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Rohan Venkat

@rohanvenkat.bsky.social
1.4K followers 3.9K following 120 posts

Newsletter: India Inside Out || Non-Resident Visiting Scholar & Managing Editor, CASI, University of Pennsylvania || 📍Cairo, Egypt rohanv on Twitter

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nicoblar.bsky.social @nicoblar.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
I had a great discussion a few days back on PM Modi's visit to Israel (& the implications in light of the subsequent Israeli-US strikes & regional escalation) with another very close observer of India's ties with West Asia @rohanvenkat.bsky.social rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/nicolas-bl...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
Interview: Why Modi went to Israel, India's coordination with UAE and more
The author of 'The Evolution of India’s Israel Policy: Continuity, Change, and Compromise since 1922' on the unexpected visit and its fallout.
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
INDIA IN TRANSITION: Now Available in HINDI, BANGLA, and TAMIL "CASI Reading List: MGNREGA, Employment Guarantees, and the Indian Welfare State" with @rohanvenkat.bsky.social in conversation with Yamini Aiyar (Brown University). (Links Below)
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Kalathmika Natarajan @kalathmika.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
So glad to share this interview about Coolie Migrants, Indian Diplomacy, coinciding with the US publication of the book with @academic.oup.com Many thanks to @rohanvenkat.bsky.social for this thoughtful conversation and for his close and generous reading of my book.
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
INDIA IN TRANSITION: "CASI Reading List: MGNREGA, Employment Guarantees, and the Indian Welfare State" with @rohanvenkat.bsky.social in conversation with Yamini Aiyar (Brown University) casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-rea...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
CASI Reading List: MGNREGA, Employment Guarantees, and the Indian Welfare State | Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI)
India in Transition asked Yamini Aiyar, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia and Watson Institute, Brown University, to put together a short reading list of key work...
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
INDIA IN TRANSITION: In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to Rohit De & Ornit Shani about their new co-authored book on "'Re-assembling' India’s Constitutional History" casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-dee...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
CASI Deep Dive: Rohit De & Ornit Shani on “Re-assembling” India’s Constitutional History | Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI)
CASI Managing Editor Rohan Venkat interviews Rohit De and Ornit Shani about how they co-authored their new book, why an Ikea chair is a better analogy for the Indian Constitution than a physical monum...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Back to writing India Inside Out after a longer-than-expected paternity break. On this edition, three notes on the 'mother of all deals' signed between India and the EU, plus links to lots of interesting analysis on the FTA & beyond. rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-to-re...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
What to read on the India-EU 'mother of all deals' trade agreement
3 notes on the big India-EU deal, and lots of links.
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nicoblar.bsky.social @nicoblar.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Happy to announce the 1st ever @isanet.bsky.social conference in South Asia in August 2026. Hosted in Colombo, Sri Lanka, we welcome proposals from scholars based in and/or studying South Asian politics & international relations, but also broader global themes ofc www.isanet.org/Conferences/...
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ISA-SAWP Colombo 2026: Call for Proposals
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
India may be the world's most populous country, but major shifts in its underlying demographics – and their massive implications – have gone unnoticed. On @casipenn.bsky.social's India In Transition, we present a new series on India's Demographic Dilemmas, by Rukmini S, of @dataforindia.bsky.social
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to @louisetillin.bsky.social (King's College London) about "'Freebie Politics' and the History of India’s Distinctive Welfare State." casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-dee...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
CASI Deep Dive: Louise Tillin on “Freebie Politics” and the History of India’s Distinctive Welfare State | Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI)
In the introduction to Making India Work: The Development of Welfare in a Multi-Level Democracy (Cambridge University Press, February 2025), Louise Tillin makes reference to a “doorstop” tome on welfa...
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Emily Tamkin @emilyctamkin.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
For our last @politicalcycle.bsky.social before summer break, @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and I talked Mamdani's win, what it does and doesn't mean, Israel and antisemitism discourse, and how the news is being greeted in India. Listen here or wherever you pod emilyctamkin.substack.com/p/the-politi...
emilyctamkin.substack.com
The Political Cycle: You Don't Mess With the Zohran*
*Our producer wrote this episode name so credit or blame him. Anyway, this is on NYC's mayoral election.
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to author Swapna Kona Nayudu (Yale-NUS College) about "Non-Alignment as Civil Disobedience and Nehru’s Blind Spots" casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/casi-dee...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
CASI Deep Dive: Swapna Kona Nayudu on Non-Alignment as Civil Disobedience and Nehru’s Blind Spots | Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI)
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 23/06/2025
Keep going back to these paras from @abuaardvark.bsky.social right around the Gulf trip, when it seemed there was a spat with Bibi, w/ Trump decrying "the interventionalists... intervening in complex societies that they did not even understand themselves." abuaardvarkghost.ghost.io/what-does-tr...
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nicoblar.bsky.social @nicoblar.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Thanks to @rohanvenkat.bsky.social for inviting me on his great podcast, the political cycle, to discuss India's stance on the Israel-Iran conflict. Many moving parts and complex webs to decipher shows.acast.com/the-election...
shows.acast.com
The Iran/Israel Conflict: where does India stand? | The Political Cycle
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
Arvind Panagariya, chairman of 16th Finance Commission, said that *22-23* of India’s 28 states had made a case for increasing their share in the divisible pool from 41% to 50%. But... the Commission is likely to keep states’ tax share unchanged www.livemint.com/economy/sixt...
livemint.com
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
"In 2005, India exported $10 billion worth of goods to China, which has only increased to $14.9 billion in 2024, while imports from China have grown tenfold from $10 billion to over $100 billion during the same period." www.usip.org/publications...
usip.org
How Vulnerable Is India to Chinese Economic Coercion?
While India has taken a strong security stance against China, its economic posture has been cooperative. But India's reliance on Chinese imports may undermine its role as a counterbalance to China. Th...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
The BJP has always been more than willing to describe its political opponents as 'anti-national.' So what then explains its decision to rely on a cross-party effort to make India's case abroad, following Operation Sindoor? On India Inside Out this week: rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-promp...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
Why did the BJP take the 'all-party' route on Op Sindoor delegations?
Is this a shift in political tactics or a maneuver to blunt domestic criticism?
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, I spoke to Tariq Thachil about his tenure as director through a complex time, the role of 'India Centers' in US academia, the disconnect in how India is studied in the US and why it's important to build academic bridges.
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The Political Cycle: a (truly) global politics podcast @politicalcycle.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Trump the dealmaker: is the President's aggressive trade policy paying off? @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and @emilyctamkin.bsky.social discuss on this week's episode. Listen now. pod.fo/e/2d5dd6
pod.fo
The Election Tricycle: Deal or No Deal: what should the world make of Trump's deal brokering?
It’s now been more than a 100 days for Trump’s administration. The self proclaimed master of dealmaking has made international waves, with tariffs that have shaken (and confused) the world. Bu...
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nicoblar.bsky.social @nicoblar.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
Re-hyphenation? Excellent pc from @rohanvenkat.bsky.social for India Inside out & Scroll
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
On India Inside Out: "In some ways, the fallout of the Pahalgam attack has meant that the hyphen is once again hovering over India. If Operation Sindoor does indeed establish the deterrence India has long sought, then it may well be shot down." rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-hyphen...
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Nick Hilton @nickfthilton.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Can I recommend this episode of The Political Cycle as an aid to understanding the broader context of what's happening in Kashmir? @emilyctamkin.bsky.social talks to @rohanvenkat.bsky.social about the dangerous situation between India and Pakistan.
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The Election Tricycle: Kashmir in Crisis: how dangerous is the conflict between India and Pakistan?
This week, India launched retaliatory attacks on Pakistani territory following last month's terror attacks that left 26 people dead in the tourist town of Pahalgam in Kashmir. That was the worst at...
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Annalee Newitz @annaleen.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
I love this story so much. We leave our marks on the world, even when they try to erase us.
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
On India Inside Out: This week's @politicalcycle.bsky.social pod in where we spoke to @cfhorgan.bsky.social about Canada and whether Mark Carney is now the 'model' for anti-Trump politics. Plus links to important pieces on caste census, Pahalgam & more. rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-politi...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
The Political Cycle: Is Mark Carney the model 'anti-Trump'?
Plus, links on the caste census, Pahalgam and more.
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
I wrote this a couple of years ago about the demands for a 'caste census' in India, which the Modi government – following much reluctance – has now approved. Read this for a backgrounder: rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/india-insi...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
India Inside Out: What is driving demands for a 'caste census' ahead of the 2024 elections?
Plus, two other notes on counting Indians.
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Samanth Subramanian @samanthsubramanian.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Out in the US and UK in less than six months! Pre-order here, pretty please — it makes a world of a difference to sales. And please RT / spread the word! www.amazon.co.uk/Web-Beneath-...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
While Western AI discourse tends to focus on the mirage of AGI, in India it is sold as a quick fix that will bring 'development' to the masses. For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, @bulletprooflama.bsky.social examines the Indian flavour of AI hype: casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/mila-t-s...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
What is the overlap between Elon Musk's DOGE and Modi's India? A (misguided) fetish for government efficiency above all else. This week on the Political Cycle, I speak to Yamini Aiyar, co-author with @danhonig.bsky.social of a recent piece on the subject. rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/the-politi...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
The Political Cycle: DOGE, Modi and the 'fetish' for government efficiency
A conversation with Yamini Aiyar.
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Indrapramit Das @indrapramitdas.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
My books (and many of my stories) have all been fed to Meta's (& other) genAI without consent or compensation to feed tech's anti-art crusade, so I'd appreciate if a few more humans bought/read my books. ICYMI, I've a mythic realist novella out about extradimensional refugees living in Calcutta:
subterraneanpress.com
The Last Dragoners of Bowbazar eBook
Subterranean Press creates readable art, publishing limited editions and groundbreaking original works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
For @casipenn.bsky.social's India in Transition, I spoke to @paliwalavi.bsky.social about India's Near East, why he chose to the 'near east' framing – mixing domestic and international – and how history is 'rhyming' in Bangladesh: casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/rohan-ve...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
We lost my thatha – my grandfather – this week, though he was lucky enough to go serenely, in his village, surrounded by family, well into his 90s. A few years ago I had the chance to write about him for the Museum of Material Memory: museumofmaterialmemory.com/220000-piece...
museumofmaterialmemory.com
2,20,000 pieces of the past - Museum of Material Memory
Since 1987, not long after he retired as Class II Income Tax officer, thatha has been filling up one page a day with the words Sri Rama Jayam, meaning Jai Sri Ram in Tamil. Every single day, the same ...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
"Saudi Arabia and UAE represent near-term threats to India’s electronics exports due to their SEZs, competitive manufacturing environments, and potential labour-cost advantages." indianexpress.com/article/busi...
indianexpress.com
Smartphone makers not ‘overly concerned’ on US tariffs, talks with Centre ongoing: Official
Smartphone makers like Apple have made India one of their production and assembly hubs, from where they also export to many countries
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Center for the Advanced Study of India @casipenn.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
In this CASI Deep Dive IiT Interview, Managing Editor @rohanvenkat.bsky.social speaks to author @paliwalavi.bsky.social (@soaspolitics.bsky.social) about "India’s 'Near East' and How History is Rhyming in Bangladesh" casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/rohan-ve...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
CASI Deep Dive: Avinash Paliwal on India’s “Near East” and How History is Rhyming in Bangladesh
Toward the end of India’s Near East: A New History (Hurst, 2024), Avinash Paliwal noted that India’s “over-investment” in Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could lead to trouble, given her growi...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
On India Inside Out: Why the 'birthright citizenship' debate in the US made me think of 'Gulfie' Indians, and how Gulf states are a useful model in helping understand Trump. + links to pieces by @abuaardvark.bsky.social and @quinnslobodian.com rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/trump-birt...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
Trump, 'birthright citizenship' and the Gulf model
'Long live the King'
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
"The 30-day rolling average of options contracts traded by individual investors on the National Stock Exchange has declined 77% since the first set of curbs by the Securities and Exchange Board of India took effect in November." www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
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Xander's Skyscape @wellmanneredxs.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
We found some of these, though without bronze. It was a very, very odd feeling. They are beautifully made, with multi-process craftsmanship. The sclera was white marble, carefully carved and smoothed to shape, with a high polish to the surface, and the corners of the eyes delicately painted 1/
An eye-inlay from an Egyptian coffin lies in the sand in the trench where it was found. It is made of white marble and onyx, and the iris is intensely shiny, reflecting the shapes of the excavators. Pieces of skull are in the background. Photo by Xander Sable. The eye-inlay from an Egyptian coffin on its small finds illustration sheet, with front, back and side illustrations and notes. It looks very brooding. Photo and illustrations by Xander Sable
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The Political Cycle: a (truly) global politics podcast @politicalcycle.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
TRUMPONOMICS KLAXON! Is Wall Street still onboard with the President? @emilyctamkin.bsky.social, @rohanvenkat.bsky.social and @tomhamilton.bsky.social discuss! Listen, and subscribe, below.
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The Election Tricycle: Trumponomics: Is Wall Street still behind the President?
With Donald Trump’s ongoing trade wars, the markets have been rattled. Tariffs come and go, but uncertainty remains. As for the American people, who were promised cheaper every day items, are th...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
If you're at #AAS2025 in Columbus, Ohio, I'll be speaking at this tomorrow. Come say hi after if you're around!
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
I had no idea that Semal buds could be cooked. Here's Ghazala Jamil pondering foods that "do not fit the market logic of predictability and profit." scroll.in/article/1079...
scroll.in
Foraging in the city: The little-known vegetable of the cotton silk tree
The tree’s flaming-red flowers herald summer. But its fallen buds, cooked as a fleeting seasonal dish, are a lesson in patience and resisting market economics.
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
On India Inside Out: Why is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu asking newlyweds to "have children immediately"? The answer is 'delimitation' – a constitutional process of apportioning Lok Sabha seats by population, which has been frozen for almost 50 years rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/how-will-i...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
How will India solve its delimitation dilemma?
Is a federal bargain with the BJP realistic?
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
This week on the pod: What might the visits of Starmer, Zelenskyy, Modi & conversations with Trudeau, Sheinbaum etc tell us about how world leaders are approaching this White House? Plus, on Cycle Recommends: A piece by @katemac.bsky.social and @70sbachchan.bsky.social on Europe's 'metal era'
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
"Foreign investors are selling India because they need to allocate more funds to China... Investors have been gradually reducing their exposure to India over the past few months and increasing their positions in China." www.livemint.com/market/stock...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
On India Inside Out: Why is the chief minister of Tamil Nadu asking newlyweds to "have children immediately"? The answer is 'delimitation' – a constitutional process of apportioning Lok Sabha seats by population, which has been frozen for almost 50 years rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/how-will-i...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
How will India solve its delimitation dilemma?
Is a federal bargain with the BJP realistic?
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Do Muslims need to be represented only by Muslims? Hilal Ahmed takes a look at the underlying concerns embedded in this question, and different ways of engaging with it, in a piece for the @casipenn.bsky.social'sIndia in Transition. casi.sas.upenn.edu/iit/hilal-ah...
casi.sas.upenn.edu
Three Facets of Muslim Representation in India
Do Muslims need to be represented only by Muslims? This provocative question is usually overlooked to make a few sweeping generalizations about ever-declining numbers of Muslim MPs and MLAs in legisla...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
How the stock market has gone well beyond the rich in India: "In terms of the extent of geography covered now, one in every five rupee invested in Mutual Funds comes from cities beyond the top 110 cities contributing to MF assets." Beyond the *top 110 cities.* indianexpress.com/article/busi...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Had no idea that makhana ('fox nut'), touted as the next super-food, has to be harvested by manually picking seeds that settle down on waterbeds. indianexpress.com/article/long...
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Love this addition to the Arabian vs Persian Gulf debate pointing out that the original Arabian Gulf was... the Red Sea.
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Liam Bates @liambatespoet.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
- Al Overview
"Get in, Loser - We're seizing the means of production" is a phrase attributed to Karl Marx.
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India? rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-does-...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India?
Is India one of the poles?
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Rohan Venkat @rohanvenkat.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India? rohanvenkat.substack.com/p/what-does-...
rohanvenkat.substack.com
What does Trump's embrace of multipolarity mean for Modi & India?
Is India one of the poles?
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Peter G @zigzackly.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
This is a 🧵 in which I aim to persuade you to support @freelibsnet.bsky.social and, if your finances permit it, to take advantage of the many fabulous offers in its #LibraryLove fun(d)-raiser.
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