Bangladesh at 50: A surprising success story on April 9, 2021Bangladesh turned 50 with a thunder! Many international observers expressed their admirations for its remarkable successes in economic development and social transformation brought about within such a short period of time. Born out of war and destruction in 1971, few in the world had any optimism about her future. As a war-torn country, Bangladesh experienced […]
A year of Covid-19: On living through the pandemic on March 16, 2021We are one year into the Covid-19 pandemic. I recall flying back home on 2 March 2020 from Islamabad, Pakistan after the World Health Organization (WHO) issued further updates and advisory on 28 February on the mysterious disease that already infected thousands in Wuhan in China and was rapidly spreading to other countries. Having had […]
Resettlement and development: challenging the prevailing paradigm on August 25, 2020I find it a great pleasure in writing this review after having worked in the resettlement and development field for over two decades in countries in Asia and Africa. The book, edited by Michael M Cernea and Julie K Maldonado, is titled Changing the Prevailing Paradigm of Displacement and Resettlement: Risks, Impoverishment, Legacies, Solutions (Routledge […]
Rohingya refugee repatriation: three years on, and still in limbo on August 12, 2020This August marks three years of the Rohingya refugee crisis without any resolution. In August 2017, close to 800,000 Rohingyas crossed the border into Bangladesh in less than two months in the face of Myanmar’s military brutalities against their own people. The genocidal attacks by the Myanmar army and the forced displacement of Rohingyas from […]
Myanmar’s ‘clearance operations’ dimmers hope for Rohingya repatriation on July 4, 2020In recent weeks, Myanmar military launched massive offensive against the Arakan Army (AA), a rebel group seeking greater autonomy for ethnic Rohingyas in Rakhine (formerly known as Arakan) state. The month-long crackdown, according to available reports, involved indiscriminate fire and burning of villages forcing more than 10,000 people fleeing their homes. The offensive was in […]
Death and Despair: What have we learned from the Covid-19 pandemic? on June 3, 2020As I write, there are close to six million COVID-19 cases globally with nearly 400,000 confirmed deaths. Also, some have died and remain unaccounted in many countries. The US has now recorded over 103,000 deaths due to coronavirus–a grim and ugly milestone that shall remain a historic tragedy to mourn and remember for all times […]
Is COVID-19 going to change our lives forever? on May 8, 2020COVID-19 is increasingly unfolding as a health and human tragedy worldwide. The impact of this deadly health crisis clearly shows that it is just not a health emergency anymore; the economic, social and environmental dimensions of the heath crisis have brought the world to its knees. As I write this piece, there are 3.8 million […]
Human rights must guide COVID-19 recovery responses on April 29, 2020Among all rights, the right to life is the most fundamental, which focuses on the imperative of health care for everyone and the right to health and access to care and treatment for those who become ill. Given the global COVID-19 scenario, this right to care and treatment – irrespective of color, faith, nationality, location, […]
Coping with Covid-19: how the pandemic is affecting us all? on April 7, 2020As we face the unfolding Covid-19 pandemic, it is, at times, becoming overwhelming, both at personal and collective spheres. People are self-isolating or are quarantined in many countries around the world due to national emergencies and lockdowns, raising our levels of anxiety regarding the virus. What we know or don’t know and how to stay […]
CAA and the Delhi carnage: wither Indian democracy? on March 14, 2020In recent months, India made global headlines for all wrong reasons, starting with the now debunked National Registry of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), revoking the special status of Indian-administered Kashmir, and finally the lynching of the minority Muslims in Delhi – what one commentator called “the killing fields of Delhi” […]