Politically Incorrect Opinions

Israel, Hamas and all that is middle east - geopolitics

2023-11-23T07:14:00.002+05:30

I wrote this essay in 2004 and never sent it out. I was too young and Gulf War 2 was raging with Iraqi invasion by the West. As I revisit it now, looks like Sharon's govt. was right and Netanyahu is wrong when it comes to strategy. Also look at the West's position now as opposed to then. My friends ask me why the Arab and Islamic country govt. don't care about Palestine. Here is my answer - When did they ever care?

My article from 2004.

Blood on whose hands ?

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and now Rantissi's killing by the Israeli government has been widely condemned throughout the world as brutal, and senseless. While their killings were brutal, it is too simplistic to say it was senseless. In fact, this change of tactics by the Israeli government is a welcome departure from the previous indiscriminate bulldozing of houses filled with Palestinians and murdering Palestinian civilians in the name of “suspected” terrorists. It appears the Sharon Government has finally chosen to use the soft LoV (Locus of Values) option which in strategic parlance refers to the targeting masterminds of terrorist organizations instead of ordinary people themselves. This sort of tactics will reduce the death of innocent Palestinians as the target is clear and not fuzzy as before. One wishes the US-UK governments had chosen to go after Saddam Hussein in this fashion instead of waging wars on Afghanistan and Iraq that has resulted in the death of thousands of innocent civilians.

It is extremely hypocritical of the British government, especially the likes of Blair to cry foul at the murder of Hamas leaders when they chose to deploy troops and falsify evidence to go after one man, Saddam Hussein, which resulted in the death of thousands of innocent Iraqis and is still continuing to do so. It is even more hypocritical of the British people to condemn Yassin’s killing irrespective of whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Jew when during the invasion of Iraq, Blair’s popularity ratings shot up and the British have not demanded the withdrawal of troops from Iraq like Spain did. Despite the mounting death toll of Iraqis and maiming of several others, the British instead choose to target the Israeli government. Whose hands have more blood – the Israelis or the British?

What is even more hypocritical is the condemnation by Arab governments that chose to lend its own soil to the US-UK coalition during the Iraq invasion. It may do well to remember that the Israelis didn’t choose to send their own troops to aid the Iraqi invasion by the US-UK led coalition nor lend its soil unlike its Arab neighbors. How long will these governments continue to milk the Palestinian cow to divert their people’s attention from their own failures? How long will the Arab people allow themselves to be duped by their governments? The descendants of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Syria have never been granted citizenship. That is a travesty, but certainly, it is an Arab travesty, not an Israeli one. Moreover, since the ostensible point of failing to naturalize Palestinians in Syria and Lebanon has been among other things helped keep the Israeli-Palestinian conflict red-hot. Of course, Syria and Lebanon will continue to deny citizenship to Palestinians born in those countries, even if and when a Palestinian state is established, for reasons that have to do with their own internal politics. In the case of Lebanon, Palestinians are a source of cheap labour and refugee status instead of citizenship helps Lebanon exploit Palestinians. We need to introspect if we are treating Palestinian refugees fairly in our own countries before blaming Israel.

It is absolutely true that there is illegal occupation by the Israelis of Palestinian land. In fact, it won’t be too far fetched to say Israel is the last remaining colonial power of the 20th Century. However, isn’t it time the rest of the world realised that terrorist organizations like the Hamas are destroying the legitimate freedom struggle of the Palestinians? It is important to remove the component of violence that comes in handy for the Israeli government to justify its own violence against the Palestinian people.

In this land of unending, eloquent rhetoric, the mentality of many people, especially the leaders is that the problem is always with the other side. End the occupation is countered by end the violence and vice versa. Almost every question is answered with another question. For example, how do you justify tank gunning down three kids on bikes whose father is a Palestinian bus driver in Israel? This question is answered with how can you explain away the death of your best friend who wanted to be a teacher for peace in a suicide bombing by a Palestinian? Dehumanize the "enemy", shoot your way out and kill them all seems to be the only consensus on both sides. This is a war in which both sides seem bent on annihilating each other. Amidst this, a chilling new generation of young people is growing up believing they'll die young anyway and espouse hate and vengeance on both sides

We, the people of rest of the world are fueling this vicious cycle of grief-anger-violence that has wreaked havoc on this ‘cursed’ Holy land by crying foul when a high profile leader of the Hamas is killed but not when innocent civilians on both sides get murdered. The civilians are statistics to most of us and the dead are exploited by organizations like Hamas and governments of the Middle East including Israel. World over, people talk about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and argue heatedly and then go about their daily routine and forget about it. This is slowly becoming more of a talking point for many than a real issue, especially governments all over the world and even the United Nations.

The whole approach to finding peace in the region has been wrong, and the road map will not succeed taking into account the present circumstances with the peace initiative forced from outside by the famous quartet, as it doesn't include the Arab League or the Israelis (okay there is the UN, as if it has a say in this). But a debate is essential if there is to be a peace process. A peace process would work only if there is prolonged civil society involvement that culminates in an Arab-Israeli peace summit. Pressure from outside never helps bring a permanent peace solution, at maximum a prolonged lull to a region. Sri Lanka is a good example of how forced solutions from the outside don’t work. Moreover, popular support on both sides is essential to overcome fringe pressure groups like Hamas and right wing Zionists on both sides that don't want to see the road map succeed because of doubts, fears and complete lack of trust/ belief that the other side can do anything right. If people in the region fail to recognize this is true for both sides and that mainstream politicians on both sides may seek to undermine each other by using these fringe groups, then searching for peace is like looking for the forest among the trees.

Every killing, house demolition and suicide bombing opens up old scars. It is untenable for Israelis to live in terror. It is unsustainable for Palestinians to live in occupation, squalor and fear. Maybe an Israeli Mandela or a Palestinian Gandhi is their only hope but where will he come from with such anger, politics of victim hood and mob mentality on both sides?

Let us wash the blood off our own hands first. It is time the rest of world stopped screaming foul and supported non-violent organizations like Grassroots International for Protection of Palestinians, People’s Voice, Netivot Shalom, Gush Shalom and the Joint Israeli-Palestinian Action Group for Peace. It is only by strengthening and supporting these organizations and the people who represent them as opposed to supporting violent organizations like Hamas, that this strife torn land will ever witness peace. Violence has been given a chance for over 50 years to bring about a settlement, now it is time to give peace a chance. To do this we need to support those who practice non-violence and peace, thus removing the only excuse that Israeli government has had in justifying its violence against the people of Palestine to the rest of the world.

© 2004 Deepa Kandaswamy

The Russian Gambit

2023-07-06T17:11:00.001+05:30

It is rare to watch a geopolitical checkmate in 24 hours in one's life time but the Wagner PMC drama enacted by Vladmir Putin had the G7 nations and many in the West hoping for a mutiny and hopefully take over Moscow while Putin beat them at their own game fooling multiple intelligence agencies. It was really interesting to watch.

While most heads of states kept quiet, as they were not sure as to what was going on, it was sad to see Zelensky cheer Yevgeny Prigozhin on, forgetting Prigozhin was the one who had been attacking the Ukrainians and not the Russian army. In one fell swoop, Putin managed to see who where the traitors and also control the dissidents.

From the beginning, it looked staged. Putin was a spy after all before he became President, something not any world leader can claim to be in the world today. So it was sad to see so many fall for the trap and get carried away. It is clear Zelensky is being used by NATO to play its own game and his rank is that of a pawn. You would think Ukraine would have realised it by now but it appears they haven't.

The longer they drag it out, the longer Putin will be seen as a super villain and more Ukrainians will die. Does Putin have a checkmate in mind ? The Europeans are getting restless and tired of the US and Biden. Infighting in NATO and lack of oil and gas for the coming winter and the US bombing of Nord Stream will come back to haunt them. Will the world alignment change in 2024? Are the riots in France an indication of the fall of NATO? Only time will tell.

Why is India failing ?

2020-12-25T13:59:00.000+05:30

Indian government's bad performance is attributed to many things. Fundamentalism, the ruling BJP's overwhelming majority in Parliament and therefore no effective opposition, toppling elected state governments, inability to show compassion to the poor, especially during the migrant labour crisis, inability to show leadership when China attacked India and killed Indian soldiers or when neighbouring Nepal redrew the map and finally rounding up the year with unprecedented farmer protests when the Indian parliament quietly passed farm laws that affects farmers without consultation, debate or discussion.

People have been distracted with Covid-19 for most of the year. It doesn't take much to see that federalism has been dying a slow death since BJP took over. But can that explain a failing economy and large scale unemployment, unseen in the last 45 years? Why are many industrialists either fleeing India or disappearing or committing suicide? All previous governments be it the Indian National Congress, the United Front or even the previous BJP government did one thing the current government is failing to do. While crony capitalists did exist then, the Indian government never did one thing - tell the Reserve Bank of India(RBI) what to do. Politicians suggested economic measures but never dictated economic policy. Even if they tried, the RBI could not lend them money. So despite rampant corruption, political cronies never had the kind of power they have now.

This has lead to demonetization, GST and budgets with no figures all in the name of removing corruption!. Meanwhile,Indian banks are forced to lend without collateral, have been made to do so. Getting loans nowadays has never been as easy without collateral as RBI is now under government control. So, is it any surprise that large corporations headed by crony industrialists of the government are trying to buy up India in bits and pieces.

The farmers have a slogan - No farmers, no food. This is true as the GOI hastily tried to pass farm bills in an attempt to corporatise agriculture forcing farmers to sell it to two of their political cronies. Anyone who has been watching the destruction of the farmers for the past three years would have noticed that right from demonetization in 2017, the Indian farmers have been protesting silently by either crushing their own produce or publicly protesting on a massive scale but to no avail. Neither the prime minister nor anyone from the cabinet of ministers have bothered to talk to them. The farmer suicides have only been increasing since 2017. The signs are all there. First it was privatization of water, then vegetables and fruits and now food grains. The farmers are now on the streets. No government should have this kind of power over land, food and water. If i t does after it has swallowed up state power, then we are only heading for a system where government tells us what to eat and how much to eat. Reminds me of Soviet Union where bread and black coffee was free but everything else cost money, even butter and sugar.

If the current Indian government thinks it can have a functioning Stalinist Russia in India with an undeclared emergency, all I can recall is the words of one freedom fighter who I had interviewed, "Your generation will have to fight a second freedom struggle if you want your rights."

Article 370 and its implications for India

2019-08-12T18:18:00.000+05:30

Ramayan is an old Indian epic and some believe it is not an epic but history. This is not about about Indian beliefs. The turning point in the story is when Ravana kidnaps Sita - the wife of Ram. This is when Ravana or Ravan becomes the villain as he doesn't ask her if she wants to go with him to Lanka.
What has this got to do with abrogation of Article 370 that gives special status for the state? Everything.

A state in India was put under curfew. People where asked not to venture out. All communication lines were snapped. There was a media blackout. All shops, banks, schools, hospitals, etc. were shut. Army was brought in replacing the police.
You cannot venture out to buy food or medicine. This was done overnight just like Demonetization. Only the Home Minister knew before the lock down of the state. Then the next day, the Prime Minister and other cabinet colleagues were briefed and then it was announced in the Upper House of the Indian Parliament that the Home Minister of India planned to demote the state by bifurcating it into two and then make them union territories that will come under the direct control of the government.

Were ordinary people of the state consulted? No.
Were their elected representatives consulted? No.
Were anyone consulted including the cabinet colleagues of the Indian government? No.

So, the Indian home minister didn't care about the consent, choice or fellow Indians
That is exactly what happened to Sita in Ramayan or Draupadi in Mahabharata. Their choice didn't matter. We know how both those epics ends - in a war that destroys the lives of innocent millions.

Why should this matter to Indians ?

India is a secular, socialist, democracy till now. Today, it resembles a police state. The opposition is completely scattered and some believe their state will face the same fate if they oppose. Some states are the grip of natural disasters that they don't have time for news but the rest of India has been watching quietly. Even social media has been controlled. It is amazing that suddenly Indians seem to lost their voice. One can understand if they are scared for a couple of days but for an entire week?

There has been a few celebrity voices that have questioned the way the Indian Home Minister has gone about it but they have been quickly silenced. But the voice of the people cannot be silenced so easily when fellow Indians are suffering. People speak to family, friends and classmates in other parts of India wondering what they can do. You don't see the kind of protests during Jallikattu times in Tamilnadu and other states. The reasoning is simple. How do we know they won't do this to us? Is it fair to keep all people in a state under curfew? The home minister claims it is for security reasons but for whose security ? The youth of the nation were initially confused by the special status given to the state but when they heard nine other states have similar special status, they became confused. Those from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir who live in other parts of India are worried about their family and friends as they have been unable to ascertain that they are okay.

Meanwhile fake propaganda videos reminiscent of Nazi Germany are filling up the news space. If this had happened in any other democracy, say US for e.g. the rest of the country would be filling up the streets. In India's case, ordinary people spill out their rages but it is like conch shells, unless you put it to your ear, you cannot hear it. Why? Because any criticism or questioning of the current ruling party or the home minister might land you in jail. So people are scared.

Implications

The geopolitical implications for this move is scary. In one broad stroke, the home minister has managed to antagonize two nuclear neighbours of India - China and Pakistan. Even if Pakistan can be contained by the Middle East and the West, this is not true for China. China has already issued a statement warning India.
"China is always opposed to India's inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction," Foreign Ministry spokeswomen Hua Chunying said "Recently India has continued to undermine China's territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law. Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.

India knows that Pakistan reacts but China acts slowly but steadily. Currently, China is wrapped up in Hong Kong Protests but dragon is not sleeping.

Worst, was the surprise endorsement from Afghani Taliban who seemed to like what the Indian Home Minister has done.

More importantly, three things were on my mind while I watched the bill being passed in Parliament.

1. China won't sit quietly if we just legislate on territory which happen to be theirs. Also the CPEC corridor runs right through Pak Occupied Kashmir and the area Pakistan gave to China , so they could have direct borders with them. China has a bullet train running through it all the way to Balochistan port. Also India lost Aksai Chin territory to China during the 1962 war. How can the home minister say it is now a part of Ladakh? By reorganising the state, isn't he falling into the Chinese trap as Article 370 refers to the original kingdom of Jammu of Kashmir when it acceded to India which includes all these portion? Removing it means we are accepting the current borders ? Also, India's border with China stretches from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh. Won't our army be stretched?

2. Why are the people of the state under curfew? This is not some piece of real estate that can be plotted out. What about their rights? Why are the home minister acting as if it doesn't have people? Just hope no one has a medical emergency as they cannot go to a hospital or call the doctor.

3. If it has been integrated into India, then are the people not supposed to have the same fundamental rights like other Indian citizens especially fundamental right to speech and movement? Why is the rest of India quiet on this ? How long does the home minister think he can keep the people under curfew? Indefinitely?

When questioned in Parliament about how he plans to get back PoK and CoK (the area Pakistan gave to China, the home minister's reply made me laugh. He was angry. Then he said in Hindi which when translated means , "We will give our lives and get it back." Many representatives of the ruling party got up and said the same. This made no sense as emotional nonsense makes no sense.

As I write this a public interest litigation is coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court tomorrow demanding the people be restored the fundamental rights granted by the constitution. Another case has been filed questioning if the abrogation of Article 370 is legally valid. The Minister of External Affairs who was strangely absent in Parliament has gone to China on a 3 day visit. Meanwhile Indians have to wait and see.

2019-07-13T16:58:00.003+05:30

It is a bad verdict as far as Parliament Elections went. It has divided India politically. Many don't understand how bad the reality that India finds itself in. Even families fight when politics are debated. Economically, we seem to be headed for the License Raj.

Any country which is also a democracy needs to be able to debate in a healthy way. With almost no opposition in Parliament, it is a scary situation. Add to selective and fake news, India is in deep shit.

Uncertain India - #LoksabhaElections2019

2019-05-17T15:25:00.000+05:30

India Waiting

As an Indian citizen awaiting the results of the parliamentary elections 2019, I must say I'm not hopeful. The two major national parties in India - the Indian National Congress aka INC and the Bharatiya Janata Party aka BJP are both useless. If INC stands for corruption, then the BJP stands for hate campaigns. Many of the politicians fielded by both parties are corrupt and have criminal records. Imagine a nation of over a billion people having to choose between hate and corruption. I wonder how we got here from a country that was torn into two by the British during independence but both India and Pakistan survived. Later India, Pakistan and Bangladesh survive. India prospered to a large extent but failed to make its presence felt in the world's stage politically despite being the second largest nation on earth as far as population is concerned.

Is Gujarat the problem ?
This despite the non-violent freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi inspired many worldwide including Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. Today the ruling BJP is fielding a candidate who praises Nathuram Godse as a patriot, the man who assassinated Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.The Indian media and politicians are not condemning it while the Indian people are silent. Everytime a leader emerges from Gujarat, the fate of Indians is ruined. Both Mahatma Gandhi aka Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah were from Gujarat. Both were Hindus and cast out of their caste namely Gandhi and Lohana because the former was forbidden from leaving the country and other was forbidden from trading in fish as they were vegetarians. Both didn't believe in caste. So they ended up making decisions that resulted in a genocide during partition, the scars of which have never completely healed but the hatred passed on to the next generations. Decades later, come another duo from Gujarat - Narendra Damodardas Modi along with his pal Amit Shah. Their divisive politics have only reawakened the hatred with their hate spewing speeches. To think the current PM once wanted to become a sanyasin is unimaginable. I think that would be unfair to blame it all on Gujaratis as there was Sardar Patel, Jamsetji Tata and many others who contributed to growth and unity of the country. Also it would be unfair to forget Nathuram Godse was from Maharashtra.

Under NDM
In 2014, I was stunned when the Hindi belt of India voted Modi to power despite his lack of accomplishments. Watching him speak, I realized he was the Obama of India, a person who could talk powerfully and deliver little. But since India is not a presidential democracy, I was not overtly worried as I lived in South India. But all Indians suffered under Modi as his politics and economics were horrid. We faced disaster after disaster - be it demonetization, anti-romeo squads, attack on women, farmer crisis, joblessness, the murder of institutions just so they could be replaced by private players who interestingly were almost certain to be Gujarati. If this was the Gujarat model, Indians didn't want it but unlike other politicians, he didn't seem to care. He was ready to put people through hell just so he could score a brownie point. The video of his 94 year old mother standing in a queue was horrid to watch but he claimed no one was spared. Over 100 people died waiting in queues to withdraw their own money from banks.Yes none were spared. Then banks set a limit as to how much of our own money we could withdraw each month. This was a new low as under the Congress, Indians knew the allies of the Congress were robbing the rich and corrupt while the poor and the middle class were not put through such horrors. Also, Hindi was forced down the throats of people who don't speak it which is over 60% of Indians.

Conclusion That India managed to get through the last five years is in itself a miracle. But India will disintegrate if it continues under BJP. They will be emboldened to unleash new horrors. And like others, I wait. hoping for a hung Parliament.

Trump Triumphs US Media Pundits

2016-11-11T18:48:00.000+05:30

The US media got it wrong as usual and I was not surprised. While I predicted the result, the reaction after the result was what left me stunned.

The Media

American media called it a tragedy using different words. I was puzzled and surprised. Various reasons have been given in the analysis of Trump Triumphing Media Pundits. The first was racism and that KKK won! This makes no sense as they also elected Obama for two terms. Does this mean racists voted for Obama ?

Another one was it was a sexist vote as Hillary was a woman. Then how come a majority of women voted for Trump?

Other reasons include only illiterate people voted for Trump. Then there are claims that only poor people voted for Trump.

Both the above reasons seem to suggest that the poor and illiterate are a majority in the US while all those who voted for Hillary were educated, rich, unbiased and feminist. Is this what most of the American media is suggesting ?

Finally today, Asra Nomani posted the first sane article in the Washington Post.

I’m a Muslim, a woman and an immigrant. I voted for Trump.

The American people

I did not expect Hillary supporters to go on the offensive because their candidate didn't get elected. Burning effigies, really? Protest marches, really ? This from Democratic
Party supporters who believe in democracy ? How ironical! The educated are fighting because they didn't win? It seems they are in denial that they have to accept the verdict.
Suddenly, they are discovering that they have an electoral college system that doesn't work! Wow.

Twitter is full of incidents of how White Supremacists who are Trump supporters are threatening minorities - lingual, racial and religious in the US. They have been doing it before under Obama but suddenly Trump victory has got people complaining on Twitter. Why is Obama quiet about these complaints and you don't see Hillary's supporters condemning it ?
If that is true, I condemn it though Americans will claim they are living the American dream and how it is a huge melting pot, etc.

Being the businessman that he is, Trump hopefully is a better President and unifies US and gets USA to what it was always good at - technical innovation and peace making. If Trump is able to make US and Russia work together, that will end the proxy Cold war that has been funding Islamic terrorism worldwide.

Will it happen ? In six months, we will know.

Learn from India : How to make ancient monuments disappear into thin air

2016-07-17T21:13:00.001+05:30

When the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban, it caused a worldwide outcry. When the Babri Masjid was destroyed 24 years ago, it caused communal violence and a worldwide outcry.

However, since then over 92 monuments have silently disappeared and the media has no clue about it.

What does one do when the authorities don't care about displacing people and damaging monuments in India ?

Read this article on how the Congress led UPA government managed to do it and how the BJP is silently taking it forward in India. The same central government which is there to protect history and not destroy it.

How to make historical monuments disappear into thin air

lakh = 100,000

Will another worldwide outcry put a stop to this or do we wait until it gets completely destroyed like before?

Tamilnadu assembly elections 2016

2016-04-08T12:47:00.001+05:30

I wonder who will win Tamilnadu assembly elections next month. All parties are confident they will win and this makes it one of the dullest elections of all time.

The main contenders are ADMK, DMK, DMDK-PWA alliance and PMK.

While many media polls state that the ADMK and DMK are the parties to watch out for, DMDK-PWA alliance seems to be slowly gaining ground with youth especially after the attempt to split DMDK allegedly by DMK.

What worries me is this - most of the leaders seem to be ill - Karunanidhi of DMK is in a wheelchair, Jayalalitha hardly meets the press which leads to speculation if she is well, DMDK chief seems to have trouble walking up the stairs.

PMK candidate is a doctor - Anbumani Ramadoss looks healthy but it is a caste based party which is unable to shake off the caste stamp despite what the leader promises -prohibition and removal of corruption in the state.

All promise so much but delivery of it is doubtful as we all know about an Indian politician's promise...

Who will be the next US President ?

2016-03-19T13:56:00.000+05:30

Most readers worldwide are wondering who will be the next US president as the primaries show the above two as candidates for the Republican and Democratic Parties respectively.

As usual George Clooney has started calling Trump xenophobic, but then all pro-Democrats do that.

Personally, I like Trump despite his politically incorrect opinions. In the end, he does get things done and that is what matters. Hillary would create history if she were to be elected as the First US Woman President. But I feel the Democrats have been in power for too long and it is time for GOP to take back power. Democrats are suave, sweet and just talk. Republicans might seem like fools ( except for George Bush Jr. who really was foolish enough to invade Iraq and Afghanistan), rich, dominating but at least they act and don’t lecture about action.

I like Hillary but feel she should have told her husband in 1998 to go to hell when the Lewinsky scandal broke out. I would have respected her if she had divorced her husband instead of standing by him. I can understand it must have been for Chelsea but she should have brooked no BS from her husband. That would have proved to me she was a strong leader.

Some say, Trump is more of a dictator rather than a strong leader. I disagree. Just because he doesn’t please mainstream media, doesn’t mean he is a dictator! And we all know what media can do when they like or dislike someone.

Even though many from the rest of the world think Hillary is the better leader, I am all for Trump to Triumph. With him at the helm, we would know where US stands and that matters more to me than all the politically correct talk and zero action by Obama and Hillary.

© 2016 by Deepa Kandaswamy

Tibet , China - The moral question

2008-03-17T19:22:00.004+05:30

The culture of violence growing worldwide and in countries like China it is being legally enforced by the Government on its own citizens and other countries which it has occupiecd like Tibet destroying a culture.

This is a moral issue and deserves our attention.

Why?

For over 50 years Tibetans have been the only group who have been fighting for their rights non-violently against Chinese invasion and occupation. Tibetans have not used guerrilla warfare which occupied people use. If they aren't supported by the non-Chinese people worldwide and by Chinese people inside China, then we have to ask ourselves if as individuals we are supporters of violence though we claim to be against violence?

Non-violence is the only human trait that can be used to debate or discuss a problem. Violence is not the answer to problems. The Chinese govt. has been using violence on its own people like in Tiannamen square and on the occupied people of Tibet. If the right to non-violent protest is denied and those people who protest are shot dead, the question each of us have to ask ourselves is - Are we moral ?
If we are moral, how can we support the Chinese govt. which has ruled not only China but also Tibet and IMAR regions by sheer brute force ?
To demystify the issue - the Chinese Govt. is a bunch of dictators who have formed a party and forced their rule down Chinese people's throats and on Tibetans and Mongolians for over 50 years. The Communist Chinese govt. is no different from Hitler's Nazis or the Afghanistan's Taliban regime.

If they are not different, then how can our countries trade or engage with such a regime which oppresses its own people and occupies other countries?

Sign the petition to send a message to the Chinese Govt. to make yourselves heard

If the Chinese Govt. is indeed not doing anything wrong, then why has it not allowed any media except their official govt. mouthpiece into Tibet or TAR?
If the Chinese Govt. is truly not responsible for slaughter of more than 100 people, then why has it asked all foreigners to leave?
If the Chinese govt. is innocent and is being wrongfully targetted by the Dalai Lama, then why give non-violent protestors a curfew?

Why is Chinese govt. so scared of peaceful protestors ?
This is because the Commmunist Chinese Govt. knows the stakes - Its "happy" mask will fall if it doesn't control the protestors as it is scared the protests might spread to all parts of China, resulting in loss of power.
Most governments are curbing Tibetans protesting against China in their countries because of some business or political lobbying.
Strategic affairs and business interests apart, the issue boils to just one moral value - Do you think violence is the answer to a problem?

Why are all those who unaniomously condemened the US invasion of Iraq or Iraq's invasion of Kuwait not saying anything about Chinese occupation of Tibet or its violent curbing of peaceful protestors?
If one wishes to see an Al-Qaeda government - you don't have to look too far - just look at the Chinese government. The Chinese President is Osama Bin Laden without the turban and the beard.
The Chinese Government is the equivalent of the Taliban government under Afghanistan or occupied Europe under Hitler, except the Communist Chinese govt. are atheists while the Taliban and Nazis were theists.

Sign these urgent petitions to stop Chinese killing of Tibetans

Copyright © 2008 by Deepa Kandaswamy

The Hollywood Writer's Strike and Awards

2008-01-21T19:38:00.000+05:30

The writers are the backbone of the movie industry in Hollywood but the brain is the producer.

Without the brain, nothing can function. What if the studios all decide to close shop for 6 months or make novel adaptations using writers from abroad? Hollywood would collapse as the writers cannot pay the other members of the movie industry.

That is why the strike by the WGA is not only silly but senseless.

It is even worse that the actors are boycotting the ceremonies in the name of supporting writers. The Golden Globes not happening caused a lot of problems for the others -- the technicians, art directors, and even journalists. The Oscars of 2008 will be a landmark as it would be the 80th in the history of Hollywood.

If it doesn't happen, the writers of WGA would be successful in shooting their careers dead while the actors can always act in a British, European or Asian movie.

Let us think about this for a moment.

What is the actors' problem? If they wish to show solidarity or empathise with the writers why don't they just take the same pay packets as the writers, work for free and give their money to the writers or go on strike with them? This is the height of absurdity and pretense.

Unfortunately, WGA are not the sole custodians of scripts in the world as they seem to think so. However, Hollywood studios have a lot of money with them to spend which they can do on a non-WGA script.It is true that without stories, movies don't get made but without the money of the producer nothing can ever get made. So blackmailing employers is not really a good idea.

Does this mean the producer should be allowed to dictate all terms and the writers have to simply accept it? Nope.

If you don't like the terms, you can try to re-negoniate it or go to another studio. If that doesn't work you are free to approach someoneelse in Europe, Australia, Japan or India to produce it. Or maybe the Hollywood actors will put their money where their mouth is and produce the films themselves and help out the writers by giving them the copyrights for each Internet download, re-run, etc. After all, several actors have production houses too.

The writer's strike is also affecting cinematographers, stunt people, art directors, etc. and is not just writers vs producers.

Probably, the cinematographers can go on strike next, refusing to visualise the script by writers or show these actors in good angles as they are also not given their cut in each download or re-run. Then the stunt people can follow as they risk their lives and are not paid a cut each time the stunt is shown or watched in any part of the world.

Maybe like writers, everyone from cinematographers, stunt artists all the way to the clap boy should be able to copyright their style, move, angle, etc. so they own it and they too can negotiate their rights and payments with the studios.

This way the writers of WGA will have effectively shown how to kill the American Movie Industry.

Strikes are a public nuisance. The strikers are essentially a group of blackmailers not working ( usually a few blackmailers with the rest following as they have no choice or say in the matter ) and not caring how many others are affected by their actions. Also, all those who go on strike don't necessarily do it by exercising personal "choice" but more due to "force" or "pressure" from the guilds.

Writers should be the ones to know there is no such thing as a collective stomach or a collective brain.

So is there a way out ?

Yes. Dissolve the guilds and negotiate your own contracts and terms as far as the rights go. If you feel you are being exploited, have a Hollywood Chamber for Complaint Redressals, re-negotiate or sue the studio as a last resort for rights violations.

Writers, take a close look at the WGA and see who are the ones who are dictating the strike as it is not possible that all members of WGA woke up one day and agreed to go on strike. Isolate these people and question their motives. If you personally agree with their explanation, then go ahead and continue. If you are one of those sick of the strike, get out and negotiate your own contract with the studio. Guilds are meant to help support your rights and not create conditions where your right to survive is at stake.

If you find the studios won't work with a non-WGA person, then get out of the USA for better pastures in the rest of the world. This is the global age.

The only thing that is making me grin is the fact that the Indian Movie Industry which is the prime competitor to Hollywood in terms of following and number of movies produced annually is gaining ground thanks to writer's strike. However, these idiots are yet to use the Hollywood Writer's strike to make a killing in the world entertainment market.

If the Hollywood writers and actors keep this up, they'll be outsourced and finally we'll have a truly competitive entertainment market.

© 2008 by Deepa Kandaswamy, All rights reserved.

BURMA MATTERS

2007-09-27T18:57:00.000+05:30

The Burmese people have always protested against its military govt. but the world has always stayed out.

The latest protest has been happening for over a month and the world looks on as the protests get larger. What is worrying is the murder of the monks and civilians by the Burmese military junta yesterday and today. If the people of the world keep quiet and watch on, this will only get worse and might result in a slaughter.

Click herefor continuous news coverage on happenings in Burma

WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
Have we learnt nothing from history? The world looked the other way when Hitler began his hate campaign and this resulted in the second World War.
The Burmese have been protesting non-violently against the military junta but the rest of the world failed them when they were massacred 19 years ago.
Can we afford to do the same now? The governments of our various countries may not care or term it an internal matter but can the people of the world do the same?
Are we willing to watch an Asian Rwanda unfold in Burma?

WHY DOES THE UN IGNORE BURMA?
The Burmese people who sought freedom of speech have been banned, arrested or killed for decades. Others escape to neighbouring countrieslike Thailand and India. Aung San Suu Kyi continues to remain in house arrest.
What does the world do? Give her a Nobel Peace Prize in an attempt to wash its guilty hands off Burma. But the governments of the world are currently like Lady Macbeth. Every Burmese killed --- the blood will be on your hands because you failed to act before and now.

Why are governments that claim to represent democracy and encourage pro-democracy invade or threaten to invade countries when people there don't complain about their governments but choose to ignore Burma or Myanmar? True, Burma has no uranium, nuclear power plants, diamonds or WMDs which might be an incentive to intervene in the name of democracy or freedom by the United Nations Security Council. So Burma doesn't pose any imminent threat to global security as it doesn't have all of the above and also there is no Bin laden or dangerous "terrorists" in Burma. The UN, NATO, ASEAN, SAARC, Arab League, APEC, and various organisations have continuously failed to protect the Burmese people.
However if you care, please sign the petition to get our governments and the UN to act/support the Burmese people instead of imposing more stringent sanctions -- which is stupid as it will not affect the govt. but only the people.

The Burmese people are a bigger asset than WMDs, diamonds or uranium.

Click here to Sign the Petition to support the Burmese people..

WHERE IS ASEAN?
Last year, when Thailand, a neighbour of Burma was in political trouble, ASEAN rushed in to its aid. However, not even step motherly but alien treatment meted out to the Burmese people by ASEAN is puzzling. Burma is in South East Asia.

ARE THE NEIGHBOURS SLEEPING?
The US, UN and Europe have condemned the attacks on the people and have called for "more" stringent sanctions but this will have no effect on the military junta in Burma. It will only affect the already impoverished people.

Thailand which is a neighbour of Burma is too small and has internal problems of its own. It can only afford to accept refugees.

So the two countries that can use its leverage with the Burmese military junta to stop the slaughter are China and India, both of whom are neighbours.

It is understandable that China doesn't want any change in Burma and is happy to support the military govt. in Burma. After all it has its business interests to protect like the over 500 Chinese companies that operates out of Burma. It also provides weapons to the military junta in Burma.Therefore the Chinese govt. calls the Burmese people's non-violent movement for democracy as "internal affair" of Burma. Moreover, supporting the Burmese people by Chinese govt. would re-direct the spotlight on the Tianamen Square massacre and also the fact China is not a democracy. It might also bring the swing the focus on Tibet where people have been fighting non-violently for 50 years and Tibetan refugees in India, including the Dalai Lama. So for political reasons too, China cannot been seen as supporting Burma though it might be extremely afraid of a flood of refugees through its borders especially next year during the Beijing Olympics.

Chinese are very proud of their long memories and gratitude. I don't know how they can forget that it was from Burma, the Japanese invasion of China during WW2 was thwarted. Despite everything, it was a combination of the Burmese, British and Indians who helped stop the Japanese massacre and occupation of China.

CAN INDIA AFFORD TO IGNORE?
True, people of Indian origin were evicted from Burma in 1952 but can it hold the grudge for 55 years? India has Burmese refugees and journalists but like the Tibet question,it has never protested against Burmese plight either. While it broke off relations with the military junta in Burma, a few years back it has renewed relations as it is finding the Chinese are either annexing or befriending all its neighbours encircling India from Pakistan in the West to Burma in the East and Sri Lanka in the South.

Some say it is because the Indian govt. is currently negotiating a gas line deal with the Burmese military junta as the Iran pipeline via Pakistan may not materialise. However, it seems more like it doesn't want to harm its chances at stalemating China in South East Asia. Maybe the upcoming visits of the Vietnamese and Filipino leaders will make a change in the Indian stance.

However, if the Indian govt. doesn't use its leverage with the military junta now, it can say goodbye to its dreams of becoming a superpower ever.

WHAT CAN WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD DO?
Irrespective of what the governments say in all our countries -- we, the people of the world can change their minds and stop a repeat of the 1988 massacre.

So, here is a doable list.

1)Sign the petition above.
2)Click on the link "Email the politician in your country" found on the left side of this page for US and UK readers.
3)Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper or TV channel and ask your friends and family to do the same.
4)Post comments on all media websites and forums on the Internet.
5)Spread the word in all the e-groups you belong to.
6)Wherever you are in the world, write a letter, email to any media organisation or call your local radio station and ask them what they plan to.
7)Mail the Burmese media to show you support the Burmese people.
Click here for the Burmese Media directory

When the world media makes it a big issue, our governments will be forced to act.
Right now, global leaders are gathering in New York for the annual United Nations summit.

Keep doing it until the Burmese military junta stops its slaughter and the Burmese people become free.

We can do it together for we live a short life and it will take only 5- 10 minutes of your time to do this daily.

Nothing is impossible if we believe it is possible.

© 2007 by Deepa Kandaswamy

9/11 and the War on Terror

2007-09-11T17:06:00.000+05:30

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the WTC attacks.The war on terror has failed horribly. The Taliban is on the rise in Afghanistan and Osama still eludes capture while Al-Qaeda appears to be growing.

9/11 happened. Unlike other attacks with the exception of wars, it was spectacularly executed like a scene from a Hollywood action thriller.

It had horrific results and watching it on a TV screen, as a non-American one could condemn it and feel sorry for the people who perished in it -- over 3000 people from 80 nations around the world.

What I fail to understand even today is the way the USA, especially the government reacted to it.

This is the same USA which during the Cold War which spanned for over 50 years was calm though there USSR nuclear missiles targetted on it and which could be set off at the press of a button.

NO FEAR
The Americans were not afraid. Instead, they went about their work and America reached heights like never before. Americans were not driven by fear. They didn't fear the Russians or attack USSR immigrants. They challenged government control over their lives even when the US govt. used terms like "patriotism" and "national interest" to justify their wars.

Knowing atom bombs could rain down on their cities and later nuclear missiles, American citizens didn't espouse a philosophy of hate driven by fear. Instead, Americans concentrated on the issues and challenges they thought were important. They put a man on the moon, got rid of homegrown apartheid, valued civil liberties and freedom of their fellow citizens. They were happy even though the Russians and the other "Commie" sympathisers cum groups could have killed them. Fear was not an option.

The bravery shown by the Americans won over even hard core Communists, made America the destination of choice and captured the imagination of the world. It also led to the collapse of the USSR ending the Cold War.

CLIMATE OF FEAR
After 9/11, Americans are afraid of an organisation called "Al-Qaeda". Their elected representatives including the Senators, Congressmen and their govt. are saying Americans should be afraid. They are ruining their economy and lives of young people by sending them off to wars because some "Al Qaeda" members got hold of a few planes and crashed them into the Pentagon and the World Trade center. The govt. issues "color" alerts that sends Americans into a frenzy. Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible for this climate of fear.

Americans are now driven by fear -- an irrational fear that they will be attacked anywhere and anytime because of their citizenship. Some are scared of their neighbours because they look different. Most are okay with their government violating their privacy in the name of "security".They think anything is valid including violating the civil liberties of their fellow citizens and tourists to their country because 9/11 happened.

If Americans continue to be driven by fear, then Osama doesn't need to do anything to win. Six years and he has done nothing except go into hiding as he sees the Americans do it to themselves. Fear leads to grief which leads to hate which leads to mindless violence and it becomes a vicious circle.

WILL AMERICA BECOME BANKRUPT?
The USA that most people in the rest of the world loved, admired and aspired to be will be no more if Americans continue to live in fear because their elected representatives say the boogie man will jump on them tommorow.

Bin Laden said in his tape released on November 1, 2004.
"It is easy for us to provoke and bait this administration. All we have to do is send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written Al Qaeda, in order to make the generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their pivate companies.

So we are continuing this policy of bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. That being said ... when one scrutinises the results , one cannot say that Al-Qaeda is the sole factor in achieving these spectacular gains. Rather the the policy of the White House that demands the opening of war fronts to keep busy their various corporations, has helped Al-Qaeda achieve enormous results.

For example, al-Qaeda spent 500,000 dollars on the events while America in the incident and its aftermath has lost more than 500 billion dollars."

Simply put Osama says the aim of the attacks on 9/11 ( the events he refers to in the tape) were to create chaos and fear, so America will spend and continue to spend money until it becomes economically bankrupt. As long as Americans elect a govt. that is scared and gets into other wars, Osama will achieve what he set out to do. Same goes for private companies, American and other countries which see only $ signs on this so called War On Terror
And as long as the US govt. keeps invading countries in the name of protecting Americans, anti-Americanism will spread and young Americans will continue to die.

WAY FORWARD
In Cuppola's movie "Apocalypse Now (1979), Col. Kurtz played by Marlon Brando says,"I've seen horrors... horrors that you've seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that... but you have no right to judge me. It's impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror. Horror has a face... and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies. I remember when I was with Special Forces. Seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to innoculate the children. We left the camp after we had innoculated the children for polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn't see. We went back there and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember... I... I... I cried. I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out. I didn't know what I wanted to do. And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it. I never want to forget. And then I realized... like I was shot... like I was shot with a diamond... a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought: My God... the genius of that. The genius. The will to do that. Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we. Because they could stand that these were not monsters. These were men... trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love... but they had the strength... the strength... to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral... and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling... without passion... without judgment... without judgment. Because it's judgment that defeats us."

The above passage describes not some enemy but the terrorist today. Cuppola was wrong in glorifying it. You cannot make a friend of fear and horror but need to overcome it. Other countries face terrorist attacks too.

We need to rebuild our world free from fear and the media generated hysteria. Americans need to value the civil liberties of all citizens guaranteed by the US constitution more than their fear. The threat will remain but Americans need to reclaim their country.
Osama maybe Darth Vader but you are the Luke Skywalkers. The force will be with you as long as you refuse to be afraid. You have to consciously choose not be afraid. You've faced nuclear missiles in the past. Osama says you should be afraid of planes and your own neighbours!

Like the Cold War generation, while Americans should take precautions and not ignore terrorist threats, today let Americans pledge to live like they did before 9/11 --a country of individuals without fear -- the land of the brave.

Copyright © 2007 by Deepa Kandaswamy, All rights reserved

NON-VIOLENCE: HOW RELEVANT IS IT TODAY?

2007-09-03T18:22:00.001+05:30

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Mahatma Gandhi

Non-Violence is one of the most misunderstood concepts of today’s world and look at the consequences. Countries are fighting wars to achieve peace and violence is justified as the only means through which peace could be achieved! When military leaders say they are planning to bring peace to a nation, one can safely assume that they mean that a war is being planned. The result of this form of peace is death, anger and more people who want revenge. They end up starting a war of their own. Therefore, we end up with a vicious cycle of grief-anger-violence that wreaks havoc on innocent millions. It appears our so-called knowledge–based civilized societies are stepping back to the Bronze Age where this kind of wars was the norm.

WHAT IS PACIFISM?
According to William James, American philosopher and psychologist, “Pacifism is the moral equivalent of War.” Simply, pacifism is an active form of protest against wars, injustice, and violence in an organised manner using non-violent means. It is the alternative to war, where people express their opposition as a conscientious objector but do not kill or resort to violence.
Refusing to participate and demanding the end of an unjust practice is what pacifism is all about. It is an effective tool but it takes time, work, and patience. The results are always better than a quick war with many casualties and long, bitter memories that continue the cycle of hate.
However to practice pacifism successfully and effectively, the pacifists need to achieve four objectives first.

An environment favorable to peace must be established.
The potential causes of conflict, which include factors as the quest for power, fear, foreign occupation, and economic competition, must be greatly decreased or eliminated.
Means for the resolution of clashes must be provided, as in negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and trial procedures.
Ways must be found to ensure adherence of the agreements that are made.

Pacifism has taken many forms in modern history. Refusal to work and wear foreign clothes made by the colonizers and demanding freedom as Gandhi and his fellow Indians did was pacifism in practice. When Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat, this was another form of pacifist protest. It takes more courage to confront an armed person or an angry mob non-violently. This act by Rosa Parks set off the boycott of buses by African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama led by Martin Luther King in the 1960s demanding de-segregation of buses was another act of pacifism. A boycott of goods and services of a particular country like the one almost all peoples of the world did when South Africa practiced Apartheid is a pacifist act. The anti-war demonstrations around the world along with the candle light vigils before the US and UK invasion of Iraq were all pacifist acts. The reason the anti-war on Iraq protests failed were primarily due to the non-elimination of the fear factor and the reason Iraq will continue to be a problem is because the “foreign occupation” and means of resolution are lacking in today’s Iraq.

ORIGIN OF PACIFISM
While many assume that, the origins of Pacifism lie in the Holy Bible and “Turn the other cheek” as the way pacifism works, the real origin of pacifism lies in the teachings of Buddha in ancient India. Buddha says, “I have never yet met with anything that was dearer to anyone than his own self. Since to others, to each one for himself, the self is dear, therefore let him who desires his own advantage not harm another.” Buddha and his disciples used silence and non-cooperation as forms of protest when they were confronted with threats or bodily harm. Later on, Confucius and other eastern philosophers advocated this form of protest. All religions advocate pacifism with varying degrees.

TYPES OF PACIFISM
Pacifism can be divided into two main streams namely absolute pacifism and relative pacifism.

Absolute pacifism: People who follow absolute pacifism are against all wars and violence irrespective of who, where or when it takes place. Absolute pacifists totally bar the use of force and rely on moral persuasion. Absolute Pacifism expects that the people who practice it will have the moral courage to face the aggression of their opponents and uphold their creed of non-violence despite provocation. It also assumes that this kind of non-violent defiance will end with the aggressors being affected by divine intervention and will be forced to change or face hell when they die. Absolute Pacifism has a more religious connotation, is advocated by several religions, and followed by members of religious groups like the Quakers.

Relative pacifism: Relative pacifism as the name implies doesn’t totally rule out the use of force. In this type, force is permitted in self-defense when attacked by another nation but not providing help to nations being attacked! This is because relative pacifists believe this will only end in formation of rival alliances making the world a more dangerous place. Relative pacifists encourage passive resistance instead of expecting divine intervention or urging moral persuasion of the aggressor. Resist but non-violently. This usually takes the form of civil disobedience movements like the independence movement in India against the British, American Civil Liberties Movement, Vietnam War protest and the movement to abolish Apartheid in South Africa. Relative pacifism is usually devoid of religious context as it is a people movement.

RELEVANCE OF PACIFISM TODAY
We are in the Age of Weapons. Many countries seem to take pride in the destructive force of the weapons they can build – nuclear, thermal, biological, antimatter, etc. Every day, the military-industrial complex is spewing out some new weapon or an upgrade of an older one. We have more military bases than shelters for homeless. However, more people die from hunger everyday, our governments are concentrating on building or acquiring the latest military technologies!
Religious zealots worldwide seem to ignore the very tenets of pacifism in their own religion – be it the Buddhist fundamentalists in Sri Lanka, the Hindu zealots in India, Islamic fundamentalists in Asia, Christian zealots in North America and Europe, Jewish fundamentalists in Israel, etc. It is astonishing they are doing this in the name of the very religion, which forbids them to commit violence! That this is happening all at once is not surprising as pacifism is misunderstood and scorned today. However, many great people of the past took great pride in being pacifists. Some famous pacifists include Buddha, Jesus, Hajar, Mahavir, Khadijah, Guru Nanak, Gandhi, Tolstoy, Abdul Gaffar Khan (also known as Frontier Gandhi), Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, Albert Einstein, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Vida Goldstein, Dalai Lama and Aung Sang Sui Kyi.
The Tibetans are the only ones who reject violence and have been waging a peaceful struggle against China for over 50 years. Unfortunately, they are not getting the respect or coverage that is due to them. When the media does choose to cover their plight like in the movie,“Seven Years in Tibet” the lead actor Brad Pitt was banned from entering the country! Other media like print and TV has failed world wide to create awareness about the Tibetan struggle. However, China, which is a nuclear weapon state and a superpower, is afraid of them. So much so, that Chinese who have annexed Tibet has a law which makes it punishable to carry a picture of His Holiness, The Dalai Lama in Tibet even though he lives in exile in India. In the end, Tibetans will win without having resorted to violence and terrorism.

Mahatma Gandhi in a speech advocating pacifism and non-violence said, “Non-violence is the law of our species as violence is the law of the brute. The spirit lies dormant in the brute and he knows no law but that of physical might. The dignity of man requires obedience to another law—to the strength of the spirit.” Looking at our world today, one will easily realise that pacifism is more necessary today than ever as this age of weapons is proving destructive.

For those who say they are not a violent people, re-examine your premise for all of us are practicing double standards in violence. If a teacher or a fellow student hits your child, all of us take objection to it and make the other child apologize. If a female was attacked, we scream harassment and object to the violence. However, we continue to cheer on our governments or militant organizations to commit acts of violence and war in the name of freedom and justice! We cannot have double standards on violence. Let us hope we all find the strength within to maintain an era of peace and destroy the scourge of war for otherwise we will be stuck in the vortex of violence and death, which is the insane alternative.

Copyright © 2007 by Deepa Kandaswamy

Left In The Cold

2007-08-24T18:02:00.000+05:30

The Indian Left are a hillarious bunch. Not that other Indian parties are any less crazy but the Left takes the cake. They are still stuck in the Cold War Era while the rest of India has managed to move on inspite of the politicians.

Some of their arguments against the 123 Nuke deal goes like this

Indian sovereignity is challenged by the 123 deal.
US will dominate India in different aspects.
By agreeing to the terms despite the Hyde Act, the current government is cheating the Indian people.
Once the deal is done, India cannot have its own independent foreign policy
By aligning itself closely with the US, India will be perceived as supporting all US acts including the Iraq war.
By treating India as a special case, the US has ulterior motives.
Why does India need the deal, IAEA or even the Nuclear Suppliers Group(NSG) when one Indian company has landed a contract for Uranium mining in Niger?

The list goes on and on.

Yeah, yeah, says the BJP which actually began negotiations for the deal with the US Govt. and is currently in the opposition party. BJP is agreeing with the Left which makes the communists uneasy.

The UPA coalition forms the current Indian govt. with the support of the Left. The UPA is a bunch of parties which is headed by the Congress is a scared lot but sees backing out as a loss of face. More importantly, many want to stay in power as there are lots of perks that goes with it. The Congress cannot be seen replacing the Prime Minister unless he volunteers to quit. The only man who seems steadfast is the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Manmohan Singh for all the wrong reasons.

He defends the deal and his reasons go something like this

It will bring India energy security.
Nuclear energy is the only clean energy source apart from solar energy!
This will also stop India's reliance on others for energy security!
One doesn't oppose the deal after 24 months and the Left should be serious.

Now that we have seen both sides arguments let us see how far both of them are correct.

1) No deal with another country is free of strings including the US.
2) The Nuke deal is not about civilian energy -- it is about strategical alignment.
3) Civilian Nuclear Energy will not satisfy energy needs of India. It is not only costly but also at maximum can satisfy 6-8% of the total energy needs of India.
4) China has a similar deal with the US.
5) True, Taurian Resources from Bombay ( now Mumbai) has landed a contract in Niger -- a Uranium exploration contract and not a mining one as claimed.
6) India will stay sovereign despite what the Left may think -- especially those who sympathise with China and see any alignment with US as anti-China, especially the CPM.
7) With the current mess US is in, US will be a junior partner to India in South Asia. Japan and Malaysia would be the main partners of India in Asia.
8) The Indian Left should not take its instructions from China, just as any other Indian party or coalition cannot take instructions from the US.
9) India was the only country in the world that passed a resolution in the Indian Paraliament which unanimously condemned the Iraq war. Not even the Arab League, Islamic nations or regional formations like ASEAN did. 10)Sorry Mr. Singh but what about wind energy which is also a clean source of energy and with peninsular India, the coast lines can be used to maximum advantage.

While the Nuke deal will pull India out of desert after the Pokhran tests and enable it
to be back without signing the NPT or CTBT, it also gives US leverage to conduct
joint exercises in the Bay of Bengal and scare the hell out of North Korea and potentially China which has currently encircled India like author Azam Gill warned in his book - Winds of Change.

While it won't ensure energy security as the poor PM thinks, it will also not endanger the sovereignity of India as the Left says it fears.

To trackback as to why the Left suddenly woke up, it all boils down to the gauntlet thrown to the Left by the current PM, an economist and who has personally staked his reputation on the deal, when he gave an interview to the The Telegraph newspaper based in Calcutta ( now Kolkatta) when he said that he stands by the deal, irrespective of what the Communists think.

How dare the Indian PM think and speak on his own? This is against the ideology of
the Left which calls for "Collective Thinking" -- whatever that means.

This got Karat and Bardhan of the CPM and CPI parties respectively very angry.

Btw, the Indian Left is not one single party but 4 actually, the two major ones being Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India( Marxists) or CPM. There used to be one Communist Party which later split due to ideological differences but that is another story. It proves one cannot think collectively.

So, the Left is threatening to divorce the UPA and BJP led NDA is waiting. Only problem is Left dislikes the BJP more than UPA. The Third Front which is the UNPA doesn't have enough seats even if the Left agrees to marry it, they don't enough seats to keep the government going.
Left doesn't wish to be seen as pulling down a duly elected government.

The Indian Left has painted itself into a corner. It has been appraised of developments of the Nuke deal regularly by the PM but it chose to object 24 months late. Not filing for divorce means it will be perceived as impotent and pro-America.

The Indian Left needs to wake up and update itself immediately.

Or it will be Left in the Cold (pun fully intended).

Double standards in Freedom of Speech for Indians ?

2007-08-22T12:39:00.000+05:30

Indian Envoy to the US, Mr. Ronen Sen's remarks has sent most of the Indian Parliamentarians into a tizzy.

Read his entire interview here.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2007/aug/20inter.htm?zcc=rl

They are angry because Mr. Sen referred to those opposing theIndo-US nuclear deal indirectly as "Headless Chickens". He has apologised but most Indian politicians cannot forgive or forget it.
It is amusing that they are getting so worked up even though former Defense Minister, Mr. George Fernandes had suggested that the current Indian Prime Minister (PM) should be shot for proceeding with the Indo-US nuclear deal!

Read how Indian politicians defend Mr. Fernandes here.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/BJP_George_Fernandes_refuse_to_apologise/rssarticleshow/2289626.cms

If Mr. Sen, an Indian diplomat says, "Headless chickens", politicians demand he be stripped of his job and be punished!

If Mr. Fernandes, an Indian politician says, "The PM should be shot" hey, it is unparliamentary language. He doesn't even have to apologise as that is Mr. Fernandes's style !

Looks like freedom of speech in India is restricted to only the Indian politicians.

Despite their 60th anniversary of Independence, India is still not a democratic country where freedom of speech can be exercised by all.