Countercurrents.org

Tulsi Gabbard and Joe Kent: Career versus Integrity by Kim Petersen countercurrents.org/2026/03/tulsi-… Careerism versus conscience takes center stage in this sharp reflection on power and principle. Through a dialogue between two students, Kim Petersen probes the moral compromises of political life, contrasting Tulsi Gabbard’s perceived retreat from her stated positions with Joe Kent’s decision to resign. When truth is subordinated to loyalty, what remains of public service? The piece interrogates whether holding office justifies silence, evasion, or reversal—and asks a deeper question: what is the cost of integrity in an age of expediency? A timely critique of political ambition, this article challenges readers to weigh career survival against ethical accountability.

No Eid Prayer at Al-Aqsa: From the Crusaders to Ben Gvir, The Final Chapter in a Programme of Erasure by Laala Bechetoula countercurrents.org/2026/03/no-eid… A quiet but seismic rupture unfolded on Eid morning in Jerusalem, as worshippers were barred from Al-Aqsa — an event without precedent since the Crusades. This article traces a long arc of history, ideology, and state policy, arguing that what appears as a security measure may signal something far more consequential: the steady advance of a project to transform the site itself. From historical conquest to modern institutional preparation, it raises urgent questions about power, silence, and complicity. At stake is not only a sacred space, but the moral conscience of a watching world.

Dabbling with a Sword of Opportunism in West Asia: Quo Vadis, India – As the Compass Falters by Dr Ranjan Solomon countercurrents.org/2026/03/dabbli… India’s West Asia policy, once guided by balance and moral clarity, is now veering toward strategic opportunism. As ties with Israel deepen and engagement with Iran recedes under external pressures, New Delhi risks eroding its credibility in the Global South and within BRICS. The shift from principled non-alignment to transactional diplomacy raises urgent questions about India’s global role. Can pragmatism coexist with moral responsibility? As regional tensions intensify, India’s choices may determine whether it remains a respected voice or drifts into geopolitical marginalization.

Fourth Party Mediation Can Help to End the USA-Israel-Iran War by Bharat Dogra countercurrents.org/2026/03/fourth… As the US–Israel–Iran war drags on, Bharat Dogra argues that conventional power equations are failing to deliver peace. Despite military superiority, the US–Israel combine faces a determined Iran unwilling to concede without securing its core interests. This stalemate risks prolonging a highly destructive conflict with global consequences. Dogra calls for urgent “fourth party” mediation led by the United Nations and respected independent diplomats to break the deadlock. Only a peace process rooted in justice, not dominance, can prevent further escalation and open a path toward a negotiated and durable end to the war.

Bijan Jazani and the Tragedy of Iran’s Revolutionary Left by Harsh Thakor countercurrents.org/2026/03/bijan-… Half a century after his execution, Bijan Jazani remains a towering yet contested figure in Iran’s revolutionary history. A Marxist theorist and founder of the Fedai Guerrillas, he sought to fuse armed struggle with mass political mobilisation against the Shah’s authoritarian regime. Writing from prison, Jazani developed an independent socialist perspective rooted in Iran’s realities, resisting both Soviet orthodoxy and blind militancy. His assassination by SAVAK in 1975 silenced a critical voice of the Left. This reflection revisits his ideas, contradictions, and enduring relevance, raising questions about strategy, sacrifice, and the unfinished trajectories of revolutionary movements.

A Dinner Conversation That Revealed the Politics of Religious Polarisation by Dr Suresh Khairnar countercurrents.org/2026/03/a-dinn… A revealing personal account from the 1990s uncovers the calculated rise of religious polarization in Indian politics. In a candid dinner conversation, a committed Hindutva ideologue admits that the Ram temple movement was driven less by faith than by political strategy—“trial and error” to mobilize masses and capture power. The chilling assertion that the Babri Masjid must remain to sustain polarization exposes the cynical core of identity politics. The narrative warns of the dangerous consequences of weaponizing religion, reminding us that coexistence, not communal division, is the only path to a just and stable society.

Dowry is not a Tradition by Ashlynn Dania countercurrents.org/2026/03/dowry-… Dowry is often defended as tradition, but its reality tells a different story—one of coercion, violence, and silence. Ashlynn Dania traces how a once voluntary gift system transformed into a deeply entrenched form of exploitation, despite legal prohibitions. From harassment and abuse to the horror of dowry deaths, countless women continue to suffer behind closed doors. Laws exist, yet social acceptance allows the practice to persist. This piece calls for urgent collective action—through awareness, accountability, and refusal—to dismantle dowry as a normalized custom and affirm that dignity, not payment, must define marriage.

Policing Identity: India’s Transgender Bill Turns Rights into Permissions by Dr Trishna Sarkar countercurrents.org/2026/03/polici… India’s Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 marks a troubling reversal of hard-won rights. By undermining the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgment, it replaces self-identification with medical scrutiny and bureaucratic approval, excluding many from legal recognition. Identity is no longer treated as a lived reality but as a claim to be verified. While the Bill promises stronger penalties against violence, it simultaneously deepens structural exclusion. At stake is not just policy, but dignity itself. When the state demands proof of existence, rights turn into permissions—and recognition becomes a privilege rather than a guarantee of equal citizenship.

After Years of Failed Diplomacy, Iran Wins Unexpected US Oil Sanctions Relief Within Weeks of War — Without Tehran Asking For It by Quds News Network countercurrents.org/2026/03/after-… In a striking reversal, the US has temporarily eased sanctions on Iranian oil—not through diplomacy, but under the pressure of war and market instability. Framed as a tactical move to stabilize global energy supplies, the decision exposes the contradictions of a “maximum pressure” policy that bends when strategic interests demand it. With millions of barrels released and the Strait of Hormuz disrupted, energy geopolitics is being reshaped in real time. Even as Washington maintains its hardline rhetoric, this shift reveals how conflict, not negotiation, is driving policy—and how global markets remain hostage to war.

History, Militancy, and the Pakistan–Afghan Divide: The Durand Faultline by Dr Ranjan Solomon countercurrents.org/2026/03/histor… A border drawn by empire continues to bleed into the present. The Durand Line is not just a boundary—it is a faultline of history, identity, and unresolved sovereignty. From Cold War militancy to post-9/11 wars and the Taliban’s return, mistrust between Pakistan and Afghanistan has hardened into a cycle of violence and blame. Refugees, cross-border insurgency, and competing national visions deepen the divide. Dr Ranjan Solomon traces how colonial cartography and strategic games have trapped both nations in a conflict without closure—and warns that without confronting shared histories, peace will remain elusive.

Why India’s Anti-Defection Law Must Be Strengthened, Not Tolerated by Nihar Nalini Sarangi countercurrents.org/2026/03/why-in… Eleven MLAs in Odisha defied their mandate, exposing once again the deep fractures in India’s anti-defection framework. Designed to curb political opportunism, the law now enables it—through partisan Speakers, endless delays, and loopholes like engineered resignations. As governments are reshaped behind closed doors, voters are reduced to spectators. The article argues that this is not a failure of intent but of design: accountability cannot rest with those who benefit from defection. Strengthening the law—through independent adjudication, strict timelines, and removal of incentives—is essential to restore democratic integrity and ensure that elected representatives remain answerable to the people.

100+ Feminists and Lawyers Urge MPs to Scrap Transgender Rights Amendment Bill, 2026 by Concerned Citizens countercurrents.org/2026/03/100-fe… Over 100 feminists and lawyers across India have issued a powerful appeal to MPs, demanding the withdrawal of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026. Calling it unconstitutional and exclusionary, they warn that the Bill dismantles the hard-won right to self-identify one’s gender, reintroduces medical gatekeeping, and deepens marginalisation. Citing the landmark NALSA judgment, the signatories argue the proposed changes threaten dignity, equality, and bodily autonomy. They urge Parliament to halt the Bill, initiate inclusive consultations with transgender communities, and uphold constitutional guarantees rather than reverse a decade of progressive legal recognition.

U.S. National Debt Crosses USD39 Trillion by A Correspondent countercurrents.org/2026/03/u-s-na… As U.S. national debt crosses an unprecedented $39 trillion, alarm bells grow louder over a fiscal trajectory widely deemed unsustainable. With debt rising at breakneck speed and interest payments set to exceed $1 trillion annually, economists warn of deep structural imbalances. Behind the numbers lies a political economy driven by militarism, elite interests, and policy failures that burden future generations. Drawing on official data and critical insights, this article probes the systemic roots of America’s debt crisis, exposing how public wealth is increasingly subordinated to capital, while democracy itself appears constrained by the imperatives of finance.

Outrage as NMDC Diversion and Vizag Steel Land Transfer to Adani Sparks Public Anger by E A S Sarma countercurrents.org/2026/03/outrag… A former Union Secretary raises alarm over a coordinated policy shift favouring corporate interests at the cost of public sector institutions. The forced diversion of NMDC’s iron ore exports from Visakhapatnam Port to a private port, alongside moves to transfer over 1,100 acres of steel plant land, is questioned as economically unsound and legally suspect. The letter warns of deliberate weakening of strategic public assets, erosion of regional livelihoods, and long-term risks to India’s resource sovereignty, urging an immediate policy review before irreversible damage is done.

India: Freedom of Religion undermined by Sectarian Politics by Dr Ram Puniyani countercurrents.org/2026/03/india-… India’s constitutional promise of secularism stands imperiled as sectarian politics tightens its grip on public life. Dr. Ram Puniyani traces how organized majoritarian forces have normalized hatred, eroded institutional safeguards, and intensified violence against religious minorities. With global watchdogs raising alarm and democratic indices slipping, the steady dismantling of religious freedom is no longer deniable. Laws, propaganda, and impunity converge to marginalize vulnerable communities while dissent is criminalized. This incisive critique exposes the structural roots of intolerance and calls attention to the urgent need to defend pluralism, justice, and the fragile foundations of India’s democracy.

The Rohingya Question in Our Time by Anisur Rahman and Ashish Singh countercurrents.org/2026/03/the-ro… The Rohingya crisis endures as one of our time’s most unsettling moral failures—where statelessness, forced exile, and political paralysis converge. In the crowded camps of Cox’s Bazar, survival has replaced dignity, and an entire generation grows up in suspended existence, denied rights, education, and a future. Beyond humanitarian concern, the crisis exposes deeper fractures in global governance, where security anxieties eclipse justice. As Anisur Rahman and Ashish Singh argue, the Rohingya question is not peripheral—it is a test of our collective conscience, revealing how long the world can tolerate suffering when responsibility remains perpetually deferred.

How billionaire elites help fund an Oxford statistics lab that makes the destruction of Earth look just great by Christopher Ketcham countercurrents.org/2026/03/how-bi… Behind the polished graphs of progress, Christopher Ketcham exposes how billionaire-funded data projects like Oxford’s Our World in Data sanitize ecological collapse and social dispossession. Backed by figures such as Bill Gates and Silicon Valley elites, the lab’s metrics celebrate growth while obscuring climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the violence of “development.” This critique challenges the myth that capitalism delivers universal progress, revealing instead a data-driven narrative that flatters power and normalizes planetary destruction. It urges readers to question statistics that erase lived realities, Indigenous dispossession, and mounting ecological limits, and to confront the politics behind numbers

The Most Appropriate Response to Falling Birthrates? Embrace Them by Nandita Bajaj countercurrents.org/2026/03/the-mo… As governments panic over declining birthrates, Nandita Bajaj challenges the alarmism driving coercive pronatalist policies. From financial incentives to nationalist agendas, such efforts not only fail to raise fertility but also undermine reproductive freedom and deepen inequality. Drawing on global evidence, the article argues that falling birthrates are a result of increased agency among women—not a crisis. Instead of forcing population growth, Bajaj calls for embracing demographic shifts, prioritizing wellbeing, ecological sustainability, and gender justice. The real task is not producing more people for the economy, but transforming economies to serve people and the planet.

Do We Recognize a Global War When We See One? by Biljana Vankovska countercurrents.org/2026/03/do-we-… Do we recognize a world war only when it is officially declared—or when its devastation becomes impossible to ignore? Biljana Vankovska argues that today’s conflicts, from Gaza to Iran, from sanctions to economic coercion, form a diffuse yet deeply interconnected global war. In a world where everything—from food and energy to information and fear—is weaponized, the frontlines are everywhere. As intellectuals remain largely silent and power grows ever more reckless, humanity edges closer to catastrophe. This is not a distant threat but a lived reality—one that demands awareness, moral courage, and urgent resistance before the abyss fully consumes us.

END IRAN WAR NOW! – An American’s plea to the Washington Post by Dimitris Eleas countercurrents.org/2026/03/end-ir… As war drums intensify, a powerful letter to The Washington Post warns of a deepening catastrophe. Dimitris Eleas invokes the resignation of a senior counterterrorism official as a moral alarm against the US war on Iran. Drawing parallels with past military failures, he challenges the rhetoric of “unconditional surrender” and exposes the staggering human, economic, and ethical costs. With urgency and clarity, the letter calls for restraint, respect for adversaries, and a return to democratic values. In a moment fraught with danger, this plea asks a critical question: how far will a nation go before it loses its soul?