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Arun Kumar

@draykay

Reader in Global Development & Management, King's College London Disciplinary interloper | Reads widely, writes slowly Author, Philanthropy & Development of Modern India (OUP, 2021).

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30.09.2023
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Latest posts by Arun Kumar @draykay

Where the 21st c. U.S. is headed.

20.02.2026 18:43 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

When you think there are no depths too low for him to fall down to, trust Blair to do just that.
What a disgraceful ex-PM.

20.02.2026 09:12 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Left to right - Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Suella Braverman

Left to right - Zia Yusuf, Robert Jenrick, Nigel Farage, Richard Tice and Suella Braverman

Welcome to Reform’s front bench

Yusuf, Hampton School, Β£29,916 per year
Jenrick, Wolverhampton Grammar, Β£17,835 per year
Farage, Dulwich College, Β£30,618 per year
Tice, Uppingham School, Β£58,176 per year
Braverman, Heathfield School, defunct private school

The authentic voice of the working class

17.02.2026 18:52 πŸ‘ 768 πŸ” 410 πŸ’¬ 56 πŸ“Œ 66
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This from Clive Lewis is right on the money. If anything, Mandelson and McSweeney's departure should be the end of the New Labour project.

08.02.2026 18:23 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism

Write a substack, they said. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...

07.02.2026 19:32 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientistβ€”because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

06.02.2026 09:09 πŸ‘ 47148 πŸ” 19324 πŸ’¬ 1350 πŸ“Œ 795

Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...

06.02.2026 09:28 πŸ‘ 14183 πŸ” 3402 πŸ’¬ 328 πŸ“Œ 159

If only the other media outlets had a conscience they would do something similar.

04.02.2026 12:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We join its institutions, we praised its principles, we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection.

We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that international law applied with varied rigor, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim.

This fiction was useful, and American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.

For decades, countries like Canada prospered under what we called the rules-based international order. We join its institutions, we praised its principles, we benefited from its predictability. And because of that, we could pursue values-based foreign policies under its protection. We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false, that the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient, that trade rules were enforced asymmetrically, and we knew that international law applied with varied rigor, depending on the identity of the accused or the victim. This fiction was useful, and American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, open sea lanes, a stable financial system, collective security, and support for frameworks for resolving disputes.

If nothing else, pretty amazing Canadian PM Carney said the quiet part out loud today: international law has never been real and the β€˜rules’ of the international order have never applied to the US and its allies.

This may indeed be the actual death of neoliberalism.

globalnews.ca/news/1162087...

20.01.2026 19:45 πŸ‘ 802 πŸ” 279 πŸ’¬ 33 πŸ“Œ 37
20.01.2026 16:21 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It really is mad king stuff, untethered from reality.

He tells the Norwegian leader, you did not give me a prize that you don't control, so maybe I will invade the territory of another Scandinavian country you don't lead.

19.01.2026 18:01 πŸ‘ 587 πŸ” 160 πŸ’¬ 26 πŸ“Œ 18
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Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program

"I learned from them very early that what one does with Nazis is kill them.”

How Christie sabotaged S. Africa's nuclear programme; and fought the apartheid regime.

18.01.2026 11:39 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Family Guy - officer holds up color palette to determine American or foreignness

Family Guy - officer holds up color palette to determine American or foreignness

Minneapolis: facial recognition app being used to detect brown skinned man

Minneapolis: facial recognition app being used to detect brown skinned man

When the racist meme becomes national policy

17.01.2026 04:53 πŸ‘ 10759 πŸ” 3733 πŸ’¬ 59 πŸ“Œ 82
@joepompliano on Threads posted a pic of a map dotted with dozens of yacht names and said: β€œPretty much every billionaire that owns a superyacht is in St. Barth right now for New Year's Eve - Jeff Bezos, Miriam Adelson, Shahid Khan, Sergey Brin, Jerry Jones, and 100+ others”

@joepompliano on Threads posted a pic of a map dotted with dozens of yacht names and said: β€œPretty much every billionaire that owns a superyacht is in St. Barth right now for New Year's Eve - Jeff Bezos, Miriam Adelson, Shahid Khan, Sergey Brin, Jerry Jones, and 100+ others”

orcas have the chance to do the funniest thing

31.12.2025 17:25 πŸ‘ 9695 πŸ” 2697 πŸ’¬ 335 πŸ“Œ 342

Trump's America, 2025

10.12.2025 22:10 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The utter lack of reason and logic as well as any political judgement will be Labour's undoing as it keeps chasing Reform's tail and demonizing black and brown immigrants with its own version of thinly veiled racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia.

As if its own version is somehow morally superior.

04.12.2025 11:59 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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This is how Rachel Reeves could deliver a progressive budget The chancellor has an opportunity to boost the public purpose and deliver redistribution

In 2023/24, UK govt gave Β£78.2bn tax relief on pension contributions.

32% benefitted 29.2m basic rate (20%) taxpayers.

68% went to higher and additional rate (40% and 45%) tax payers.

Equalizing tax relief at 20% to all, leaves govt Β£14.5bn spare to alleviate poverty.

23.11.2025 10:01 πŸ‘ 196 πŸ” 82 πŸ’¬ 14 πŸ“Œ 0
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The status of academic freedom in the world's largest democracy. Courtesy: @scholarsatrisk.bsky.social

More details here: www.scholarsatrisk.org/resources/fr...

17.11.2025 20:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well done, Nadia Whittome.

It is shameful that words that one would once expected to hear directed at a Tory Home Secretary are now being directed at a Labour Home Secretary.

17.11.2025 18:30 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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MAGA’s Intellectuals: Kirk, Anton, and the Forging of Trump's America First Empire Kirk and Anton's combined force has transformed the GOP: from Reagan's shining city on a hill to Trump's fortified bunker.

thewire.in/world/magas-... - two figures stand out as unlikely architects of a new Right Wing Order: Charlie Kirk and Michael Anton @martindbbrown.bsky.social @msenn.bsky.social @mjbayly.bsky.social @bradleyrsimpson.bsky.social @cmcknichols.bsky.social @charleskeener.bsky.social @thenation.com

09.11.2025 12:29 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009

07.11.2025 21:36 πŸ‘ 16440 πŸ” 5176 πŸ’¬ 783 πŸ“Œ 611

on the topic of dick cheney, one thing i’ve always said is that you shouldn’t kill a million people

04.11.2025 12:07 πŸ‘ 11689 πŸ” 1900 πŸ’¬ 105 πŸ“Œ 30

Trump's America, 2025.

04.11.2025 00:24 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Why I remain hopeful. Even as the older, wealthy Tories are moving enmasse to Reform, the young people are rejecting it outright.

01.11.2025 10:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

what else would we expect the Financial Times to say? keep making the case for workers to be taxed more because the wealthy apparently do not take dividends or hoard up assets but only invest in the future.

01.11.2025 06:35 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Management Education as Modernization: The Historical Role of Modernizing Elites | Academy of Management Learning & Education In extant historiography, management education was exported by U.S. elites, particularly its philanthropic foundations, leading business schools, and academic experts and consultants, to the Global So...

I wrote about the history of business schools in India: message me if you would like to read and cannot access a copy:
journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/...

#management #India #B-school #history

30.10.2025 09:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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India trials Delhi cloud seeding to clean air in world’s most polluted city Bharatiya Janata party launches first test flight as brown haze blankets city after Diwali – but experts decry β€˜gimmick’

Easier option was to ban firecrackers, or community firecrackers like the rest of the world, but the Sanatanis were offended that they weren't being allowed to celebrate Diwali; so we have gimmicks like this: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Except there are no rain clouds in Delhi winters.

24.10.2025 10:51 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Read some of the comments arguing it isn't antisemitism because unlike Aston Villa a particular religious/ethnic group isn't being singled out - except in that case too, football hooligans were singled out not a particular religious/ethnic group.

20.10.2025 08:36 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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York MP calls on royal family to explain source of Β£12m Virginia Giuffre payment Rachael Maskell says β€˜a lot of clarity’ needed over how Prince Andrew funded settlement of sexual abuse case

This is why I am proud of my MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

19.10.2025 09:20 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Apparently, it cannot find the one magic money tree.

16.10.2025 09:29 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0