Decoding peace and power

THE STANDARD POSITION about wars is that they have no winners. Even perceived winners have much to grieve about. But the end of the conflict in Palestine seems to have thrown up an unexpected hero: US President Donald Trump. Hence, this cover story.

Senior Assistant News Editor Ajish P. Joy argues that more than conventional diplomacy, what worked was Trump’s forceful personality, unconventional pressure, and the skills of a transactional real-estate dealmaker. And that part comes through in Trump’s statement to Israel’s Channel 12: “I said, ‘Bibi, this is your chance for victory’. He was fine with it. He’s got to be fine with it. He has no choice. With me, you’ve got to be fine.” It is one thing to say it, and then to repeat it publicly.

Dr P.R. Kumaraswamy of Jawaharlal Nehru University has contributed a seven-point cautionary note to the cover story. And he shoots straight: “Despite his eccentricity and unpredictability, Trump has succeeded where everyone else—Americans and others alike—has failed. His arm-twisting of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas eventually forced both sides to accept the terms of his peace deal.”

Reuven Azar, the Israeli ambassador to India, spoke to Chief of Bureau (Delhi) Namrata Biji Ahuja about Israel’s commitments, concerns, and what India could do once peace takes root. Fleur Hassan, the special envoy of the foreign ministry of Israel, also spoke to Namrata, stressing that the disarmament of Hamas was central to this peace effort. The third person interviewed by Namrata was Palestinian human rights lawyer Raji Sourani, who said that peace was tied to “justice and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people”. Palestinian journalists Somaya Abueita and Moaz Al-Amour add their voices to the cover story, completing it.

Closer to home, Senior Special Correspondent Puja Awasthi looks at the Uttar Pradesh government’s anti-caste directives and how they will play out. While we should all welcome efforts to erase casteism, the selective enforcement of anti-caste regulations would make it an instrument of political control, Puja cautions.

Another gripping interview in this issue is Resident Editor R. Prasannan’s chat with journalist and former Union minister M.J. Akbar on his new book, After Me, Chaos. It was news to me that it was Aurangzeb and not Louis XIV who had said the original line. Louis XIV’s “After me, deluge” came 80 years later, says M.J. Akbar.​

He peppers the interview with anecdotes, such as the one about the Mughal court employing astrologers from Banaras for hundreds of years. The emperors met them first thing in the morning to decide who would get an audience that day.

I believe it has not changed much, as many politicians still rely on astrologers. Some change the way their names are spelled, while others change features of their residences. Journalists, too, are not immune. A former colleague of mine was a believer. He tweaked his name at least two times and would never sit with his back to a door. Apparently, the rules for positioning a chair in relation to a doorway are not just in Indian astrology, but also in feng shui.