Opinion

PAGE 14

Trump, Iran, and limits of presidential power

Published on Mar 31, 2026 08:41 pm IST

Trump appears to have entered the Iran conflict with a certainty that he could control its trajectory. But wars have a way of slipping beyond the control of those who start them. (Bloomberg)

Eroding transformative rights for trans people

In its 2014 judgment in NALSA v. Union of India, the Supreme Court held that transgender persons have a right to live with dignity. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Published on Mar 30, 2026 08:51 pm IST

Landmark moment for India in cervical cancer prevention

To prevent cancer before it begins is an extraordinary act of foresight and the government of India has to be commended for its moral clarity. (PTI)

Published on Mar 30, 2026 08:51 pm IST

China smiles as the US gets locked in Iran war

China has not fired a single shot in this conflict. The dragon doesn’t need to fight tigers. It can wait until they exhaust each other and simply claim the prize. (Bloomberg)

Published on Mar 30, 2026 08:51 pm IST

Mind The Gap: Big Tech’s very bad week

Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify in Los Angeles. (AP/Eugene Garcia and Krysta Fauria)

Published on Mar 30, 2026 08:00 am IST

The wages of war, and the lessons of history

The US-Israel bombing of Iran for over a month now has killed, among others, over 170 girls and teachers in the Iranian city of Minab. Tehran released photos of the dead girls. Videos and photos of their grieving parents were shared in media and social media, but how many of us cared to look at them? (AFP)

Published on Mar 29, 2026 09:47 pm IST

Why India can’t be a mediator in Iran war

Great powers mediate in conflicts within their spheres of influence because their leverage can compel compliance. (Reuters)

Published on Mar 29, 2026 09:47 pm IST

What the State fails to get about dissent

The measure of a confident democracy lies precisely in its ability to engage dissent without immediately recasting it as threat. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

Updated on Mar 29, 2026 09:47 pm IST

Vietnam to Iran: War & the lessons not learnt

Kubrick’s Pyle never understands the forces that produced him. Similarly, contemporary actors rarely see the full arc of their own actions. (Getty Images)

Published on Mar 28, 2026 08:17 pm IST

One loser in the Gulf war is President Trump

When Iran began to target the Gulf States, hitting hotels, airports, financial centres, and even, residential buildings, in addition to American diplomatic premises, Trump said he didn’t think Iran would do this. He said he’d been taken by surprise. (Reuters)

Published on Mar 28, 2026 08:17 pm IST

Transgressing rights of self-identification

Members of the transgender community shout slogans during a protest against the proposed Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill in New Delhi on March 26, 2026. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) (AFP)

Published on Mar 28, 2026 08:17 pm IST

Conflict and the tectonic shifts in India’s near-west

In Afghanistan, the Taliban is experiencing a paradoxical reality. Pakistan’s airstrikes are coalescing public opinion in support of the Taliban along anti-Pakistan Afghan nationalist lines. (AFP)

Published on Mar 28, 2026 08:16 pm IST

Lowering the threshold for the legal ‘use of force’

The International Court of Justice has repeatedly held that only the gravest forms of force qualify as an “armed attack”. Not every unlawful act crosses that threshold. (AP)

Published on Mar 27, 2026 08:13 pm IST

Dubai is more than a skyline, it’s also an idea

Dubai has evolved into a reference point — especially for younger generations across the region seeking opportunity. (AFP)

Published on Mar 27, 2026 08:13 pm IST

The Iran war and the shifting Gulf dynamics

UAE’s minister of industry and advanced technology has accused Iran of “economic terrorism” for choking the Strait of Hormuz. (Reuters)

Updated on Mar 27, 2026 08:12 pm IST

Beijing’s tech strategy is a national security project

The projects highlighted in the 2026 Government Work Report reflect a systematic push into areas such as semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and advanced manufacturing. (AFP)

Published on Mar 26, 2026 08:39 pm IST

Private lives versus government morality

The transgender certificate does little beyond allowing a person to apply for documents, jobs and education in the gender of their choice. (PTI)

Published on Mar 26, 2026 08:39 pm IST

Courting mistrust with the NCERT book ban

The apex court being upset about the way it is portrayed and demanding that corrections be made is fair and part of the process. But for it to attribute motives, order a blanket ban, and ostracise the authors sends the wrong message. (HT Archive)

Updated on Mar 26, 2026 08:39 pm IST

Familiar interventions in an unsettled region

As this conflict shows, war has doubtful efficacy as a deterrent, but strong incentives for escalation. (AFP)

Updated on Mar 25, 2026 08:50 pm IST

Easing the journey from the lab bench to market

India ranks third globally in scientific publications and fourth in PhDs awarded. We excel at the early stages of discovery — what experts call technology readiness levels (TRL) 1-3. Our labs are proficient at producing papers. But an industrial economy runs on products, not papers. (HT Archive)

Published on Mar 25, 2026 08:50 pm IST

Nuanced reading of the right to die with dignity

Modern medicine can prolong dying through ventilators, feeding tubes, and endless interventions long after the person is gone. To insist on continuing such treatment regardless of prognosis or suffering is not the protection of life; it is cruelty. (Shutterstock)

Updated on Mar 25, 2026 08:50 pm IST

Why the US and Iran may exit a costly war

Also impinging on Trump’s calculus are angry pleas from US allies in West Asia who have borne the brunt of Iranian counterattacks. The persistent insecurity complex in the region pitting Iran against American allies has exploded into an inferno during this war. (AFP)

Published on Mar 24, 2026 08:09 pm IST

Need a stronger WTO to fight Trump’s trade pivot

Today, we are witnessing a new NIEO moment, this time launched by the US because of its disenchantment with the WTO. (Getty Images via AFP)

Published on Mar 24, 2026 08:09 pm IST

Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0: Beyond pipes & pumps

The Jal Jeevan Mission has rapidly evolved from an infrastructure project into a transformative public programme. Having expanded tap water access from a small minority to the vast majority of rural India, the mission’s focus now shifts from construction to long-term service sustainability. (HT Archive)

Published on Mar 24, 2026 08:09 pm IST

The Strait of Hormuz and India’s Structural Energy Vulnerability

India’s strategic petroleum reserves currently cover roughly 9–10 days of consumption. Even after including commercial inventories which can theoretically provide an additional buffer of 64.5 days, the total buffer remains below that of China. (Bloomberg)

Published on Mar 24, 2026 05:22 pm IST

West Asia’s shadow on energy security in India

India has limited options to fall back on, despite turning to spot LNG markets and the temporary relief in buying Russian crude. Rising crude prices have already driven up liquified petroleum gas (LPG) prices and could drive up petrol, diesel, and CNG prices as well, with knock-on effects across the economy. (Bloomberg)

Published on Mar 23, 2026 09:20 pm IST

Time of great global demographic u-turn

Some demographers and economists believe that governments should now encourage people to have more children. A depopulating world may not necessarily be good for either the environment or economic growth, they argue. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Published on Mar 23, 2026 09:20 pm IST

Five priorities for India to eliminate TB

It remains concerning that more than 3,00,000 people continue to die from TB each year, despite the disease being curable. (HT Archive)

Updated on Mar 23, 2026 09:20 pm IST

Mind The Gap: Identity under scrutiny

File photo

Published on Mar 23, 2026 08:00 am IST

Firing up innovation for the new tech age

India’s innovation ecosystem is increasingly deepening. Through the National Education Policy 2020, we are integrating education, research, skills, and entrepreneurship into a single continuum (Mint Archive)

Published on Mar 22, 2026 08:27 pm IST

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