Monday, October 31, 2016

Fwd: Sunday Guardian: Clinton presidency will be a disaster for India


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Arvind Kumar


http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/7140-clinton-presidency-will-be-disaster-india

Clinton presidency will be a disaster for India

By Arvind Kumar | New York | 30 October, 2016


presidential election, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Clinton Foundation, Barack Obama, Robin Raphel, Donald Trump
In this file photo, Hillary Clinton is seen speaking with classical dancers after they performed Bharatanatyam at the Kalakshetra cultural centre in Chennai in 20 July, 2011. Photo: REUTERS
Hillary, during her tenure as the Secretary of State, picked up where Bill Clinton and his Cabinet members had left off and did not waste any time in pursuing anti-India activities.
Every four years, during the presidential election process in the United States, a question invariably comes up, "Which candidate is better for India?"

This question is best answered if one realises that American politics has been a massive stage-managed show based on an illusion of choice, with the illusion mesmerising an entire population into believing that they choose their political leaders and vote on issues that are dear to them. In reality, the Republican Party and Democratic Party work together behind the scenes and act in tandem on important issues. Voters are asked to make the choice between these two parties only on issues that do not matter to those in power. Even in these cases, the voters are manipulated into voting along racial and religious lines so that there is an appearance of the two parties having an equal share of the vote and competing against each other. Occasionally, when it appears that a candidate who is not part of the system could win an election, those in power are not beyond using illegal means to keep out such people from succeeding.

The share of American voters, who have seen through this game, has grown in recent years, and the support for Donald Trump in the Republican Party and Bernie Sanders in the Democratic Party during the 2016 primaries was the direct result of an increase in the number of voters who have gained an understanding of the system. Even though it is possible that neither candidate is actually against the existing setup, there is no denial that the support for them is from people who are opposed to the system. Among the candidates representing the two dominant parties who have made it past the primaries, Donald Trump is perceived as the candidate who is against the corrupt establishment, while Hillary Clinton is seen as part of the establishment and as the most corrupt candidate to run for President in the history of the country.

The fact that the Clintons have used politics to make hundreds of millions of dollars and have funnelled vast sums of money from around the world to the Clinton Foundation, has only strengthened the belief that they are extremely corrupt people who sell influence in exchange for money and power. The most famous case related to the Clinton Foundation is their effort to raise money ostensibly to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. However, the money was not used to help the victims, but for other purposes including investments in insurance businesses and luxury hotels. Bill and Hillary Clinton, as the UN Representative and the US Secretary of State, respectively, also controlled the flow of money from other sources into Haiti, and the contracts to rebuild the country in the aftermath of the earthquake were given either to friends and relatives like Hillary Clinton's brother or to firms that donated money to the Clinton Foundation. It is little wonder that the moniker "Crooked Hillary" has stuck to Hillary Clinton and even her official campaign has not made any efforts to counter it. Instead, they have admitted in emails that Hillary Clinton suffers from problems related to trustworthiness among the people.

Republican Hindu Coalition chairman Shalli Kumar (2nd R) helps Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump light a ceremonial lamp before he speaks at a Bollywood-themed charity concert put on by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, New Jersey, US on 15 October. REUTERS

Republican Hindu Coalition chairman Shalli Kumar (2nd R) helps Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump light a ceremonial lamp before he speaks at a Bollywood-themed charity concert put on by the Republican Hindu Coalition in Edison, New Jersey, US on 15 October. REUTERS

A Hillary Clinton win in the election would bring back the hostility of the 1990s towards India that existed under the presidency of Bill Clinton. India's relationship with the US took a sudden downturn after Bill Clinton took office in 1993. For nearly a year, Clinton did not bother appointing an ambassador to India even as he went about opposing India on a number of fronts, leading to resentment in the Indian establishment. He first set about the task of disarming and weakening India by preventing access to technology and simultaneously mounted a sustained attack on the Indian economy by imposing several economic sanctions.

In 1991, Senator Joe Biden, who is now the Vice President under Barack Obama, introduced an amendment in the bill granting aid to Russia, making the aid conditional on the fact that Russia could not sell cryogenic engines for India's space programme. The Clinton administration persisted in taking measures intended to retard the development of India's space and technology sectors and blocked the sale of Cray supercomputers that had been approved under the Ronald Reagan administration. This was done even as the Clinton administration allowed the sale of these supercomputers to China. India was also targeted for several economic sanctions and was threatened under what was called the Super 301 clause of the American trade law.

The Clinton administration specially targeted the Indian textile and carpet industries for destruction. Throughout the 1990s, the terms "Dunkel Draft", "Super 301", "WTO" and "patent laws" became synonyms for the US attempting to destroy the Indian economy and led to many protests in India. In one famous episode, the Clinton administration declared Indian skirts to be flammable and banned them after an official ignited a skirt in front of television cameras.

On the security front too, the Clinton administration was consistently anti-India and pro-Pakistan. Members of the Clinton Cabinet supported terrorists in India, with Clinton's Vice President Al Gore using the term "Khalistan" to describe Punjab. Bill Clinton's close friend Robin Raphel was made the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, and under her, the US State Department pursued an agenda that supported violent anti-India groups in Jammu and Kashmir, while offering F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The State Department also propped up the Taliban regime in Afghanistan during this period.

More recently, when Hillary Clinton was the Secretary of State, Robin Raphel was appointed to oversee a $7.5 billion aid package to Pakistan, but ended up being investigated by the FBI for spying on behalf of Pakistan and lost her security clearance. The charges against her were dropped only after Hillary Clinton herself ended up being investigated by FBI for using a private email server for classified emails. Had Robin Raphel been prosecuted, it would have been impossible for the FBI to justify dropping the charges against Hillary Clinton.

By 1996, India was justified in believing that Indo-US relations had hit the lowest point, but things took a dramatic turn for the worse during Bill Clinton's second term in office. Warren Christopher was replaced by Madeleine Albright as the Secretary of State and she made no efforts to hide her hostility towards India and her weekly outbursts on television even bordered on racism. Even after leaving office, Albright continued her attacks on India and called for a plebiscite in Kashmir, thus justifying the actions of violent groups. Albright's cynical action of bombing Yugoslavia and then getting her investment firm to attempt a takeover of mines in that country is an example of the abuse of power by people close to the Clintons. Albright also justified the deaths of half a million Iraqi children and claimed that the deaths were "worth it". Recently, Albright threatened women in America and claimed that there was a special place in hell reserved for them if they did not vote for Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton, during her tenure as the Secretary of State, picked up where Bill Clinton and his Cabinet members had left off and did not waste any time in pursuing anti-India activities. Within weeks of Hillary Clinton assuming office, Teesta Setalvad, an activist involved in framing Narendra Modi using false charges, was paid a handsome donation by Vikram Chatwal, whose father Sant Chatwal was at one time a trustee of the Clinton Foundation. Emails leaked by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks show that Sant Chatwal also had a role in the infamous cash-for-votes scam in which money was paid to purchase votes in the Lok Sabha. Other emails leaked by WikiLeaks show that the US government intended to fund Teesta Setalvad's NGO and use her claims in the so-called human rights reports that could be used against India and Hindus.

Given Hillary Clinton's background, these actions are not unexpected. Investigative reporter Jeff Sharlet has exposed the fact that Hillary Clinton is part of a secretive group in Washington DC variously known as the Fellowship, the Family, or the C Street House. This group is known to use religion to further their geopolitical agenda around the world and evangelical Christians are their main tool when it comes to interfering in other countries. The separation of East Timor from Indonesia using religious persecution as the excuse was one of their achievements under Bill Clinton, and when Atal Behari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister of India for a few days in 1996, Bill Clinton acted at the behest of this group and set up an advisory committee that would supposedly deal with religious freedom around the world.

Curiously, this committee had members from every faith except Hinduism, and it recommended the creation of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a government agency that has used, since its inception, fictitious claims to attack Hindus and India. It was the USCIRF that was responsible for demonising Narendra Modi using false charges and recommending that he not be permitted to enter the US. According to emails leaked by WikiLeaks, Preeta Bansal, the USCIRF commissioner, who was the main person responsible for this action, has also pressured Vietnam into accepting proselytism by American missionaries and is close to people in the Hillary Clinton campaign.

It is not just the past record, but the future too portends a disastrous era for Indo-US relations should Hillary Clinton end up becoming the President of the United States. There is already talk of Joe Biden being tapped by Hillary Clinton for the position of the Secretary of State. Biden would definitely pursue his agenda of thwarting the development of India's space programme and other technological advancements. Even more worrisome is the fact that Hillary Clinton's closest confidante is Huma Abedin who is of Pakistani descent and whose family has links to radical Islamist elements in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Abedin could end up playing an important role in determining American foreign policy.

Another point against Hillary Clinton is that the war hawk Henry Kissinger has come out in support of her and has praised her stint as Secretary of State. Kissinger's hostility towards India is no state secret, as many of his racist, anti-India statements have been recorded on tape.

It is in the light of this background that many Indian-Americans have opposed the candidacy of Hillary Clinton and have come out in support of Donald Trump. In contrast to the policies of the Clintons, Trump has promised to make India the best friend of the US and has stated that he looks forward to working with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump has also reached out to Hindus in US. While there is always a risk of the unknown and it is not clear if Trump can succeed in cleaning up the system even if he intends to do so, a Hillary presidency will certainly be an unmitigated disaster for India.

Despite these facts, some Indian-Americans support Hillary Clinton, but their support is not based on sound analysis but on flawed information fed to them by the media. Most such supporters are highly qualified when it comes to educational degrees, but fall under the category of what is known in American parlance as "low information voters". Most educated Indian-Americans typically demonstrate very little interest in politics and have almost never been part of even informal political discussions. America has made many things accessible to most people and politics is no exception. Usually, the process of making things accessible to a large number of people has involved dumbing down the system and controlling the behaviour of people.

Just as education has been dumbed down in US in order to make it easy for everyone to be part of the school system, politics too has been dumbed down and simplified so that even the most ignorant voter can have a sense of making a choice and being politically empowered. The educated class among Indian-Americans are especially suited to this model as they have no inclination towards politics but have been conditioned to refer to books as the source of their knowledge. They have thus internalised the idea of treating the printed word and assertions they hear from "authoritative sources" as the ultimate truth. They are told through television channels and newspapers that politics consists of exactly two groups, with one group consisting of heroes and the other group consisting of villains, a simplification that they readily embrace. They even use labels like "progressive", "liberal" and "conservative" to describe themselves, even though they do not really comprehend the meaning of these terms and do not realise that these labels are handed out by politicians. In contrast, many supporters of Donald Trump discuss political issues and seem aware of the situation.

In order for India to build a constructive relationship with US, it requires people in both countries to have good intentions. It is clear that India cannot have a good relationship with the US if Hillary Clinton is at the helm of affairs. On the other hand, Donald Trump has articulated the right intent and his tenure holds promise for India.

Arvind Kumar is a political analyst based in the US





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sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity

Pak Spy Ring Run for Decades, Gathering Info for Terror Attack

A Pakistani spy ring had been passing state secrets to Pakistan for decades:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/301016/arrested-pak-spies-used-pizza-burger-to-carry-out-operations-report.html


The spy ring was apparently gathering info in preparation for Pakistan launching its next terror attack:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/pakistani-spy-was-trying-to-get-info-for-a-possible-terror-strike-official-mehmood-akhtar-3727423/

Clinton Campaign in Shock from FBI's Email Bombshell

Emails taken by the FBI from Huma Abedin's electronic device apparently seem serious enough to warrant a decision by FBI Director James Comey to re-open their investigation into Hillary Clinton:





https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-emails-dominate-conversation-of-sunday-talk-show-circuit/2016/10/30/68d9e2b2-9eab-11e6-8832-23a007c77bb4_story.html

http://www.wsj.com/articles/laptop-may-include-thousands-of-emails-linked-to-hillary-clintons-private-server-1477854957

This election is turning into a real nail-biter, as Modi's election was.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

ISRO Hit by ISI Espionage

A Pakistani diplomat has been expelled from India after illegally obtaining  sensitive  information  from ISRO:


http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/pakistan-envoy-staffer-mehmood-akhtar-reveals-isro-source-gave-him-information-interrogation-video-with-delhi-police/433453/

http://www.oneindia.com/india/isro-official-under-scanner-passing-information-pakistan-spy-2247486.html

FBI Re-Opens Investigation into Clinton

The FBI has announced it has discovered new email evidence which is prompting it to re-open its investigation into Hillary Clinton:

http://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2016-10-28/fbi-reopening-investigation-of-hillary-clintons-use-of-a-private-email-server

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-clinton-to-woo-votes-in-same-iowa-city-obama-stumps-for-clinton-in-florida/2016/10/28/11fb0fe6-9d04-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html




It appears that the new evidence is in the form of emails taken from Huma Abedin's husband, Anthony Weiner.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/29/us/politics/fbi-hillary-clinton-email.html?_r=0

It's not yet clear what exactly this evidence is - however it would probably have to be of a damning nature if it's prompted the FBI to re-open an investigation that had been closed. No wonder Hillary's been encouraging people to vote early, much before the November 8 election day.

In spite of being a "caged bird", America's FBI may yet be forced to do its job.

Incidentally, the guy who's been exhaustively pursuing the investigation of Anthony Weiner is none other than Federal prosecutor for Manhattan South: Preet Bharara.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Hillary's Closest "Hindu"

Meanwhile, some of Clinton's advisors were concerned about her email server antics - including Neera Tanden, of the Center for American Progress - a Clinton supporter, who was shocked at the judgement of Clinton and her staff:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/25/politics/neera-tanden-john-podesta-clinton-email-server-wikileaks/index.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/27/emails-show-close-clinton-allies-in-dark-shocked-over-insane-server-setup.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/clinton-private-email-server-wikileaks-230294

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/264628/they-knew-end-clinton-lies-begins-daniel-greenfield



Donald Trump Appeals to American Hindus

Donald Trump's campaign is specifically targeting American Hindu supporters by wooing them with campaign ads touting his Modi-like values and agenda, under the slogan "Ab Ki Baar, Trump Sarkar"

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016/10/27/Trump-speaks-Hindi-in-ad-aimed-at-Indian-American-voters/8801477590163/

http://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/2016/10/27/ab-ki-baar-trump-sarkar-trumps-new-campaign-ad-borrows-from-modi




There's no previous precedent for any presidential candidate so actively courting the Hindu vote.

Meanwhile, a Lefty Gringo-tourist quisling of the Euro-Asian variety provides her take on why US Hindus are supporting Donald Trump:

http://qz.com/820481/the-narendra-modi-hangover-why-some-american-hindus-just-cant-get-enough-of-donald-trump/


"Eviane Cheng Leidig is a PhD candidate at the Center for Research on Extremism, University of Oslo"

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Filipino President Calls for US Forces to Leave Within 2 Years

On a visit to Japan, newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has just now called for all US forces to vacate his country within 2 years:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/27/world/asia/philippines-president-rodrigo-duterte-japan.html

This move would be a serious blow to the USA's security plans in East Asia, allowing China to wrest control over the South China Sea unchallenged and expand its hegemony over the East Asia region.

This is what the United States has reaped from its Atlanticist-centred foreign policy. Let's remember that Asia represents a larger portion of the world's population and its economy than beloved Europe does.

Here's my own small letter to NYT on this:
In contrast to the falsely contrived accusations that Trump is Putin's stooge, Rodrigo Duterte is indeed a genuine Manchurian Candidate for Beijing. His presidential campaign received initial seed money from Chinese mining companies fronting for Beijing. His anti-drug campaign rhetoric dovetailed with that of Maoist guerrillas who similarly claimed to be fighting drug lords for control of the jungles. And unlike Trump who publicly advocates NATO spending cuts, Mr Duterte cannily never made any mention of expelling Americans during his election campaign. Had Washington gotten any serious inkling that Duterte was going to expel US forces, the US would have weighed in early on to support Duterte's electoral rivals - just like how the powerful NATO lobby and Deep State quickly began rallying their backbiting against Trump after he antagonized them with his loose talk. A real foreign stooge behaves like Rodrigo Duterte, and not like Donald Trump. The cliché Red-baiting that's sprung up against Trump and reached such grotesque levels, is an example of of the depths partisan electoral mud-slinging has sunk to. However, it's no surprise that Russia would prefer Trump to win, given that Hillary Clinton is basically a blank cheque for Atlanticist hawks to stamp their own Moscow-fixated foreign policy agenda upon. It's also another reason why other actors - whether China or AlQaeda or ISIS - have so easily been able to pursue their own expansionism with little challenge from the US.

Wikileaks: Muslim Quota Recommended for Obama Cabinet

Hacked emails show that a member of the transition team set up to help establish Obama's Whitehouse had recommended a list of Muslims who could be appointed to Obama's cabinet. The person who gave this recommendation was lawyer and executive Preeta D Bansal

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/28660

http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/obama-transition-team-muslim-picks-top-jobs-not-pass-careful-vetting/




This is the same Preeta D Bansal who led the US Council on International Religious Freedom in advocating that then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi be denied visa to prevent him from entering into the United States.

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/modi7/20050318.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preeta_D._Bansal


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

ISRO Starts Lunar Lander Tests

ISRO has begun its activities in connection with testing a lunar lander required for the Chandrayaan-2 mission:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/isro-starts-landing-tests-for-chandrayaan2-mission/article9262825.ece

This mission is due to launch at the end of 2017 or early 2018, and will deploy  a rover on the Moon, in addition to an orbiter. This will be the first ever lunar mission to land at the Moon's polar regions.

59 Police Killed, 117 Wounded in Militant Attack in Quetta

A militant attack on a police training academy in Quetta, the capitol of Balochistan province in Pakistan, has killed 59 and wounded 117:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pakistan-attack-police-training-centre-gunmen-baluchistan-1.3819449






Monday, October 24, 2016

how brits burned all the evidence of imperial crimes against humanity

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/06/the-history-of-thieves-by-ian-cobain-review

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sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity

Wikileaks: Greenpeace Sought Clinton Aide's Help to Deal with Modi

Hacked emails have revealed that the environmental NGO Greenpeace sought to obtain the help of Clinton aide John Podesta to intercede with the Modi govt after it imposed restrictions on the group's funding:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/greenpeace-sought-hillary-aides-help-to-deal-with-modi/article9258598.ece

So the crooks at Greenpeace, who were on the back foot over their use of foreign funds, then tried to get a foreign govt to help salvage their position in India. It once again shows how badly vigilance against the antics of NGOs is needed.

I'm thinking that hacking is a good way to deal with these NGOs, to expose them more aggressively.

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Trump TV: Donald's Revenge

Donald Trump may go full Berlusconi if he loses the US presidential election, with rumors swirling of his plans to launch his own television news network, which some have dubbed 'Trump TV':

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-presidential-debates/donald-trump-tv-network-could-be-just-three-months-away-n668901

http://www.salon.com/2016/10/20/trump-tv-is-definitely-coming-be-afraid-but-what-the-hell-will-it-look-like/

Trump himself took another opportunity to slam the overwhelming media bias favoring  Hillary Clinton in this election, by making some barbed jokes in his speech at a charity dinner the other night:



Non-Leftist Indians have never bothered to try pursuing their own Berlusconi strategy in creating their own TV news alternatives. Right now we've got Arnab/NewsHour and a few others, but nobody cares enough to deepen the field of choice.

In the age of Apple-TV and other purely internet-based digital distribution services, new possibilities exist for content providers to connect with mass audiences.


Friday, October 21, 2016

Clinton Campaign Ad Features Khizr Khan

Clinton's campaign has released an attack ad featuring Khizr Khan in order to deal a final blow to Donald Trump's presidential campaign:




I find it ironic that Khan can posture like this, even while being someone who salutes Pakistan army - the sectarian defenders of a sectarian state.

Caspian Report: Make in India

Caspian Report gives its analysis of Modi's "Make in India" plan to improve India's economic growth:





Philippines Re-Aligns With China

In a major blow to the US, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced at a high-profile event in Beijing that he was cutting military ties with the US and was switching over to China, saying the US had "lost":

http://www.afr.com/news/world/us-baffled-by-philippine-president-roderigo-dutertes-separation-from-washington-20161021-gs7ns4

http://thewire.in/74641/philippine-president-duterte-aligns-with-china-announces-separation-from-us/





Needless to say, the Americans are dumbfounded by Duterte's brash style, and don't know how to respond. The Chinese have played their cards well, and are reaping the benefits. A primarily Atlanticist foreign policy establishment is showing its limits in grappling with the rise of China. Naturally, their efforts will now mainly revolve around spinning public relations damage control, reassuring the American people and allies that the situation is still under control.

It remains to be seen what Philippines' largest trading partner Japan will say about this latest move (China is 2nd-largest, US is 3rd)

My take on this is that India's leverage will only increase from these developments. The US is losing its smaller dominoes in the region, and can now only rely on larger friends to help it. Japan will certainly feel more vulnerable - I'm betting that recent Japan-Philippines military exercises made possible by changes in Japan's constitution will also soon be shelved. Thailand will be increasingly drawn into China's orbit now that the King is dead, just as Nepal was. It was only due to India's strong catch-up efforts after suffering debacles in Nepal and Sri Lanka, that we were able to salvage those situations. But the US may not easily be able to regain influence it's losing in Philippines, and soon Thailand - especially when the Democrat-led Whitehouse refuses to push aside the ascendant Atlanticsts who always only treat Asia policy as an afterthought.

Even worse for the US - will Duterte now become the Chavez of East Asia, acting as a thorn in America's side?

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Could France Help India Put a Lander on Mars?

India and France are looking at how to put a lander on Mars:

http://thewire.in/73555/isro-indo-french-space-research/

“India is one of the best partners and customers for France,” says CNES president, Jean-Yves Le Gall who adds in times to come ISRO and CNES can hopefully jointly explore planets like Venus and Mars where India is already planning missions.
Blamont wants India and France to jointly launch an orbiter to Venus that will then send balloons down into the little understood atmosphere of the Venus.
“After India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, the next step has to be a lander. A lander on Mars is not easy, but it will be interesting to undertake,” says Le Gall.
Earlier this year on India’s republic day, at the summit meeting between India and France a letter of intent was indeed inked to explore landing on Mars.
France may soon know a lot about it, as it's already getting the direct experience right now:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/European-led-Mars-lander-starts-descent-to-red-planet/articleshow/54884906.cms

The Importance of Huma Abedin

Huma Abedin is more than just a simple aide to Hillary Clinton:

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/huma-abedin-clinton-wikileaks-229914

Wikileaks: Ecuador Cuts Off Internet Access for Julian Assange

Wikileaks have warned that they've lost communication with their founder Julian Assange, who is a fugitive who has taken asylum in the embassy of Ecuador. Apparently, the Ecuador govt has suddenly cut off Julian Assange's internet access. The govt of Ecuador is refusing to comment on the matter.

http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/ecuador-govt-cuts-off-julian-assanges-internet-access-wikileaks-3088864/


Wikileaks has been hosting and making available to the public a large trove of emails hacked from the Clinton campaign, obtained from undisclosed sources. Atlanticist hawks within the US security establishment are accusing Russia of having hacked Clinton campaign emails and provided them to Wikileaks - but have yet to provide explicit proof of their allegations, in spite of repeated requests to do so.

Given the fact that the US election is in its final few weeks before actual voting occurs, the timing of the Ecuador govt's actions against Assange seems very conspicuous.

When NYT is publishing illegally-obtained tax records on Donald Trump, there seems to be no punitive action against them. But Assange of Wikileaks now seems to be the recipient of punitive action designed to shut him up. Leaving aside whether Assange is heroic underdog vs biased stooge - if NYT has the right to publish illegally-obtained tax records on Donald Trump, then Assange/Wikileaks have the same right to publish hacked email records from the Clinton campaign.

If the US govt has pushed Ecuador's govt to silence Assange, then the US govt has an obligation to disclose this fact to the American people, especially since such action would have an impact on the US elections. Selective intervention by the US govt in relation to the US electoral process could taint that electoral process.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Philippines Ends South China Sea Patrols with US; Thai King Dies

Philippines is ending its joint-patrols with the US in the South China Sea:

http://time.com/4522476/philippines-south-china-sea-united-states/

This follows recent statements by President Duterte telling Obama and the US to "go to hell".

As has previously been noted by various commentators, including Bharat Karnad, recently-elected Philippines President Duterte is likely a Manchurian Candidate backed by China, since his dark-horse candidacy was initially given seed money by Chinese mining interests fronting for Beijing.

And now with the death of Thailand's king, it's not hard to imagine that country being increasingly pulled into China's orbit like Nepal. Thailand's king was a great pillar of stability in the country, where Bangkok's wealthy/middle-class Yellow-shirt movement are at loggerheads with the Red-shirt movement composed of rural poor loyal to the Shinawatra family believed to be backed by China.

http://www.dw.com/en/thailand-faces-uncertain-political-future-after-kings-death/a-36037302

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/10/13/497693229/the-kings-death-points-to-thailands-paradox

So ends Obama's presidency and his much-touted "Pivot to Asia", which was cobbled together by Atlanticist-types anyway, as a belated attempt to shore up America's eroding position in the Asia-Pacific due to rising China. Obama's foreign policy has made Jimmy Carter look competent by comparison. This is all the result of US Democrats and their myopic Atlanticist fixations.


Thursday, October 13, 2016

Pak Wants 'Greater SAARC' with China, Iran, CentralAsia

Pakistan, seeing its growing isolation in SAARC for the foreseeable future, is proposing a newer, enlarged grouping that would rope in China, Iran, and CentralAsian republics:

http://www.firstpost.com/india/pakistan-seeks-bigger-saarc-like-alliance-to-counter-indias-influence-3046780.html

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Terrorists Attack Govt Building in Pampore

Terrorists have seized a govt building in Pampore, near Srinagar:

http://zeenews.india.com/news/jammu-and-kashmir/pampore-attack-encounter-on-militants-still-holed-up-in-edi-building_1938660.html



The particular building seized by the terrorists is the Entrpreneurial Development Institute. It shows that they can no longer risk attacking hardened targets like military installations, and are now having to attack soft targets.

Sunday, October 09, 2016

Fwd: Re-nergise ties with Myanmar+ Pakistan invites Russia to join CASA 1000+Revisiting India’s Northern Frontier


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjeev Nayyar


1. Cheap media TRP games damage our military's fighting morale by group captain murli menon 5.10.16 http://www.rediff.com/news/column/cheap-media-trp-games-damage-our-militarys-fighting-morale/20161005.htm
Aspects of escalation control and broad targeting aspects have been discussed by all and sundry.'
'Let us cut the hype for a bit and give a break to our planners and decision makers,' says Group Captain Murli Menon (retd).
 
2. Salafism in Kashmir: Why is media silent on Salafi-Wahhabi preachers in the Valley? 5.10.16 by ghulam rasool dehlevi http://www.firstpost.com/india/salafism-in-kashmir-why-is-media-silent-on-salafi-wahhabi-preachers-in-the-valley-3034022.html
 
3. Re-nergise ties with Myanmar 6.10.16 by G Parthasarathy http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/re-energise-ties-with-myanmar/305515.html
It has thereby prevented Pakistan from undermining its diplomacy across its eastern neighbourhood and made BIMSTEC the primary organisation for regional outreach. Developing a quadrilateral India-Sri Lanka-Maldives-Seychelles corridor, across the western Indian Ocean, can reinforce this effort.
India should develop a policy for regional containment of Pakistan by complementing these efforts with an India-Iran-Afghanistan economic partnership.
While PM Modi has repeatedly spoken of improving connectivity across our eastern borders by a trilateral "friendship highway", through Myanmar to Thailand, the project work on this highway has been tardy and inefficient. We did not repair and upgrade an estimated 80 World War II bridges when we initially undertook to rebuild the road, which, if properly utilised, could be the centerpiece for tourist traffic across Manipur to Mandalay, and even beyond to Thailand. Sadly, because of poor project implementation and unimaginative restrictions and procedures, this road is hardly utilised. The bus service that was inaugurated with much fanfare has come to a grinding halt.
Finally, over two decades ago we agreed to construct an 1800 MW hydel project across the Chindwin river close to our borders in Manipur. We have only debated how this project will be implemented and have invited ridicule.
We should ask ourselves why we couldn't have a booming economic interaction across our borders with Myanmar, as China does. Japan is now admired in Myanmar because of measures it has recently devised to promote meaningful trade, investment and economic ties with Myanmar. There is much we can learn from the Chinese and our Japanese friends.
 
My take – As a nation we talk too much, and brag about small achievements. In so many years cannot made a world class Imphal to Mandalay. A high quality bus service to Mandalay would change relations forever. There are no direct flights from Mandalay to Imphal. Think of the number of Buddhist devotees coming to Bodh Gaya if we had a Mandalay-Imphal-Gaya flight and a Bus service to Imphal with a flight to Gaya. Bus service means cheaper option to fly to Bangkok – it will lead to a tourist boom in Manipur. Can we give up national obsession with Pakistan please?
Anyone who has travelled to the Manipur Myanmar border will know FENCE will never work given the terrain.
 
 
 
 
7. Revisiting India's Northern Frontier 6.10.16 by K N Pandita http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/re-visiting-indias-northern-frontier/
Ladakh people have been consistently demanding Union Territory status to the region on strong plea that it needs rapid and phenomenal development in all walks of life. Those conversant with the history of relationship between Ladakh and Srinagar based governments have no difficulty in conceding that the former have genuine grievances pending since many decades.
However, valley-centric political establishment has been opposing and will continue to oppose this demand of Ladakhis. Apprehensive of Ladakh agitation for Union Territory status gaining public support on larger scale, the then Srinagar-based National Conference government subtly ordered detachment of Muslim (Shia) dominated Kargil district from one-unit Ladakh region, and later on ordered delimiting Zanskar (with fair sprinkling of Sunni Muslims) from Ladakh and attaching it to Kargil district. .. .
This was brazen faced communal divide and has persisted till date. Interestingly, PDP High Command has now expelled its local chief in Kargil from the party for joining the delegation of Ladakhis who called on the Home Minister and demanded UT for Ladakh. In their memorandum submitted to the Home Minister in Kargil, the Kargil Hill Development Council categorically demanded that the Union government reject the demand of the Ladakhis for UT.
 
Also read – Is it time to divide J&K into three? by sanjeev nayyar http://www.rediff.com/news/column/is-it-time-to-divide-jk-into-three-/20160910.htm
 
Warm Regards
sanjeev nayyar



--
sent from samsung galaxy note3 neo, so please excuse brevity

Monday, October 03, 2016

Goodbye Endless Restraint, Hello Surgical Strategy

India's "Strategic Restraint" crap is now being flushed away, and the new era of Surgical Strikes is now emerging and taking shape:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/indias-surgical-strike-on-pakistan-territory-hints-at-new-era-for-nuclear-armed-rivals/2016/09/30/98dadbc1-7528-4892-bc09-9ecaafebb301_story.html

http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/QmHDL5n1WUxlsKqRKrbUpK/The-new-normal-after-Indias-surgical-strikes.html




The answer to the cancer of terrorism is now surgery - lots of it.

Others can now watch our pioneering medical innovation, and take lessons from us. We're militarily credible again. We should definitely even help the Afghans to do this against Pak terror camps near the Afghan-Pak border. Even the Americans might thank us for that. This would help keep other borders active, so that Pak isn't only focused on us.

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Space Assets Used for Surgical Strikes

The use of precision realtime satellite imagery to assist the latest surgical military strikes against Pak terror camps now brings in a completely new dimension to anti-terror warfare:

http://swarajyamag.com/insta/isros-recon-satellites-the-machines-behind-indias-successful-surgical-strikes


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Isro-scientists-confirm-Cartosat-2C-nailed-images-for-surgical-strikes-defense-publication-reports/articleshow/54637923.cms


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/isro-in-service-of-the-indian-soldier-indian-war-machine/articleshow/54638711.cms


http://swarajyamag.com/insta/isros-recon-satellites-the-machines-behind-indias-successful-surgical-strikes


Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan... Jai Vigyan!

It would be better going forward to keep ISRO completely separate from any military activities. ISRO should stick to just launching satellites, or even better spin this off to the private sector, and then hand over complete operational control to the military of any satellites dedicated for their use.

Furthermore, to really scare Pakistan, attacks should be carried out from across the Afghan border with Pakistan. That will send them the strongest signal that we can see all parts of their country - and so can their other neighbors.