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Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor

Writing for PS since 2002
190 commentaries
1 videos & podcasts

Shashi Tharoor, a former UN under-secretary-general and former Indian Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Human Resource Development, is an MP for the Indian National Congress. He is the author, most recently, of Ambedkar: A Life (Aleph Book Company, 2022).

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  1. Does Pakistan Still Matter to India?
    tharoor189_R.SATISH BABUAFP via Getty Images_voting R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images

    Does Pakistan Still Matter to India?

    Apr 9, 2024 Shashi Tharoor explains why India’s upcoming election is unlikely to change its policy of benign neglect toward its neighbor.

  2. Indian Democracy’s Moment of Truth
    tharoor188_Ritesh ShuklaGetty Images_indiaelection Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images

    Indian Democracy’s Moment of Truth

    Mar 13, 2024 Shashi Tharoor warns that the ruling BJP will do everything it can to curtail dissent ahead of this year's general election.

  3. Why Is the Maldives Spurning India?
    tharoor187_Zhai JianlanXinhua via Getty Images_muizzu china Zhai Jianlan/Xinhua via Getty Images

    Why Is the Maldives Spurning India?

    Feb 15, 2024 Shashi Tharoor worries that the island nation is becoming a Chinese client and nurturing Islamist radicalism.

  4. India’s Hindu “Emperor” Wants a Third Term
    tharoor186_EVELYN HOCKSTEINPOOLAFP via Getty Images_modi EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

    India’s Hindu “Emperor” Wants a Third Term

    Jan 5, 2024 Shashi Tharoor expects the coming election campaign to focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist credentials.

  5. Does India Have a Hit List?
    tharoor185_ NARINDER NANUAFP via Getty Images_sikh separatist NARINDER NANU/AFP via Getty Images

    Does India Have a Hit List?

    Dec 5, 2023 Shashi Tharoor worries that recent plots to assassinate Sikh separatists abroad could undermine vital diplomatic relationships.

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  1. lboone2_Celestino ArceNurPhoto via Getty Images_ukraine Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Europe’s Red Tape Is Helping Russia

    Laurence Boone & Nicu Popescu

    The European Union’s cumbersome and narrowly defined regulations for public procurement and spending are not simply inadequate; they are dangerous. They weaken the bloc’s ability to protect itself from a broad range of Russian hybrid attacks while prolonging Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.

    propose a European Defense Production Act to help fast-track processes for public procurement and spending.
  2. posner31_Spencer PlattGetty Images_trumptrial Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    What to Look for in Trump’s First Trial

    Eric Posner

    The intricate legal issues and colorful characters in Donald Trump's criminal trials will undoubtedly keep the media and the viewing public enraptured for months to come. But when it comes to the 2024 election, all that really matters is how the defendant appears to a narrow sliver of undecided voters.

    points out that optics, more than the law or the facts, will be what matters most for the election.
  3. nixonsaintil2_shark_749Getty Images_AIdataclimatecity shark_749/Getty Images

    AI Holds the Key to Resilient Cities

    Justina Nixon-Saintil surveys the technology's foreseeable applications in promoting urban sustainable development.
  4. ito36_ KAZUHIRO NOGIAFP via Getty Images_boj KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

    How Risky Is Japan’s Monetary-Policy Normalization?

    Takatoshi Ito considers the implications of the central bank’s exit from negative interest rates and quantitative easing.
  5. bansal1_Getty Images_family Getty Images

    As Families Change, So Must the Safety Net

    Neha Bansal urges governments to implement policies that promote intergenerational integration and solidarity.
  6. skidelsky200_Getty Images_speech Getty Images

    The Language of Political Control

    Robert Skidelsky views recent linguistic innovations as manipulative efforts to compel “correct” thought and perception.
  7. basu101_Alfonso Sangiao iStock  Getty Images Plus_voting Alfonso Sangiao/iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Globalization vs. Democracy

    Kaushik Basu highlights the contradictions and vulnerabilities inherent in the current international order.
  8. coyle36 Alishia AbodundeGetty Images INFRASTRUCTURE Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

    The West’s New Infrastructure Imperative

    Diane Coyle explains why a broader conception of the term could reflect a renewed interest in investing in the future.
  9. bp iran israel Photo by Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

    An Iran-Israel War?

    Iran’s mass ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel last week raised anew the specter of a widening Middle East war that draws in Iran and its proxies, as well as Western countries like the United States. The urgent need to defuse tensions – starting by ending Israel’s war in Gaza and pursuing a lasting political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – is obvious, but can it be done?

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