book

Senior journalist Shyamlal Yadav, in his article for The Indian Express, recounts the 1970 controversy sparked by Australian journalist Neville Maxwell’s book India’s China War.

He writes: "Even before Maxwell’s book came out, there were three prominent books already in the market...All critical of the role of the political and military leadership during the war. But unlike the others, Maxwell’s book quoted excerpts from a classified document: the Henderson Brooks Report prepared by the Operations Review Committee set up by the Army after India’s loss to China in the 1962 war."

The book, Yadav says, questioned the Nehru government’s handling of the 1962 war and quoted from the classified Henderson Brooks Report, an internal Army review never made public. MPs demanded to know how Maxwell accessed the report, prompting heated debates, a privilege motion, and a CBI probe into a possible leak under the Official Secrets Act. The inquiry’s outcome was never disclosed, and the report remains classified, periodically resurfacing in political debates over transparency and accountability.

RS Election Sparks Game of Thrones; J&K Cong Wants Hindu President

In her Deccan Chronicle opinion, Anita Katyal writes that with the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, the Indian National Congress faces internal challenges to maintain its strength above the 25-seat threshold needed to retain the Leader of Opposition post currently held by Mallikarjun Kharge.

"Since the Congress party’s strength in assemblies has dwindled, its leadership has to go all-out to shore up its numbers. It is precisely for this reason that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is being persuaded to forgo its claim and instead help elect a Congress candidate from Tamil Nadu. Although there is no official word from either side, the grapevine says the Congress is even willing to drop its demand for power sharing if their alliance wins the forthcoming Assembly election."

Anita Katyal, Deccan Chronicle

Five Structural Shifts In New AI Order

In the New Indian Express opinion piece “Five structural shifts in new AI order,” Debjani Ghosh outlines major global changes driven by artificial intelligence. She explains that AI is transforming labour markets and economic structures, creating productivity gains while disrupting jobs. Technological leadership and data supremacy are becoming central to geopolitical power, intensifying competition among nations. Traditional economic assets are being replaced by data and algorithms as drivers of growth.

"The (AI) summit signalled a significant shift in the narrative, reflecting that the world is increasingly moving from efficiency-first globalisation to resilience-first geoeconomics. And the shift was most visible in the changing conversations as the world’s most consequential AI leaders joined heads of state, ministers and delegates on Indian soil to discuss the way forward."

Debjani Ghosh, The New Indian Express

Ghosh also highlights governance challenges, noting that regulations lag behind rapid innovation, raising concerns about ethics, privacy and accountability. She argues that to benefit from this AI-driven era, countries must adapt policies, invest in skills and foster innovation to remain competitive and resilient in the evolving global landscape.

Imran In My Bubble

In “Imran in my bubble”, Rinku Ghosh reflects nostalgically on Imran Khan’s enduring charisma, separating the cricketer-icon from the controversial politician. While acknowledging that the law must judge his alleged transgressions, she recalls how Khan transcended Indo-Pak hostilities in the 1980s to become a cross-border heartthrob.

He writes: "Devilishly handsome, charismatic playboy, a perennial bachelor (he married at 42), desirably urbane, the rakish Pathan became much like the Marlboro Man for women across every border. Yes, he had his escapades, publicly said he was “no saint”, and  would have checked every box of toxic masculinity. But before Instagram, he was the “thirst trap” that made commercial sense."

Through memories of his iconic 1987 Cinthol advertisement and a teenage attempt to glimpse him at Kolkata’s Oberoi Grand, Ghosh captures the feverish admiration he inspired among young women. For her, Khan symbolised confidence and the legitimacy of the female gaze — a dazzling, almost mythic figure preserved in a shimmering “soap bubble” of youthful awe.

Lutyens: Don’t Judge An Architect By His Politics But His Buildings

Gautam Bhatia, in his column for the Times of India, argues that colonial-era designer Sir Edwin Lutyens’ architectural contributions to Delhi should be viewed for their artistic and historical merit rather than through contemporary political debates over colonial legacies.

Bhatia acknowledges the controversy around removing Lutyens’ statue but highlights the enduring importance of his monumental structures like the Rashtrapati Bhavan and India Gate in shaping the capital’s identity.

"Colonialism’s legacy was too complex and widespread in itself; it included the rail network, the bureaucracy, communications and cultural institutions, among other things. Lutyens was but a minor player in the scheme. Yet for all his narrow-mindedness and racism, his disparaging view of India and Indians, he was a great architect, and his contributions cannot be easily dismissed," he writes.

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