What is politics?
The term 'politics' is a complex and multifaceted label that has been applied and interpreted in various ways by scholars, politicians, and thinkers throughout history, reflecting diverse social and intellectual...
Common Good(s) Under Attack
We live in a noisy world, don’t we? Our days are filled with personal dreams, endless to-do lists, and the constant buzz of screens promising connection but often leaving us feeling alone. Amid this rush,...
Multinational Federalism
Myanmar has been embroiled in one of the world's longest-running civil conflicts since its independence in 1948. At the heart of this conflict lies the struggle for self-determination and recognition...
Mindfulness: A Path towards Common Good
Mindfulness is a quiet practice. In a noisy world where everyone seems in a rush, talking over one another, reacting instead of reflecting, it might seem almost weak. Yet mindfulness, at its core, is...
Federalism...? But Why?
Imagine a home. In this home, the rooms are different. One is painted with stories of mountain spirits, another echoes songs from the coast. Some rooms burn incense, others cook with turmeric. The people...
The Indigenous Pride
By now, I am sure that you have been familiar about LGBT Pride—and many of you may have even celebrated it. Just as we take pride in our existence, today I wish to speak about Indigenous Pride. To stand...
Understanding Violence and Vulnerability
If peace, as we have seen, is not a final achievement but a continuous and strategic act of construction amid impermanence, then violence and vulnerability too must be re-understood. Not as mere deviations...
Mindfulness vs. Mindlessness in Decision Making
One of the most astonishing facts about human life is how much of it unfolds without deliberate thought. We make choices every day—what to say in a meeting, how to respond to a message, whether to eat...
Elitism and Cronyism in a Disfigured Political Culture
Power is not inherently evil, but its pursuit often corrupts. In a world where political legitimacy is frequently confused with dominance, and where access is mistaken for authority, the quest for power...
Creating Values and Agency
In an era defined by convenience and hyper-accessibility, human lives are increasingly shaped by the consumption of values through media, education, cultural norms, or economic goods. From political ideologies...
Political Bargaining Power
Negotiation and mediation are not just tools for diplomats or conflict resolution experts. At their core, they are the practices through which people—often with differing needs, fears, and aspirations—attempt...
Grandiosity, and the Mirage of National Supremacy
Powerful people often tell powerful stories. Politicians, especially in fragile or wounded nations, often rise not on humility, but on grandiosity. They speak as if they are saviors. They behave as if...
Laboratories of Democracy: Beyond the Illusion of "Perfect System"
We often imagine democracy as something to be achieved; a final product, gleaming and perfect, waiting at the end of history. This vision sees a form of governance untouched by error, immune to corruption,...
Self-determination Without Essential Self
The call for self-determination has long echoed across oppressed peoples, silenced nations, and marginalized communities. It is a cry for dignity, for voice, for the power to shape one’s own path. And...
Beyond the Myth of Final Liberation
Revolutions are often portrayed as moral peaks of history—moments of rupture where the oppressed rise to shatter the old world and usher in a new dawn. Resistance, too, is romanticized: the brave few...
Rethinking the Nation: The Most Misunderstood Idea
Few words in political life are as overused, romanticized, and misunderstood as the word "nation." We invoke it in songs, wave it on flags, and spill blood in its name. We whisper it when mourning a homeland...
Society and Exploitation, Oppression, and Seduction Shift
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau Human society has always been a project of value-making. From the earliest rituals around fire to the algorithmic regulation...
Institutions and Deliberations
The heart of a just society is not found in grand speeches or majestic flags. It is built, piece by piece, in the quiet architecture of its institutions—those everyday structures that shape who gets to...
Deliberations: The Art of Collective Reasoning
Many interpretations of "democracy" exist today, and its practical challenges are often overlooked. Instead of romanticizing the word "democracy" and relying solely on the outcome of votes, imagine a...
Authority and Mandate: Critical Reflection
There is something strange about how quickly we accept the idea of authority. We listen to people because they wear uniforms, because they hold microphones, because they sit behind desks with polished...