No attempt to peer into the future, whether scientifically conducted or guided by clairvoyance should be narrow-focused if it is to avoid the near certainty of error, but broad projections can be drawn, based on current realities, trends and the lessons of the past.Some widespread movements are taking place concurrently in diverse parts of the worl
The bloom has officially faded on Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s 2003 rose revolution. The 13 opposition parties in this nation of 4.7 million are united and determined, and began their latest series of demonstrations 9 April, when as many as 100,000 demonstrated in Tbilisi, capturing the nation’s mood of frustration and, incr
The White Christian Church has the unique characteristic of gaining entry into non-White, non-Semitic civilizations, by slow infiltration of important establishments to influence them and create unrest by dividing the local populace along communal or linguistic lines, with the sole objective of Christianising those countries. Several instances in h
A few weeks ago, I predicted that this general election is pregnant with a hidden message of Muslim assertion, with alignment of Leftists and Islamists. At that time, even the first phase of voting had not taken place. Now with two phases of general elections over, the voting pattern of Muslims in various states has been gauged. The most popu
Since fatuously declaring his to be a “change” administration, President Barack Obama has quickly donned the blood-spattered mantle of state secrecy and executive privilege worn by the Bush regime.On Friday April 3, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss one of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) landmark lawsuits ag
This general election initially set out to be no more than the sum of its parts. That is why the BJP was ahead even then, because it had a string of solid, rooted to the ground, performing chief ministers and other stalwarts who could deliver seats on a state-by-state basis. That is why I was personally dismissive of the plethora of pundits predict
Malaysia has sent mixed signals to its beleaguered Hindu citizens regarding its commitment to freedom of religion and human rights. In a move to ease social tensions, Kuala Lumpur has banned the conversion of children (to Islam) without the consent of both parents. This welcome decision follows the sensational case of Indira Gandhi, a 34-year-old H
As World Water Day passed almost unnoticed last month (22 March), I recalled a seminar I attended in that connection. Programmes like these are regularly held by concerned social activists on and off in major cities across the world. But is anybody listening?Today, we are in a situation of water scarcity. Deaths due to water scarcity and water-born
In an April 7 article in The London Telegraph titled “The G20 Moves the World a Step Closer to a Global Currency,” Ambrose Evans-Pritchard wrote: “A single clause in Point 19 of the communiqué issued by the G20 leaders amounts to revolution in the global financial order. “We have agreed to support a general SDR
[Five weeks after the burning of the Sabarmati Express coaches on 28 February 2002, senior IAS officer Harsh Mander resigned from service, claiming heartbreak over the subsequent riots. Mander, then on deputation with a foreign NGO, ActionAid, was promptly embedded in the organisation, and recruited into the sickening international campaign against
[April 8 was World Day of Roma. On this occasion, Mr. Bajram Haliti, General Secretary of the International Roma Union, a journalist with vast experience, spoke about the past and the present of the Roma people as the community entered the third millennium of its great trials and tribulations – Editor]NIRA: Mr. Haliti, could it be said
In Washington, the new Barack Obama administration and the 111th Congress have been confronted with a very serious situation in Afghanistan. In the seven years since the winter of 2001, when the US military neatly dislodged the ruling Taliban regime in Kabul, the following has occurred: the Taliban has grown from a routed group to a well-knit
The LTTE, which had the fullest support of the people of Tamil Nadu up to the mid-1980s, started losing its support base as it indulged in liquidating other Sri Lankan Tamil leaders and destroying their organizations. With the back-stabbing of the IPKF and later the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991, it lost Tamil Nadu&rsq
A ministry working with the persecuted church is calling Christians round the world to pray for fellow believers in India as the country begins its national parliamentary elections. The author refers to church in the singular for convenience, though there are so many churches, each with its own distinct Christian God and gospel, rite, beliefs dogma
When we wrote our Global Security and Intelligence Report last week on Baitullah Mehsud and the Manawan attack [8 April], we had no intention that the piece would be part of a series, but several developments over the past week have compelled us to once again write about Pakistan - and Mehsud and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in particular. F
“A lot of what we [National Endowment for Democracy] do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.” - Allen Weinstein It seems that those who anticipated the end of colour revolutions have been proven wrong. So far, colour revolutions have succeeded in Serbia, Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand, they have failed in
On March 31, Baitullah Mehsud, commander of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), called The Associated Press and Reuters to claim responsibility for the March 29 attack against a Pakistani police academy in Manawan, which is near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore and the Indian border. The attack had been previously claimed by a little-known gro
[On 8 March 2009, 19-year-old Aman Kachroo died from insane ragging in a Himachal Pradesh medical college. On 18 April, overcoming profound grief, his father, Raj Kachroo, demanded stringent punishment against the college administration for failing to do its duty, and urged that the four students arrested for the death be tried under IPC Section 30
Israel has been steadily ratcheting up pressure on the United States concerning the grave threat allegedly posed by Iran, which seems poised to master the nuclear fuel cycle, and thus the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The new Israeli prime minister, Likud Party hawk Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned President Barack Obama that if Washington doe
‘My mother has done a glorious job;’ ‘my brother has all the qualifications to become the PM’ – that is Priyanka on the MY – then a slight shift to the I – ‘look at me, am I old?’ The kind of vote-catching campaign Priyanka Vadra has focused on is a family projection syndrome – complete wi
The recent visit of US President Obama to Turkey was far more significant than the President’s speech would suggest. For Washington Turkey today has become a geopolitical “pivot state” which is in the position to tilt the Eurasian power equation towards Washington or significantly away from it depending on how Turkey develops its
Four in all so far plus another authorizing funding under a 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. One is HR 875: “Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009.” Introduced in the House on February 4 by Rep. Rosa DeLauro, (D, CT) whose husband has ties to Monsanto, with 39 co-sponsors, it’s been referred to the Agriculture and Energy and Comme
When non-Christian students are compelled to attend Bible classes, it is coercion and force: It means denying them their right to FREEDOM.This has to stop: the compulsory Bible classes for non-Christian students. It has been quietly going on in every Christian school. Only at college level do Catholic students have Catholic doctrine; other Christia
If ever there was a case for invoking Section 495-A of the penal code – causing religious hurt with intent – it should be invoked against Begum Teesta Setalvad and her accomplices in the Citizens for Justice and Peace organisation, for viciously wounding the religious sentiments and communal dignity of both Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat
Chernobyl exploded and Three Mile Island missed by a whisker. They both killed people. But thirty years after the Pennsylvania melt-down, a Soviet-style Iron Curtain has formed between the corporate media and the alternatives, with nuclear power at its centre. The Soviets denied for days that the Chernobyl accident had happened at all. America's pa
US Officials “Rediscover” ISI-Taliban NexusLong considered the realm of “conspiracy buffs” The New York Times, citing anonymous “American government officials,” have belatedly “discovered” that Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence agency (ISI) is aiding the Taliban and al-Qaeda.That ISI operat
Dear President Obama: The world was transfixed on that remarkable day in January when, to poetry, song, and dance, you gazed upon Abraham Lincoln’s likeness at the Lincoln Memorial and searched for wisdom to navigate these difficult times. Indeed, you have so many things in common with that venerable President that one might imagin
“If ever things come to a sordid pass when, on a given day, the Mauryan soldier has to LOOK BACK over his shoulder (simhawalokana) prompted by even a single worry about his and his family's material, physical and social well being, it should cause you and your Council the greatest concern and distress. I beseech you to take instant note
We are proud of our leaders, especially the MPs of both the incumbent and the aspiring varieties. It is highly unfair to run them down with snide remarks that the country has no towering leaders worth following. At least in one respect, and something in which everyone is definitely interested, they have distinguished themselves with their achieveme
As part of STRATFOR’s coverage of the security situation in Mexico, we have observed some significant developments in the drug trade in the Western Hemisphere over the past year. While the United States remains the top destination for South American-produced cocaine, and Mexico continues to serve as the primary trans-shipment route, the path
When the Tamil Nadu government passed the “Tamil Nadu Tamil New Year Day Declaration Bill” on 1 February 2008, changing New Year Day from Chiththirai - 1 to Thai -1, there was no mention about the original Tamil New Year day, which fell on 13 April 2008. Dravidian Felicitations On 9 February 2008, a motley group of chauv
Priyanka Vadra has every right to yearn that her brother be Prime Minister of India, but that he is of prime ministerial material - has all the qualifications to be so - is an extension of her warped mindset. She and the family have been living off taxpayer money and would naturally like to continue fleecing the people of India. Her mother has no h
The numbers that have been bandied about is beyond the comprehension of the average Joe Six-Packs. I cannot even figure out $500 billion, what more $500 trillion. Ninety per cent of government leaders are also unable to figure out the enormity of the global debt sink-hole.So, I have accepted the fact that 97 percent of Americans will just accept wh
Today is the Tamil New Year. Millions of Tamil Hindus will be celebrating it worldwide. But in India, Tamil Nadu as a State will not officially celebrate the event as the present DMK government has changed the traditional Tamil New Year from 14 April (Chiththirai-1) to 14 January (Thai-1), against the wishes of Tamil Hindus. Government&r
There is merit in the Shiv Sena sentiment that the AK-47 wielding Ajmal Amir Kasab, caught on CCTV straddling Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus where he and an associate slaughtered 55 persons in cold blood, and later captured alive due to the personal valour of ASI Tukaram Omble, deserves no defence. The CST footage, his confessions to investigati
Even if the March 31 non-event of the US-Iran meeting at The Hague is summarily forgotten, the informal talks between US envoy to Afghanistan-Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Akhundzadeh could surely be turned into a breakthrough, by bringing Iran into the effort to solve the despicable mess created by the previo
Fed chief Ben Bernanke has embarked on the most radical and ruinous financial rescue plan in history. According to Bloomberg News, the Fed has already lent or committed $12.8 trillion trying to stabilize the financial system after the bursting of Wall Street’s speculative mega-bubble. Now Bernanke wants to dig an even bigger hole, by creating
The DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance organized a massive rally on Thursday 9 April, which culminated in a function where DPA leaders including Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi spoke in support of Sri Lankan Tamils. Dravidar Kazhagam president K. Veeramani warned opposition leaders against politicizing the issue and said the people were we
India is gripped by election fever; in just another week the first phase of voting will take place. As the world’s largest democracy, India’s general elections always evince curiosity worldwide. The final result will be known on 16 May, but it is clear that the process of formation of the new government will last long. India’s nex
[On 16 April 2009, the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections begins. The sheer rush of hopefuls has made applications forms dear. To facilitate the eager aspirants, we are publishing a copy of the prescribed format, which candidates may download on A3 legal paper – Editor]Application Form to Be Filled For Contesting Lok Sabha
Four significant statements were made on Wednesday 8 April 2009, in connection with the LTTE and Sri Lankan Tamils. First, Pattali Makkal Katchi leader Dr Ramadoss said, “The Chief Minister has failed in stopping war and ensuring ceasefire in Sri Lanka. He has failed the Sri Lankan Tamils and he must apologise to the people for that. He has b
Politics has become a dirty word, and is only getting dirtier thanks to a breed of politicians who have made politics an exclusive domain with privileged access to crooks, sycophants, dynasties, and the unprincipled. The common man is thus disenchanted with the entire political system. ‘Kuch nahin ho sakta is desh ka,’ and ‘Sab ch
US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner has unveiled his long-awaited plan to put the US banking system back in order. In doing so, he has refused to tell the ‘dirty little secret’ of the present financial crisis. By refusing to do so, he is trying to save de facto bankrupt US banks that threaten to bring the entire global system down in a n
Let’s start by stopping. It’s time, as a start, to stop calling our expanding war in Central and South Asia “the Afghan War” or “the Afghanistan War.” If Obama’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke doesn’t want to, why should we? Recently, in a BBC interview, he insist
The political firestorm over the $165 million bonuses to executives at the failed American International Group (AIG) that ripped through Washington, DC, in mid-March could be reignited by further attention on failing financial companies who were given taxpayer dollars, then turned around and spent the cash on bonuses.Anger over the bonuses at AIG b
The new consensus among the experts who missed the housing bubble (EMHB) is that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s plan to subsidize the purchase of junk mortgages and their derivatives will help alleviate the stress on the banking system. That’s good news.These geniuses have devised a plan that for $1 trillion (approximately equal to 3
The rotting ills of the Catholic Church have been evident in India for a long time, attracting nation-wide attention in the mid-1960s with Kerala’s infamous Madatharuvi murder case, when a Catholic priest, accused of murdering a woman, escaped the noose with the aid of an expensive, flamboyant lawyer imported from Delhi. In those days, much l
I am traveling in Europe for three weeks to discuss the global financial crisis with government officials, politicians and labour leaders. What is most remarkable is how differently the financial problem is perceived over here. It’s like being in another economic universe, not just another continent.The US media are silent about the most impo
From her election campaign speeches, it is clear Ms. Sonia Gandhi has not learned yet the basic nuances of democracy. For instance, she slams the BJP for picking on Dr. Manmohan Singh. According to her, Dr. Singh is the Prime Minister, and hence a leader of the country, and not a leader of a party. Strange logic for the Congress party has projected
What happens on the immense battlefield for the control of Eurasia will provide the ultimate plot line in the tumultuous rush towards a new, polycentric world order, also known as the New Great Game. Our good ol’ friend, the nonsensical “Global War on Terror,” which the Pentagon has slyly re-branded “the Long War,” spo
Recall the self-satisfied EU celebrations of recent years – the inauguration of the euro and the famous blue Euro passport, the accession of all the Eastern European and ex-Soviet statelets, the gloating as the euro steadily revalued. Fortress Europe was strong and united at last. The 21st century belonged to the new Old World. But then a few
Commenting to the New York Times about the rapidly deteriorating situation in Pakistan, Admiral Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence, admitted, “No one that I have talked to has come up with a grand strategy for that area.”Given the now official fact of a strategy vacuum for Pakistan, as well as the smoldering carcass of
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev reportedly will travel to Turkey in the near future to follow up a recent four-day visit by his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, to Moscow. The Turks and the Russians certainly have much to discuss. Russia is moving aggressively to extend its influence throughout the former Soviet empire, while Turkey is rousing
A Supreme Court Bench comprising Mr. Justices BN Agrawal and GS Singhvi on 1 April 2009 dismissed a contempt petition filed by the AIADMK against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Union Minister TR Baalu, Tamil Nadu Minister of Transports KN Nehru, former Chief Secretary LK Tripathi, DGP P Rajendran and Transport Secretary D Sarangi, which a
With the arrival of Vasco da Gama at the port of Kozikhode way back in 1498 began the process of colonization of India, which unfortunately has been celebrated as the ‘discovery of India’ in our history books. It is this ‘discovery of India’ that has been problematized by George Thundiparambil in his novel ‘Maya.&rsquo
The new Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity, Sr. Mary Prema, made two revelations - that religious conversion ‘is God’s work’ and that - if she received divine inspiration, she would go to Kandhamal. The first statement, of describing conversions as God’s work, is the usual cliché, handy to all those invol
[In Punjab’s Faridkot districts, traces of the toxic metal, uranium, have been found in the hair samples of children with severe deformities (The Times of India, 2 April 2009). The children have large heads, bulging eyes, twisted hands, bent legs, and severe brain damage. Yet there is no known source of uranium in Punjab! Tests have now been
Cine star Sanjay Dutt, convicted in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai and now general secretary of the Samajwadi Party, crossed the limits of normal and political decency by insinuating that Law Minister Hansraj Bharadwaj was responsible for the Supreme Court decision to deny him permission to contest the Lok Sabha elections. So grave are the i
Pakistan’s western provinces, Balochistan, the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), are in the midst of a violent upheaval caused immediately by the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in the Winter of 2001. The US invasion, which was joined later by a number of NATO countries, and some assistanc
The task is to build a new financial architecture. If we flunk it, the pain will strike most cruelly in the world's poorest countries.The financial crisis that began in America's sub-prime mortgage market has now become a global recession - with growth projected to be a negative 1.5%, the worst performance since the Great Depression. Even countries
Three major meetings will take place in Europe over the next nine days: a meeting of the G-20, a NATO summit and a meeting of the European Union with US President Barack Obama. The week will define the relationship between the United States and Europe and reveal some intra-European relationships. If not a defining moment, the week will certainly be
In the closing decades of the 1980s, Abdul Nazar Madhani was only a firebrand orator who engaged in inciting communal antagonism and intolerance amongst Muslim youths of Kerala. Very soon, taking advantage of the prevailing political situation, he recouped all the anti-national and fanatic diehard elements, which were in inertia after the vivisecti
US President Barack Obama released a video offering Iran congratulations on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on Friday [20 March]. Israeli President Shimon Peres also offered his best wishes, referring to “the noble Iranian people.” The joint initiative was received coldly in Tehran, however. Iran’s supreme leader, Ay