India: repression after Operation Sindoor and Modi’s ‘new normal’

A shaky peace has held between India and Pakistan after they traded blows in a brief war last month. While the bombs have fallen silent for now, Indian Prime Minister Modi is exploiting the opportunity to target dissenters for harassment, arrest and (in the case of Maoist fighters in Chhattisgarh) extra-judicial murder, all under the cover of postwar patriotism.

After only 11 months, the Dutch government of prime-minister Dick Schoof has collapsed as notorious rightwing demagogue Geert Wilders decided to pull the plug on it. At a time when the ruling class needs a strong government that ramps up military spending and makes cuts to everything else, this brings more instability and uncertainty to Dutch politics.