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The Whistle Library features engaging and important reports, discussions, articles and videos that I select from the Web every month for the exclusive reading and listening pleasure of subscribers.
Read on to know what subscribers to The Whistle are enjoying in March 2023 at The Whistle Library, when we are catching up on the Ukraine crisis, the Munich Security Conference, the global economy at the start of 2023 and Chinese management, as well as India through the pens of Pallavi Aiyar, Arundhati Roy and PIIE, a delightful article on a balloon story, the alleged poisoning of Pablo Neruda and international cinema awards as well as western classical music.
Reading At a Time of Heightened Conflict
Hello subscribers and welcome back to The Whistle Library. Spring is almost here and yet, the Ukraine war seems to overshadow everything else.
It’s one year since the Russian attack on the country, but even before the first anniversary, 2023 had begun with a renewed focus on increasing arms supply to Ukraine. This is an escalation already in my view, and does nothing to bring the war to an end through diplomacy and talks. We begin this month’s selection with a video of a discussion with renowned thinker and intellectual, Noam Chomsky, and The Duran.
Next, in the context of the Ukraine conflict, I have two articles on this year’s Munich Security Conference which took place recently, from Politico and Bloomberg. While the first article tries to capture the sense and the mood in which leading western powers and China are discussing the future of Ukraine and indeed, Europe, the second article tells us about leading American tech giants’ participation in this year’s conference.
https://www.politico.eu/article/munich-security-conference-ukraine-russia-war-china-wang-yi-nato/
On the economic front, McKinsey has an executive summary of their Global Economic Intelligence Report which looks at what the start of 2023 might have in store for regions around the world.
In business, HBR has an article on how Chinese companies are reinventing management. If it is indeed a harbinger of a new, uniquely Chinese management style, that is supposedly entrepreneurial, time will tell. Right now, it seems very strange and adhoc to me, though you might still want to read it.
Next, I have for you three articles on India. While two of them are about Modi’s governance model and recent controversies regarding the BBC doumentary and the Adani scam, by Pallavi Aiyar in Noema Magazine and Arundhati Roy in The Guardian, the third from PIIE (Peterson Institute of International Economics) is about India’s recent discovery of Lithium deposits in Jammu and why that could also be a problem.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think the article by Arundhati Roy is written by her, in the sense that it doesn’t read like anything she could have written. Besides, the second part of the article which deals with the Adani scam is not something she can write about with any degree of certainty, based on facts. But have a read, anyway.
https://www.noemamag.com/purity-vs-plurality-in-india/embed/#?secret=VIMgkdOtIA#?secret=V8ErTsr7E6
In the literature section, I am afraid there isn’t much to share this month. I have selected an article by Ann Beattie in Lithub about Donald Barthelme’s story, The Balloon, in the context of the recent Chinese spy balloons being shot down. Apparently, the story first appeared in The New Yorker in 1966.
The Atlantic ran an article on the alleged poisoning of Pablo Neruda, that you might want to read. While it had long been suspected that Pinochet’s regime in Chile had something to do with the poet-author’s death, this article reeks of PR agency mischief to me, with references to chauffeurs, maids and a posthumously published book!
In cinema, I have an article on the winners of this year’s BAFTA awards from The Guardian, as well as this year’s Oscar nominations.
https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023
Finally, I have for you news from the world of classical music via Gramophone Magazine. The first is about King Charles III’s selection of music to be played on his coronation in May this year.
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical%20music%20news/article/coronation-to-feature-12-commissions
And the second is about the passing away of documentary filmmaker, Christopher Nupen, best known for his film about Schubert’s The Trout Piano Quintet D667, featuring famous musicians such as Daniel Barenboim, Jacqueline du Pre, Pinchas Zuckerman, Itzhak Perlman and Zubin Mehta.
You might want to watch Nupen’s other documentary called Listening Through the Lens that The Gramophone magazine article talks about. As well as his film on Jacqueline du Pre that I shared with you subscribers in September 2019.
March 2023 is when India’s festival of colours, Holi, and International Women’s Day come together on March 8, and also mark the start of spring! In a time of heightened conflict then, let us find peace and solace in the beauty around us, including in reading and in music. See you back here again next month.
Peripatetic Perch 