What to Read in The Hindu Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

 

Editorial 1: ​​Tragedy and farce

Context

Trump’s unlawful strikes on Venezuela mark the most recent chapter in U.S. imperial overreach.

Introduction

U.S. imperialism has long produced tragedy, but under Trumpism it has also descended into farce. From Iraq to Venezuela, regime-change interventions justified in the name of democracy have instead generated chaos, instability, and norm violations. The Venezuelan episode marks the culmination of a foreign policy that fuses isolationism, coercion, and resource-driven imperial ambition.

Imperialism as Tragedy and Farce

U.S. imperial interventions have repeatedly produced human suffering, but under Donald Trump, they have also assumed an absurd, farcical quality

This pattern mirrors the Theatre of the Absurd, where destructive actions are pursued despite well-known consequences

Legacy of Iraq and Regional Destabilisation

The 2003 Iraq invasion, justified by false premises of democracy promotion, fractured the state

It fuelled instability, enabled the rise of groups like ISIS, and destabilised West Asia

Similar regime-change templates were later applied in North Africa, with comparable fallout

Venezuela: Replaying the Imperial Script

In 2026, Venezuela emerges as another tragedy-cum-farce, driven by military force and blockades instead of diplomacy

The detention and forced exile of Nicolás Maduro violates international law and Article 2 of the UN Charter

Oil tanker interdictions and civilian killings in Caribbean waters bypass the UN Security Council, casting the U.S. as judge and executioner

Strategic Motives Behind Intervention

Revival of the Monroe Doctrine to reassert U.S. dominance in the Americas

Efforts to break Latin America’s ties with China, especially Venezuela’s eastward economic orientation

A resource-driven agenda to control Venezuela’s vast crude oil reserves, seen as a commercial prize for U.S. interests

Pyrrhic Victory and Global Consequences

Despite Maduro’s authoritarianism, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela retains popular support rooted in resistance to inequality

Forced regime change reinforces fears of colonial exploitation, rather than delivering liberation

U.S. hypocrisy is evident in branding Maduro a cartel leader without evidence while releasing Juan Orlando Hernández and backing Nasry Asfura

By undermining international norms, abandoning climate commitments, and escalating trade wars, the U.S. accelerates a lawless global order

Silence from the international community risks normalising a world where sovereignty exists at Washington’s discretion

Conclusion

The Venezuela intervention exposes the hollowness of claims about liberation and rule-based order. By undermining sovereignty, bypassing international law, and prioritising hegemony and resources, the U.S. risks a pyrrhic victory. Continued global silence would legitimise a world where power overrides principle, eroding the fragile foundations of international stability.

 

Editorial 2: ​High and dry

Context

Social security for gig workers must move beyond intent and become genuinely accessible, reliable, and secure in practice.

Introduction

The nationwide gig worker strike exposed the deep structural insecurity embedded in platform-based work. Even as the government moves to operationalise new labour codes, gig workers remain excluded from protections on wages and working conditions. The draft Rules’ narrow focus on social security risks offering formal recognition without addressing the everyday vulnerabilities of app-mediated labour.

Context of the Strike and Policy Backdrop

A nationwide strike by nearly one lakh gig workers on December 31 highlighted deepening precarity

A platform CEO’s praise for police intervention underscored the power imbalance

The protest coincided with the release of draft Labour Rules, sharpening workers’ anxieties

Gig workers are included only for social security, not for wages or working conditions

Limits of the Current Labour Code Framework

The Code on Wages excludes gig work from a formal employment relationship

Platforms are required only to make a gross contribution to a social security fund

Core worker concerns such as algorithmic pay cuts and opaque incentives remain untouched

OSH&WC Rules, designed around traditional employers and the Shram Suvidha Portal, fail to reflect app-based work realities

Problems with Social Security Eligibility Design

Gig workers must register on a portal, while aggregators must upload worker data quarterly

Eligibility requires 90 days with one aggregator or 120 cumulative days across platforms

Although multi-platform work can accelerate eligibility, it does not limit platform control over work allocation

Fixed time windows risk penalising workers facing illness, caregiving duties, or demand slumps

Need for Redesign to Ensure Real Security

Social security must be accessible and secure in practice, not merely promised

Eligibility thresholds should protect workers during maternity, illness, and economic downturns

Rules must clearly define benefits, minimum fund guarantees, and dispute resolution mechanisms

Workers should receive periodic work statements and have the right to contest faulty data

Without these reforms, the new regime will leave the structural insecurity behind gig worker strikes unresolved

Conclusion

Unless redesigned, the draft Rules will institutionalise precarity rather than alleviate it. Accessible, reliable social security, clear benefit entitlements, and accountability of aggregators are essential to restore worker trust. Without safeguards for care work, illness, and demand shocks, the reforms will fail to resolve the insecurity that continues to drive gig worker unrest.