The army can ensure battle victories but cannot ensure victory in the war against terror… What may have worked partially in the North-east and J&K would not work in states that are now affected by Naxal violence, writes Vikram Sood.
Narendra Modi’s triumph and validation — or defeat and punishment — won’t come in a courtroom but in the arena of electoral politics, writes Ashok Malik.
The Maoist menace needs to be tackled by the State. But surely not at the cost of random acts of harassment, writes KumKum Dasgupta.
Is there such a thing as an ‘Indian instinct’? It is the inner voice of India that’s so important and so fragile, writes Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
This winter has been bitterly cold across the northern hemisphere, and the hitherto unheard of gurus of climate change are saying it’s only the start of a cooling trend. Samrat writes.
If we want to check the proliferation of ‘paid news’, editors must agree to follow a strict code of conduct, writes Rajdeep Sardesai.
A team of TV journalists recorded what happened — and what didn’t happen — on December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya. Evidence for a real inquiry is all there, says Madhu Trehan. But is anybody seriously interested?
It is a welcome sign that Australian leaders themselves are taking the initiative to dispel the myth that all Australians are allergic to Indians, writes Lalita Panicker.
As the only power in the region with a global reach, India must speak for smaller countries in global forums, writes Ajay Chibber.
I’m too cynical to believe in revelations. but perhaps this distant, anonymous man had given me something, a personal sorrow, larger and deeper than what I had seen before, writes Siddharth Shanghvi.
China strengthened its economy and built up global credit over time. The changes were so steady that the US was lulled into believing that it was living in an unchanging world. But the world did change and Obama came to power in this altered world, writes Kaushik Basu.
Parties survive in the opposition when they have fixed constituencies and flexible beliefs. But the CPI(M) has only favour-seekers and no followers, writes Sumit Mitra.
Wall flowers. Hey, I want my money back! They told me that on November 9, 1989, the Wall had come down and they would be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its fall here.

Flying is very hard work for Malegaon’s Superman. In Nasir’s latest film (shown at the 11th Osian festival in Delhi, it will be screened next at the international film festival in Goa), Shafique as Superman is the hero.
Paramita Ghosh takes a close-up.
Queen Elizabeth II in a burqa? The 26/11 attack in Mumbai not a terror act? UK nutters ahoy!