Writer
Chandran Nair
Chandran Nair is the Founder and CEO of Global Institute for Tomorrow and a member of the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome. He is the author of “The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society”. His latest book “Dismantling Global White Privilege: Equity for a Post-Western World” will be available from December.
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The world’s population is poised to decline – and that’s great news
Some 18 months ago, the news broke that China’s population was beginning to contract. There was a knee-jerk reaction from business commentators who were wringing their hands eagerly over the implications this would have on China’s economic forecast and its place in the world – namely that fewer people would result in less consumption, ultimately Continue reading »
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The global collapse of parenting and the rise of the device
Over ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Guardian that argued it was time to slay a sacred cow: that the internet is a force for good. Many advised me against writing it, saying it would be read as the views of a laggard, but it became one of the most-read articles published Continue reading »
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To restore humanity, stop the genocide and make Israel accountable
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu Continue reading »
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If China became a democracy, would it still be rejected by the West?
Over the last few years, I have wondered about what drives the relentless Western animosity towards China. It seems a very logical question to ask if one wants to understand the world today. But you will be hard pressed to find this explained in commentary provided by the Western media. What one gets is screaming daily headlines, Continue reading »
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Will 2024 be the year to rein in the military-industrial complex, the biggest threat to global peace?
The complex, a key part of US political economy, fuels geopolitical tensions and enables countries and private actors to push for and capitalise on conflict. It’s time for societies to make concerted efforts to rein it in and build a movement to educate the world about the grave threat it poses to civilisation. Continue reading »
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Governments must take drastic action on climate, not pander to the public, or we’re all doomed to boil
For truly effective measures to counter climate change, governments need to break from the ideological clutches of classical free market economics. Systemic change must be led by governments with requisite political power and intent, well-defined objectives, and authority to act without fear. Continue reading »
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Gaza and ‘the graveyard for children’: the moral decline of Western politics
Weak Western leaders, certain of their own exceptionalism, have endangered world peace by peddling narratives that justify the unjustifiable. Abuse of the charge of antisemitism silences those calling for an end to the bloodshed, fomenting a callous response to the killing of Palestinians. Continue reading »
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US must curb Israel’s revenge instinct, end Palestinian suffering by wielding its power for peace
The world is appalled that the US has backed a war of vengeance by Israel on the captive Palestinian population. A US-led global peace process is critical to ending decades of violence in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Continue reading »
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Facing existential threats, raging wars highlight our failure to co-exist
The world recently saw the hottest day in 120 thousand years, mainly driven by climate change arising from our addiction to fossil fuels – sustaining economic growth and maintaining our lifestyles. We are consuming more oil than ever before in human history – enough to fill 6,500 Olympic swimming pools every day. Continue reading »
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From America’s IRA to China’s eco-civilisation, a new global consensus is emerging. Globalisation and growth are out, redesigning society is in
This summer saw the hottest average global temperatures in the last 125,000 years. Europe is embroiled in war, with other conflicts raging around the world. The global economy is still reeling from the impacts of the first global pandemic since 1919. Experts are warning against the threat posed by our most advanced technological creation–artificial intelligence (AI). Continue reading »
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The West must prepare for a long overdue reckoning
Five major trends illustrate how the world is changing, and that the West must grapple with the reality that it can no longer impose its “leadership” on the world as it once did. Continue reading »
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I’m sorry, but the toxic G-7 ‘rich club’ is past its sell-by date
YET ANOTHER G-7 meeting has passed with yet another embarrassing show of insecurity by a group that is well past its sell-by date. Continue reading »
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Hong Kong’s recovery: Greatest threat is parochialism
In January, the Finance Secretary Paul Chan went to Davos as part of an effort to encourage the world to join the government in its “embrace of a new start” for Hong Kong and to sell its numerous inherent strengths. Combined with efforts that coincided with the full opening-up of Hong Kong and recent visits Continue reading »
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Can the West move beyond the business of war and work with China, other nations for global peace?
Instead of focusing on building bridges and finding common ground for peace, the West has increasingly sought to shore up support among its allies and castigate or demonise its enemies. Continue reading »
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India-ASEAN collaboration: shaping a new global agenda
India holds this year’s presidency of the Group of 20 and has boldly stated its vision as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (One Earth, One Family, One Future). This is a departure from the previous (and often dry) themes of the G20 which are dominated by geopolitical issues and economic priorities of Western powers. Continue reading »
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Anti-China rhetoric is off the charts: what explains the mass hysteria in the West?
A key feature of following the news and reporting from mainstream Western media today is the relentless China bashing. It is off the charts, tiring, and often regurgitated trivia or fabricated stories with no evidence to support callous statements about the country, demonstrating a deep lack of understanding. But it continues to be churned out Continue reading »
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Nord Stream: Urgent need for international investigations into crimes against the environment
The explosions at the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines on September 26 in the Baltic Sea have been deemed an act of sabotage – but which nations or actors are responsible is yet to be known. Given the scale of the environmental crime, why are we not demanding the truth? What explains Western silence? Continue reading »
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It’s time for India to join the U.N. Security Council permanently
China in particular should support India’s ascension to permanent membership on the Security Council, a change that would reflect India’s global influence and a world order shifting away from the West’s dominance. Continue reading »
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American aggression needs to be reined in for the good of Asia and the world
Decades of exceptionalism, ideological obsessions and a deep-rooted sense of superiority is catching up with the United States. Continue reading »
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Work with China, not against it
Most Western commentators take comfort in describing the tensions between the United States and China as the inevitable rivalry of two superpowers. But this camouflages an uncomfortable truth: that we are moving from a Western-constructed world into a post-Western world, with China leading the charge. Continue reading »
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Tokenism against racism in the US helps hide an Inconvenient Global Scourge
The decision of US President Biden to announce that he would replace the outgoing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer by a black woman, Ketanji Brown Jackson may seem like a positive step in a country wracked by explicit and systemic racism. Continue reading »
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The West’s diplomatic boycott of Winter Olympics is gold-medal hypocrisy
This petty action squanders an opportunity for positive engagement and is rooted in a sense of anxiety about the rise of a non-Western nation. Continue reading »
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Net zero and carbon neutrality: Unscientific myths for an us and them world
The world is not united by the goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Each nation and region will have its own trajectory. Continue reading »
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AUKUS agreement threatens peace in Asia
The security pact between the US, UK and Australia is a troubling reminder that these Anglo-Saxon powers are stuck in a Cold War mindset. Continue reading »
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The White Man’s Media must be challenged in the post western world
When a news network based in India or a newspaper based in Nigeria or Hong Kong can be held in the same high regard as The New York Times or the Financial Times, we will know that we have succeeded in eradicating global white privilege in the media. Continue reading »
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Afghanistan shows white privilege in action on the geopolitical stage
The rapid collapse of the US-backed government in Afghanistan and the consequent yet predictable torrent of responses from Western media and politicians demonstrated just how entrenched the Western worldview in projecting its “right” to be the leaders of the world. Continue reading »
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Quarantine, what quarantine? Nicole Kidman, expats and white privilege
The unsaid but common understanding about foreigners in many parts of the non-Western world is that there is one group of them who can get away with a great deal: white people. Continue reading »
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Remember Mao’s famine, forget Churchill’s racism: how the West colonised Asian minds- SCMP August 23 2021
In late June and early July, First Nations communities in Canada found over 1,000 unmarked graves of children in Indian residential schools, which were run by the Roman Catholic Church from 1899 to 1997. This has led to activists burning Catholic churches and taking down statues of Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Victoria. Continue reading »
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White privilege in sport runs deep, including the Olympics.
Racist abuse experienced by Black England players is the tip of the iceberg and our response must go deeper and wider and shine a light on white privilege, in the global sports industry. Continue reading »
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The Global Fight Against White Supremacy and White Dominance
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed legislation to make Juneteenth a Federal holiday, marking the day in 1865 when Black people in the U.S. gained freedom from slavery. Emancipation did not stop the repression of Black people, nor will this new gesture change much. Continue reading »
