India presented its arguments to ensure release of Kulbhushan Jadhav, the alleged Indian spy sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court, at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague in Netherlands, Pakistan too tried to justify its case. On May 15^th 2017, the case was heard at Hague; the court however refused to see a video where Jadhav is seen confessing. India has said it is a doctored video. At the end of the hearing, the judge said the court will give its order as soon as possible. He said the date will be communicated later on to both the parties.

What is a Kangaroo court?

A Kangaroo court is an unofficial court held by a group of people in order to try someone regarded guilty, more than ever without good evidence. They are conducted as and when required. Kangaroo courts are famous for pretentious legal proceedings which are set-up in order to give the impression of a fair legal procedure. Such courts are associated with groups who find a need to give out a rough and ready form of justice. Often the justice is temporarily given outside the bounds of formal judicial processes. The examples are: inmates in jail, soldiers at war, and settlers of lands where no jurisdiction has yet been established.

How does a Kangaroo court work?

The name suggests quickness and randomness like the kangaroos known for their being quick and unpredictable in their movements. Similarly, kangaroos are also known for their jumping, which can refer to “claim jumping,” illegal occupation, random actions etc.

What is known for sure is that the first accusations of kangaroo courts popped up in the U.S. around the time of the 1849 California Gold Rush. In the cold morning hours of January 24, 1848, James Marshall, a construction foreman at Sutter’s Mill, was inspecting the water flow through the mill’s tail race. This sawmill on the banks of the American River in Colama, California. On that particular morning, Marshall not only found the water to be flowing adequately through the mill, but also spied a shiny object twinkling in the frigid stream. Stooping to pick it up, he looked with awe at a pea-sized gold nugget lying within his hand. On serious inspection he found accumulation of uncountable gold nuggets, this gold discovery sparked almost mass hysteria as thousands of immigrants from around the world thronged to California.

Where did the name Kangaroo court originate from?

The term Kangaroo Court originated from California Gold Rush. The earliest known usage of the phrase was in 1853 in a magazine article by Philip Paxton which was titled ‘A stray Yankee in Texas’. The notion of Kangaroos jumping and providing blank stares at people when they see them for the first time is said to be equivalent to the empty stares by the judges in a Kangaroo court.

Where are these Kangaroo court?

A lot of small villages in India still believe in Kangaroo courts rather than actual ones to get their legal issues resolved. For example, a court organised by Left-wing extremists in Latehar in Jharkhand has exposed the fact that extremists exist in the area because of the kangaroo courts attended by dozens of villagers. The evidence suggests that extremists continue to enjoy great influence over a vast area and a large number of people in Jharkhand. Police are generally afraid to venture in area where extremists hold kangaroo courts and pass the verdict to punish the offenders. The kangaroo courts indicate that the plans of the government to free Jharkhand’s countryside from extremists’ influence needs other strategies.

The punishments meted out by Kangaroo courts should not be taken seriously since they are all just a sham. Kangaroo courts have long been banned by the government of India but still run at a grand scale. One often read about ghastly punishments given out by Kangaroo courts in the newspaper.

The incident in Subalpur village in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, in which a 20-year-old tribal woman was gang-raped by a dozen men as punishment for alleged immoral conduct, is shocking in its unimaginable brutality and points to brainless judgement of a village headman. Such kangaroo courts should be banned immediately. The Subalpur incident is a proof that a section of rural India is outside the shadow of the country’s constitutional values and judicial system. Ill-informed, callous men are worst than animals. It’s a tragedy that men with no knowledge and consciousness and patriarchal prejudices are allowed to arbitrate on the conduct and morality of women and pass a monstrous form of punishment.  The Supreme Court and the National Commission for Women have taken suo motu (on its own motion) cognisance of the incident, which has caused widespread outrage and repulsion.

The kangaroo courts are famous for giving orders such as social ostracism, payment of arbitrary fines and, sexual violence, hanging, shaving off hair, cutting body parts etc.

Joseph Stalin conducted show trials from 1936 to 1938 during the Great Purge or the great terror. During these kangaroo court trials, hundreds of thousands of people belonging to the Communist Party, and government officials, were tortured until they confessed to the political crimes of which they were accused. The Great Purge involved the large-scale “purge,” or murder, of those people, as well as the introduction of police surveillance and imprisonment.

It is estimated that between 600,000 and 3 million people were killed by the Soviet government during the Purge. The Purge was Stalin’s method for removing any rebels to the Communist Party while also strengthening his authority as the leader of the Soviet Union.

Another historical example of kangaroo court is that of the Nazi Volksgerichtshof trials, The People’s Court (German: Volksgerichtshof) was a special court which involved individuals who collaborated on the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler. The individuals had their belts taken away so as to appear pathetic when they were forced to hold up their pants before the audience that had gathered to watch the trials. The judge, Roland Frailer, shouted insults at the individuals throughout the course of the trial, which was filmed for the purposes of being used as propaganda material.

Kangaroo courts are conducted in the world of sports, in universities, in which there are many incidents noted. The kangaroo court is a mocking appellation for a judicial tribunal or assembly that blatantly disregards recognized standards of law or justice, and often carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides.  But overall, the decision maker’s prejudicial bias is most often seen in these courts.

The term may also apply to a court held by a legitimate judicial authority who intentionally disregards the court’s legal or ethical obligations. But, this seldom happens.

The consumer behavior analysts have noted through many studies that ‘Country of Origin’ has become a significant phenomenon in today’s marketing practices. The words ‘Made’ and ‘In’ conveys the strength of the product.  The label ‘made’ on the packing label of the product refers to the manufacturing aspect of the origin of a product. It is often related to legal certifications, the technologies involved ingredients and techniques as well as work ethics and safety standards. And, ‘In’ refers to the origin and the geographical dimension of origin such as the location of the manufacturing process and the source of ingredients. ‘Made In’ therefore suggests information and associations that are both tangible and intangible. The ‘Made in’ tag helps consumers to make rational and emotional decision both.

In its 2005 “Year of Ideas” issue, The New York Times Magazine listed nation branding among the year’s most notable ideas. The way a country is perceived can make a significant difference to the success of its trade, business, tourism efforts, as well as its diplomatic and cultural relations with other nations. Simon Anholt coined the term ‘nation branding’ in 1996 and since then he has been working with governments to help them plan the policies, strategies, investments and advance which lead their country towards an improved profile and reputation. America has become the largest and most powerful brand in the globe; it virtually shapes the world in almost all dimensions such as national governance, policies, exports, people, tourism, economic and social status etc. In the fast growing global village nation’s branding is considered as big as federal mega-projects. Steve Silver and Sam Hill, both marketing experts define nation branding as most complex (brand) positioning problem; how can we brand a nation? A nation is as big as a Meta brand inclusive of numerous mega brands. There are so many mega activities of in a nation such as political governance, commerce, education, human resource development, environment, foreign affairs, infrastructure, environment, tourism, culture and heritage and most importantly the national character. The study of national character refers to anthropological studies after World War II.

The Japanese are known as law abiding people; the Americans are known for their grit for freedom – freedom of speech, freedom to pursue their own interests, freedom from bullying, freedom of religion, freedom of movement within the country, freedom to associate with whomever they please. The Chinese are known for their orientalism; the French are known as arty.

The country of origin (COO) specifically matter to the customers because every country has its reputation and the association between the product and the country’s expertise matters while buying products. For example Italy is known for designs, North Caroline for furniture, France for fashion and wine, the USA for entertainment, India for spices, Germany is famous for cars. Today’s consumer understands legal and safety issues sharply. Consumers today look at the ‘made in’ label with many perspectives. The ‘made in’ dependent on a combination of many factors – from heritage, to design and physical manufacturing, skilled labour, infrastructure, market intermediaries etc. Hence manufacturers can leverage a lot on the country of origin as one of their competitive advantage. A company needs to be physically present in the country; the design and patents need to have emerged from talent in the country, or the brand needs to have factories or parts of the production process in the origin nation. In the past, when it was  enough to ‘borrow’ associations from a country for pure marketing purposes, today consumers not ready to accept country of origin as a choice driver unless it is bona fide.

Successful brands contribute to nation branding. Of the world’s 500 largest stock-market-listed companies measured by revenue in 2014, among the Fortune 500 companies 28 are headquartered in Germany. Well-known global brands include Mercedes Benz, BMW, SAP, Volkswagen, Audi, Siemens, Allianz, Adidas, Porsche and DHL. Thus, famous brands strengthen branding of a country. Similarly, brands across every category, like Apple, Cadillac, Clinique, Coca-Cola, Ford, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Ralph Lauren, Starbucks and M&M’s have made the USA a strong nation brand. These corporate have made Germany and America leading nation brands.

The concept of branding is viewed as ‘cultural diplomacy’ of nations. It is a somewhat new way of looking at a nation, but every nation is already a brand. Every nation is perceived in the minds of people living differently in nooks and corners of the world. Some countries are known for good things, some for bad, and others have mixed insights. Based on the different perceptions, nations in the world interact and do business with each other, either contributing to its development or encumbering it. For example Africa is associated with civil war, Iraq with suicide bombings, Pakistan for terror bombing, India for scam and Cuba with Fidel Castro’s dictatorship (though he is dead). On the other hand, countries such as the US, Canada, Germany or France, are perceived positively for decades for their sound political and economic development. Nation branding is based on the underlying hypothesis that every nation can make a good or bad brand depending on its efforts. The important thing to realize about branding a nation is that one of its ingredients is the escalating value of something that is found already within that nation.

Consumers in developing countries like India, China, and Brazil still tend to prefer brands that come from other countries. Global supply, manufacture and export of goods began to accelerate in response for lower prices and greater choice of goods. Companies became international or multinational and the rise of an affluent middle class in the USA, Europe, India, China and UAE demand more sophisticated marketing. Due to rise of consumerism, categories of goods and services became more sharply defined. And, most brands started crossing the borders of their origin. With all the great business strategies, advertising, marketing and intelligent supply chain strategies even today in the 21^st century for most of the brands, their place of origin and heritage continues to be a key part of their appeal and differentiation. Their name, identity, design and symbolism of logos or trademarks become synonymous with their country or place of origin.

We should realize the fact that Brand building in emerging markets is a difficult task. As the rapid growth in an emerging market gives millions of consumers new spending power, they eye for and are encouraged by their counterpart in developed countries to buy established brands. Marketing efforts in developing countries is very multifarious.

In 2003, when Mahindra & Mahindra launched a smartly designed sport-utility vehicle called the Scorpio, CNBC India, BBC World’s ‘Wheels’ program, and others chose the vehicle for the

‘Car of the Year’ awards in the SUV category. That was not a small achievement: The made-in-India automobile won top honors ahead of global best sellers such as the Mercedes-Benz-E-Class and Toyota Camry sedans. To M&M, which manufactures tractors in several countries as well as vehicles targeted at India’s semi-urban and rural markets, the awards signaled that it could finally take the world’s automakers head-on. Even as the Scorpio successfully battles multipurpose vehicles like Toyota’s Innova and GM’s Chevy Tavera at home, M&M has started marketing the SUV in South Africa, Spain and many other countries.

As a nation, Singapore’s stunning rise from third world to first world in a matter of 30 years was spearheaded by an intensive and rigorous closely-coordinated programme of nation branding. Today, brand Singapore attracts the investments, business, trade, tourism and talented human resources from all over the world which is helping it further to become more flourishing nation. This state is internationally known as a vibrant, safe, corruption-free place to do business. Name any of the great businesses of the world; everybody wants to be in Singapore! The vibrancy and liveliness of the nation in its culture and the fine art attracts more and more tourists. In global surveys of quality of life, Singapore regularly tops the charts.

Nation Branding is catching up rapidly: the brand must be accepted internally first, i.e domestically, meaning throughout the nation, by all stakeholders. Only then can it be effectively promoted internationally.