Bharat-Samvad

  This refers to the essays by Portuguese politician Brunos Maçães and Dr. Sashi Tharoor on the rise of civilizational states. At first glance, Tharoor's perspective seems to challenge Brunos' view on how a civilizational state can replace a liberal state. However, both views show a similar level of limited perspective and are flawed in their underlying assumptions. I would like to point out two significant flaws. Firstly, Brunos argues strongly that civilizational states are becoming a substitute for liberal states, thus implying that a civilizational state is different from a liberal state. Tharoor concurs with this viewpoint and explicitly declares that a civilizational state is inherently illiberal. Therefore, when it comes to their understanding of civilizational states, Brunos and Tharoor are in agreement with each other. Second. Both Brunos and Tharoor have attempted to confuse the concept of a civilizational state by grouping China, India, and Israel as examples. ...