GUWAHATI, June 29 - The Department of Political Science, Karmashree Hiteswar Saikia College here, organised an international webinar recently, said a press release.
Dr Saber Ahmed Chowdhury, Associate Professor in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Dhaka University, who spoke on the topic �Covid-19 pandemic: War, peace-building and conflict resolution�, said the world is facing a tough time with the fast economic recession due to Covid-19. This growing economic stress is causing geopolitical tension and conflicts among nations. The escalating China-India disputes, China-Taiwan conflicts, etc., can be viewed in terms of the present situation, he said.
The autocratic leaderships may reap political benefits from this situation and restrict people�s rights, he said. He observed that curtailing budgetary allocations by different countries for the International Peace Keeping Mission would hamper maintenance of peace in some parts of the world. As such, nations should work to ensure national and international political stability.
Dr Raymond Kwun-Sun LAU from the Department of History, Hong Kong Baptist University, spoke on the anti-extradition bill protest in Hong Kong, terming it one of the biggest mass protests in the history of Hong Kong. Referring to the significance of the protest, he said it is not about economics, but about people�s concerns about their rights and freedom and about a deep sense of fear over Beijing�s attempt to exert greater control. It is a leaderless mass movement with two million people coming out to the streets with sincerity of intent and courage to express discontent and to demand a better future. The movement which started as demonstrations against an extradition bill, has taken on a much wider scope to demand full-fledged democracy for the people of Hong Kong, he said.
