08 June 2004
<b>Saudi Oil Crown Slipping Away?</b>
By Peter Zeihan
Summary

<i>Attacks against expatriates working in the Saudi Arabian oil patch have accelerated in tempo and intensity during the past several months. If this trend is not reversed -- which is not likely -- Riyadh will slowly fall from its current position as the kingpin of global energy markets. Oil prices will be both higher and more volatile, Saudi social stability far less guaranteed and OPEC less a force to be reckoned with.</i>
.......

<b>Paswan hails Govt's plans for Dalits </b>

Pioneer News Service/ New Delhi

Elated over inclusion of various Dalit causes, including a dialogue for reservation for them in private sector in the presidential address, Lok Jan Shakti president Ram Vilas Paswan on Monday said he would strive for time-bound implementation of the various programmes and policies announced by the Congress-led UPA Government.

Taking credit for the inclusion of Dalit-oriented measures in the presidential address, Mr Paswan hailed the Common Minimum programme (CMP) as "Common Men Programme", and said: "We will make all possible efforts to ensure early and effective implementation of the CMP announced by the Government."

On his demand for the reservation of SCs and STs in the private sector, he expressed satisfaction and said: "After mindless sell-off of public sector enterprises, job opportunities for Dalit youths were rapidly shrinking. The step towards reservation for them in the private sector is a right one in the right direction at the right time."

<b>This topic is to discuss the future of USA wrt to the current situation in Iraq.
SInce US is dominant in the world in terms of economy/military and influence
the impact will be felt in India also.

The topic should focus on the impact of Iraq

US Foriegn Policy

US Internal politics/ Identity/ Role as the only super power

US Economy/Global Economy in the next 5 years/ Oil</b>

<b>Cinema as ideology </b>
Utpal Kumar

"A Hindu can argue with words but can't fight with his sword for his religion," observed Alberuni when he arrived in India along with plundering hordes of Ghazni. This statement still holds true, but for the Indian media, Hindu fundamentalism poses a serious threat to the very existence of minorities. They bash the Hindus in the garb of democracy. In a world where projections are shown as the reality it is not surprising that there is no demarcating line between the real and the virtual.

Despite its reputation as the hub of frothy tear-jerkers, the Mumbai film industry has always possessed social conscience: From Raj Kapoor's subtle sense of socialism (Nehruvian influence) to Amitabh Bachchan's anti-establishment posture following Mrs Gandhi's Emergency. Even the return of romance in Indian cinema with a sense of optimism can be seen in relation to India's fruitful entry into the competitive world of globalisation and getting rid of 'sterile socialism'. However, with this, the concept of "nationalism" and 'Hindu fundamentalism' too came into focus.

So, it is hardly surprising if a Hindu is shown as a terrorist; the only obstacle to amicable relations between India and Pakistan, in Shah Rukh Khan's latest film Main Hoon Na, notwithstanding the fact that not a single Hindu terrorist organisation exists in this country. Had it been so there would have been sundry terrorist groups among Kashmiri Hindus, as no less than four lakh Pandits have been forced to leave the Valley. The Gujarat riots were an aberration; but they also discouraged taking Hindus for granted. The basic upbringing of Hindus, their fundamental ideology and, of course, the last thousand years of 'Dhimmitude' stands in the way of any such development.

<b>In a sense, Main Hoon Na can be compared with Khalid Mohammed's Fiza and Aparna Sen's Mr & Mrs Iyer. Fiza had a clear message-you can't expect justice in the land of Hindus and jihad is the only possible recourse for Muslims. Similarly, Mr & Mrs Iyer projected Jews, Hindus and Muslims in contrasting colours. While Jews and Hindus were shown as narrow fundamentalists, Muslims were projected as either the victims of Hindu fundamentalism or as suave, progressive and moderate citizens. </b>

Now the broader question: What is the reason behind the growing bonhomie between India and Pakistan? It is not that good sense has suddenly prevailed in Pakistan. Nor that the arguments of Track II diplomats is gaining latitude. The aggressive foreign policy adopted by the Vajpayee Government after the Pokhran nuclear tests and its coming out in flying colours, did demoralise the Pakistani leadership. Moreover, the splendid performance of the Indian cricket team against Pakistan too ended the Pakistani superiority myth. All hopes of peace depend on India's strength. Goodwill and noble ideals should play second fiddle in international relations. But, in the ultimate analysis, what matters is the national interest.

It is said cinema holds a mirror to society. But in India, it is more a vehicle of dominant ideology-Leftist in orientation and allegedly liberal in outlook. It is more an instrument of a 'select few'. Indian media in general and cinema in particular needs to abstain from projecting any dominant ideology and the temptation to wear the veil of political correctness.

You need a subscription to access this article, i believe.

The word games have begun already. But we in the Indian subcontinent are long acquainted with these games.When a terrorist is a Muslim he is automaticallly a militant. of course it is never explained what he is militant about and of course it is never explicitly stated that these socalled brave and courageous militants are also almost always killers of women and children. the unfortunate but unavoidabe consequences of a coflict in the words of the good CEO from across the border. Unavoidable , my dear general ? all it would take is a word from you Herr General and the killing of women and children would stop.

Godhara and its aftermath is now invariably referred to as a pogrom by our homegrown leftists but it is never explained why in a pogrom hundreds of policemen are killed or that several hundred Hindus were killed. But i forget Killing of Hindus doesnt count. it matters only when Muslims are killed. Otherwise how to explain the fact that the initiating event in Godhara is hardly ever mentioned.

So the moral equivalence goes on, something that Europe is only just discovering. But we have been used to facing this moral equivalence from our long and lugubrious history. We are told, that history does not matter and neither does it matter that the greatest and most massive holocaust was committed during the last seven centuries. What matters is only the present. But what of the present ? The present where 400,000 Hindus have been driven out of otheir homes in their own country . The same present where the Hindu population of pakistan has been decimated from 5 million to nothing. The same present where Hindus in Bangladesh are systematically being eliminated. But in the word games we play the current violence in the subcontinent is all the fault of hindu nationalists such as Atal behari Vajpayee. So the moral equivalence goes on and the word games will continue to be played with gusto and with total disregard for the truth.

The more important consequence of the fecklessness of the US president in fighting the real enemy, is that the war on terrorism has become a mockery. Ameerica is continuing to pay a heavy price for its embrace of the terrorists in Pakistan, just as it paid a heavy price on 9/11 for an act committed in part by those who were initially trained by the US CIA.

Kudos to Garry kasparov for bringing attention to the subtle propaganda being waged to portray the killers and perpetrators of the violence as the victims.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Originally posted by Amber G.in the other forum<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Stop the Moral equivalence

BY GARRY KASPAROV
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 12:01 a.m.

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It is said that to win a battle you must be the one to choose the battleground. Since the Abu Ghraib abuses were revealed, the battleground has been chosen by those who would blur the lines between terrorists and those fighting against them. The Bush administration has contributed to the confusion with its ambiguous "war on terror." You cannot fight a word. You need targets, you need to know what you are fighting for and against. Most importantly you must have beliefs that enable you to distinguish friend from foe.
While al Qaeda may not have a headquarters to bomb, there is no shortage of visible adversaries. What is required is to name them and to take action against them. We must also drag into the light those leaders and media who fail to condemn acts of terror. It is not only Al Jazeera talking about "insurgents" in Iraq, it is CNN. Many in Europe and even some in the U.S. are trying to differentiate "legitimate" terrorism from "bad" terrorism. Those who intentionally kill innocent civilians are terrorists, as are their sponsors.  <b>No political agenda should be allowed to advance through terrorist activity. We need to identify our enemy, not play with words.</b>


The situation is worse in the Muslim world.  <b>Calling the terrorists "militants" or "radical Islamists" presupposes the existence of moderates willing to confront the radicals. Outside of Turkey, it is very hard to find moderate clerics who will stand up to Islamist terrorists</b> , even though the majority of their victims are Muslim. In Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr has been murdering his religious opposition and using armed gangs to establish political rule. He appears immune to anything resembling condemnation. We know that his militia receives outside support--and where would it come from other than Syria and Iran?
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Karnataka
Karnataka's illustrious Rajput connection
By A. Jayaram
BANGALORE, MAY 30. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, is the first head of the Government who can trace his origins to a different State in the country.

<b>He belongs to a Rajput family that migrated to the old Nizam State (Hyderabad) from Rajasthan. </b>
The Rajput connection with Karnataka is a long one and can be traced to the 18th Century. There were Rajput soldiers in the armies of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, and later those of the maharajas of Mysore.

There were Rajput officers and men in the Mysore Infantry and Mysore Lancers which were merged with the Indian Army in 1953.
However, it was also the former royal family of Mysore which forged marriage alliances with the Rajput royalty of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh in the 20th Century. In fact, there is also a claim to the Rajput ancestry of the Mysore royal family which belongs to the Arasu caste. The founder of the dynasty, Yaduraya, was said to be a Rajput from Kathiawar.

The consort of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV, Pratapkumari Devi, was a Rajput princess from the principality of Bansda in Gujarat. The marriage which took place in 1900 was arranged by the Maharani Regent at that time, Vanivilas Sannidhi. Pratapkumari Devi died at the Bangalore Palace in 1953 and she had no children.

The first wife of Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, Sathyapremakumari was a Rajput princess from Charkhari State in Madhya Pradesh. Krishnaraja Wadiyar had arranged the marriage which took place in 1938.

All the three daughters of Kanteerava Narasimharaja Waidyar (the former Yuvaraja of Mysore) and sisters of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar had been married off to royal families outside the State. Princess Sujayadevi and Princess Vijayadevi had been married into the royal houses of the principalities of Sanand and Kotdasanghani respectively in Gujarat. However, the third sister, Jayachamundeshwari, who died young, had married the Maharaja of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, who was a Jat and head of a leading royal family in the North.

One of the sons-in-law of Jayachamaraja Wadiyar is from the former Rajput royal family of Wadhwan in Gujarat.

One of the Rajput settlers in the State to rise high in the State's civil service was C.M.H. Ranajodh Singh who retired as the Inspector-General of Police in Mysore (1947-50). He was also a leading landlord in the Mysore Road area of Bangalore.

Another senior civil servant in princely Mysore was Ramachandrasinhji. Rana Lakshman Singh who settled down in Mysore was a noble in the Mysore court.

Pandit Chandrabhan Singh of Mysore was a leading practitioner of Ayurveda. M.E. Bharatraj Singh, who was Professor of English in Mysore and Bangalore universities, was Principal of Central College in Bangalore.

Shankar Singh was a prominent Kannada film director and producer. So is his son, Rajendra Singh Babu. In the field of Kannada journalism it is M.D. Singh.

In the field of politics was Sathyanarayan Singh of Bellary who was a Congress MLA and also a mine owner.

<b>UPA to make communal violence a federal offence</b>

May 21, 2004 22:39 IST

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance proposes to enact a separate comprehensive law on communal violence under which investigations will be carried out only by central agencies and prosecution by special courts.

On Ayodhya, the UPA will await the verdict of the courts while encouraging negotiations between the parties to the dispute for an amicable settlement, a draft of the common minimum programme circulated among allies and supporting parties today said.

The draft said the government would enact a comprehensive law on communal violence providing for investigations by central agencies, prosecutions by special courts, and payment of uniform compensation.

The draft said the UPA is committed to the implementation of the Protection of Places of Worship Act, 1992.
<b>It said the UPA would amend the Constitution to establish a commission for minority educational institutions that will provide direct affiliation for minority professional institutions to central universities</b>.

<b>The document said the UPA would promote modern and technical education among all minority communities and the social and economic empowerment of the minorities through more systematic attention to education and employment will be its primary concern</b>.

It proposes to set up a national commission to examine the issue of backwardness and adequate representation of <b>all religious and linguistic minorities and to make recommendations on the issue</b>.

On administrative reforms, the draft said the UPA would prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system and promotion of e-governance on a massive scale.

The Right to Information Act will be made more progressive, participatory, and meaningful, it said.

<b>It also said the UPA would take a leading role to drastically cut delays in high courts and the lower judiciary and expand their legal aid services.</b>

in.rediff.com/election/20...21cmp2.htm

<b>9 farmers commit suicide in 4 days</b>

Hyderabad, May 19: As many as nine farmers have committed suicide in the last four days, sending out signals both in the government and the Congress that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy’s package on farmers’ suicides may boomerang.

Two farmers — G Ayyanna Goud, 45, of Mathurapur village in Mahbubnagar district and K Pullaiah, 36, a cotton farmer in Timmineni Palem of Khammam — committed suicide due to severe indebtedness on Wednesday, a day after the Chief Minister announced the package of Rs 50,000 for settlement of loan and Rs 1 lakh fixed deposit for the kin of the deceased.

On Tuesday evening, even as Reddy was urging farmers not to commit suicide, a farmer couple attempted to end their lives after writing a leter to the Chief Minister. Srinivasa Rao, 45, and his wife Venkata Rathnam of Nagarajupalli in Martutu mandal of Prakasam district said they were ending their lives because of pressure of debtors. They are fighting for their lives in Chilkaluri pet.

Rao had one-acre land where he dug a well and had taken four acre on lease for cultivation. Continuous drought and poor returns forced him to borrow money, which he was unable to repay.

Two farmers from Karimnagar and one each from Medak and Anantapur committed suicide on Monday and one farmer each from Karimnagar and Warangal resorted to the extreme step on Tuesday. Murmurs have begun in the party over the sudden spurt in farmers’ suicides and the Chief Minister’s “unilateral” decision on the package, while suggestions came in from farmers’ organisations that rescheduling of repayment of loan, both in banking and private sectors, for a few months could work as an effective preventive measure.

The Telugu Desam has been maintaining a stoic silence over the issue but is closely following the developments to strike at the government. Reddy fought for five years as Opposition leader for a package for the kin of farmers who have committed suicide, made it a prime electoral slogan. On a dramatic note, he announced from the dais of his swearing-in ceremony as Chief Minister on May 14 that no farmer in the State should commit suicide henceforth.

Reddy, who held a preliminary meeting on the issue on May 16, rushed the officials to prepare the package on May 17 following the suicide of P Suresh Kumar, a farmer in Medak. As many as four farmers, two from Karimnagar and one each from Medak and Anantapur committed suicide on Monday and one farmer each from Karimnagar and Warangal resorted to the extreme step on Tuesday.

“We are only worried that spurt in suicides may lend credence to the TD’s argument that any package would encourage the debt-ridden farmers to end their lives,” a senior Congress leader said.

Congress sources also said the CM did not make any mention about the package when he discussed the State’s financial situation with senior Congress leader K Rosaiah and a host of State officials on May 16. “Though the CM signing the first file on free power is justified, other policy decisions need to be discussed in the Cabinet before making any announcement,” another leader said referring to package to prevent suicides and taking up irrigation projects in a big way.
......
“The package is more focussed on relief to the kin of farmers who committed suicides, while it did not contain any preventive measure,” association president Mallreddy said.

<b>1857 A Mutiny</b>

<b>The Revolutionary Upheaval of 1857 </b>
Although dismissed by some as merely a sepoy's mutiny or revolt, or as a protest against the violation of religious rights by the British, the great uprising of 1857 is slowly gaining recognition as India's first war of independance. And in it's broad sweep it was the greatest armed challenge to colonial rule during the entire course of the nineteenth century. Attracting people from all walks of life - both Hindus and Muslims, it triggered demands for radical social and economic reforms, calling for a new society that would be more democratic and more representative of popular demands.
<b>Early Precedents</b>

Neither was it a bolt out of the blue. Although not very well known, the period between 1763 and 1856 was not a period during which Indians accepted alien rule passively. Numerous uprisings by peasants, tribal communities and princely states confronted the British. Some were sustained - others sporadic - a few were isolated acts of revolutionary resistance - but nevertheless they all challenged colonial rule. Precipitated by the policy of unchecked colonial extraction of agricultural and forest wealth from the region - the period saw tremendous growth in rural poverty, the masses being reduced to a state of utter deprivation.

Even as official taxation was back-breaking enough, British officers routinely used their powers to coerce additional money, produce, and free services from the Indian peasants and artisans. And courts routinely dismissed their pleas for justice. In the first report of the Torture Commission at Madras presented to the British House of Commons in 1856, this was acknowledged along with the admission that officers of the East India Company did not abstain from torture, nor did they discourage its use. That this was a practice not confined to the Madras presidency alone is confirmed by a letter from Lord Dalhousie to the Court of Directors of the East India Company in September , 1855 where he admits that the practice of torture was in use in every British province. Click for more details

Desperate communities had often no choice but to resist to the bitter end. Armed revolts broke out practically every year - only to be brutally suppressed by the British. Lacking the fire power of the British arsenal - they were invariably outgunned. And lacking the means of communication available to the British - individual revolts were also unable to trigger sympathetic rebellions elsewhere. Disadvantageous timing led to crushing defeats. Yet, some of these struggles raged for many years. Click for more details

Amongst the most significant were the Kol Uprising of 1831, the Santhal Uprising of 1855, and the Kutch Rebellion which lasted from 1816 until 1832. There was also a precedence for a soldiers mutiny when Indian soldiers in Vellore (Tamil Nadu, Southern India) mutinied in 1806. Although unsuccessful, it led to the growth of unofficial political committees of soldiers who had several grievances against their British overlords

Please use this thread to keep track of how the market is responding.......

Right now on, rediff: <b>Sensex crashes 500pts, trading halted</b>


PS. No other discussion on economy. Just the political effect on the market. Thanks!