Minhaz Merchant
Hellhole? As India rises, MAGA fumes
As Indian-Americans excel and India’s economy expands, perceptions are being rewritten. Not everyone in the US is comfortable with that new reality.
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Munir to Musharraf: Pakistan’s generals are at America’s service
Munir is using Pakistan's crypto deal with Trump's family as leverage to promote his fundamentalist Islamist ideology even as he regards India as an existential enemy
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How the petrodollar shaped US power, and punished those who resisted
As BRICS nations explore non-dollar trade, the foundations of the petrodollar system face fresh scrutiny. The outcome could reshape global finance — and power — in the years ahead.
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
UK wants Muslims protected from hate speech. Why not Hindus and Sikhs?
A policy aimed at protecting Muslims from hostility is dividing Britain’s ethnic and religious groups. At the heart of the debate lies a deeper question about the limits of free speech.
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Is Trump stretching US power just as it begins to decline?
As the Iran war stretches on, Trump’s ambitions beyond the Middle East raise larger questions about US power. Are these moves a projection of strength — or signs of a superpower grappling with decline?
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why US is fighting Israel’s war in Iran
As war with Iran deepens, questions mount over who is steering US policy in the Middle East. Critics argue President Trump has risked American lives and credibility to advance Israel’s strategic objectives — with consequences that could outlast his presidency.
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Shirtless Congress protest: Is Rahul Gandhi losing INDIA support
Congress faces rare rebuke from INDIA bloc allies after Youth Congress’s “shirtless” protest at the AI Impact Summit triggers backlash across parties. As criticism mounts — and questions grow over Rahul Gandhi’s leadership — murmurs of an alternative Opposition face refuse to fade.
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Rahul Gandhi’s flawed rhetoric on India-US trade deal
As Washington recalibrates its language on the interim India-US trade deal, the $500 billion trade target has sparked sharp political debate at home. While Rahul Gandhi calls it a “surrender,” exporters and trade officials argue the numbers are achievable — and that steady diplomacy, not theatrics, will define the outcome
How India’s FTA with EU made Trump blink on a trade deal with India
India fast-tracked the India-EU FTA and is negotiating several other trade agreements, including with Canada and also in Latin America, Washington’s hemispheric backyard. This made Trump realise he had to act fast
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why Trump’s neo-colonial Gaza Peace Boards will fail
The structure of the peace boards, that Trump plans to chair for life, resembles the colonial era when Britain controlled the territory that today comprises Israel, Gaza and the West Bank
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How Britain drained $45 trillion from India and built its empire
In "Era of India", the writer traces how British colonial rule systematically drained India’s wealth, drawing on Utsa Patnaik’s explosive estimates and Shashi Tharoor’s ambivalence on reparations, to confront a lingering question: should Britain pay for the economic devastation it inflicted?
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
If the US can invade Venezuela, what stops it from trying again elsewhere?
An American invasion in Latin America revives the logic of empire, raising questions about whether the world is sliding back to an age where military might decides sovereignty
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why are global Indian startups flipping back to India?
As economic opportunities in India have grown, the trend of Indian HNIs leaving the country has declined even as increasing numbers of global Indian companies move their headquarters back to India
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How India and Russia can disrupt US-China G2 world hegemony
China and the US are like two ageing heavyweight boxers who’ve fought each other to a standstill. As one greys demographically and the other implodes ideologically, the arena opens up for India, Russia and others
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Why the Congress won’t split — even after Bihar’s rout
The party’s Bihar defeat has revived talk of another split. But Congress veterans know the Gandhis’ grip — and the survival instinct of its leaders — will keep the flock together
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
How consumption boom fuelled by tax cuts can lift GDP growth to 8%
Soaring retail and e-commerce sales during the festive season, and the sharp uptick in bank credit bode well for the Indian economy looking to shrug off Trump’s tariffs
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
PMO needs in-house media professionals to redefine narrative
During Operation Sindoor, India decisively won the battle against Pakistan but lost the narrative war. Here’s what it can learn from Washington and Beijing to avoid repeating such mistakes
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Trump triggers America’s second Civil War
As the US president unleashes the military against American citizens, what is happening today bears sinister resemblance to the racial horrors of the 19th century
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
In the battle between US and China, which way will India swing?
In the Great Power contest unfolding between the US and China, India faces a tricky balancing act. Here’s how the Modi government should navigate the choppy waters
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Trump and Modi are engaged in a stare down. Who will blink first?
As Trump uses tariffs to reshape the world economy, every other leader has fallen in line, except for Modi. Here’s why the US president can’t afford to prolong the standoff with India
- Minhaz Merchant
- TIMESOFINDIA.COM