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Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to want fundamental changes in Indias pluralistic democracy and not for the better. Photograph: EPA

When the British departed from the subcontinent 70 years ago, the most appropriate epitaph was probably provided by an Indian official who remarked: You British believe in fair play. You have left India in the same condition of chaos as you found it. The months that followed the partitioning ofBritish India seemed to confirm the nature of the gift of independence. The subcontinent endured a lawless, bloody anarchy that encompassed some of the 20th centurys greatest migrations and crimes. Born in blood were two newly created nations of mostly-Hindu India, and Pakistan, a Muslim homeland in south Asia, as well as about 500 feudal autocracies, which ranged from princely states some as large as a European nation to village-sized chiefdoms. When the British predicted there would be many more partitions, it was because the former colonial masters thought no one can make a nation out of a continent of many nations.

In Pakistan, that forecast came partly true, thanks largely because of an attempt to impose a single language Urdu on its most populous province, East Bengal. By 1971, after a civil war in which India played a part in stoking, Pakistan had been cleaved in two. The unfinished business of princely states remains: continuing revolts in Pakistans Baluchistan, Indias Kashmir and Manipur are rooted in identities distinct from the nations that swallowed them up. However, gloomy prophecies of fragmentation have been proved wrong decade after decade in India despite the poverty and diversity. It is perhaps Indias greatest achievement that one-sixth of humanity now cast their votes regularly in free and fair elections.

Unlike democracy in the west where voters first had to be rich men, then adult men and later women, Indias democracy came into being peacefully in 1951 with its first general election where every citizen irrespective of gender, caste, creed, religion, occupation, wealth or level of literacy got to vote. It is also a democracy where the military have been confined to their barracks in peacetime. Almost alone in the non-western world barring a brief interruption in 1975 India has clung doggedly to its democratic convictions. Voting is only one part of a liberal democracy. Indias noble aim of political equality is undermined by a creaking criminal justice system, flagrant interference in its public institutions and the inability toeliminate large-scale political corruption. Freedom ofexpression, necessary for true democracy, does not exist in full measure. India is a land of taboos where almost every fundamentalist be it religious, linguistic or regional cancall for books to be banned or film sets burned. That India was the first country to ban the Satanic Verses is a blot onits democracy.

Indians were once in academia described as Homo Hierarchicus, a species of human who most intensely practised inequality. This in-built discrimination chained Dalits and women for centuries. Indias laws abolished untouchability and made men equal to women, yet in practice violence and prejudice continue. Thanks to casteism and bigotry against Indias tribal peoples, the country is home to the worlds largest slave population. However, we can see examples ofeveryday equality between people in India. The link between a persons occupation and their caste is weakening, thanks in part to the worlds biggest affirmative action programme. Theres also evidence that women are choosing their own spouses, abigshift in a nation where marriage was seen as a contract between families.

In an Asian century, India has long been considered as a democratic counterweight to its larger authoritarian neighbour, China. Last year Indias economy grew faster than Chinas, although alarming pollution levels suggest Delhi risks making many of Beijings mistakes. Worryingly, Indian and Chinese troops have in recent weeks been engaged in a tense Himalayan standoff. But Indias biggest threat is internal. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an impressive politician but he also runs a government backed by rightwing Hindu extremists who condone and actively support violence against minorities, especially Muslims. Like its less-peopled cousin, the European Union, India works because no single culture or language is central to its identity or mandatory for unity. Mr Modi seems to want fundamental changes in Indias pluralistic democracy and not for the better. The quest for equality and the rule of law have shown impressive resilience in India, but they are under threat from within.

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The Guardian view on India at 70: democracy in action - The Guardian

Vice President Pence assured U.S. allies in South America on Monday that the Trump administration will work with them to address the crisis in Venezuela as the country descends into a "dictatorship."

"The American people will always come alongside allies like Colombia should this crisis continue to drive a greater refugee flow into Colombia and neighboring countries," Pence told reporters gathered at a chapel in Cartagena, Colombia.

The vice president, whose trip comes days after President Trump declined to rule out a military option in Venezuela, said he was asked by Trump to send a clear message during his trip to the Nicolas Maduro regime that the Venezuelan leader's attempt "to change the laws and the structures and ultimately, the constitution in Venezuela to full dictatorship [is] simply unacceptable."

"The United States is going to continue to send a message of resolve and determination," Pence said, reiterating that the U.S. has "many options with regard to Venezuela to ultimately make it possible for the people of Venezuela to see their democracy restored."

White House officials have said Pence's visit to Colombia and other allies in South America is meant to turn up the pressure on Venezuelan President Maduro, who has sought to consolidate power in the country by installing a controversial constitutional assembly and replacing the attorney general, who was a forceful critic of the Maduro machine.

Pence will travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, later Monday, followed by stops in Chile and Panama City.

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Pence: US determined to see 'democracy restored' in Venezuela - Washington Examiner

Welcome to the sound of silence. As of noon next Monday, the lives of Londoners will no longer be punctuated by the bongs of Westminster. Those 10ominous strokes which herald ITNs News at Ten will seem incongruous not apt. For Big Ben (the clock and tower to which that great bells name has spread), is due for repair and the tolling will cease for the next four years. The builders are certainly taking their time about it.

Big Ben has been silenced before, of course: to protect Parliament from German Zeppelins (in case the bombers could hear the bells); for the funerals of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher; for briefperiods of maintenance work. But on this occasion its as if the city were having a heart transplant. While surgeons tinker away at the pulmonary arteries, we are left staring at a monitor that is flatlining.

Big Ben, as his name suggests, is less a giant grandfather clock...

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Silencing Big Ben is like stopping the heartbeat of our democracy - Telegraph.co.uk

The current investigations into Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections aim to shine daylight on crucial issues for our democracy. Oddly, some in Congress have called for curtailing key aspects of their own investigations until Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation has concluded, threatening a long-standing congressional responsibility to conduct oversight on behalf of the American people.

Just last week, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Bob GoodlatteBob GoodlatteJudiciary Committee Republicans want a second special counsel: report Mnuchin: Trump administration examining online sales tax issue Republicans battle within party over online sales tax bill MORE, said that "Until Mr. Muellers investigation is complete, it is redundant for the House of Representatives to engage in fact-gathering on many of the same issues he is investigating. In June, Congressman Trey GowdyTrey GowdyThese 5 House Republicans are ripping their Senate colleagues over healthcare House Intelligence Republican: Claims Gowdy acted as second lawyer for Kushner 'horses---t' GOP lawmaker wants former Obama aide to testify MORE, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Majority Leader John CornynJohn CornynNew GOP immigration bill would drastically increase border surveillance: report The growing Chinese threat to advanced technology industries GOP senators ask Trump to hold off on Venezuelan oil sanctions MORE, the second-ranking Senate Republican,expressed similar views.

But we disagree.

Congress, on the other hand, has the Constitutional mandate to investigate broader issues than that of a law enforcement probe. When properly conducted, congressional oversight is essential to keeping the executive branch accountable, and to ensuring that our democracys system of checks and balances works.

So far, both the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees have correctly resisted calls to curtail their investigations in Russian election meddling while the independent Special Counsel proceeds. These two committees are undertaking a largely bipartisan examination they are holding hearings, demanding documents, and interviewing witnesses as part of a rigorous investigation.

As part of this investigation, Congress needs to provide the public with the facts, and then grapple with the underlying issues. Unlike a special prosecutor, Congress can explore not only whether the law was broken but also whether possible ethical violations require new laws. For example, Congressional investigators can ask how to strengthen the Foreign Agent Registration Act. They could also determine steps to increase protections for the integrity of elections.

Many past Congressional investigations led to reforms that would not have been enacted had the inquiries been limited to criminal law enforcement. For example, the Watergate Committees work led to the passage of landmark government reforms such as improved campaign finance laws, a strengthened Freedom of Information Act, the Ethics in Government Act, and the Inspectors General Act. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee conducted its investigation into the Jack Abramoff lobbying and corruption scandal in parallel with numerous criminal prosecutions, resulting not only in nearly 20 people pleading guilty or being convicted, but also in the passage of a number of lobbying disclosure and ethics rules and the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Are there too many cooks in the kitchen? That is a manageable problem as well. Experts at a July 11 hearing before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, including those with Iran-Contra and Watergate experience, described the legal and procedural approaches to ensure that different investigations do not step on each others toes. Communication between Mueller and Congress is essential.

Similarly, the different House and Senate players should coordinate among themselves, as they have successfully many times in the past. For example, when the Iran-Contra investigations launched in 1987, the House and Senate came together and established a special joint committee to examine allegations that senior officials in the Reagan administration secretly facilitated arms sales to Iran in violation of an arms embargo.

This bipartisan, bicameral examination engaged many members from key congressional committee, with differing points of view and expertise. Ultimately, the investigative work of Congress resulted in important reforms, including government oversight over covert action.

Clearly, concerns about Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election, which bear on the integrity of our democratic institutions, demand congressional attention. Criminal investigations examine the past. History tells us that Congress can and must examine a broader set of issues to craft solutions that look to the future.

Danielle Brian is the executive director of the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), a watchdog organization that champions good government reforms, and has testified before Congress on its oversight role. Faiza Patel is the co-director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program. Both organizations have recently released reports on the topic.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.

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Congressional investigations not just special counsels strengthen our democracy - The Hill (blog)

Brazils democracy is at risk if the armed forces are not properly funded to fight organized crime, according to the countrys Defense Minister, Raul Jungmann.

"The armed forces are at their limit, they need room to breathe," Jungmann saidin an interview with Bloomberg in his office in Brasilia. "We need special measures for defense. Its the price the nation ought to pay for its sovereignty."

Photographer: Evaristo Sa/AFP via Getty Images

The army has taken part in operations carried out by the Rio de Janeiro states security forces against organized crime. At the beginning of this month, a joint task force of around 5,000 military personnel and police officers targeted factions involved in drug-trafficking and cargo theft. Some communities there are beyond the control of the state, Jungmann said, and criminal organizations stop their residents from voting freely.

The violent nature of organized crime favors the spread of radical ideas, like the death penalty, as well as populists claims that try to fool people into quick-fix solutions, he said. The comments were an apparent reference to federal deputy Jair Bolsonaro, an army reservist who intends to run for the presidency in 2018 on a hard-line law and order platform.

"It would be good to get some results from these operations by 2018 because the lack of security destroys conviviality," Jungmann said. "It has a regressive effect on society, both at the civilizational and humanitarian level."

From 2011 to 2015 Brazil registered more violent deaths than Syria, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security. Close to 60,000 Brazilians were murdered in 2015 alone, the last year for which figures were available.

"When crime reaches a certain level, like in Mexico, this becomes a problem for democracy itself as constitutional rights and guarantees start becoming violated," Jungmann said.

The power of organized crime in Brazil, on top of the countrys dire fiscal crisis that has crippled basic state functions and delayed salaries for public sector workers, including police, has spawned fears of a deterioration in security ahead of the 2018 elections.

In last years municipal elections in the north-eastern state of Maranhao gangs attempted to block voting.

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Jungmann said that he is waiting for the economic team to free up resources after the government slashed the defense investment budget in 2017, as part of across-the-board cuts in public spending. The ministry had drawn up an investment budget of 15 billion reais ($4.7 billion) before the government froze 9.6 billion. Jungmann is due to meet the Finance Minister, Henrique Meirelles, shortly to plead his case for extra funding.

Yet the idea of increased armed forcesspending to contain crime when several police forces are under-funded, rubs many people the wrong way in a country where the military ruled until just over three decades ago.

President Michel Temer in May triggered an uproar and had to issue a statement justifying his actions when he sent soldiers and marines to patrol the streets of Brasilia during anti-government protests that ended up torching a ministry building.

Policing alone is not the enough to stop the public security crisis, says Jungmann, who was elected as a federal deputy and previously held the agricultural development portfolio.

"Rio de Janeiro is in a fiscal crisis, unable to pay even salaries and overtime compensation for security forces, and without improvements in infrastructure or health care, the situation tends toward unrest and despair," he said.

Jungmann praised the federal governments recent decision to nearly double the amount of families in Rio de Janeiro eligible for the benefits program, Bolsa Familia. The defense minister said it will help to protect poor families who are most vulnerable to the crisis.

There is no long term solution to Brazils violence unless the country addresses the underlying conditions that allow crime to flourish, he added.

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Brazil Democracy at Risk Without Defense Boost, Minister Says - Bloomberg