Keeping up with Fast Fashion

Fashion and clothes are an important part of everyone’s lives today. In fact, the global apparel market is worth 3 trillion dollars hence, accounting for 2% of the global GDP. This statistic clearly indicates that the fashion and clothing industry is not a small one. People find it necessary to keep up with the latest trends and feel the never-ending need to frequently purchase new clothes; this is referred to as fast fashion. Fast fashion mainly involves trendy clothes being produced on a frequent basis, in bulk, and hence, available for cheap. This benefits customers by providing them with the latest, new and updated choices and also benefits the companies as it promotes more customers to come in with more frequent visits. However, this all comes at the cost of the environment.

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Critical Review of the Basis of China’s Objections to the UNCLOS Tribunal as an Attempt to Delegitimise the 2016 South China Sea Dispute Verdict

This article aims to examine the UNCLOS’s effectiveness and relevance, with a specific emphasis on the case of the South China Sea and the UNCLOS Arbitral Tribunal’s 2016 ruling on the issue. The article contends that, while China’s disregard for the ruling and the Philippines’ subsequent undervaluation of it harms the UNCLOS’s reputation as international law, it does not undermine its effectiveness in clearly defining and resolving the legality of disputes through efficient mechanisms, as will be discussed below.

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The Land of the Lawless:

The “Northeast” as addressed by its western counterparts, stands as an exceptional case against the efforts made by the post-colonial masters of India to build a multi-cultural, multi-religious and a multi-lingual democratic society. India’s tumultuous relations with this region has taken numerous faces in the form of laws, regional militias, ethnic and cultural oppression and insurgencies. The government often shelves this discussion by labeling it as a purely “insurgency issue”, whereas in efforts to uncover the substantive reasons to this deep-rooted problem; Rutu presents a set of arguments that lays bare the duplicity and vested interests of the Central government behind the deliberately manufactured façade of “insurgent conflicts”.

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Role of Constitutional Institutions in the persistence of Indian Democracy

Indian democracy has often baffled scholars and academicians, just by merely surviving. It was seen as a feat in itself by the west, particularly when democracy was considered a western concept. The Indian Constitution is often attributed to be one of the major factors contributing to the success of Indian democracy, forming a long and well-drawn backbone for its institutions to lean on.

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Identity Politics on the Left: Shortcomings and Disillusionment

Political systems all over the world have historically alternated power in the hands of left-wing and right-wing ideologies. While both sides have experienced their ups and downs when it comes to mobilisation, the left-wing seems to have lost its momentum in recent times. Keeping that in mind, this article explores identity politics in the context of the Left and the problems associated with the movement. Further, it aims to identify the shortcomings of the discourse and discusses whether ideological faults contribute to the rise of the right-wing.

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Your Destination is on the Left

Electing a left-wing candidate for the first time in over two hundred years, the recently concluded presidential election in Columbia which saw former guerrilla member and mayor of Bogota, Gustavo Petro, emerge victorious is a monumental moment. Riding on anti-incumbency sentiments against the traditional centre-right parties, Petro has some radical reforms such as agricultural tariffs, free education, a higher tax on the rich, and paving the path for an economy based on greener energy. Yet, without a parliamentary majority, there are doubts whether Petro will be able to deliver on his promises. With the Latin American country turning a historic page, this article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the implications it bears on Colombia and its future. 

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Book Review: Gendering Caste through a feminist lens by Uma Chakravarti

Caste has been made to be this ambiguous concept, painted by mainstream media and society
to be almost holographic in nature. Thus a privileged individual grows up questioning if caste still exists or is it just an excuse for reservation and a term used to discredit merit? But what is caste and what does caste mean to a feminist? Uma Chakravarti in this book breaks down the internalised casteist notions and practices hidden behind the garb of tradition and ritual.

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Hijab Ban and the Political Apathy of the Indian Middle-class

There was no popular, long-drawn public outrage, protests or even discussion among the common middle classes, otherwise known as the backbone of all political protests and dissent against the State. Is this political apathy of the middle classes just an unconscious act of self-preservation and general lethargy or an active set of practices based on the ideology of exclusion and alienation of certain groups?

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Sweden, Finland and Türkiye: The New Dispute Triangle

The Ukraine-Russian war has forced Sweden and Finland, two historically neutral countries, to apply for NATO membership as a measure to prevent future aggression. While all expected the induction process to be fairly simple, Türkiye, an important member of the Western alliance, expressed its displeasure at the expansion and threatened to veto the move unless certain demands were met.

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The Saudi Arabian Resource Curse: Cultivating Socio-Economic Ignorance on Overdependence?

This column elucidates the resource curse paradox by positioning the case study of Saudi Arabia at the center of the concept. It delineates the disadvantageous position of this resource-rich country during the period of shock and its recovery phase. Furthermore, it paints in words the implications of oil abundance on the imperfect correlation that exists between religion and women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

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The War Crimes of Russia

Clashes between Russia and Ukraine have been a mainstay for the last few years. Russia invaded and captured Crimea in 2014 and has unleashed a full blown war on Ukraine in 2022. This war is illegal and has broken multiple international criminal, humanitarian and human rights laws. This article focuses on the international criminal aspects that have been breached by Russia by initiating the conflict.

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Space Laws: What Governs Intellectual Property Rights in Outer-Space?

This article seeks to explore the current IPR regime, how it applies to outer space law, and how it may be adapted to be a better fit for the same. It seeks to do this through an analysis of the current IPR regime (by the means of various articles of international treaties and their inadequacies in addressing the needs of space law) and discussing its viability to support the growth of outer space law and its possibilities. 

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Evolving Secularism: An Enquiry into its Different Forms

Various aspects of secularism can be found throughout the history of various rulers and empires, from the Maurya Empire under Ashoka to that of modern-day India and more radically in that of Turkey. Therefore, the evolution of secularism in the past, and more importantly its applicability in different societies in the present, through different means, is the aspect we will try to address.

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