The Problems with Westphalian Nation-State System

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We all associate ourselves with various identities such as Indians, Chinese, Pakistani, Americans, Canadians, French, British and much more. Why do you think we all associate with all these more? Are there any other identities which people associate with?  The identities which I mentioned before are relatively new compared to other identities such as religion, language, caste, and various other identities. It is not to say that people never had such feelings towards nations or the state. But the idea of loyalty and love for the motherland was very important which offset various other identities. The question we are arriving at is what is the motherland, who made and how it formed.  What we refer to today as a Nation or Country refers to what we know in political science as a Nation-State. Today almost all the countries we know are categorised Nation-States and some even as State-Nations. International Relations and Political Science suggest that states are the most important a...
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News Capsule for the Week- August (11st-20th)

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 Following are the top news for the week (11-20).  If you wish to follow and get notifications of future articles, you can signup using the email on the left sidebar. 


Kerala 

  • Loknath Behra IPS were instated as the MD of Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL). He is a retired IPS officer who has been the DGP of Kerala Police. 
  • CBI files FIR against former CM Oommen Chandy and five others in the Solar Scam Sex Scandal case. 
  • The state of Kerala is in the Onam mood once again amidst the pandemic with rising cases and TPR. 
  • The Centre promises more vaccines and asks the state to mandate caution during Onam. Union Minister for Health completed his visit to the state to meet all people in charge. 
  • Government announces the Onam bonus for state govt. employees. 
  • Kerala breaks the record by vaccinating 5.35 Lakh people per day. 
  • BJP President K Surendran drew flak for hoisting the national flag upside down on Independence day. 
  • Kerala conducted a Mass vaccination drive from 14th to the 16th of August. 
  • CPIM for the first time celebrates Independence day at its party HQ in Trivandrum. 
  • Results for Kerala LSG bypolls announced. 
  • Rahul Gandhi inaugurated Mahatma Gandhi Statue during his visit to Wayanad. 
  • Wayanad becomes one of the first places in India to achieve 100% vaccination. 
  • 16 officials were arrested in the Karuvannur Bank Scam. 
  • New lockdown policy adopted in the state. Regions more than 8% WIPR will be under lockdown. 
  • Indian Hockey Player-Goal Keeper and the Olympics Bronze Medalist P R Sreejesh is awarded Rs 2 Cr from the State Govt for his exemplary performance and victory in Bronze Medal match. 
  • The govt. to drop a case against Minister A K Shashindran. 
India


  • India celebrates its 75th Independence Day Anniversary in 2021. PM Modi hoisted the National Flag at the Red Fort and gave a speech. 
  • Shashi Tharoor is cleared of all charges in Sunanda Pushkar's murder case, which is his wife's murder case. 
  • Senior Congress leader from the North East, Sushmita Dev leaves the party and join TMC. 
  • India Today Mood of the Nation Survey shows Modi's popularity declining post Second Wave. 
  • Supreme Court allows women to apply for the NDA exam which is a revolutionary decision. 
  • Ex-militant was killed in a police shooting in Meghalaya. Massive violence was reported in the state post-incident. Meghalaya Home Minister Rymbu resigns. 
  • Supreme Court questions the Central Govt on Tribunals act. 
  • Calcutta HC orders CBI and SIT probe into post-poll violence in West Bengal. 
  • Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation election campaign begins. 
  • A BJP and Apni party workers were shot dead in Kulgam.
  • Rahul Gandhi's Twitter was suspended briefly for his post on meeting parents of Delhi Rape victims. 
Afghanistan


  • Taliban takes over the capital city of Kabul on 15th August thus gaining control over the entire country even without having to fire a bullet. This happened after the US completed its troop withdrawal.
  • The US vacates its Embassy in Kabul post-Taliban takeover. The rescue and evacuations of US citizens are expected to be completed by August 31st. 
  • US troops sent for standby operations take control of Kabul airport and begin evacuations of citizens of the US, UK, Germany and other western nations. India also evacuated its citizens and embassy workers. 
  • The democratically elected President Ashraf Ghani flees to UAE. 
  • Mulla Baradar takes charge as the President of Afghanistan in Taliban Regime 
  • Streets of Kabul and main cities stand deserted, gunshots heard of, violence takes centre stage and women stay at home. Posters and hoardings of women across the country are blackened.
  • Taliban blows up the statue of stained Hazara leader Abdul Ali Mazari
  • Pakistan closes its border with Afghanistan after the regime change. 
  • Taliban holds a press conference with international media regarding the new govt. formation. 
  • UNSC calls for the protection of Afghanis' Human Rights and peaceful rule under the Taliban.
  • China and Russia have shown interest in recognising the Taliban as the new govt of Afghanistan. 
  • Iran said that US withdrawal from Afghanistan will promote peace and stability in the region. 
  • India decides to grant e-visa for those who are fleeing Afghanistan and seeking refuge
  • US govt. SIGAR report finds the US mission to Afghanistan a failure.
  • A relative of DW news journalist was executed in Afghanistan as the Taliban starts manhunting. 
World/International


  • Anti-mask Governor of the US state of Texas Greg Abbot tests positive for COVID-19. He is said to be asymptomatic. 
  • Australia locks its city of Melbourne after three people test positive for COVID-19. 
  • New Zealand heads for a lockdown after one person tests positive for COVID-19
  • Israel reinstates indoor mask mandates and prepares for booster shots for those who are vulnerable. 
  • The US States of Alabama and Florida report record number of cases and hospitalisations as third-wave sets in. 
  • Massive 6.8 Magnitude earthquake rocks Haiti. Several hundred are found to be dead. 
  • Ismail Sabri takes charge as the new Malaysian PM as per the pick by King. 
  • Tokyo 2020 Paralympics to begin on 24th August.
  • Xi Jinping to roll out policy for wealth redistribution reversing its pro-rich policy it followed till now. 

Technology 


  • Battlegrounds Mobile India has crossed 50 million downloads on the play store
  • Apple promises to donate aid to Haiti after a devastating Earthquake
  • The Facebook Messenger announces fully end to end encrypted voice and video calls
  • Twitter withdraws its fleet service to all users
  • Facebook launches programme for small business in India 
  • Zoom to include focus mode for school students to stay engaged during online classes
  • Facebook denies platform access to the Taliban post its takeover of Afghanistan.
  • Twitter will allow access to the Taliban as long as it will follow all the terms and rules. 
  • Mastercard to stop cards with magnetic stripes by 2024
  • PM Modi unveils National Hydrogen Mission 
  • Ola unveils Smart electric scooters
  • Zynga which had a partnership with Facebook on games has now made a big comeback
  • The world is now facing a shortage of semiconductors that will affect lot of industries across the world.
  • Google Meet will allow twenty-five cohosts at a time for a session.
  • T-Mobile, a US-based telecommunications company says that over 40 Million customer records were affected in a data breach. 


Credits- PxFuel 

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