The European Union's rush to secure critical raw materials for its green transition has collided with democratic resistance in Serbia, where the Jadar lithium mine has become a flashpoint for mass protests and authoritarian repression. The EU designated the Rio Tinto-operated Jadar project as “strategic” in June 2025, despite overwhelming local opposition and serious questions about environmental impacts, procedural transparency, and human rights violations against activists. The case (…)

Serbia's authoritarian president Aleksandar Vučić has faced unprecedented public anger since November 2024, when a newly renovated railway station canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 15 people. The tragedy exposed endemic corruption in public infrastructure projects, triggering months of mass protests demanding accountability, transparent investigations, and early elections. Vučić's government has responded with escalating repression: deploying party thugs against peaceful demonstrators, (…)

Sanjay Subrahmanyam stands as one of the most accomplished historians of the Indian subcontinent and its complex engagements with European empires. His scholarship moves fluidly across geographical and temporal boundaries, examining the centuries-long interactions between India and Europe with remarkable erudition and stylistic flair. Beyond his academic work, Subrahmanyam has established himself as an incisive essayist, regularly contributing penetrating analyses of Indian literature, (…)