Welcome to our roundup of news and current events related to ethics and international affairs! Here’s some of what we’ve been reading this past week:
Delhi Police barricades stand on the Road. Photo credits: Shutterstock/Zeeshansaifi
New York Times - India Cut 130 Million From Voter Roll, Fueling Protests Against Modi
Tens of millions of Indian voters have been flagged for deletion from electoral rolls by algorithms, sparking public anger and widespread protests. Critics view the exercise as an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to “entrench its electoral advantage.” Opposition parties allege that the voters targeted are disproportionately drawn from social groups less likely to support the BJP, particularly India’s Muslims. While the Election Commission of India is meant to be independent, critics argue that Modi’s government has reshaped its composition over the years by appointing commissioners aligned with the party and granting its leadership legal immunity. Opposition members say they have been denied access to investigate the “statistical abnormalities” used to justify removing citizens from voter rolls. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the restoration of fair democratic elections.
Read more on the integrity democratic institutions and elections in Ethics & International Affairs:
Leadership on the Line: Gaslighting, Adaptive Leadership, and the Battle for the Soul of Democratic (2025: 39-4)
In the Shadow of Democratic Violence (2025: 39-3)
Healing Liberal Democracies: The Role of Restorative Constitutionalism (2022: 36-4)
French police officers facing protestors. Photocredits: Sandinashr/Shutterstock
The Guardian - ‘This is state violence’: Paris students rage at politicians and heavy-handed policing
Protests led by high-school students in the Paris suburbs over inadequate educational conditions and insufficient resources have spread across France. The movement has drawn widespread support following extreme cases of alleged police brutality against teenagers. Several investigations are underway into police conduct, including one case in which an officer shattered a 14-year-old boy’s jaw and another in which a 15-year-old lost a hand. Tens of thousands of students, supported by parents, unions, and teachers, have taken to the streets in Paris, Toulouse, Lyon, and other French cities. What began as a demand for greater investment in high-school education has grown into a broader movement against police brutality and the rise of the far right in France.
Read more on protests and citizen participation in Ethics & International Affairs:
A Responsibility to Support Civilian Resistance Movements? Broadening the Scope of Nonviolent Atrocity Prevention (2024: 38-1)
Citizens’ Complicity in State Action: Exploring the Limits (2025: 39-3)
Continuums of Violence and Peace: A Feminist Perspective (2020: 34-1)
Flags of Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. Photocredits: Sandinashr/Shutterstock
Aljazeera - Pakistan, Turkiye and Saudi deterrence against Houthis: What that means
For the first time since its signing in August, the Mecca pact has been activated, with Pakistan and Turkey agreeing to deploy military forces and capabilities to Saudi Arabia. Prior to this agreement, Riyadh had already confirmed the presence of Pakistani forces on its territory, although Turkey’s role has been less visible. While officials, including Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, insist that the mobilization is defensive, the move signals an effort to translate the Mecca pact into an active deterrent. Beyond its defensive purpose, the deployment is also intended to restore the military balance in Saudi Arabia’s favor against Yemen’s Houthis, whose strength has been growing. From Iran’s perspective, a purely defensive Pakistani posture may be tolerable; however, any extension into active participation in offensive operations against the Houthis would cross a “red line.”
Read more on global governance and war in Ethics & International Affairs:
The Diffusion of Global Power and the Decline of Global Governance (2025: 39-2)
War Crimes and the Asymmetry Myth (2021: 35-1)
Collateral Voices: Civilian Perspectives, Moral Injury, and the Ethics of War (2026: 40-1)
Map of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Photo Credits: Marek Brew/Shutterstock
DW - Ethiopia and Eritrea sever ties amid Tigray fighting
Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Eritrea and expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats from Addis Ababa, prompting Eritrea to sever all diplomatic ties in response. The move followed Ethiopia’s accusations that Eritrea had engaged in “direct and indirect acts of hostility and belligerence” against it. Eritrean representatives have denied these allegations, as well as claims that Asmara supports the Alliance for Survival, an armed coalition that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and the Alliance for Survival resumed last week, leaving hundreds of dead or injured. In response, the United Nations has urged all parties to de-escalate the fighting and pursue dialogue.
Read more on international diplomacy and conflicts in Ethics & International Affairs:
Democracy and the Preparation and Conduct of War (2021: 35-3)
But Is It Good Enough? Jus ad Vim and the Danger of Perpetual War (2022: 36-4)
Justice between Wars (2021: 35-3)