varnam

George Galloway (at the US Senate)

"Senator, I am not now, nor have I ever been, an oil trader. and neither has anyone on my behalf. I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one, sold one - and neither has anyone on my behalf.

Singh has denied the charges, telling the private NDTV network last week that he has never heard of the Swiss company and that "I don't even know how to go and buy oil. And what a barrel looks like." He said he had no intention of stepping down.

From the West Wing, live debate

It's some kind of debate I'm watching. Alda's opponent who is evidently a Democrat, touts his economic plan that will create a million jobs. The moderator asks Alda how many jobs his plan will create. Zero, Alda says. In fact, he adds, I'll cut jobs. I'll cut jobs in the federal government. Besides, he adds, Presidents don't create jobs, entrepreneurs do. My job as President is to get out of the way and let the market work.[Alan Alda for President]

I am traveling for the next three weeks and so suggestions on how to improve the world will be sporadic. Instead there will be picture updates from random locations till Thanksgiving.

While the world has the impression that India and Pakistan are constantly bickering over major and minor issues, there are few instances where both countries speak with the same voice. Unfortunately such incidents do not get much press coverage. One such incident that has come to light is the issue of modernizing United Nations with new management techniques.

Some call what the U.S. is trying to achieve -- with significant support from other countries, notably Japan -- the GE-ization of the U.N., that is, introducing the modern management mechanisms of global companies. Together the U.S. and Japan provide more than 40% of U.N. funds (the U.S. 22% and Japan 19%). Among the leading opponents are Pakistan, Egypt and India.[John Bolton at the U.N]

Till the Bill Clinton era, India was one notch below Pakistan for United States. From that it moved into a hyphenated equivalence and during the Kargil War and Clinton visit, it was India who had the upper hand. Now with the nuclear deal, there seems to be a lot of suspicion. Strobe Talbott uses the word "Estrangement" to describe the relations between India and United States. The relationship never became cordial due to the Pakistani tilt of the Americans. During the 1971 war with Pakistan, Americans despatched the aircraft carrier Enterprise to show off its force and that did not help relations either. As the relation between the two democracies is progressing through all the navarasas, it was amusing to read that many Americans favoured a good relation between the two countries from the 50s.

One of the first people who suggested that India should be taken seriously was Chester Bowles, who succeeded John Kenneth Galbraith as the US Ambassador to India. Bowles was of the opinion that India should not be seen as an ally of USSR, but as a developing country that had chosen democracy over communism.

After the first Indian nuclear test in 1974, Henry Kissinger visited India as President Ford's Secretary of State. Even though Kissinger did not like Indira Gandhi much, he admired the way she conducted the nuclear tests. Also in a speech to the Indian Council of World Affairs he called for a mature relationship based on Indian preeminence in the region. He also directed that United States not pressurize India on the nuclear weapons program.

Though powerful people like Kissinger held that opinion, the relationship did not reach any level of maturity that was dreamed of as United States was playing geopolitical games with Russia and needed Pakistan and India was coddling with Communist dictators in the name of Non Alignment.

[Source: Engaging India: Diplomacy, Democracy, and the Bomb by Strobe Talbott]