imagine…think…create

We’ve all heard of an elephant in the room to mean problems we ignore or systematically fail to address, but what does humans in the room mean?

There are humans in the room is a partly tongue in cheek blog that reflects on the human condition, real problems and human stupidity. Animals don’t kill for pleasure, nor do they torture each other for fun and funds. Decades after we told ourselves what universal human rights are, we are still arguing about what is human and what is not. There are any number of documents that hold us to ensuring that each of us on this planet has food, water and primary health, but we are nowhere near our goals. Worse, in our mindless pursuit of victory and revenge we have destroyed more than we create, driven animals and plants to extinction while we attend conferences to protect clean air and save the planet.

The blog will reflect on governments from dictatorships to democracies and everything else in between. We will promote good writing from people who are passionate and bring domain knowledge. Above all, we hope to bring some humour and laughter back in our lives as a means to understanding our own weaknesses and recognising that we are all responsible for igniting change. We believe in human good and we keep the faith.

Want to blog for us? We are interested in pieces that bring new thinking and perspectives on trade, media, foreign policy, public health, finance, history, sustainable development and fine arts from a people's perspective. Send them to info@csdconsulting.net

  • Excuse Me, Mr. U.N. Secretary General

    The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres raised the climate change stakes this week when he called for the cancellation of all coal-fired power projects around the world. He said “Today, I am calling on all governments, private companies and local authorities to take three steps,” “First, cancel all global coal projects in the pipeline and…


  • Online content regulation: The good, the odd and the untenable

    On 25 February, the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, were released jointly by the ministries of information and broadcasting and of electronics and information technology. They were met with an anticipated storm of dissent, particularly over rules that would regulate online content, such as user-generated material on social…


  • Germany’s Greens Are Within Earshot of Power

    In 1983, long-haired MPs wearing knitted sweaters and carrying flowers entered Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag. These obscure and humble beginnings of the Greens as an anti-establishment party are long gone from the German political scene. From 1998 to 2005, the party formed a governing coalition with Gerhard Schröder’s Social Democrats (SPD) on a national level.…


  • India and the challenges of global trade

    India must talk trade, for its people by its people and with its people. What India needs today is not a paradigm shift, a new narrative nor a strategy but hard work, focus and commitment aimed at creating nearly 20 million jobs the economy will consume year on year. If you think global trade negotiations…


  • Regulating online speech with due process, transparency

    The ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and Twitter are sparring over an official order to block certain social media handles and tweets, posted by users on February 1. The content in question is about the farmers’ protests. Twitter is reported to have received a blocking order under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology…


  • Climate and Energy Priorities for the New U.S. Administration

    President-elect Joe Biden has outlined a nationwide goal for the United States to produce 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 and reach net-zero emission by mid-century. Doing so would move the country from its current 40% renewable energy mix to a completely decarbonized electricity sector. The administration will have to balance expected plant retirements in the…


  • Knock, knock, WHO’s there? Yes

    The World Health Organization (WHO)’s apex body, the Executive Board ended a week of meetings on Tuesday. You probably didn’t hear about it. That puts you in the same category of the majority of the people in the world who hear nothing about the agenda items on the table ranging from chronic diseases to budgets…


  • India as the Friendly Neighbourhood Vaccinator: Vaccine Internationalism and the Pandemic

    The biggest vaccination campaign ever has also brought the focus on health inequalities at a global scale. As of 21st January, of the more than 55 million Covid-19 vaccine shots administered across the world, only 55 doses have gone to people of a low-income country. That country is Guinea, and they have secured these 55…


  • India’s COVID19 Vaccine: Nationalism, Symbolism, Realism

    Despair was the leitmotif of 2020. Even countries with acclaimed health systems have been through a nightmare that is yet to end. In this gloomy, dismal scenario, as the world enters 2021, the multiple COVID-19 vaccines that have secured regulatory approvals across the world and are being rolled out to much fanfare, offer a glimmer…


  • Book Discussion: Poverty Narratives and Power Paradoxes in International Trade Negotiations and Beyond

    In Poverty Narratives and Power Paradoxes in International Trade Negotiations and Beyond, Amrita Narlikar argues that, contrary to common assumption, modern-day politics displays a surprising paradox: poverty — and the powerlessness with which it is associated — has emerged as a political tool and a formidable weapon in international negotiation. The success of poverty narratives,…