Friday, May 11, 2007

Praful Kisses Vanaik's Ass

In the latest issue of Frontline magazine, Praful Bidwai has written a review on a collection of essays edited by Achin Vanaik. This is not unusual in itself unless you realize that both Bidwai and Vanaik are connected at the hip: both are fellows at the Transnational Institute, a think tank devoted to democracy, peace, and environmentalism (actually, it is a beehive of Marxist claptrap); they have co-edited a book together, South Asia on a Short Fuse: Nuclear Politics and the Future of Global Disarmament; and both are former editors at The Times of India. They're probably good friends too. Who really knows. Nevertheless, it seems unethical for Bidwai to be reviewing Vanaik’s book, which he gives unqualified praise.