Latest news with #TheAnarchy
Economic Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
America as a retreating empire is making way for a conflict-ridden world, as well as a weakening America
Good night, and good luck New York: History shows that end of an empire means collapse of imperial rules and their enforcement. Anarchy, warlordism, loot, and collapse of governance and prosperity follow - until a new hegemon arrives. William Dalrymple's 2019 book, The Anarchy, is, among other things, a good account of India's tribulations between end of the Mughal empire and formal establishment of British word 'empire' is tainted today by the memory of colonialism. But historians like Charles Tilly have highlighted the key role of empires through history in creating settled conditions and rules that created economic and physical security, key conditions for rising prosperity. Economic historian Deepak Lal made the same point in his 2004 book, In Praise of Empires, without exonerating colonial excesses. Today, we're witnessing the end of American hegemony and its rules. Twist in the tale: the end this time is being driven not by a rival conqueror, but by the hegemon itself, in search of supposed reciprocity. This bodes ill for coming decades ahead. The unprecedented prosperity created by Pax Americana after WW2 looks certain to diminish, and local hostilities (like the latest Israel-Iran escalation) to expand, hitting security, investment, trade, GDP and social indicators. Indian foreign policy has long sought multipolarity, to give New Delhi more flexibility in foreign policy. Trump's actions point in that direction. Alas, what India is gaining through flexibility is far less than what it is losing through a flawed but very useful post-WW2 rules-based system. The US created this system to help itself, of course. But, in the process, it had created international public goods of unprecedented importance. Those public goods are now eroding. Trump's gyrations are the beginning of the end of economic rules established in the last 75 Americana did not imply a formal American empire. Unlike earlier hegemons, the US did not conquer, or formally rule over what it called the 'free world'. But, along with allies, it established a new set of global rules under UN and international institutions such as World Bank, IMF and Gatt. The Marshall Plan - called 'the most unsordid act in history' by Winston Churchill - carried conditions along with free billions to Europe, such as economic opening up and a sustained move to globalisation. This created the most phenomenal improvement in the history of GDP as well as social indicators, human rights and democratic Americana was far from an era of total peace. Small wars galore occurred, but no clash of titans. Conditions were peaceful enough for unprecedented harmonisation of rules in trade, investment, shipping, aviation, telecom, finance, and much US dominated the post-WW2 world economy. It could afford both charity and a long view of its interests. It visualised globalisation through rules as both moral and economic imperatives. Starting rich, the US lowered its economic barriers more than others in negotiations in Gatt and other fora. It offered developing countries 'special and differential' treatment to help them along. This supplemented foreign aid. The US aimed to gain not by growing its own slice of the global pie, but by increasing the size of the pie, so that all allies and objects of charity in the Third World prospered succeeded beyond all expectations. Historian Angus Maddison has given estimates of per-capita incomes since 1 AD in 1992 dollar terms. In 1 AD, per-capita income was $450 in India and China, and $400 in North America. Pax Romana under the Roman Empire gave Italy double the living standard of any other place at $809. This earlier hegemon also gained hugely along with ruled colonies through a rules-based system and relative - by no means absolute - progress was slow before the Industrial Revolution. In 1700 AD, per-capita income was just $550 in India, $600 in China, $527 in the yet-to-be-created US, and $997 in Western Europe. But in only 53 years between 1950 and 2003, it skyrocketed everywhere - from $619 to $2,160 in India; from $448 to $4,803 in China; from $9,561 to $29,037 in the US. The international public goods provided by the US were a key other big player in this period was the USSR. This was a Russian empire parading as a 'people's republic'. It had an internal empire consisting of central Asia and Caucasian provinces, along with conquered countries of Eastern Europe at the end of WW2. The USSR, too, had a set of institutional rules that benefited its own empire for some decades. Indeed, in 1950, many analysts expected communist hegemony to triumph over capitalist nations. This looked plausible when the USSR became the first to launch Sputniks and men in space. But superiority of US-promoted institutions soon became apparent. And the rest is don't end overnight. They erode gradually. But the end of Pax Americana and rise of multipolarity looks like making the world nastier, more conflict-ridden place with less economic progress, and less camaraderie. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Benchmarked with BSE 1000, this index fund will diversify your bets. But at a cost. Yet another battle over neem; this time it's a startup vs. Procter & Gamble For investors with ability to take a contrarian stand: 6 mid-cap stocks from different sectors with upside potential of over 26% return Buy, Sell or Hold: Motilal Oswal remains neutral on Tata Motors; Antique recommends Hold on Hindustan Zinc These 7 banking stocks can give more than 21% returns in 1 year, according to analysts
Time Out
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The Anarchy (1138-53)
Enter the KXT on Broadway theatre, which has been transformed into a brutal and deadly jousting arena. Choose a side, and sit on that side. DO NOT CROSS THE STAGE! THERE ARE SPIKES AND MIRRORS THAT YOU CANNOT STEP ON! Now wait. You're here for The Anarchy (1138-53). You will be overwhelmed for 2 hours and 15 minutes. You might like it, or you might hate it, or you might choose to leave. None of that's up to me, but once you've seen it, you might like to read something to help you make sense of it. Here is my attempt to write something about it for that purpose, with the caveat that all criticism is somewhat subjective, and nothing is a substitute for going outside and buying a ticket and taking a risk on a brilliant (or awful!) experience. Presented by UK/Australian experimental theatre company Doppelgangster in association with bAKEHOUSE THEATRE COMPANY, and performed by sibling duo Kerith and Tobias Manderson-Galvin, The Anarchy (1138-53) is Part 1 of an odyssey set in the fictional medieval town of Cross Roads. Doppelgangster boasts that their previous works have generated walkouts, physical fights and cancellations, along with cult followings and critical acclaim – and this new presentation proudly channels that rebellious spirit. The Anarchy (1138-53) is something like a DIY punk/garage gig, a role playing game, a Brechtian nightmare, a couple of clowns finding meaning, or a cabaret. But it's really none of those things either. It repeats and loops in on itself, with nothing certain but a number of grisly ways to die, to perform, to attempt to communicate. For the most part, it is two people yelling into the void and hoping something might happen. precisely orchestrated to never let you rest... it's strangely meditative On opening night, a number of things did happen. We, the audience, stood up, dutifully followed directions, one person walked out, and we stared at each other, the performers and the mirrors lining the stage and walls in confusion (or awe, or something else entirely). Herein lies the postmodern genius of The Anarchy. This is not a narrative or something you can sit back and place judgement upon from afar – you are embroiled in it, whatever it is and whatever you think about it. For me, it is a constant act of construction, destruction and reconstruction: Tobias says something, you listen, then Tobias starts throwing up. Kerith quickly takes over with another barrage of information. Then, there is an extended stretch of dialogue for you to wade through. While it may seem crass or overly simplistic, it is precisely orchestrated to never let you rest. It's an endurance test of sorts, for you and the performers, and it's strangely meditative. This unrelenting effort is heightened by bold production design, with textile art by Chelsea Hickman, sound composition by Pat Fielding, and lighting design by the Manderson-Galvins. Lights go from dank darkness to blinding brightness at varying intervals, obscuring and revealing a mass of seemingly-irrelevant props on either side of the stage. Tapestries on either side of the mirrored walls declare various slogans. Slow, electric bass is intercut with noisy electric guitars. Something like a bird chirps in the background. It's noise, noise and more noise. It all builds into a symphony of horrors. Nothing I've ever experienced has even come close to preparing me for what it is to be alive right now, surrounded by constant noise and distractions from the terrors of late stage capitalism and our rapidly devolving society. If you're game, The Anarchy is the sort of art that might just help you process the horrors. Wherever we turn, there is violence: genocide, homelessness, growth, profit, whatever you want to call it. We can choose to ignore it. That is our privilege. Or, we can choose to find our way through, together. Because nothing changes without us. Buy a ticket, and then buy another, and sit through it all again. See what happens if you say something back. There might be something in it. In any case, you mustn't forget to sing.
NDTV
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
William Dalrymple's The Anarchy Series Adaptation To Be Backed By Roy Kapur Films
New Delhi: Siddharth Roy Kapur's Production house Roy Kapur Films has backed some of the biggest commercial blockbusters such as Dangal and Chennai Express, and critically acclaimed films like Kai Po Che, Barfi!, and Haider, to name a few. Expanding his role as a global storyteller, Siddharth Roy Kapur has now received the rights for the series adaptation of acclaimed author Willaim Dalrymple's book The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company. British filmmaker Stephen Frears has been onboarded to direct this ambitious project. For the unversed, Stephen Frears is known for his stellar work in The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons, Philomena, Victoria and Abdul, My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, High Fidelity, The Regime and A Very English Scandal. The series is being mounted as an international co-production between US-based studio wiip and Roy Kapur Films. Set against the backdrop of the 18th century, the story of The Anarchy is extremely relevant today, in a world where corporate giants possess the undeterred power to shape the destinies of entire nations. The plot explores the British East India Company's commercial ambitions in India, which concluded in taking over an entire subcontinent. The rights acquisition of William Dalrymple's bestselling book was believed to have been amongst the most sought-after book-to-TV rights deals in India. Roy Kapur Films has finally bagged it and the show is touted to be produced on a massive scale. The Anarchy will be shot across the UK and Asia. Stephen Frears reacted to the development, as he said, "This is the most contemporary of themes, a ruthless businessman and his corporation seizing power, a group of oligarchs taking over a chunk of the world, asset-stripping, looting, manipulating the stock market, destroying whole economies for their profit. The East India Company stealing India in the 18th Century." Siddharth Roy Kapur, expressing his delight, added, "Stephen's range as a filmmaker is simply unmatched. He has directed some of the most beloved films of the last four decades, including some of my personal favourites, and to have him come on board to helm this project is an absolute dream come true. Collaborating with our production partners at wiip has been an incredibly enriching experience. This is a story that demanded scale, depth, and ambition, and I am proud that we have brought an extraordinary team together to bring it to life for a global audience." Dalrymple's book was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and named one of Barack Obama's top 10 books of the year. The upcoming series adaptation is a bold step in the world of entertainment, and worth looking forward to.
