The Monstrosity of Maritime Capitalism Two books unmask the colossal shipping industry behind global trade. Charmaine Chua Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian PeninsulaLaleh KhaliliVerso, $29.95 (cloth) Capitalism and the Sea: The Maritime Factor in the Making of the Modern WorldLiam Campling and Alejandro ColásVerso, $29.95 (cloth) Beginning in the…

The Supreme Court of India’s judgment on the Ayodhya dispute enables the triumph of a majoritarian claim—backed by a long, venomous communal campaign—over minority rights. The fact that the majority Hindu community managed to successfully claim a minority religion’s sacred place purely based on faith and belief comes out luridly in the judgment. While the…

Twenty-five years after his death, Stanley Kubrick remains the most influential director in English-language cinema, yet his influence will be felt less and less if the industry continues its inexorable decline. The most commercially successful film of last year, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, may have attracted attention for its inimitable mixture of pop feminism and outrageously catchy songs,…

Authoritarianism is a symptom of a corrupted Left BY PHILIP CUNLIFFE Before launching his invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin placed the blame for the war on a surprising figure: Vladimir Lenin. Allegedly, the founding father of the Soviet Union gave away the western territories of Russia as part of the establishment of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in…

Wealth accumulation by the rich has risen to the point that the world could see its first trillionaire within a decade. Meanwhile, it will take more than 200 years to end global poverty, a report by Oxfam International has found.January 16, 2024 by Tanupriya Singh The wealth of the world’s top five richest men has more than…