International Political Will

Foolishly, for years I assumed “globalization” meant the spread of ideas, commerce, communication, and interaction between people around the world. I thought the shared experience of movies, fashion, and eventually language could overcome cultural and religious differences. I believed that it signaled a new era for mankind – that people would have friends in different [...]

Last week, two ominous events in India – a solar eclipse and record high-tides in Mumbai – spurred astrologists and soothsayers to predict floods and catastrophe. Their prophecies were dismissed, and the celestial events came and went with no horrendous devastation.
But maybe we weren’t looking closely enough, because life in Mumbai often looks and feels [...]

I stood near the open door of the Mumbai metro train as it approached the next station, trying to ignore my perspiration-soaked shirt pasted to my back. It wasn’t yet mid-morning, but one of the world’s most populous cities was already a bustling mass of commuters.
A middle-aged passenger in front of me with thin-rimmed spectacles [...]

After the shooting rampage in Binghamton that left 13 people dead, the city’s police chief – the man charged with protecting the citizenry – said in a moment of stupidity:
“If some crazy lunatic decides to pick up a gun and go someplace and start shooting people, I really don’t have the answer how…[to] prevent anything [...]

There is one scene in Slumdog Millionaire – perhaps only 3 or 4 seconds long – where a man on the street looks directly at the camera and utters “no filming.”
I’m not sure why the director kept the shot in the final cut, but the scene demonstrates just how real the visuals are. The movie [...]