Statecraft

#WATCH: In Part 4 of "The Nowhere Hindus," we talk to Pakistani Hindus and well-known activist Hindu Singh Sodha in Jodhpur to understand why the majority of these refugees will not be eligible for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) despite having lived in India for 10-20 years. Having fled from Sindh, Pakistan, to find refuge and practice their faith in Sanatan Dharm freely, these Pakistani Hindus are at their wit's end but remain hopeful that someday at least their children will get to live a life of dignity in India, if not them. Watch Parts 1, 2, and 3 of 'The Nowhere Hindus' here: Part 1: https://lnkd.in/gj7ZhJtD Part 2: https://lnkd.in/gD_EDVZb Part 3: https://lnkd.in/gh_ekjHi #Pakistan #Sindh #Hindu #Muslim #Islam #Karachi #India #Rajasthan #Delhi

Fugitive and self-proclaimed godman Nithyananda and his fictional country of 'Kailasa' are back in the headlines — this time for an international land scam so bizarre it may even leave his most faithful followers in jaw-dropping disbelief. Reports indicate that three indigenous tribes from Bolivia’s Amazon rainforest were duped into signing a 1,000-year land lease with the United States of Kailasa. Astonishingly, the deal, which granted Kailasa full autonomy over 48,000 square kilometers of Amazonian land — an area larger than that of 66 of the smallest countries in the world — was struck for a mere sum of $108,000 per year. Watch the video to find out more how the Bolivian government responded, other inconceivable con jobs carried out by the United States of Kailasa, and how Nithyananda, who fled India in 2019 amid serious criminal charges, is yet to be brought to justice. Share your thoughts in the comments and stay tuned to Statecraft for more global developments that impact us all! #Kailasa #Nithyananda #Bolivia #Scam #Amazon #Rainforest #UnitedStatesofKailasa #Con #Conman #Guru #SwamiNithyananda #Hindu #Indigenous #AmazonRainforest #Tribe #IndigenousPeople #IndigenousTribe

"Pardon me, I have some question marks on that old order!" Addressing a Raisina Dialogue 2025 event titled "Thrones and Thorns: Defending the Integrity of Nations", Indian EAM S. Jaishankar highlighted the flaws in the global order and the United Nations, calling for a more just and balanced international system. He pointed out that Pakistan’s "invasion" of Kashmir was turned into a "dispute" at the UN at the behest of Western powers, including the UK, Canada, Belgium, Australia, and the US. The EAM also criticized Western double standards in other geopolitical contexts, citing contrasting responses to military coups in Myanmar and Africa. Urging an audit of the world’s governance over the past eight decades, he called for a new and inclusive global conversation that reflects the changing geopolitical landscape and power dynamics. #Jaishankar #SJaishankar #Diplomacy #RaisinaDialogue #Kashmir #Myanmar #Africa #Coup #West #UN #UnitedNations #India #Pakistan

"Viva Hamas Viva!" Mandla Mandela, the grandson of anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela, arrived in Sana’a, Yemen, to attend a conference on Palestine which started on 22 March. The conference was titled “Palestine, the main issue of the Ummah.“ Mandela addressed the Sana’a conference to a tumultuous response from the audience. With a clenched fist raised in the air he chanted the well-known slogans heard across the world “free free Palestine”, “from the river to the sea Palestine will be free” and “viva Hamas viva”. He also chanted slogans in supports of Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, praising the "undying spirit" of the Yemeni people. Abandoning his cultural ties to his traditional Thembu community in South Africa, Mandela converted to Islam in 2016 and is now an executive member of the League of Parliamentarians for the Liberation of Al-Quds. He is no longer a Member of Parliament in South Africa, having lost his seat in the 2024 elections. After inciting violence and publicly supporting Hamas and Hezbollah, Mandela was denied a visa to the UK in in October 2024. #Mandela #MandlaMandela #NelsonMandela #SouthAfrica #Yemen #Sanaa #Hamas #Hezbollah #Houthi #Palestine #Israel #Gaza

"The longtime, unfortunate persecution and killing and abuse of religious minorities [in Bangladesh] has been a major area of concern for the US government." In an interview with NDTV during her recent visit to India, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard addressed the long-standing persecution and violence faced by religious minorities, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and Catholics, in Bangladesh. She emphasized that this issue remains a significant concern for the US government, particularly under the Trump Administration. Gabbard noted that while discussions between Trump's cabinet and Bangladesh's interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, have just begun, the threat of Islamist extremism, terrorism, and religious persecution remain a "central focus area." The DNI pointed out that various extremist groups globally share a common ideology aimed at establishing an Islamist caliphate, which endangers people of all non-conforming religions. She reiterated President Donald Trump’s commitment to identifying and countering the ideology that fuels Islamist terrorism, aiming to weaken its influence and prevent further attacks on American citizens and people worldwide. In response, Bangladesh’s interim government expressed “deep concern and distress” at Gabbard’s remarks, especially her allegations about the “persecution and killing” of religious minorities and “the threat of Islamic terrorists” rooted in the “ideology and objective” to “rule and govern with an Islamist caliphate”. “Bangladesh strongly condemns any efforts to link the country to any form of ‘Islamist caliphate’,” the interim government said in a statement. But, is Bangladesh doing enough to protect its religious minorities from atrocities committed by extremist swathes of its population? Share your thoughts in the comments! #TulsiGabbard #DNI #Trump #Bangladesh #MuhammadYunus #Yunus #Dhaka #Islam #Hindu #Christian #Catholic #Buddhist #India

Late on Tuesday, several viral videos on social media showed hundreds of Palestinians protesting in northern Gaza to demand an end to war and chanting "Hamas out." Demonstrations reportedly occurred in areas such as Beit Lahia and the Jabalia refugee camp, where participants expressed frustration over deteriorating living conditions and the protracted war. Northern Gaza has been one of the most devastated areas of Gaza. Most buildings in the densely populated area have been reduced to rubble and much of the population has moved multiple times to escape the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds of thousands of residents who had fled to the south of Gaza earlier in the war, which has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians so far, had returned to their ruined homes in the north when a ceasefire took effect in January. Now, Israeli evacuation orders, after the country relaunched its offensive on March 18, have shattered the two-month truce during which Hamas handed over more hostages from the 250 or so people the group seized in its October 7 attack, wherein more than 1,200 people were killed. Since Israel resumed its strikes on Gaza, saying its goal was to completely dismantle Hamas, nearly 700 people, mostly women and children, have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials. Even so, this seemingly rare public show of opposition to the militant group that has ruled the region since 2007 has baffled some in the international community. While some international observers have celebrated the protests, others have been cynical, suspecting there's more than meets the eye in this Gazan opposition to Hamas. What do you think? Will this protest snowball into a widespread sentiment and trigger the defeat of Hamas in Gaza once and for all? Share your thoughts in the comments! #Hamas #Palestine #Gaza #Israel #Protest

"I'll take that as a 'no' then!" Canadian journalist James Snell asked PM Mark Carney, whether he would reimburse Canadian taxpayers for his recent half-a-million-dollar trip to Europe via a government wide-body jet, as he had yet to be formally elected as prime minister. Last week, Carney travelled to Paris and London to meet with President Emmanuel Macron and PM Keir Starmer Addressing the question, Carney justified the expense by emphasizing Canada's economic challenges and the need to engage with allies, refuting claims that the Canadian leadership, particularly under Justin Trudeau, caused the current economic crisis, attributing it instead to US tariffs under the Trump Administration. Carney further argued that the trip was essential for fostering new trade partnerships. Highlighting Canada’s rich natural resources, particularly critical minerals and metals, he stressed the importance of developing trade corridors and infrastructure for export, including northern deep-water ports like Churchill and Nunavut’s Grace Point, to foster better intercontinental trade relations with allies like Europe amid perceived hostility from Canada's neighbour to the south, the US. But, when pressed on whether he would refund taxpayers for the trip, Carney sidestepped a direct answer. While some critics thought his answer was evasive, others view it as a comprehensive policy response to an unjustified question. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below! #MarkCarney #JustinTrudeau #Canada #Europe #US #Trump #Tarrif #Economy #Trade #Geopolitics #Diplomacy

In June 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised the world with a video address intended to convince the International Exhibitions' Bureau to consider Yektarinburg, Russia, as the host city of World Expo 2020. The bid to host the World Expo was not unexpected in and of itself, as Putin highlighted in his speech, but the fact that the Russian President chose to make the bid in English, a language he is rarely known to speak, is what took the international community by surprise. Although Putin seemed to struggle with some words as he read them off a teleprompter, the speech made it clear to the world that Putin could communicate in English fluently if required. The Russian President is widely known to speak only Russian at multilateral conferences, in interviews, and during bilateral meetings, with the help of a translator if needed. Thus, he presumably submitted the bid for hosting the World Expo in English to convey his seriousness and determination to the International Exhibitions' Bureau. Unfortunately for Putin, Russia lost the bid, and the World Expo 2020 was hosted in Dubai UAE. Most recently, Russia bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Moscow, but lost to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the final vote in 2023. So, Putin and Russia's struggle to win the honour of hosting the global mega event continues... Do you think world leaders should communicate in widely spoken languages more often? or should they stick to their mother tongues in an increasingly globalised world? As language and translation technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, develop, these questions may be becoming obsolete...but share your thoughts in the commments and let us know your views! #Russia #WorldExpo #Exhibition #Expo #Moscow #Yekaterinburg #Putin #VladimirPutin #English #Language