In some ways, I thought as I headed into Kolkata last month, my route across India was looking very anachronistic. Mumbai, Chennai and now Kolkata: those were the three principle centers of British power during the heyday of the Raj. Chennai (Madras) was the oldest British post, Mumbai (Bombay) became British as part of the […]

Have we all been underestimating the gravity of the European crisis? That deeply unsettling question threatens to wreck the world’s peace of mind in what could just be a much more turbulent fall than people expect. The American election and much else could be wrenched out of shape by new and much more dangerous developments […]

One of the advantages of extended overseas traveling in an election year is that you get to see just how pointless most of the daily election commentary and news reporting in the United States really is. The interminable US presidential election cycle (with people already beginning to speculate about 2016, heaven help us) has bequeathed […]

Andrew Sullivan may have hauled down the flag on the circumcision issue, acknowledging that respect for religious freedom requires allowing both Muslims and Jews to perform essential required rites of their respective faiths, but he’s taken up another unlikely cause: that people should support President Obama because he is really the ‘best’ kind of British […]

Older readers will remember a 1969 song by Edwin Starr. “War,” he sings, “what is it good for?” The answer, repeated through the song, is “Absolutely nothing.” (Watch Jackie Chan sing it here.)If you asked the same thing about a modern political convention, the answer would be pretty much the same: Absolutely nothing, or close […]

Chennai is one of those Indian cities that has confused the world by changing its name; for centuries it was known as Madras. It was the oldest center of British power in India; with a presence dating from the 1630s the British presence there was part of the same colonial expansion that settled the eastern […]

The second stage on my India trip took me to one of the most dynamic places in the world: Mumbai. Hyderabad is a great Indian city; Mumbai is a global metropolis. With more than 20 million people in the metro area, it’s about as big as cities get, and as the financial and entertainment capital […]

With Governor Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate, the vague contours of the presidential race have suddenly become sharper. Up until now, partly because Romney’s image has been so fuzzy, we were looking at a referendum on President Obama rather than a clear-cut contest between political philosophies. Now, given Ryan’s […]

It’s been a busy few days in India; the U.S. consulates I’ve been visiting have kept me busy visiting colleges, meeting with journalists and giving talks to business and civic groups. Add the jet lag thanks to the nine and a half hour time difference from the U.S. East Coast and the torpor that comes […]

The history of race in America has been one of a series of "great compromises", from the Founding up to the election of Barack Obama. There are signs that the latest compromise is breaking down.