Today’s Links 9/6/2013

Lola Cecchinel, “Back to Bad: Chahrdara between Taleban and ALP-a district case study” (AAN): Study of a community caught between the Taliban and feuding Afghan Local Police. The conflict is breaking down along ethnic and political lines. Key quote: “ The situation described in the introduction, in which the population is caught between the lines of fire of two warring parties (the ALP – and, more broadly, the government forces – and the Taleban), compels people to choose a side; they most often decide along lines of ethnic affiliation and according to personal experiences of violence.”

David Rieff, “A Battle for the Soul of India” (The National Interest): Great summary of the fight between Indian economists Amartya Sen and Jagdish Baghwati, which is widely seen as a proxy between the free trade, limited government ethos on one hand, and, on the other, the centrally-led, pro-poor distribution ethos widely identified with the ruling Congress Party (and, on issues like the Food Security Bill, the BJP, though many BJP loyalists have claimed Baghwait as one of their own). Rieff frames the importance of the debate for how India can bring itself out of its current economic malaise.

Bibek Debroy, “The Way Out for the Indian Economy” (New York Times): A prescriptive take on the endogenously-focused reforms that would be necessary to correct India’s anemic growth, weak currency, and high inflation. Debroy recommends a rationalization of various tax structures, including the elimination of some overlapping exemptions.

Rega Jha, “India’s Incredibly Powerful ‘Abused Goddesses’ Campaign Condemns Domestic Violence” (Buzzfeed): Photo-essay on the ad campaign targeting violence against women in India, brainchild of the ad agency Taproot.