Best of BS Opinion: Is the US still a reliable ally to its friends?

Today's wrap of the Opinion Page straddles borders and ideas, as always; from the reliability of the US, to institutional strength in democracies, to Las Vegas' shimmering lights, it's all here

A friend in need is a friend indeed, goes the saying. Increasingly, though, it seems like the US is less and less of a reliable friend, says Andreas Kluth. From Nato to the Quad to various friendly nations, the Trump administration has diluted its friendship quotient to the point where former staunch allies now question if Uncle Sam will have their back in a tough spot. From the drone incursions into Poland to the Israeli strikes in Doha, and the US' words and actions in Greenland, the US has wilfully destroyed its alliance capital. It has treated its friends and allies with scorn, humiliation, and disdain to the point where they will never trust the US again.

 

Shekhar Gupta dissects the not-so-fine line between a hard state and a soft state. A hard state does not necessarily mean a state that can run roughshod over its citizens; it is one that has the institutions and the inner strength to weather any criticism the people have. It also needs to have a monopoly on law and order. He points to the recent unrest in Nepal, where law and order crumbled in under 48 hours, driving the government out of power. Regime change, he argues, can always be a democratic aspiration but it takes more than a few days of violence to achieve it - it takes months and years of struggle to build a political counter, go to the people, and create the revolution you want, through elections or mass movement. It needs strong institutional values and democratic patience. 

 

Nepal is only just emerging from the throes of a popular uprising led by the so-called Generation Z. The violent protest laid waste to some of its most recognisable buildings. The protests have been explained away as a result of anger against nepo-babies: entitled young people born into privilege. But it is much more complex than that, writes Aditi Phadnis. The protest is against a dysfunctional system and those who helped sustain it. Indeed, if one were to look at developmental parameters, Nepal has been doing quite well on most metrics, including remittances. What is clear is that the protestors know who they are fighting against. What is missing is who they are fighting for. That is a puzzle the newly-minted interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki will have to resolve. 

 

Most famous cities have their own identity, but none can hold a light to the je ne sais quoi of Las Vegas, that shimmering island of sinful excess in the scorching Nevada desert. The closest one might come is 'fabulous', emblazoned at the entrance of the city, and that is what the city has chosen as the theme for its advertising campaign, writes Sandeep Goyal. But why does Vegas even need a campaign? Because all great cities eventually forget why they were great; Las Vegas is no exception. Tourists increasingly complain of overpricing, even as experiences turn underwhelming. No more free drinks on the floor! Unfortunately, unless Vegas fixes its experiential mess, even the most fabulous campaign may not be able to draw the throngs back. 

 

Humankind has been obsessed with immortality forever, seeking to be at par with the gods. And now, it seems science might just put them within reach of it. But biology has its own ways: it is one thing to extend life, quite another to reverse natural entropy, writes Kumar Abhishek. Simply put, there is no magic bullet or pill that can 'cure' ageing. And even if science were to crack the immortality code some day, there remain the ethical questions: Who gets access to it? Will the world create a new class system of the immortals and the merely mortal. For now, perhaps, it is best to just redraw the map of old age and make it more comfortable, like settling in before a long journey.