Terrorist Attack on Indian Army Camp in Nagrota Kills 7

7 soldiers have been killed in a terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Nagrota, in J&K:

http://www.indiablooms.com/ibns_new/news-details/N/26362/nagrota-attack-leave-7-indian-army-men-killed.html

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nagrota-attack-is-new-Pakistan-army-chiefs-message-to-India-says-former-home-secretary-R-K-singh/articleshow/55685915.cms

No Ideas Among "Hindu Right"?

Not according to Aaatish Taseer, son of the late Salman and Tavleen, who spouts off in NYT against the "Hindu Right":

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/opinion/does-indias-right-wing-have-any-ideas.html?_r=0

He even quotes Rajeev:

“So if you are an embattled Hindu, or even an atheist Indian,” Rajeev Srinivasan wrote in the right-wing magazine Swarajya, “you feel there is an entire constellation of powers with a negative intent arrayed against you, and that they have created a galaxy of sepoys, especially in media and academia.”

Historically, a “sepoy” was an Indian soldier serving in the British Army. It has become a favorite jibe on the right for an Anglicized liberal elite that was seen to be working against its own country.

Taseer babbles about the "Hindu Right" not having any ideas - I dunno, we've churned out plenty of ideas on just this one blog alone. It seems more like the Indian Left being the intellectually bankrupt ones. He only seems to want to project his own narrative onto others.

Westworld

Has anybody been watching Westworld? It's an HBO-produced TV reboot of a 1970s movie by the same name. Like Blade Runner, it features a gripping suspenseful storyline which tackles interesting issues around the ethics of artificially-produced beings, consciousness and memory. It also presents the idea of "reality" as a narrative, which can fall apart when cracks in it are revealed. Other themes include reincarnation, past life memories, karma/fate, and attaining nirvana/fulfillment. It's a different take on Roy Batty's predicament.



Episode 10 of Westworld, the first season finale, will air a week from now. The series has overtaken Game of Thrones in popularity, and it's probably better to binge-watch all the available episodes back-to-back, because the first season is about to complete.

Pak Names New Army Chief

Pakistani Lt Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has been named the new Pakistan Army Chief:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38118060

Fight Over US Secretary of State

A fight is brewing over the appointment of the US Secretary of State.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-allies-raise-doubts-about-mitt-romney-leading-state-department-1480011962

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/24/us/politics/donald-trump-mitt-romney-rudy-giuliani-state.html?_r=0

Mitt Romney, who is a known Atlanticist and NeoCon, is being considered for Secretary of State by Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, the rest of Trump's team are completely against the induction of Romney, who had mercilessly attacked Trump during the election campaign, with the support of NeoCons opposed to Trump.

Trump is rumored to be currently leaning toward picking Romney, with the latter possibly preparing an apology speech to proclaim his change of heart toward Trump, in connection with an announcement of his appointment as early as tomorrow. This sudden turn has alarmed the rest of Trump's team as well as Trump's grassroots base, who are scrambling to weigh in with their opposition to Romney.

President Trump Seen to Help US-India Ties in Particular

US ties to India are particularly expected to benefit under a Trump presidency - here's why:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/24/asia-is-nervous-about-trump-but-us-india-ties-could-improve.html

Asia Society, run out of New York, has a more mixed view:

http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/three-challenges-us-india-relations-under-president-trump

Nikki Haley Appointed US Ambassador to UN

Nikki Haley has accepted Donald Trump's offer to be US Ambassador to the United Nations:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sc-gov-nikki-haley-tapped-to-be-trumps-un-ambassador/2016/11/23/c1395cb6-b144-11e6-8616-52b15787add0_story.html


Personally, I don't see what great skills she brings to the UN ambassador role, since she has no foreign policy experience. On the one hand, since she's Indian and a woman, it shows he's supporting "diversity", etc. On the other hand, she did quickly participate in attacking Trump during the Republican Primary, at the behest of the establishment - so perhaps Trump is moving her to a position where she cannot be readily co-opted by the treacherous establishment to be the face of a future rebellion they might mount against him.

Tulsi Gabbard would have been a better choice, in terms of her knowledge and experience.

Kejriwal Goes AAPe During BBC Interview

Kejriwal makes a fool out of himself in an interview with BBC:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-38051533

General Mattis Leading Choice for US SecDef

Trump's leading choice for US Secretary of Defense is General James Mattis, who led combat divisions during the Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan, and the invasion of Iraq.





Like General Michael Flynn who's been appointed as Trump's National Security Advisor, General Mattis was also forced into early retirement by the Obama Whitehouse, due to his blunt opposition to Obama's appeasement policies towards Muslim countries. Trump's new team of military & security officials will not be cowed by political correctness.

Tulsi Gabbard MeetsTrump for Possible Top Job

Tulsi Gabbard is interviewed at Trump Tower today, for a possible top job in the new administration:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/21/politics/gabbard-trump-transition/

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/33760591/report-gabbard-to-meet-with-trump-for-possible-top-job-in-administration

http://www.kvor.com/news/source-democratic-rep-gabbard-meeting-with-trump-talking-top-jobs-in-dc/

Gabbard, who backed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, is being considered for jobs at the Defense Department, State Department and the United Nations, the source said.

Leftist radicals among the Democratic Party are already starting a whispering campaign against her:

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/why-democratic-rep-tulsi-gabbard-met-donald-trump-n686976

Jaishankar Sent On Trump Mission

S. Jaishankar, possibly India's most competent diplomat, says that the new Trump govt will have new and different priorities geopolitically:

http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world-us-under-donald-trump-will-have-different-priorities-s-jaishankar-357549

The incoming Trump administration in the United States "will have different priorities", there may be a "degree of decoupling" with Europe and fluidity at the great-power level may translate into "uncertainty at the regional level" - which would make it imperative for India "to engage with a multiplicity of actors in a multi-polar world", Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said.

Mr Jaishankar has been sent to Washington to arrange for a direct meeting between Trump and Modi as soon as possible.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/581704/foreign-secy-us-meet-trump.html

http://swarajyamag.com/insta/indian-foreign-secretary-on-mission-to-open-communication-channels-with-trump-team


Predictably, some Lefties are already ringing their alarm bells:

http://fusion.net/story/371348/donald-trump-modi-friends-muslims/

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/11/19/intr-n19.html

Quick notes: TPP, Cuban vaccine...

• China is ready to pounce if US axes Pacific trade deal: "We can't let countries like China write the rules of the global economy"



• Made-in-China: Thousands of low-priced Android phones are reportedly sending user data to China.



• Microbiota: How your gut bacteria affect your sleep, stress levels, and mood



• Cuban Cancer Vaccine: Cimavax is a therapeutic vaccine developed not to prevent cancer, but to halt its growth and keep it from recurring in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.



• Letterman Modi:

Poor Watch Rich Squirm Over Currency Note Predicament

Modi's currency note move has a lot of cash-holders squirming as they try to get rid of their undeclared money:

http://www.smh.com.au/world/for-the-first-time-in-india-the-rich-beg-the-poor-to-help-them-20161117-gsrcuo.html

Trump Appoints Mike Pompeo as CIA Director

Mike Pompeo, a congressman from Kansas, has been appointed Director of the CIA by Donald Trump:

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/kansas-rep-pompeo-accepts-post-trump-s-cia-director-n685811

Pompeo has previously attracted criticism for his comments that Muslims who are silent against terrorism are complicit in it.

Trump Appoints General Mike Flynn as National Security Advisor

General Mike Flynn has been appointed National Security Advisor by Donald Trump. Flynn is known for his strong stance against Islamic terrorism, and had previously been forced out of the Obama govt for this reason. As former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and a paratrooper who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, the US invasion of Afghanistan, he will be like the Ajit Doval of the new Whitehouse.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/18/trump-national-secuity-pick-flynn-disruptive-thinker-intelligence/94075938/





http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/trump-picks-michael-flynn-for-national-security-adviser.html

Fear of Muslims is RATIONAL: please forward this to others: the truth fears no questions... https://t.co/NLIfKFD9lU

— General Flynn (@GenFlynn) February 27, 2016

San Francisco Teacher Offers Anti-Trump Curriculum

Fakhra Shah, a schoolteacher in San Francisco has decided to teach students that Donad Trump is a racist and a sexist.

https://www.facebook.com/fakhra.shah.1

Trump Team Looking at Muslim Registry

Trump's team is considering implementing a database registry to track immigrants from Muslim countries:

http://www.indiatimes.com/news/world/team-trump-begins-work-on-registering-muslim-immigrants-on-a-database-265691.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/debate-over-creating-a-national-muslim-registry-heats-up/2016/11/17/b55764da-acb0-11e6-8f19-21a1c65d2043_video.html

Trump Advisor's Strategy Aligns With India

Trump's chief strategic advisor Steve Bannon has described the election of Narendra Modi as part of the "global revolt"

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/bannon-linked-modi-win-to-a-global-revolt/article9354223.ece

Mr. Bannon’s politics involves rescuing capitalism from corporations and State power while creating a coalition of nationalist forces around the world to fight Islamism in the coming decades.
“And that centre-right revolt is really a global revolt. I think you’re going to see it in Latin America, I think you’re going to see it in Asia, I think you’ve already seen it in India. Modi’s great victory was very much based on these Reaganesque principles, so I think this is a global revolt,” he said a month after the 2014 Indian election.
...
Echoing a view now strong among Trump advisers that America, India and Russia are the pivots in the fight against Islamism, Mr. Bannon said: “We understand that we’re at the very beginning stages of a global conflict, and if we do not bind together as partners with others in other countries that this conflict is only going to metastasise.”

I think we've discussed similar ideas on this blog, in connection with the phrase coined by the late Narasimha Rao: "The Aurangzeb Principle". By coordinating together, we can put Aurangzeb under seige.
Bannon isn't some idiot who fell off the turnip truck - he's a former US Naval Intelligence officer, and a graduate of both Harvard and Georgetown universities who's founded multiple media companies.


Mounting panic attack among Deep State over Trump foreign policy:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/donald-trump-foreign-policy-231453


Even while continuing to plan the formation of his incoming govt, Trump took time out to meet with Indian business partners:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/donald-trump-meets-indian-partners-hails-pm-modis-work/articleshow/55465060.cms


Meanwhile, the outgoing President Obama is setting up Award Wapsi opportunities against the future incoming president:

http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2016/11/16/Tom-Hanks-Ellen-Degeneres-Bruce-Springsteen-get-Presidential-Medal-of-Freedom/2871479324407/

9/11 Shapes Giuliani's Worldview

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, the main contender for the role of US Secretary of State, has a worldview predominantly shaped by 9/11:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/nyregion/rudolph-giuliani-transition-secretary-of-state.html

Steve Bannon - the Amit Shah of the Whitehouse

Trump's primary advisor, and the first one named for a position, is Steve Bannon - he's of course being derided as a thug, like Amit Shah was. Regardless of what's being said about him, he'll be the one with the most influence on the president's decisions.

Giuliani Leading Choice for US Secretary of State

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has emerged as a leading contender for the position of US Secretary of State in the new Trump administration:

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/14/giuliani-emerges-as-favorite-for-trumps-secretary-of-state.html


Giuliani has long had a strong focus against terrorism - he was Mayor of New York during 9/11 - and so that could be a sign that fighting terrorists will be a much higher priority for the new Trump govt than in needlessly re-fighting ColdWar conflicts against Moscow.

I still find him to be a surprising choice, but let's wait and see if this rumor pans out, or if there's someone else waiting in the wings.

Trump, Modi vs Global Elites

Donald Trump and Narendra Modi have managed to overcome the elite oligarchies dominating their respective countries - the Clintons in the case of the USA, and the Nehru-Gandhis in the case of India:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/prabhu-chawla/column/2016/nov/13/trump-modi-have-to-purge-the-system-of-class-and-cultural-oligarchies-to-survive-1537924.html

The Global Elites have sought to hang on tenaciously, by using ethnic vote bank politics to play divide-and-rule. While these Global Elites have managed to reinforce each other in the past, will their usurpers be able to work together in the future? Or is it only a matter of time before the elites claw their way back to power?

New Currency Note Features Mangalyaan

A new 2000-rupee note issued by the Reserve Bank of India features the Mangalyaan spacecraft on it

http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/narendra-modi-s-gift-a-mangalyaan-in-every-hand-116111300168_1.html

China Ship Docks to Open New China-Pak Trade Route

A Chinese ship has docked in the Pakistani port of Gwadar, opening up the new China-Pakistan trade corridor between China and the Middle East:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-13/chinese-ship-opens-new-trade-route-via-pakistani-port

US Democratic Party Looks to Reorganize Under Keith Ellison

In the wake of the electoral defeat of Hillary Clinton at the hands of Donald Trump, the US Democratic Party are scrambling to rebuild their party by selecting new leaders. One key proposed name who many are lining up to back for chairmanship of the Democratic Party, is Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/11/why-some-democrats-think-keith-ellison-a-congressman-youve-probably-never-heard-of-is-the-answer-to-donald-trump/


As an African-American convert to Islam, Keith Ellison has introduced various resolutions in the US Congress to condemn India over treatment of Muslims and Kashmir. Indeed, he gets a lot of contributions from Pakistani-Americans around the country, as well as Muslim Americans in general. The district he represents includes Minneapolis, the capitol of the state of Minnesota.

Having been reduced to a helpless minority party with significantly reduced power, the Democrats are determined to go even harder Left and be more populist, while taking up vote bank politics ferociously, in the hopes this will help them regain power.

India, Japan Sign Nuclear Deal

India and Japan have signed a civil nuclear deal:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/japan-india-sign-nuclear-pact-treaty-power-production-for-non-military-use-4370010/

Quick notes: Late to the queue, GM mirage...

• Late to the queue: Rahul never stood in a queue to become the leader of his party



• Doubts pale promise of GM crops bounty: There is little evidence that the introduction of genetically modified crops in the US had led to yield gains beyond those seen in conventional crops.



• Sun therapy: Scientists boosted testosterone in men using nothing but a very bright light



• Maanasa Mendu: This brilliant 13-year-old figured out how to make clean energy using a device that costs $5 



• Transcendental Meditation: TM is taking over Wall Street




• Disruptive: Robots threaten up to two thirds of developing country jobs, but could be an opportunity too 



• 'Kashmir toh hoga, Pakistan nahi hoga':




• Brahmaarpanam:

Rush to Appoint Trump's National Security Team

There is a rush on to fill national security slots for Trump's new Whitehouse team, so that they can be vetted in time to assume office in January alongside the new president:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-national-security-team-includes-surprising-names-n682196

The main thing for us to watch for, is whether Atlanticist types will be quietly slipped into the mix during the rush.

Stratfor on Trump's Foreign Policy Choices

Stratfor has put out its preliminary assessment on Trump's foreign policy choices, but they claim that while he can continue to wind down the US presence in East Asia, it needs to stay in Europe lest this allow Russia to take over all of EurAsia (what nonsense - how is EurAsia more sensitive to US being in Europe but not in Asia?).





In my opinion, Trump has the opportunity to emulate the role of US President Eisenhower following WW2, in containing the American militarist lobby who were loudly calling for the US to get enmeshed in more wars for their own selfish profiteering reasons.

Protests Against Trump Election Victory

Protesters opposed to Donald Trump's election victory are staging massive demonstrations across various American cities:

http://www.salon.com/2016/11/10/not-my-president-trump-denounced-in-protests-across-us/




On the positive side, Modi is no longer the person most hated by Muslims:

Donald Trump Wins US Presidential Elections

In an historic upset, Donald Trump has won the US presidential election race, and will become the next President of the United States.

Ab Ki Baar, Trump Sarkar.

Overcoming tremendous odds, including overwhelming Left-wing media bias, as well as the far larger campaign spending budget and powerful political machine of rival candidate Hillary Clinton, the presidential campaign of Donald Trump has achieved electoral victory - all done on a relatively modest budget, along with direct tweeting to the masses.

Not only has Trump won the Whitehouse, but his fellow Republican partymen managed for the most part to retain their seats, keeping their party in control over both houses of Congress. A clean sweep. This puts an upcoming Trump administration in a very good position to push through its agenda as soon as it takes office.

The Left-wing Democratic Party are reeling in shock - the self-proclaimed "experts" had already been anointing her the favored winner. Stock markets are temporarily buckling, having already factored in a Clinton victory and now being forced to revise.

Other losers are Atlanticists and the Deep State, who had come out against Trump, and will now nervously watch him come to power. Muslim Americans like Khizr Khan will also have to swallow the bitterness of Trump's victory, although as with Modi, his actual policies aren't likely to have their fears realized. (However, stand by for the parade of award-wapsis.)

President Obama himself had aggressively campaigned against Trump in an unprecedented manner, even going so far at a recent rally to imply Trump had links to the KKK. Now the outgoing president Obama will be forced to hand the keys for the Oval Office over to the one he mocked most derisively.

Khizr Khan Leads Final Rally for Clinton Campaign

Khizr Khan leads the final rally of the Clinton campaign, challenging Donald Trump on his attitude toward particular minorities:

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/11/06/gold-star-father-khizr-khan-helps-hillary-clinton-close-out-her-campaign/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2016/11/07/khizr-khan-to-trump-this-is-not-your-america.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/07/us/politics/khizr-khan-hillary-clinton-new-hampshire.html





Mr Khan seems likely to have a significant future in American politics under a Clinton Whitehouse, given his key role in her election campaign.

Musk: Rise of Robotics Could Lead to Universal Basic Income

Elon Musk says that the rise of robotics/automation in the economy will lead to Universal Basic Income, since robots will take away most of the jobs people earn their wages from:

http://fortune.com/2016/11/06/elon-musk-universal-basic-income/

This might be an interesting idea, as far as India is concerned - because reforming our thorny, inefficient labour laws is a very daunting challenge politically. It's for this reason that Indian businesses are known to invest more in automation rather than upsizing their staff, due to the headaches caused by labour laws.

As advances in robotics take place, robotics/automation will be in an ever increasing position to replace low-skill labour, doing that work at even cheaper cost. India could potentially leverage this, by offering incentives to Indian businesses to invest in that automation to reap the cost benefits and productivity gains for greater market competitiveness, while simultaneously drawing tax revenue from them that could help subsidize a Universal Basic Income scheme for the unskilled poor. This could then help bypass the political challenges posed by labour law reform. Perhaps that's the most politically feasible approach in a country which has so many poor voters. And in the very long run, the rest of the world may be headed in that direction anyway.

As they say, if Mohammed can't come to the mountain, then make the mountain come to Mohammed.

If Indian economic planners want to attempt to create a "virtuous cycle", perhaps robotics/automation is a useful area to attempt this in.

IPAC: India-Pacific Corridor

India and Japan plan an India-Pacific Corridor, which would allow India to serve as a gateway for Japanese commerce with Africa:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/infrastructure/india-japan-plan-to-develop-pacific-indian-ocean-corridor/articleshow/55279897.cms

This is perhaps a response to China's announcement of a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Secret Service Rush Trump Off Stage in Nevada Incident

A possible attempt on the life of Donald Trump as he addressed a gathering in Reno, Nevada, had Secret Service bodyguards rushing him off the stage:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-vows-go-to-democratic-states-as-early-voting-numbers-surge-in-nevada/2016/11/05/5fde6c7c-a366-11e6-8832-23a007c77bb4_story.html




Reports are saying a person in the crowd attempted to grab the gun of a security officer as Trump was speaking, upon which Secret Service protection personnel immediately reacted by hustling Trump away for safety. He later returned to the stage to continue speaking.