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Op-Ed SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 | The Indian Eye 16

the world after 20 years of 9/11

Views and opinions from the top commentators in Indian media

he world today may seem solutely no economic rationale.
no safer than it was 20 The claim that it represents an
Tyears ago when Al Qaeda alternative, less harmful, way of
terrorists brought down the Twin financing government spending
Towers, starting a US-led and compared to a fiscal deficit is
US-named global war on terror. wholly mistaken.”
Taliban is back. The Washing- Prabhat Patnaik,
ton-based Centre for Strategic The Telegraph
and International Studies esti-
mated in 2018 that the number bumrah
of active terrorist groups was the killer
67, the most since 1980. And as
per a new report from the Costs umrah has the strangest
of War project at Brown Uni- run-up of any fast bowl-
versity, the US spent $8 trillion Ber in Test cricket. That
during its two-decade-long war stooping, stalking walk in, the
on terror that also took 9,00,000 skip, that stuttering gallop,
lives. So did terrorists win? makes Bob Willis’s legendary
Certainly not. Despite Tali- approach, left hand pawing the
ban’s return in Afghanistan, the air in front of him, right hand
multiple terror groups in Africa, repeatedly picking his own
and the persistence of the Is- pocket, seem positively normal.
lamic State outfit, democracies This haunting image has become a part of history There was never any chance of
haven’t been thrown off track. Bumrah being pigeonholed as a
No terrorist movement nor any sought to portray themselves as zation” worth 6 lakh crore ru- freak, though. One, he plays for
state that sponsors terrorism champions of the Taliban, refus- pees. This is in addition to its India, the 800-pound gorilla of
has been able to provide a bet- ing to support a resolution that proposed privatization of public world cricket; two, his idiosyn-
ter life for those they claim to “turned the tables on Taliban” sector assets. Asset monetiza- crasies aren’t ornamental, they
represent. True, ISIS did brief- when the US’s “20 years failed tion is supposed to be different make him harder to play; and
ly control territory in parts of occupation” and “its hasty with- from privatization as it involves three, his short career record is
Iraq and Syria, establishing its drawal” were the culprits. On no transfer of ownership. so impressive that respect is in
so-called caliphate. But it was counterterrorism, they wanted But if a public asset that was order.
short-lived, proving that nihil- a balanced approach to include earning Rs 50 crore per year But it was his contretemps
istic, violent movements can their terrorists of concern, in- earns Rs 500 crore by being with Jimmy Anderson at Lord’s
hardly build viable states or pro- cluding the East Turkestan Is- handed over to private manage- that turned him from a formida-
vide good governance.” lamic Movement (ETIM). ment that uses it for unbridled ble young fast bowler into Thor.
editorial, Given these objections, that commercial purposes, such as Till Lord’s, one of Umrah’s sig-
The Times of India India was able to persuade railway platforms becoming nature traits was his affability.
them not to veto the resolution advertisement spaces and high- Even the bouncing of An-

india and afGhaniStan and only abstain, was a diplo- rise malls coming up above derson seemed a professional
matic win. All UNSC members roadways, then this move, per working-over with no malice
rance and the UK have praised India’s presidency and se, while squeezing out ordi- aforethought. It was Ander-
warned that the Tali- acknowledged the value added nary users, does not help the son’s petulant response to his
Fban government will be by India in building bridges in government. What matters to no-hard-feelings overture af-
judged on the implementation the midst of polarized UNSC dy- the government is the amount terwards that seemed to intro-
of the resolution. For Russia, it namics, strengthening its claim it gets for such a handing over, duce a vein of iron into Bum-
was a moment of sweet revenge for permanent membership.” whether on long leases or only rah’s soul.”
to see the US relive its own lakshmi Puri, for a certain period. mukul keavna,
humiliating withdrawal from The Indian Express Asset monetization is thus NDTV
Afghanistan. China used the analogous to sale, although for Every week, we look at what
resolution for grandstanding not a Good Plan varying periods of time. How-
as the new, benign superpower, ever, what I say below holds, no the top commentators in the
supporting Afghanistan against he Narendra Modi gov- matter for how long the asset is Indian media are talking about
and bring to you a slice
“hegemonists”. ernment has announced handed over. of their opinions and comments
Both Russia and China Ta plan of “asset moneti- My point is that it has ab-

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