1. ‘America First’: A Hollow Promise
In President Donald Trump’s inaugural speech, he promised to “put America first.” Writing in the Deccan Chronicle, Aakar Patel says that putting America first is a meaningless slogan, because it assumes Trump’s predecessors put America second or third.
“Putting America first” is a meaningless slogan, because it assumes previous Presidents have put America second or third, which they have not. Henry Kissinger, the secretary of state to Richard Nixon, said that all foreign policy was actually domestic policy. What he meant was, America fought wars abroad in response to domestic demands. And so it is unlikely Donald Trump will be able to change much in that sense either. He will bring American troops back from wars that cannot be won but he will not be the first President to do that.Aakar Patel
2. UP Win? Modi May Not Have Done Enough
Writing in The Times of India, Swaminathan Aiyar says that despite demonetisation’s ill-effects and poor implementation, “it carries a ring of credibility in moral purpose.” This moral purpose, however, will not necessarily mean electoral returns. Modi, the “marketer of dreams”, must make dreams a reality, if he wants to win the UP election.
Till now, Modi has not delivered enough... GDP growth is below expectations, agitations for job reservations highlight the lack of employment, private investment has plummeted and exports - the mainspring of fast growth for every miracle economy in history--remain weak. Modi has ended big corruption in New Delhi, but small corruption is endemic in state governments (including Gujarat) and the lower bureaucracy.Swaminathan Aiyar
3. Not Just Jallikattu: When Culture Clashes With The Law
“ Culture is a many-splendoured thing. The dictionary defines culture as the arts, ideas, customs and social behaviour of a particular people or society. What it doesn’t define it as, is a tool to whip up mass public sentiment, as it has done in the past week or more,” writes Poulomi Banerjee in the Hindustan Times.
In the age-old war between culture and tradition on one side and reform on the other, this battle has gone to the culturists. For Jallikattu is hardly the first cause that has leaned heavily on the culture crutch for support. Even where the campaign has been against more severe instances of socially and morally unjust practices, whether it be... abolition of sati and child marriage and widow remarriage... or the movement against the caste system, over the years all of these have run into a solid wall of opposition based on what is perceived to be a part of “culture”.Poulomi Banerjee
4. Across The Aisle: It Is A Balloon, It Is A Kite!
The Chief Economic Adviser had promised a detailed analysis of the Universal Basic Income in the Economic Survey that will be presented in Parliament on the eve of the Budget, writes P Chidambaram in the Indian Express.
Under UBI, the State will transfer a certain amount to every person to supplement his/her income so that the total income of the person reaches a certain threshold. Not many countries have UBI. Recently, Switzerland, with a per capita income of USD 79,578, rejected a proposal in a referendum to grant UBI. Finland with a per capita income of USD 45,133 has announced a pilot project where a small number of people will receive a modest amount of USD 595 per month. Switzerland and Finland are among the richest countries in the world.P Chidambaram
5. Dhoni’s Journey As A Cricketer Is An Inspiration
“A leader is the one who makes an impact and provides inspiration. M.S. Dhoni exemplified these qualities,” writes Makarand Waingankar in The Hindu.
Dhoni has always made well thought-out decisions with the best interest of Indian cricket in his mind. When it comes to ‘Captain Cool’, we need to read between the lines and understand the implications. Dhoni indicated that he would not want to be a liability to the team by blocking the position of wicketkeeping for a promising youngster. Though Dhoni is still invaluable to the team, he will not hesitate to retire if he feels that’s the best for the team.Makarand Waingankar
6. Woman Uninterrupted: A Simmering Resentment
Where is all the energy that is being spent protesting the Jallikattu ban when it comes to issues of gender and caste, asks Vaishna Roy in The Hindu.
I think it’s missing then because those causes aren’t important enough.Honour killing and untouchability might be legally wrong, but socially we think they are right. We believe in caste and gender inequalities and religious beliefs and customs much more than we do in the law.Vaishna Roy
7. Fifth Column: India’s Eternal Time Warp
In the recent World Economic Forum, there were as many Indian participants as there were Chinese, but nobody paid any attention to India. “The mightiest of our business leaders wandered about with doleful expressions because of the almost total absence of India in the conversations the world is currently having,” writes Tavleen Singh in The Indian Express.
China realised in the Seventies that central planning and Marxist economics would not bring prosperity. So it changed course. India did not change course till 15 years later when P V Narasimha Rao began to dismantle the licence raj. He did this slyly without telling people why change was necessary... Most Indians continue to be fooled by rubbish about how the rich have stolen money and resources that belong to the poor. So in a truly tragic way we remain mired in an economic time warp.Tavleen Singh
8. Donald Trump’s Presidency And Its Implications For India
“India, like other major powers, will have to carefully monitor how the Obama legacy morphs into the Trump inheritance and the degree to which there will be continuity in past policies and where the reset button is likely to be hit,” writes C Uday Bhaskar in the Mint.
At the bilateral level, some of the senior members of the Trump team who are awaiting confirmation have indicated that India will continue to be seen as a significant strategic partner of the US. The introduction of an India-specific law during the last lap of the Obama administration that enables greater defence cooperation will be nurtured, they have said.C Uday Bhaskar
9. The Jury Is Still Out On The Demonetisation Numbers
The reports of India’s economy slowing down as a result of demonetisation are anecdotal, according to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. However, is there some truth to them? A month and a half after the demonetisation announcement, this question needs to be answered, writes Karan Thapar in the Hindustan Times.
Arun Jaitley’s confidence is based on direct tax collections rising by 12% and indirect tax collections by 25% in the first three quarters of this financial year. But look a little deeper and the picture is different. April-December saw indirect tax growth of only 25% compared to nearly 34 last year. Second, indirect tax growth decelerated from 30.5% in October to 23.1 in November and 14.2 in December. No doubt direct tax collection has accelerated but that is, at least, partly due to a change in the advance tax payment schedule.Karan Thapar
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