MY TIME, MY WORLD

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MY TIME , MYWORLD

PRATHEEK PRAVEEN KUMAR


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Lovingly Dedicated

To My Mother

Smt.Jayashree


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PUBLISHED WORKS OF PRATHEEK PRAVEEN KUMAR

CALM REFLECTIONS

INCLUSIVE GROWTH

MY TIME, MY WORLD

INCLUSIVE GROWTHEnlarged 2 ED

Co-authored

UNDERWATER CHANNEL SIMULATION

STEGANOGRAPHY USING VISUAL CRYPTOGRAPHY


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PREFACE

Time and world in the current global village concern everybody and

everyone, whether young or old must pay at least some attention to correctly gauge

the prevailing winds blowing in and around the world at that time. The complex

nature of the time and the world is very difficult to untangle and hopelessly mired

in depths we may not know or things of which we have got no comprehension.

In this book, I have tried to summarize events, situations, personalities, and

at occasions, a few stories that bring deeper comprehension of the world and its

affairs in the larger canvas of the political and cultural dynamics of the time and

their interplays as I see them in moving the world forward. The topics on which I

wrote were all topics on which I felt rather strongly about or topics that I felt

important. I hope they are enjoyed and appreciated by all those who read them.

While writing the book, I was often tempted to add my own comments

about what I felt about the issue at hand, but in the end I successfully resisted such

temptations and restricted myself to the truth as I saw it. So this book is a

publication on world affairs with just occasional comments of universal nature

here and there.

Another problem I encountered while writing this book was the abundance

of materials to select from. Several events of recent origin raced through my mind

for space, but I had to be choosy to limit myself to the planned format of my

book. Further, recent developments are too recent and hot to gauge

dispassionately and earn space for objective analyses. Therefore, I avoided

suchmaterials as much as possible in this volume. This holds true about India

also. Though this book is India-centric in world affairs, I avoided all opinions

and comments on India related matters for the fear of being partisan. This


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volume is not planned as a platform for such contents. Nec Dextrorsum, Nec

Sinistrorsum is the theme here and I tried my best to maintain it.

Often, I had been tempted to stray into topics quite unrelated to the theme

of the book. Managing it and keeping my course on the track was the toughest part

of my work. My Time, My World opened up limitless vista for entry. Again, I

succeeded in confining myself to my Lakshmana Rekha.

Many unsaid thanks threaten to over-flood my senses. I would like to thank

my parents for all the support they have given me while I was writing this book.

They have been pillars of strength on which I could rest my wearied back

whenever I was tired or down.


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CONTENTS

1. INDIA - UNITY IN DIVERSITY..1

2. INDIAN ECONOMY..16

3. INDIA IN WORLD AFFAIRS..23

4. USA AND THE WORLD AROUND..34

5. THE ROLE OF RUSSIA IN THE PRESENT WORLD39

6. CHINA THE RISING POWER..43

7. NORTH KOREA AND ITS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS..48

8. IRAN AND THE WORLD..51

9. IRAQ WARS..55

10. JAPAN AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR..58

11. THE THIRD REICH AND ITS PLACE IN THE WORLD HISTORY60

12. WORLD POLITICAL DYNAMICS..62

13. SCIENCE FRONTIERS..74

14. ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH..84

15. INDIAN VALUES..103

16. ISSUES OF MODERN LIFE..110

17. MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE HISTORY..124

18. THE WORLD IN THE 21ST CENTURY..137

19. WORLD LITERATURE..4


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20. CH ILDRENS STORIES ...148

SMITH BROTHERS 148GOPALS FRIENDS 151DINNER IN A FOREST 153THE FISHERMAN 154KING SHIBI 155STORY OF KIRTISENA 156THE JACKAL AND THE WAR DRUM 157THE CRAB THAT KILLED THE STORK 158THE HARE WHICH TRICKED THE LION 158THE MISTAKE OF THE BEDBUG 159THE FLUTE OF ENTA 160MANITOR 161

21. LIFE AND POETRY..162


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MY TIME, MY WORLD

INDIA

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UNITY

IN

DIVERSITY

IndiaisamajorcountryofSouthAsiaandgeographicallytheseventhlargest

intheworldwiththedubiousdistinctionofbeingthemostpopulatedcountry inthe

worldafterChinawithapopulationofmorethan1.1billionbytheendof2010.Itis

alsoanuclearpower.

India is a very large country with diverse history, culture, religions, castes,

languages,practicesandethnicities.ItissaidthatIndiaisthehometoabouteight

hundred languages. Italso has different castesand religions, some home grown

whilesomeothersassimilatedfromoutsideanddifferentlifestylesandgeographical

featuresthroughthelengthandbreadthofthecountry.

StatesandUnionTerritoriesasprovidedintheIndianConstitutionareregionaladministrativetoolsforthegovernanceofthecountry.Divisionofthe

country into StatesandUnionTerritories makesgovernance ofthecountryviable

throughcompactadministrativeregions.

The largest stateof India isRajasthanand themostpopulatedoneis Uttar

Pradesh.GoaisthesmalleststateofIndiaaswellastheleastpopulated.Amongthe

Unionterritories,thelargestisAndamanandNicobarIslandswhilethemost

populatedoneisDelhi.ThesmallestUnionTerritoryisDamanandDiuanditisalso

theleastpopulatedUnionTerritoryofIndia.

Inspiteofthediversities,certainbasicsimilaritiesmostlyderivedfrom

DravidianandAryanethnicgroupsfromthepre-historicagearebasictotheIndian

soulandbringakindofinexplicablesenseofonenessamongthepeopleofIndia.

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INDIAN CONSTITUTION

IndianConstitutionisthelargest,mostbulkyconstitutioninthewholeworld.

NoothercountryhasgotaconstitutionaslargeasIndias.Ithasgot396Articlesand

7schedules.

The Constitution of India provides Fundamental Rights to its citizens and

imposesspecificresponsibilitiesasthecitizensofthecountry.Itprovidesthat

FundamentalRightscannotbetakenawayfromthecitizensexceptinacrisis.

TherearealsoDirectivePrinciplesprovidedintheIndianConstitution,which

suggeststotheGovernmentaboutitsobligationstothepeopleandhowtodischarge

them.Ithasbecomea farce inIndiathatpoliticiansandpoliticalpartiesduringthe

electionpropagandausetheprovisionsof theDirectivePrinciples tolurevotesas

promisesandtheiragendaforthegovernanceiftheywintheelectionandforgetthe

promisesalltogetheroncetheyaresecureinthesaddleofpower.Directive

Principles are not imperatives of the constitution to followunlike theFundamental

Rightsand thusare followed only at theconvenience andbenefits to thepolitical

partyanditsleadinglightsholdingthereignsofthepower.

TheConstitutionprovidesforaCentralGovernmentforthecountryand

provincialgovernmentsinchargeofregionsformedonthebasisofhistoric,

linguistic,cultural,ethnicoradministrativedivisionscalledasStatesorUnion

Territories.ThePrimeMinisterwithhiscouncilofministersleadstheCentralGovernmentwhereasStatesandUnionTerritoriesbytherespectiveChiefMinisters

withtheircouncilsofministers.

INDIA AND SECULARISM

Secularismmeansexclusionofreligioninpolicyandgovernance.Secularism

respectsallreligionsasequaloutsidethescopeofthegovernance.Itisnotanti-

religiousbyanystretchofimagination.

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MY TIME, MY WORLD

TheConstitutionofIndiadeclaresthatIndiaisasecularcountry.ThoughIndiaishistorically,culturallyandbymajorityofthepopulationisaHinducountry,itisalso

therootandbirthplaceofmanyotherreligionslikeBuddhism,Jainism,Sikhism,and

more than 20% of its people are Muslims. Historically also, India was ruled by

Buddhist,Jain,Sikh,MuslimandChristianrulersasmuchasbyHindurulers.

Hinduismisoftencalledasawayoflifefarbeyondtheconceptofreligionand

alwayschampionedspiritualityasthecoreofhumanlife.Vedichymnsandscriptures

declareGodasbeyondallreligions.Hinduismasareligionisanewphenomenon

originatedasareactiontothethreatsofalienelementsthatattackedIndiaandits

wayof life from the tenth century. Religion evennowis not themain stay of the

Indianlifesaveforafewdeviantelementsforpoliticalandotherrelatedreasons.If

thereisanygenuineconcerninthisdirectionamongthoughtfulpeople,itis

concerningtheidentityandprotectionoftheIndianwayoflife.Thisistruerregarding

modernisationandglobalisationtrendsthanthethreatfromotherreligions.Mostof

thecountriesintheworldaresecularsaveforafewexceptionsinWestAsiaandsurrounding regions where countriesproud themselves to declare themselves as

IslamicRepublics.

Indiaalwaysliveduptoitsexpectationsofbeingasecularcountryin

accordancewiththespiritofitsConstitution.Secularismisaveryhonourablepolicy

thatseesallhumankindasoneandabjurestheevilofdivisionandgroupsamong

people.

POLITICAL PARTIES IN INDIA

India as defined in the Constitution is a socialist, secular, sovereign

democraticrepublic.ItisacountrythatwasunderBritishruleuptotheendof1940s

andgained independence after centuries ofalien hegemony that began from the

tenthcentury.Ithasrisentogreaterheightssinceindependenceandaspiringtobea

globalpower.Beingademocracy,andthelargestdemocracyatthat,Indianaturally

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electsitsleadersbytheprocessofelectionthroughpoliticalrepresentations.Indiasisa multi-partypolitical system that naturally led toalliancescoming topower in

recentdaysandrenderingformationofthegovernmentaverycomplexandunclean

politicalmanoeuvres, therebyrubbingoff thesheenfromitsotherwiseseriousand

nobleprocess.Theadagethatpoliticsisthelastresortofascoundrelcomestoplay

inthiscontextandpoliticalpowersareoftenfoundcorneredbyprovencriminalsand

other anti-social elements by their sheer muscle and money power that can buy

votes.

Indianpoliticalpartiescanbe dividedintotwomaingroups:nationalparties

and regional parties. National parties are those that have an all-India base and

presenceinmostoftheStatesandUnionTerritories.Regionalpartiesarethosethat

havetheirbaseandpresencelimitedonlytoafewStatesandUnionTerritoriesand

generallyhas localorregionalinterests intheiragenda.Thetwonationalparties

thatreallycountinelectionsatpresentaretheCongressPartyandtheBharatiya

JanataParty.OtherpoliticalpartiesthatcanbecountedinnationalarenainspiteoftheirregionalslantsintermsofelectoralpresenceorinterestsareCommunistParty

ofIndia(Marxist),SamajwadiParty,BahujanSamajParty,DravidaMunnetra

Kazagam, Anna Dravida MunnetraKazagam, Trinamool Congress anda host of

othersmallerpoliticalparties.

TheCongress Party isan off-shootof the former Indian NationalCongress

thatfoughtfortheindependenceofthecountryunderstalwartslikeBalGangadhar

Tilak,M.K.GandhiandJawaharlalNehruandhasitsorigin infight for thenational

independencewithahistoryofmorethanacenturywhileBharatiyaJanataPartyas

anewavatarofBharatiyaJanaSanghaissteeped intheideologyofthenational

identity with a history ofmore than five decades. The Communist Party of India

(Marxist)asanoffshootoftheCommunistMovementofIndiahasconsiderablebase

inStateslikeWestBengalandKeralaandinUnionTerritoryofTripurawithahistory

ofmorethansevendecadesintheIndianpoliticalscene.Mostoftheotherpolitical

partiesofIndiaareoffshootsofthegoodoldCongressParty.BothDMKand

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AIADMKarethepoliticaloffshootsof theethnicDravidianmovement insouthernIndia.

TheUnitedProgressiveAllianceorUPAledbyCongressPartyisanalliance

of politicalparties that assumed power and formedgovernment for the next five

yearsinIndiainthegeneralelectionheldin2009.Itisthesecondsuccessivewinfor

the alliance after it came topower in thegeneralelectionof2004by edging out

anotheralliance calledNationalDemocraticAllianceorNDA ledby the right-wing

nationalistBharatiyaJanataParty.2009generalelectionwasatensebattleforboth

thealliancesastheelectionwastodecidethefutureofboththeCongressandthe

Bharatiya Janata Party in thenational political scene and the political life of their

PrimeMinisterialcontenders,Dr.ManmohanSinghandMr.LalKrishnaAdvani.The

world watched the generalelection and its outcome with interest as the general

electionservedasaplebisciteonUPAsdecisionandmovestogowiththeNuclear

CooperationAgreementwiththeUSAand othermembercountriesoftheNuclear

SuppliersGroup,whichwasopposedbyboththeright-wingBJPand itsalliesandthe Communist Party of India (Marxist), and its left-wing allies thatwithdrew its

supporttotheUPAafewmonthsbeforethegeneralelectionforgoingwiththedeal.

DECLINE OF BJP

Over the last few years in the firstdecade of the 21st century, BJP has

declined inpowerandpopularity fromapositionithadsteadilygainedfroma long

time.The2009GeneralElectionshowedthedepthstowhichithasfallen.

Reasonsaremany.Leaderwholedthepartyalongtheladderofrisearenow

either tiredorretired. Atal Behari Vajpayee is now retired and distant from the

politicalscene.AgeistakingthetollofleaderslikeL.KAdvaniandMurliManohar

Joshi.Down the line inthe secondwrung, there isshortage of the real talents of

political genius, and a few availableare busy pulling the legs of each other for

supremacy in the party which once carved a niche for discipline, patriotism andservice.Its leaders in theirfortiesandfiftieswantto lead thepartybybypassing

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thoseoftheoldergenerationwhoformedthesecond-rungduringthepremiershipofAtalBehariVajpayee.Thelatterarefightingbackorresigning.Thisishowinfighting

isgrowinginBJP.

ThedemolitionofBabriMasjidin1992isalsohauntingit.BJPspublicimage

asa partyof wealthybusinessmenanditscloseness torichindustrialists isdoing

tremendousdamage to its reputation.The true relief provided to theparty in the

public imagination by its patriotism and discipline is increasingly eclipsed by the

characterandconductofitscadresandleadersthesedays.Itisnowunequivocal

thatBJPanditscadresandleadersnowaystandoutfromotherpoliticalpartiesof

India in patriotismanddiscipline save for lip service for political advantage. This

removedthegreatestadvantageoftheBJPinthepublicimagination.Itsleaderships

impatiencetoadoptmodern life-stylesand liberalizationraiseddoubts about their

loveforIndianvaluesandculture.ActuallyCongressshowedbettercircumspection

whencircumstanceswarrantedsuchadoptionsandshowedbetterrespecttoIndian

values.ThoughIndiansdonotexpressthesethingsinsomanywords,theyintuitivelyunderstandit.BJPsnaturalhumanconcerns,asprovedintheirneglectof

poorandminorities,arealsoindoubt.LoveandprideforIndiaandHinduismand

theirvaluesarepraiseworthy.But,hate toanybody isnot. It isagainstIndianand

Hindutenetsalso.CongressincontrasthasdonewellbyitsAamAdmisloganunlike

BJPs2004sloganofIndiaShiningmeantforrichandwealthy.BJPbasicallyneeds

strongleadershipofthekindofSmt.SoniaGandhitosteeritaheadwithconfidence

andmaturitytoreachitsformerglory.

JUDICIAL ACTIVISM

InIndia,thejudiciaryplaysaveryimportantroleastodecideallcontroversial

mattersanddisputes.Thejudiciaryhasbeen inthe forefrontofproblemsolving in

IndiaasprovidedbytheIndianConstitutionsinceitbecameaRepublicaroundsixty

yearsbackin1950.Overthistime,thejudiciaryhasusuallyconfineditselftogive

decisionsonmattersthatwerebroughttoits attentionastherelevantprovisionsof

theIndianConstitutionwereinterpretedthen.

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JudicialActivismwasnotsomethingthathadbeenverycommonthen.However,oflatethishaschanged.InIndialikeinSouthAfrica,JudicialActivismof

lateisplayingaveryimportantroleintheday-to-dayaffairsofthejudiciary.Thisisa

change to be seen and noticed. This is because it has been seen that judicial

activismwhentrumpetedaloudandhardishavinganeffectonthesocietyandthus

ithasbecomeapartofthejudicialsystemofIndiafromthemiddleof1990s.

Ithasbeenmoreandmoreapparentoverthelastfewyears.Thejudiciaryis

now interferinginmattersofpublicinterestsevenwhiletheyarenotbroughttoits

adjudicationbytheinterestedpartiesunlikethepracticeandprecedenceofthefirst

fortyyears of theIndianConstitution. Courts these days are takingupmatters of

publicinterestson thebasisoflettersor telegramsreceivedbythem,manyatime

anonymousletters,onthebasisofnewspaper reports orevensuomoto. It

tremendouslyhelpedthepublicinterestsandthecauseofjusticeinmostcases.But,

thereisragingcontroversynowregardingthisjudicialactivismor pro-activejudicial

moves of the Indian judicial system, some passionately supporting it while othersincludinggovernmentbodiesopenlyexpressingdissentonsuchjudicialinitiativesby

theIndianCourts.Opponentssaythatthosepro-activemeasuresamounttojudiciary

over-steppingonthe Executiveresponsibilities.Anexampletheygiveisofthe

JudiciarydirectingtheCentralGovernmenttotakemeasurestoprotectIndian

studentsinAustraliainthecircumstanceofthelatterspersecutionthere.

Even though Judiciary has no powers and jurisdiction over foreign affairs,

issuingsuchdirectionsisseenasCourtsover-steppingtheirlimits.Also,the

judiciarysdirectiontopulldownallstatuesofherandothersraisedbyUttar

PradeshChiefMinister,Mayawatiisseenwithconcern.Here,theissueisnot

whetherthedirectionsarejustandinpublicinterests,buthowjudiciarycanout-step

itslimitsandover-steponexecutivepowersandresponsibilitiesandcrushthefine

balanceprovidedintheIndianConstitutionbetweentheParliament,Executiveand

the Judiciary, to the detriment of the peace and balance of the public life of the

country.JudiciarycannotviolatetheConstitution.Here,pro-activemoveinpublic

interest and in theinterestofjusticeperseisnottoblame.Whatisrequiredis

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discreetnessand maturityto remainwithinones limitsrather than trespassing toothersfields.

CASTE SYSTEM

Caste system is prevalent in Indian society from a very long time. It still

prevailsthoughinvisiblyforthefearoflaw.Thecastesystemclassifiespeopleas

highandlowandsomehighestandsomeotherslowestonthebasisoftheirbirth

andparentageforlifewithoutreferencetotheirmeritsordemerits.Thisisagrossly

unjustsystem,moreso inacountryofIndiasspiritualheritage. This isacaseof

highestspiritualvaluesbeingmisconceivedandmisinterpretedbythesecondrate

sociologistsoftheancientIndiawhilecodifyingsociallaws.Faithbeingtheheartof

Indianepistemology,ancientIndianmassfollowedthecodeswithvengeance

withoutasecondthoughtandbroughtIndiatothepresentstateifguilt. Peopleofthe

lowercastesin Indiaarecruelly treated forcenturiesandforcedtolivein inhuman

conditionsasuntouchables.They aretreated,distancedand exploited like dirt all

theirlifegenerationaftergenerationforcenturies.Inspiteofallthecallsforhuman

rightsandequality,Indiacannotbecalledascompletelywipedoutthecurseofcaste

systemanduntouchabilityfromitsface.

DIGNITY OF THE BISEXUALS

Thebisexuals havebeen discriminatedagainst for avery long time.People

have looked down upon them in disgust for a very long time. They have beendiscriminated against even in theConstitution of India. This is because even the

foundersoftheConstitutionofIndiadidnotfeelthattheymustbegivenequalrights

asifthatthesekindsofpeoplearenotfitforbasicrights.

Theyhavelivedsoforaverylongtimetillnow.Thefoundersofour

Constitutionfeltthatthesepeopleweredisgustingandthattheymustnotbe

encouraged to live this kindof life.Leadinga life like this was considered tobe

verboten.

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otherdevelopments.Itislikerottenapplespoilingothersweetapplesinabasket.EducationSysteminIndiaisaneglectedarea.ThenumberofnewUniversitiesand

CentresofHigherEducationinIndiaisnotonparwiththeincreaseinthepopulation

ofthecountry.Japan,acountrywithalmostone-tenthofthepopulationofIndia,has

almost threetimesthenumberofUniversitiesasIndia.Also,thepercentageofthe

peoplewhogo toUniversitiesandCentresofHigherEducationatrightageis less

than sevenpercent in India even aftersixdecadesof the self-rule. In theUnited

Statesof America, thepercentage isclose toeightypercentwhile inFinland, it is

closetoseventysixpercent.

ThestoryissimilarinotherpartsoftheIndiansubcontinentnamelyPakistan

andBangladeshwhereoutdatededucationis thestaplefor thehoipolloi.England

fromwhichIndiaborrowedtheEducationSystemknew the importanceof theright

EducationSystemanddiligentlyupdateditfromtimetotime.InIndia,basic

educationthatformstheheartofanyEducationSystemisthemostneglectedarea

withclassesoftenheldindilapidatedsingleroomsorevenundertreesandteachersunder-paidorirregularlypaid.Theprofessionofteachersatalllevelsisleast

accomplishedintermsofreturnsandsocialstandingandthereforeattractsonlythe

mediocreandleftovers fromother fields. This deeplyaffects theprocessof

educatingandmouldingthefuturegenerationofthecountry.

TheeducationalsysteminIndiaisfarfromsatisfactory.Mainproblemisthe

standardofteachersinschoolsandcollegesbeingnotuptothemark.ThoughIITs

and IIMs have exceptional students and teachers,situation isvery bleak inother

institutions.Indiamusthavemanymorecentersofhighereducationtomakeitsmark

in theworldstage.ThefirstPrimeMinisterof India,JawaharlalNehru,said that it

wouldbeprimaryinhismanifestotoimprovetheeducationalsysteminIndia.

Unfortunately, this sacred goal ended with IITs and IIMs and a handful of other

institutionsofexcellence.

Foracountrytoimprove,ithastohaveagoodeducationsystem.Thegradual

declinenoticedinthestandardsofexcellenceinexistinginstitutionsofhigher

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educationin IndialikeIITsof late isdepressing. Thefallismainlybecauseof thepaysystemoftheprofessorsthereincontrasttothoseinChina,Koreaand

Singapore and in westerncountries where a three-tierpay system is followed to

attractthebesttothefold.Thepaysysteminmostofthesecountriesincludeapay

package covering the pay pack from the government based on the pay scale to

coverbasicneeds,andotherpaypacksdependentonthetrackrecordofthe

individualandtheinstituteconcernedinthestipulatedyear.Individualperformance

formsthepillarsinallthesepayschemes,thuspromotingexcellenceandrewarding

performance.

Singaporemovedto theperformancebasedpayscaleof threecomponents

abouttwodecadesback,coveringbasicpaybasedonthepayscale,anotherbased

onthereputationandmarketdemandoftheindividualteacher,andthethirdbased

onhisorherperformancesforthestipulatedperiod.Chinafollowedtheperformance

basedschemefrom1990swhereinthepaypacketbasedonthepayscalefromthe

government is followedbyonegivenby the universityallowingbetterinstitutes tocompensate better, and the third based on the performance of the individual in

projectsandresearchworks.Chinasawtremendousboost inits researchprojects

andresearchpapersininternationaljournalssincethen.PakistanisaheadofIndia

inthisprogressivestepbylinkingthepayscaletothenumberofresearchpapers

published in international journals.Payscalesandannualincrements inUSA from

manyyearsarebasedonindividualperformances.BritainandotherEuropean

countrieslikeGermanyandItalyfromwhichIndiaborrowedits fixedpaypackage

havealsomovedforwardinadoptingtheperformancebasedpackageofpayscales

foritsUniversityfaculties.Australiahasalsomovedinthisdirection.

NotthatperformancebasedpaypackageisnewtoIndia.Allcorporate

housesandprivatecompanies follow this model by instinctas thefoundationsof

theirsurvival.IndianGovernmentunfortunatelyisyettoawakentothiscardinalneed

topromoteexcellenceandrewardperformancetotakeIndiaahead toitsdreamof

theworldleadership.Itstilladheresto theage-oldfixedpayscalesin thenameofjob security, forgetting that the basic component of the paypackage adequately

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coversthisaspect,andcontinuingwiththeoldsystemistantamounttoutterlyignoringmerit,excellenceandperformance,andpromotingmediocrityandcasual

attitude.Thisisthebaneofacademicgovernance,givingabsolutelynoelbowroom

topromoteexcellenceorrewardperformance.

Addedtothis,theinterference oftheGovernmentintheacademic

governanceandselectionandappointmentof thefacultyarecausing tremendous

damagetotheinstitutionsofhighereducationofexcellenceinIndia.Ifinstituteslike

IITs,whicharethepinnaclesofhighereducationinIndia,areinthissituation,then

onecanimaginewhatconditiontheothercentersofeducation inIndiaare in.This

mustbechangedassoonaspossible.

INDIAS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS

India has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). All nuclear

countriesexceptIsrael,India,PakistanandNorthKoreaaresignatoriestothistreaty.

IndiafeelsthatNPTisdiscriminatoryandconfirmsthatitisalreadycomplyingwith

alltheprovisionsoftheNPTwithoutsigningit.

ItisbelievedthatIndiahasbeenputunderseverepressurefromother

countries(readTheUnitedStatesofAmerica)tosignthistreaty.But,Indiaheldon

stubbornforquitesometimenow.TheUnitedStatesofAmericaandIndiasigneda

nucleardealbywhichIndia isprovidedanexceptionfromthenuclearsanctionsof

theNuclearSuppliersGroup(NSG)foracquiringnuclearreactors,componentsand

fuel from the USA and by corollary from other Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)

countriesinspiteofitbeingnotasignatorytotheNon-ProliferationTreaty(NPT)in

exchange toallowing its earmarkedcivil nuclear facilities for international scrutiny

andothersafeguards.But,Indiasambitionwasstoppedatitstrackinthesummitof

G8andG5countriesheldatLAquilainItalyin2009.AmericanPresidentBarack

ObamasadministrationdoesnotseemtobekeenaboutthisagreementwithIndia

anditslobbyingforpressureonG8countriestowithholdreprocessedfuelfromany

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country that has not signed theNon-ProliferationTreaty,meaning Indiaalone,isprovinganirritanttoIndia.ThisisquiteablowtoIndia.

THE POSTAL SYSTEM

Indiaisoneofthelargestcountriesintheworld.Defenceserviceisthelargest

governmentorganization of India. Railways come next. The third largest position

goes tothepostalservice.Indiaspostalserviceis the largestpostalservicein the

world,being larger than thatof the UnitedStates ofAmerica and China in manyrespects.

Peopleinteractwithotherpeopleinonewayortheotheranddevelopedmany

meanstodoso.Oneofthemostcommonwaysofinteractingwitheachotherisby

sendingmailsormessagesandthisinshortisthebeginningofthepostalsystem.A

competentpostalsystemisoneofthestrongpointsofIndiascapablegovernance.

NORTHEASTERN INDIA

TherearethirtytribesinNorthEastIndiaandtheyallwanttohavethespecial

statusofastateandare thuscausingunnecessarybloodshedand destructionby

resortingtoagitations.Thetribesarealsofightingwitheachotherandbuying

weaponsillegallyandkillingeachotherandthepolice.

Thishasreachedtoapointthateventhecentralgovernmentishavingseriousproblemtacklingthesituation.Thetribesinbiggroupsfightfortheircauseof

anewandindependentstate.Theyarebeingdrawnintofightingeachotherbecause

oftheseveretensionsthatusuallypervadeeachtribeandits uneasinesswith

respect to the other tribes that live near it. The tribe members are indulging in

destroyingcommunicationandtransportsystemsandbringingdownhouses.

ThestatesinNorthEastIndiaaretakingseriousstepstobringpeacetothe

region.Thepoliceandarmyarekepteveralertintheregion.Theyhaveresortedto

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increasingthenumberofthepolicemenandareusingtighterandtoughermeasuresinordertocombatandwinagainstthiseverchangingandversatileenemy,thatis,

the tribesand theiroutfits.However,whethertheywillbe able to dosomething to

tacklethishomegrownproblemsuccessfullyisanybodysguess.

LAW AND ORDER

BMPrefersto theBangaloreMahanagaraPalike. It is thelocalgovernment

organisationinchargeoftheBangaloreCity,theSiliconValleyofIndia,andahubofIndias computer industries. BMP looks after and manages the city of Bangalore

throughelectedrepresentativesofthepeopleandbureaucracy.But,oftenrulesand

procedures promulgatedbytheBMP for the administrationofthecityareignored

andviolatedcreatingadministrativeproblemsandpublicinconvenience.Thisentails

enforcing strict measures against the law-breakers. BangaloreMahanagara Palike

resortedtosuchenforcementsconcerningconstructionofbuildingsinBangalorein

violationofruleslaidforthepurpose.

Rulesregardingspecificheightsanddistancesfromtheroadinconstruction

ofbuildingsarebeingviolated.ThisisacommonfeatureinBangaloreasinallother

citiesofIndia. Theviolationsaresowidespreadand the involvementoftheirown

officersissodeepthatBangaloreMahanagaraPalikeasaruleignoredthe

violations.Itaddedtotheproblem.BuildersasaruleboughtsafetyfromtheBMPby

bribingtheBMPofficials.However,publicoutcryagainstsuchcomplicitiesinpartof

the BMP forced the latter to act. This led to demolition drivesby the BangaloreMahanagara Palike against illegal constructions and their extensionswherein all

buildings and constructions that did not follow required specifications were

demolishedand stricter vigil is followed in licensing new constructionsand

complianceof thespecificationsin doing so. This isgreatnews for thepeopleof

Bangalore.

Belgaum,abordercityandalsoadistrictinNorthKarnatakaandfamousfor

itshistory,isdippedincontroversybecauseofitsMarathimajoritypopulationina

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KannadamajorityState.TheneighboringStateofMaharashtrawantsBelgaumtobeincluded inthatStateon thebasisof itsMarathi-speakingpopulation.There isan

ongoingconflictandenmitybetweenthetwoStatesforBelgaum.

Indias responses to emergencies need a lot to be desired. Whether it is

naturaldisasterslikeTsunamiandearthquakesorterroristattacksinMumbai,the

responses are marredby slowness and uncertainties of the reaction by those in

authoritiesandinchargeoftherescueoperationsandsuitableresponses.Oftenthe

GovernmentofIndiawasfoundunpreparedforsuitable responsesandpathetically

caughtonthewrongfoot.Indiamustimproveitsresponsetimeandthequalityofthe

responsebyproperplanning,training,intelligencecollection,andinstitutionofright

organisationswithrightpeopleatthehelmtominimizethelossesandimpactofthe

disasterinissue.ItisaparamountneedofIndiatobecomeagreatworldpower.

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INDIAN

ECONOMY

Indian economic development largely depends on rural economy.

Infrastructure development is an aspect of the Indian economy that is crying for

immediateattention. Indian economic programmes call for balance between

socialismandcapitalismasdefinedinMixedEconomybythefirstPrimeMinisterofIndia, ShreeJawaharlalNehru. Mixed Economy isa contribution of India to the

worldaswasNeutralityorNon-AlignedMovementinworldpolitics.

Schemeslikefreemid-daymealstostudentsinGovernmentSchoolsthatwas

firstintroducedinIndiaforthebenefitofthechildrenofthelowerincomegroupsof

the society bypopular film-star turned politician and former ChiefMinister of the

southern state ofTamilNadu, ShreeM.G. Ramachandran,are gainingpopularity

throughoutIndiaandarebeingadoptedbyincreasingnumberofstatesthroughthe

lengthandbreadthofIndiawiththeactivefinancialsupportandencouragementof

the Central Government. The scheme isgraduallyexpanded with the passage of

timetohigheragegroupsofthestudentstocovermorestudentsunderthescheme.

India of late is also resorting to reduction in custom and excise duties to

encourage tradeand industry while increase in taxes on undesirable items like

tobacco productsandalcoholis the rulingtrend. Rationalisationof taxes includingincometaxandcustomsandexcisedutiescoveringreductionintheirratesis

injectingnewlifetotheIndianeconomy.

TheIndiangovernmentbudgetedtospendabouttentrillionrupeesin2009-

2010,aboutthreetrillionmorethanthepreviousyearamountingtoanannualriseof

about43%inexpenditureincontrasttotheriseinrevenueonlyatabout2%,thus

giving way for deficit financing that inevitably leads to fiscal deficit. Allotment of

liberalfunds totheNationalRuralEmploymentGuarantee(NREG)scheme in the

budgetisalaudableefforttoimprovethelotoftheruralpoorofIndia.Eventhough

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childrenmakeupto40%ofthepopulationofIndia,theyaregiven11%allotmentinthebudgetof2009-2010.Theyshouldhavebeengivenbetterattention.

Privatizationof thepublicsector industries is the themeofthe Indian

Governmentfromsomeyearsafterit ventured into liberalization ineconomy.This

resultedin a largenumberofits stakesindifferentpublic sectorcompaniesbeing

soldout.Thismassiveprivatization was thoughquestionedinthecourtoflaw,the

SupremeCourtdidnotstopitasitdecidedthat itdoesnothavejurisdictionin this

sphere.

WhiletheoilrequirementoftheUnitedStatesofAmericawillincreaseby46%

inthenexttenyearsandofChinabyabout96%,Indiasrequirementswillgoupby

about132%.Thisiscertainlyamammothincrease.Indiamustfindadditional

sourcesforoilwithinandoutsidethecountryapartfromdiscoveringothersourcesof

energyasalternativetotheoil.Indiawillfinditselfingreatproblemsincomingdays

unlessitdoesnotactfast.Further,increaseinoilpricesworldovermayfindIndiaindeepquicksand.Indiahasonlytwooptions:eitheritwillgodownbyinactionoritwill

clawitswayupbyaconcertedactionplan.

ValueAddedTaxisanewphenomenonintroducedinIndiaseconomicscene

andcommercialfieldafewyearsbacktoreplacethesaletax.ThoughmostStates

andUnionTerritoriesacceptedtheregimen,afewareyettocomeroundtothenovel

taxingsystem.

Employment in India iscertainly ina very dismal situation.This isbecause

nearlyaquarterofamillionjobshavebeenlostinIndiaoverthelastfewmonthsdue

totheeconomiccrisisthathasstrucktheworld.Thisisnotatallahealthy

developmentforIndiaandthisissomethingthattheGovernmentofIndiahasbeen

tryingtoovercome.

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CONSOLIDATION OF BANKS

Bankconsolidationissomethingthathasbecomecommonnowinthe

vocabularyofmanyfinancialexperts.ExpertsinIndiabelievethatconsolidationis

the in thing right now in thewake ofthesevereeconomiccrisis thathashit the

world rather hard right now. People believe that if banks merge and form bigger

banks,thenthewholesystemwillbeabletofacetheeconomicuncertaintiesbetter.

InIndia,theUPAgovernmentwasallforitinitspreviousterm.Itwasloudly

thinkingaboutthisfromthebeginning.However,all inall, itdidnotdomuchabout

thewholeaffairthenasitshandsweretiedbyitscloselinkswithandsupportofthe

Leftwingparties.However,itlooksasifitwilldosomethingaboutthistime,asitis

freeofconstraintsofthefirstinningsinthesecondterm.

SincethemonkeyistrulyofftheUPAsbackthistimeanditisthuscapableof

followingitsownpolicies, thingsmay turn reallywellthistimearound.Itsprevious

termsawonlyoneeventwithrespecttobanksnamelythetakeoveroftheBankof

SaurashtrabytheStateBankofIndia.

Thiswasseenasthefirststepatthetimein thecatalogueoftheUPAtodo

somethingbiginthebankingsector.However,theGovernmentdidnotfollowthisup

with other acts and thusno great changes were affected in the Indian economic

sectorlasttime.Protestsbythestaffofthesubsidiarybanksagainstmergerwiththe

SBIwerealsoresponsibleforthisinactionatthetime.However,itlooksasifsomechangesmaytakeplacethistimearoundandtheUPAGovernmentwillbringsome

concretechangesthistimeintheeconomicfrontofIndia.

DISINVESTMENT

DisinvestmentsissomethingthatIndianshavebeenlookinguptowith

interestright.Itlookstobetherightthingtodorightnowwiththeeconomic

recession that ison therampage rightnow in the world. This is something that

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almostallinvestorshavelookedatandaretryingtobenefitoutofit.However,manyeconomicexpertsbelieve that economic recession is not the right time for

disinvestment.

Disinvestment,sayexperts,issomethingthatmustabsolutelynotbecarried

out at this time. While investors are busy selling their shares, disinvestment will

burden theeconomy andthemarket and that may lead to slump indemand and

bearishtendencies.Disinvestmentonalargescalewillresult in thewholesystem

fallingdownratherheavily.

Toavoidsuchconsequences,investorsneedtopracticemonetarydiscipline

involving restraint, foresight and assessment of the market before borrowing for

investment.Theymustaccumulatedebtswithforesight.But,thisisnotthecasewith

mostofthe investorsandborrowers.Theirgreed lead totheirown interestsat the

costofothersandthisattitudeleadstothefallofthewholeeconomicsystemfor

nobodysgain.

An alternative option is issuance of bonds by the companies rather than

resortingto thedisinvestment. But,this istoocostlya methodtobeviable.There

havebeenotherproposalsthatthegovernmentwillhavetolessenitsholdingsin

variouscompaniesfrom51%to33.3%. However,it isdoubtfulwhetherthe

governmentwouldevenconsiderthis,asitwouldweakenitsstakeintherespective

companies.

AIR INDIAS CURRENT PROBLEMS

AirIndiahasgotitselfintoquiteabigmessbytheeconomicrecession.With

theeconomiccrisisthathasshakentheworldfromheadtotoeoverthelastfew

years,ithasbeenquitea rollercoasterrideforAirIndia.AirIndiafaceswhathas

beencalledasthebiggestcrisisinitshistory.Whetheritwillsurvivethecrisis isa

bigquestionmark.Inordertosomehowimprovethesituation,AirIndiamergedwith

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theIndianAirlines,thedomesticcarrier,todecreasetheoverheadexpenditures.But,tonoavail.

ThereisconcernthatmanyemployeesofAirIndiamaybethrownoverboard

andthatthesalariesofothersmayalsobereduced.Thisiscausingconcernamong

the employees, as it is not easy to find and ferret out jobs in the wake of the

economic crisis. However, theGovernment feels that this economic crisiscanbe

riddenthroughtoitsendandadviceemployeesnottopanicandagitateasstrikes

anddemonstrationonlykeeppassengersfurtherawayfromtheairlinesandfurther

deteriorate the situation. The government of India is trying to keep the situation

stablesothatAirIndiawillbeabletoflyhighintheskyintheend.

MONSOON

Rain is needed in India. India isa countryoffarmers.These farmers need

waterfortheircrops.Themainsourceofwaterforthefarmers inIndia israin.The

raincomesmainlyintheMonsoonseasonandthefarmerscroppatternsare

designedaccordingtothemonsoonpatternsofaregion.Thelifeoffarmersdepends

ontheyearlyincidenceofthemonsoonrains.Monsoonisthedecidingseasonofthe

farmersastheirlivelihoodtillthenextmonsoondependsonit. Farmerslookingupat

the skies to gauge when the rain would pour are a symbol of Indias economic

uncertaintiesas well as thepathetic dependenceof Indias farmers on the

uncertainties of the monsoon. Indian Meteorological Department has a history of

predictingnormalmonsoonwithadequate rainyearafter year. But, as a rule it

provesrightonlyasexceptions.Thisthrowsahugequestionmarkonthecredibility

oftheMeteorologicalDepartment.

MonsoonplaysaveryimportantroleintheIndianagriculture.Asthemonsoon

playsaveryimportant rolein Indianagriculture,it looksasif themonsoonplaysa

very importantrole in theIndianeconomy. India,anup-and-comingcountry

dependinguponavariableeventlikeinconsistentmonsoonisnotahealthy

development.

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Indian economy suffering by the irregularity of the monsoon is a commonfeatureoftheIndianlife.Shortageoffoodandfarmproductionwhilemonsoonisthin

or late and destruction whilecomes with a vengeance or when it is not needed

createhavoctoIndianfarmers.SixtypercentoftheIndianeconomyiscomprisedof

agriculture.Now almostSixtypercent of the Indianagriculture depends upon the

monsoon.Thus, the Indiangovernmentfacesaveryhugeproblemevery time that

themonsoondoesnotcomeorislate.

Scientists have laid out a four-pronged scheme toattack the problem. The

firstisthattheIndiangovernmentmustencouragethegrowthofdrought-resistant

cropsorcropsthataregeneticallymodifiedsoastosurviveharsherclimates.

Anotherthingistoreplacetheexistingcropswiththesenewtypesofcrops.Another

very importantmeasure is toconservetheenvironmentand thenatural resources,

whichareofcourseveryimportantforcropsandwithoutwhichcropswillbeinareal

stew. The lastprong in this pitchfork is that the farmers must use new formsof

harvestingandalsonewtypesof fertilizersormanure.Thisisofutmost important.Anotherimportantthingwillbetodecreasethepollutionlevels.

FOOD SECURITY

ForcenturiespeopleinIndiahavesufferedfromlackoffood.Eventhoughthe

hugefamines,whichkilledaverylargenumberofindividualsandcausedalarge

amount of suffering now belongs to the past, there is still hunger in India. This

hunger is omnipresent and looks to be irremovable from the country. Even now

becauseoflackoffood,childrenarebornmalformedorarementallychallenged.

Thisismainlyseenamongthepoorestofthepoor,thepeoplewho formthe

loweststrataof Indias society. Thesepeopleare mostlyseen in tribes. Some of

thesewholetribessufferfromlackoffood.ThisisnotsomethingnewinIndia.In

India throughout theages, onecan see great famines, which killed a very large

amountofpeopleandhavethusreducedthepopulationofIndiaquitealot.

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INDIA

IN

WORLD

AFFAIRS

India,RussiaandChinaarethethreemostpopulatedcountriesoftheworld,

andthreepowerfulnuclearpowers.Russiawithits5000to7000nuclearwarheadsis

onparwiththeUSAinnuclearsupremacy;ChinaandRussiaaresoundeconomy

powers.

ThereareattemptsbytheseAsianpowers toformaregionalaxis to

counterpoisethe worldsupremacyof theUnitedStates ofAmerica.However, the

ambitionsofChinato bethesolesuperpoweroftheregionareretardingthe

progress in this direction. Also its borderdisputeswithboth IndiaandRussiaare

otherthornsonthepathofprogress.

AbipolarworldisindeedisintheinterestofallincludingtheUSAconsidering

thetimeprovenadagethatpowercorruptsandabsolutepowerabsolutely.

INDIA-BRAZIL-SOUTH AFRICA

India,BrazilandSouthAfricaareconsideredascountriesthathavethesame

strengthandstature in the worldandtherefore same interests.Birdsof the same

feathersflocktogether.Therefore,itisnaturaltoexpectthemtoflocktogetherasan

axistosafeguardtheircommoninterestsinthiscomplexworldofcompetitionsand

ruthlessmanoeuvres.Allthethreearestrongcountriesintheirownright,andifthey

joinhands,theycantransformtobeapowercentreinworldaffairsandface

challengesineveryspheretotheirbestinterests.

Allthreearelargepopulousregionalpowers,undevelopedfarmingcountries,

potentialeconomicpowersandnon-alignedinworldpolitics.WhileIndiaisthe

secondmostpopulatedcountryintheworldandgeographicallytheseventhlargest

intheworld,Brazilisthelargestgrowerofcoffeeandsixthlargestcountryinthe

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.

world,andSouthAfricaisthelargestproducerofdiamondsintheworld.Thuseachofthemneedsthesupportoftheotherinfacingtheworld.

Theproposedaxiscanleadtobalanceofpowerintheworldandbringanend

to competitions ofa few countries like China,Russia and the USA for the world

hegemony.Suchanallianceissorelyneededbytheworldtobringbalancetothe

worldpolitics.

BANGLADESH

ThereweretwoPakistaniterritoriesondifferentsidestoIndiathatconstituted

Pakistan:WestPakistanandEastPakistan.EastPakistandecidedtoseparatefrom

the unionandbecomean independent country.It fought for itsindependenceand

gotindependencewiththehelpofIndia.EastPakistanthencametobeknownas

Bangladesh.

India helped theBangladesh freedom fighters after East Pakistan refugees

poured in to India while Pakistan forces began to suppress them by force and

PakistanrefusedtotaketherefugeesbackcreatingahumanitarianproblemtoIndia.

A truncated Pakistansaved India from theneed of concentrationofactiveforces

againstrecalcitrantPakistaninbothwesternandeasternborders.Bangladeshonits

eastern border certainly is a lesser evil to India than the former East Pakistan.

PresentBangladeshisdividedonitsrelationwithIndia.Whileoneofthetwomajor

politicalpartiesofthecountryisacloseallyofIndia,theotherwithconnectionswiththePakistanmilitaryshowssignsofunfriendlyattitudetowardsIndia.

Bangladesh isoneof thepoorest countries in theworld. Itcanprovetobe

dangeroustoIndiaifitsideswithPakistanincrucialjuncturesofpoliticalormilitary

sensitivities.Pakistannaturallywantsthistohappenandconsiderablysucceededin

itseffortsinthisdirection.PakistanmilitantsandISIoperatorsrepeatedlyuse

BangladeshthesedaysassafehousesforterroristactivitiesinIndia.IfIndia

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succeedsinluringthecountrytoitssidebyrightdiplomacy,BangladeshmayprovetobeausefulandstrategicfriendofIndia.

NEPAL

Nepal isaHimalayanKingdom andshares borderwith twoIndian statesof

BiharandUttarPradesh.ThecultureofIndiaandNepalissimilarandenjoyfriendly

relationship.NepalisdependantonIndiaforfundsanddevelopmentalefforts.India

hasconsiderableinfluenceoverNepalandgenerouslycontributesforthepoor

neighbourswelfareactivities.

NepalworksasabufferbetweenIndiaandChina.Nepaleseknownas

Gorkhasareworld-renownedasvaliantandfearlesssoldiersfortheirdo-ordiespirit

and Indian army hasspecialcontingents of these valiant soldiers from itsBritish

vintage.

Both ChinaandPakistanhave also developed interests inNepalandtry to

checkmateIndiasinfluencesintheregion.Pakistanoftenusedthecommonborder

betweenNepalandIndiatoinfiltrateterroriststoIndia.TheriseofMaoistsinNepal

isactivelysupportedbyChina.TherisinginfluenceofChinainNepalisamatterof

graveconcerntoIndia.

NepalontheborderofIndiaandChinaisindeeptroublefromsomeyears.

First,theKingofNepalwasmurderedandafamilymemberwipedouthiswhole

family.NextsurfacedtheMaoistviolencethat threatened theveryexistenceof the

smallHimalayancountry.Nepal leadersandarmywereprovedincapableof

containingandcrushingthespreadofMaoistrebellionandviolence.Indiawasfound

unequalintheirtaskofhelpingtheNepalGovernmentincontainingtherapidspread

oftheMaoistmovementanditsviolence.

Attemptsto lureMaoiststo thedemocraticsystemsucceededandelections

wereheld.NopartysucceededingettingmajoritywhiletheMaoistscameoutwith

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maximum seats won in theelection. There was a long deadlock andultimately, aMaoist-ledcoalitioncametopowerwiththeprimarytaskofdraftingaConstitutionfor

Nepal.Thefirstthingaftercomingtopowerwasremovingthemonarchyand

declaring Nepal as a Republic. Soon,differences developed between the Maoist

PrimeMinisterand thenon-MaoistPresidentandthedifferencescameopenwhile

thePrimeMinisterremovedthearmychieffordisobedienceandthePresidentasthe

SupremeCommanderoftheNepaldefenceforcesresistedthemove.Theriftinthe

alliance led to the fall of the Maoist Government and the possible revival of the

MaoistviolenceagaininNepal.Afterconcertedpoliticalmoves,anotheralliancewith

thesupportofnon-MaoistleftpartiesformedtheGovernmentwhilethesinglelargest

partynamelyMaoistsremainedoutsidetheGovernmentcausingconcernaboutthe

possibilityoftheMaoistsrevertingtotheirnon-democraticmethodsofpopularuprise

andviolence.

IfMaoistsreturntotheirlargelysuccessfulupriseandviolence,therewillbe

breakdownofdemocracyagaininNepalandsituationmay turnworse thanbeforeandthecountrymaygodownthedrainalaIraqandAfghanistanthoughfordifferent

reasons.Indiadidtrytobringpeaceto NepalbybringingMaoistsandtheNepal

Congresstogether,butmiserablyfailedintheefforts.Nepalisinastickywicketnow.

TruthisthatNepalhasbecomeapoliticalplaygroundoftheshadowboxingof

itssouthernandnorthernneighboursnamelyIndiaandChinawithIndiarepresented

bytheNepalCongressandChinabytheMaoists.Allthepoliticalmanoeuvresin

NepalareremotecontrolledbythesetwocountriesandintheprocessNepalandits

peoplesinterestsarecompletelyignored.

JAPAN

AremarkbyChinathat therearerather immensedifferencesbetweenIndia

and China in their border disputes, that have been the theme of India-Chinese

negotiationsand talksfora long timenow,deeplyoffendedIndia.IndiaandJapan

leadersmetsubsequenttotheChineseremarksinJapanandmostpoliticalanalysts

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connectedthesuddeninterestsofthesecountrieswitheachothertotheChineseremarks.However,IndiaandJapanbothhavedeniedthisconnection.

India and Japan are close neighbours of China. Indias nuclear tests had

drawnthe ireofJapananditjoinedotherdevelopedcountriesinimposingsanctions

againstIndiaatthattime.However,theyhavebeentryingtoimprovetheir

relationshipforquitesometime now. The politicalsituationaround theworldalso

hascompelledthesetwocountriestocomeclosertogetheroverthelastfewyears.

American certificate to India that it is a responsible country and its initiative for

nucleardealwithIndiaalongwiththeNuclearSuppliersGroup(NSG)waivertoIndia

innucleardealsfurthermellowedJapan.

Thesetwocountriescanhelpeachotheralotiftheywantanditlooksasif

theycertainlywantit.BothcountrieshavethestrongumbilicalchordoftheBuddhist

religion and culture. Inameeting that the external affairs ministers of these two

countrieshadinmid-2009,theydiscussedseveralimportantissues.EarlierIndiaandJapan alongwith theUnited States ofAmerica hada few sessions ofnavalwar

games.Thismaybesomethingto rememberinconnectionwiththerecentevents

concerningChineseremarks.

PEACE IN SRI LANKA

SriLankahadbeenfinallyabletothrowtheyokeoftheLTTEfromitsback.It

ledto Sri Lankabeingable torunadministration without thedarkshadowsof the

LTTEclouding itsdecisionsandactions.Thisissomething,whichSriLankahasto

bevery happyabout.OnMay 18 of2009, the Sri Lankan army killed the LTTE

leader,VerupillaiPrabhakaran.Tillthe end,theLTTEsupremohopedthatthe

internationalcommunitywoulddosomethinginordertosavehim.However,whathe

hopedfordidnotcometrue.Hisdeathhadcomenearlytwenty-fiveyearstoolatefor

thepeopleofSriLankawhohadsufferedalotduringtheperiod.Thus,thisisnowa

goodtimeforSriLanka.

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However,manycountrieshavenottakenkindlytotheSriLankanconductinthiswar.TheycondemnedtheaggressivepursuitoftheLTTEcadresandfightersby

the Sri Lankan Army and blamed Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakshe of

humanrightsviolations.Indiashowedconcernregardingresettlementofthe

displacedTamilpopulationofSriLanka.InternationalRedCrossdidexceptionally

good work duringthe war in rescuingandtenderingcivilianscaughtbetween the

warringforces.AccordingtoeyewitnesseswhovisitedTamilrefugeecampsinSri

Lanka, the Government provides for the refugees better than adequate and that

thoserefugeesare lookedafterbetter than SriLankanrefugees in Indianrefugee

camps.

Countries mostly from the West see a large number of slip-ups by the Sri

LankanGovernment in its approach to the Tamil problem. They say that the Sri

Lankangovernmentshouldhaveensuredlessermortalitiesespeciallyofthecivilians

heldbytheTamilTigersasprotectiveshieldagainsttheonslaughtoftheSriLankan

army.ItiseasiersaidthandoneinawarsituationofthenatureoftheintermittentwarsbetweentheLTTEandtheSriLankanarmyformorethanthreedecadesthat

broughtalldevelopmentalactivitiesofSriLankatoagrindinghaltandthreatenedthe

veryexistenceofthenation.TheyhavealsocondemnedtheSriLankangovernment

fortriumphantlytrumpetingitsvictory.SriLankaindeeddeservestobecongratulated

for bringing halt to terrorism andbringing peaceandsecurity to the islandnation

afterthreedecadesofcivilwar.

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

IndiaandPakistanareneighbours.Pakistanhashadahistorysimilartothat

of India.Theonly factor that standsdifferent between IndiaandPakistan is their

attitudestoreligion.WhileIndiaisasecularrepublic,PakistanisanIslamicrepublic.

ItwasbecauseofreligionthatPakistanseparatedfromtheunitedIndiathatexisted

priortothecreationofPakistanin1947.IfMohammedAliJinnahhadnotinsistedfor

adifferent country forMuslims,Pakistanwouldneverhavebeencarvedoutof the

unitedIndia.

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However,afterthepartition,IndiaandPakistanhavebecomebitterenemies.Neighbours areusually enemiesand it is thesame here.There were many wars

foughtbetweenIndiaandPakistan.Indiahaswonallofthem.However,now,there

aremanymovestowardspermanentpeacebetweenIndiaandPakistan.

IndiaandPakistanareinconflictsincetheirindependence.Theyfoughtmany

wars withdecisive win for India inall.But,waris war and asevere drain onthe

resources of the country apart from the huge amount of destruction and loss of

preciouslifeonbothsides. Keepingsoldiers active alongborders and providing

suppliesbothstrategicandwarrelatedaswellasdailyneedsofthesoldiersand

officerslikefood,clothingandfueldrainthenationalresourcesthatwouldhavebeen

betterutilisedforthebettermentofthepeopleotherwise.Further,the soldierswork

in hostile conditions while manning the borders. A huge army is a priority in the

presentworldforthedefenceofthecountry. But,ahugearmymeanshuge

expenditure;abottomlessdraintotheexchequer.Eachsoldiermanningtheborder

needssixtythousandrupeesworthofsupplieseverymonthandthatamountstofourcrores of rupees for maintaininga brigade foronemonth.Naturally,all countries

wanttoavoidthiskindofwastages.IndiaandPakistanarenotexceptionstothis.

Bothcountriesdesiretostrikeadealregardingtheirborderdisputes.But,Kashmir

continuestobeastumblingblock,andnoneofthemcanrelentonKashmirissuefor

thefearoflosingpopularsupportbackinrespectivecountriesandthenationalpride.

SiachinisaglacierbetweenIndiaandPakistan.Ithasalwaysbeenapointof

conflictbetweenthesetwocountriesandfoughtwarstogaincontrolofthat

wastelandwherenotevenagrassgrowsandclimateandconditionsunfitforliving.

Onlyitsstrategicpositionbetween theborderofIndiaandPakistanoverlookingthe

strategic highway conjoining Indianmainland with its northern region of Ladakh

gainedittheimportanceithasnow.

Pakistan while carved out of India had two wings - East Pakistan on the

easternsideofIndiaandWestPakistanonthewesternsideofIndia.Thehegemony

oftheWestPakistancombinedwiththeneglectoftheEastPakistanbytheFederal

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GovernmentofPakistanpopulatedbyWestPakistanleaders,militaryandbureaucracycompelledEastPakistantoseparatefromWestPakistanandbecome

an independentcountry.Indianaturallysupported this cause for its ownreasons.

Thisultimately led toanother warbetween India and Pakistan in1971 with East

PakistanvolunteersforindependenceastheBanglaBahinioutfitsupportingIndian

defenceforces.PakistanonalosingspreeappealedforhelpfromtheUnitedStates

ofAmerica,which just that yearunderitsSecretaryof State,Mr.HenryKissinger,

had started the process of improving and expanding its ties with the China and

Pakistanaxisevenat the costof itsalready lukewarmrelationswithIndia. The

UnitedStatesofAmericaappliedtremendouspressureon India,andChinabegan

massive troop movements on Indian borders to deter India from moving against

Pakistan.TheunequivocalsupportofthethenSovietUnionanddetermined

leadershipofSmt.IndiraGandhi,thePrimeMinisterofIndiaatthetime,savedthe

days for India in thewarand India won the warhands down with Pakistanbeing

truncatedwithEastPakistanbecominganindependentcountryasBangladesh.

TillnowinalmostallthewarsfoughtbyIndiaandPakistan,westerncountries

supported Pakistan, as the latter was their ally till the end of the 20th century.

However,inthelastwarnamelytheKargilWarfoughtbetweenIndiaandPakistan,

thewesterncountriesremainedneutral.

TerrorismissomethingthatPakistanhasbeenfacingfromquitesometime

nowanditlooksasifitwillnotbeabletoshakeofftheyokeofterrorism.These

problemsofPakistanaremainlyduetolackofpowerfulleadershipandsplinteringof

thepowerstructure.

PakistanissufferingfromdiversepowercenterslikeGovernment,army,ISI,

jehadis, extremists, militant religious organisations and so on, each hostile to the

otherandpullinginoppositedirections.Itisaproblemofthelackofunityof

commandwithwhichPakistansuffersafterthedepartureofPresidentPervez

MusharafffromthePakistanpoliticalscene.Naturally,situationisnotatallasstableasitshouldbe.ThetalksbetweenIndiaandPakistanonimprovingrelationshipthat

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madeconsiderableheadwayduringtheperiodofformerPakistanPresident,PervezMusharaffwithagreementsonthreeissuesofKashmir,SiachinandSirCreekonthe

finalstagesofsignaturewiththeIndianPrimeMinisterManmohanSinghreachedits

nadirafter26/11Mumbaiattackin2008.

PakistanssolutiontoKashmirrevolvesaroundthreeissues-demilitarization,

self-governanceandajointmechanism.Demilitarizationinvolveswithdrawalof

defenceforcesfromKashmirbysides,selfgovernanceincludesselfruleofKashmiri

tothemaximumby itspeopleandthejointmechanisminvolvesamechanism

involving representatives of Pakistan, India and representatives of both parts of

Kashmirtoover-see,over-watchanddecideonselfgovernanceandallother

mattersarisingregardingKashmirfromtimetotime.PakistanconsiderstheLineof

ControlorLOCinKashmirbetweenPakistanheldandIndiaheldregionsasdisputed

issuewhileIndiawantstoconvertittoasettledpermanentborder.Theresponseof

PakistantothisIndianpositionistotreattheLOCasirrelevantintheirdiscussionsto

leavethemattertothefuturegenerationstosettle.

TerrorismisbecominganincreasinglycomplicatedissuetoPakistan.Allthe

same,theaggressivestanceoftheIndianleadersandmediaagainstPakistanlike

punishPakistannaturallyhurtsitssovereignprideanditsthreatperceptionsarising

fromIndiagetssensitized.ThisisthetruereasonwhyPakistaninspiteofthefatal

threatfromTalibanandotherextremistgroupswithin the country totheunityand

stability ofPakistan asa nation anddestabilizing pressures fromUSAand the

Allianceforcesagainst,considersIndiaasthefirstandforemostthreattothe

securityandintegrityofPakistan.Pakistanstronglybelieves that Indiahasnot yet

reconciledtoPakistansexistence.

IndiaandPakistanmusttrytopeacefullyresolvetheirdifferencesandleave

their enmitiesbehind. Any further wars between these two countries have the

potentialityofturningtobeanuclearwarasbotharenuclearpowersandmaylead

tomutualdestructions.

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The worst enemy of Pakistan is not its neighbour, India. Rather, it is itspoverty.Pakistanisoneof thepoorestcountriesin theworldwitha highbirthrate

thatrendersitseconomyfailingtocatchupwiththepopulationgrowthrate.Further,

itsunfortunatefocusagainstIndiaandwarpreparationsforthepurposedivertedits

resourcesfromdevelopmentactivities.Itisonlybecauseofthefinancialandother

backingsoftheUnitedStatesofAmericathatPakistanhasnotyetdisintegratedin

spiteoflarge-scaleeconomicfailingsandwarsagainstAl-QaedaandTalibanalong

itsborderswithAfghanistaninsupportoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

Kashmir liesatthefootof thetallestmountains intheworld, theHimalayas.

TheHimalayascameintoexistenceinprehistoricagewhenIndianregionaspartof

theAfricancontinentmovednortheasttoconjoinwiththesouthernedgeoftheAsian

mainland.Intheprocess,tallsetsofmountainsduetotheforceofcollisionbetween

thehugelandmassesroseupwardsastheHimalayanMountains.

AnearthquakehitPakistanOccupiedKashmir,about80kmsnorthofIslamabad,afewyearsbackcausingimmenselossoflife.Thequakemeasured7.6

intheRichterscaleandwasverydevastating.Itstremorswerefelteveninregions

asfarawayasplaceslikeKarachiandNewDelhi.IndiaandPakistanjoinedhands

inrescueoperationsinKashmir.Thisisanoblegesturebybothcountries.An86-

year-oldKashmirisaidthatthisearthquakewasthemostdestructiveeventheever

saw inhis life.Therehasnotbeen aworseearthquake inPakistan since1935. It

was the second most devastating natural disaster in Asia in a decade after the

TsunamithathitSouthAsiaafewyearsback.

The Pakistanis have been claiming victories against the Taliban. However,

theyhavereallynotbeenabletodopositivethingsagainsttheTaliban.TheTaliban

hasnotbeendefeatedbythePakistanis,buthasjustgoneawayandmelted.The

Pakistanishavehoweverclaimedthistobeabigvictory.ThePakistanarmedforces

onthepressureoftheUnitedStatesofAmericajustrolledintotheTalibanoccupied

regionsofPakistanwithoutmuchresistanceandthattheyclaimisahugevictory.However,itispresumedthattheTalibanwillbeabletogainbacktheseplacesfrom

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whereithasbeendrivenout,whentheAmericanpressuresubsidesorwhen

Pakistangovernmentorarmyweakens.

Talibanwillbeabletogainbacktheareastheylostasmostofitsfightersjust

shavedofftheirbeardstocamouflageandcontinuetolivewiththeirfamiliesinthe

areaonlytoraisewhentheTalibanneedsthemagain.

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USA

AND

THE

WORLD

AROUND

TheUnitedStatesofAmericaisoneoftherichestcountriesintheworld.It

playedaprominentpartintheSecondWorldWarandbroughtanendtothewarby

joiningtheAlliesagainsttheAxisin1941.Sincethen, ithasassumed theroleofan

arbitratorintheworldtobringpeaceandordertotheunrulyworld.Ittimeandagainsucceeded instopping imminentwars between rivalcountries inthe lastseven

decadesbytimelyinterventionsandoftenbyshowofstrength.

Till the 1990s, the world sawcold warbetweentheblocs belonging to the

UnitedStatesofAmericaandthethenSovietUnion,anothersuperpoweraspiring

fortheworldleadership.However,thedisintegrationoftheUSSRanditsambitionof

worldCommunismmadetheUSAtheunrivalledsolesuperpoweroftheworldinthe

lasttwodecades.Worldsawseveralattemptssincethentocreateablocthatcan

standuptothesupremacyoftheUSA.WhileRussiaisdoing itsbesttorecoverits

glory of the days of the USSR asanother super power, China is rapidly forging

ahead because of its rising financialstrength and industrialbase supportedby its

hugeconsumerbase and committed politicalleadership.EuropeanUnionis an

attemptoffriendlychallengetotheUSA.Also,thereareattemptsofformingblocsof

regionalorlike-mindedcountriestoformviablebasesofpoliticalorfinancialpowers

intheworld.

JAPAN AND AUSTRALIA

JapanandAustraliaareclosealliesoftheUSA.Theirstrategicgeographical

positionsaswellastheirfinancialandindustrialmightareagreatsourceofstrength

totheambitionsoftheUSAfortheworldleadership.

TheSouthEasternregionofAsia isstrategic totheinterestsof theUnited

StatesofAmericainitspowergamebecauseofthepresenceofChinainclose

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proximitytothisregion.ApowerfulpresenceoftheUnitedStatesofAmericainthisregionconsolidatesitspositiontolessenChinaschallenge.

AustraliaandJapanarekeystotheUnitedStatesofAmericainthisregionin

this sense. They help consolidate the United States of America interests in this

regionagainst China.Theybeing developedcountries, regional powersand

economic giants help the process. United States of America wants India as an

alternateallyinthisregionagainsttheambitionsofChina.

BothJapanandAustraliaareprovenalliesoftheUSA.ThewarinIraqproved

thefactsinedubio.ChinesecontinuedclaimontheIndianborderstateofArunachal

PradeshandChineseaggressiononIndiain1962forthisreasonrenderChinaand

itsriseasaworldorregional power apotentialmilitarythreattoIndiasinterests.

ThisisthebedrockatwhichIndiawelcomesthepoliticalandmilitaryinterestsofthe

USAinthisregion.Jointmilitaryexercisesofthedefence forcesofIndiaandthe

USAareproductsofthismutualinterest.

WEST ASIA

Oil is going to hold the future of the world. The countries that control oil

interestswillruletheworld.SaudiArabiahasvastoilfieldsandtopsthelistofoil

producingcountries.USAsharesanhonouramongthetoptenoilproducing

countries.However,theamountofoilproducedbyAmericaisnotenoughtokeepits

industriesafloatforlong.ThatisthereasonwhyAmericawantstocontrolmoreoil.

Most of the Arab countries have vast resources of oil. This is why most of the

developedcountriesincludingtheUSAwantArabcountriesasallies.

Therichesofoilbroughtprestige,wealthandpoliticalmanoeuvrabilitytomost

oftheoilrichArabiancountries.ItconvertedWestAsiatoanintensepoliticalhotbed.

OnlyitsJewishlobbyandcommitmenttoIsraelcheckmateaggressivepoliciesofthe

USAinthisregiontobefriendArabcountries.ItisbecauseoftheIsraelpolicyofthe

USAthattherelationsbetweentheArabcountriesandUnitedStatesofAmerica

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have been deteriorating very swiftly. Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism as aworldphenomenonasrepresentedbyAl-Qaedaarethedirectoutcomeofthisturnof

eventsintheworldpolitics.

CHINA

ChinaandtheUnitedStatesof Americaare twomost powerfulcountries in

theworldatpresentandnaturallyrivalsfortheworldhegemony.Yettheyneedeach

othereconomically;bothdependontheconsumerbaseandtheeconomicstrengthof the other for their own economic prosperity. There maybea long race ahead

betweenthesecountriesfortheeconomicleadershipoftheworld.

NORTH KOREA

AfewcountriesincludingIraq,Iran,SyriaandNorthKoreaaremarkedbythe

USA as roguecountries needed tobe disciplined for theiracts against theworld

orderandpeace.ThepresentfocusoftheUSAisonIranandNorthKoreafortheir

nuclearambitionsinviolationoftheworldopinion.Bothcountrieshavemade

considerable progress in producing nuclear bombs and North Korea has already

declared to the world that it is inpossessionof nuclear weapons and necessary

missiletechnologytouseitanddoesnothesitatetouseitifanycountryattacksit.

ThisisadirectchallengetotheUSAconsideringthesetwocountriesbeing

neighboursacrossthePacificOceanandtheirconsistentlyinimicalrelationship

sincetheKoreaWarof1950s.NorthKoreatradedoffmissiletechnologytoPakistan

toacquire nuclear technologyfrom the latter in late1990s.Themastery ofNorth

Koreainbothnuclearandmissiletechnologiesisapotential security threat to the

USAacrossthePacificOceananditsassetsinthePacificOceanalaJapanin1941

intheSecondWorldWar.ItisunrealistictopresumethattheUSAwouldbeamute

spectatortothepotentialdangertoitsinterestsandsecuritywithoutproactive

measureseitherofpoliticalormilitarykind.

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AL-QAEDA

TheUnitedStatesofAmericahasbeenfightingagainstAl-Qaedafrom

September2001sincethe9/11attacksonWTCandthiswaragainstaninvisible

enemyis lookingas ifitwillgoon forever.TheAl-QaedasupremonamelyOsama

binLadencontinuestoinspireandguidehisfollowersandterroristsfromunknown

territoriessomewheredeepinPakistan-Afghanistan border.Heishidingandguiding

hisarmyofterroristsfromunknownmountainousregionspopulatedandsurrounded

by sympathizers. The only way out is to infiltrate the organisation of Osama bin

Laden.All effortsof theCIA and the USA in this regard failed toproduce desired

resultstillnow.

CIA & FBI

ThestrengthoftheUnitedStatesofAmericaisthewaytheyruntheir

agencies tosolve, controland preventcrimes inandagainstthecountry.The two

agenciesworthnamingaretheCIAandtheFBI.Theyarebothverypowerful

organisationsandwellknownallovert heworldfortheirefficiencyandworkmanship.

However,theseorganisationsalsoinadvertentlygetinvolvedinscandalsthatcast

dirtontheirnamesandreputations.

TheCIAortheCentralIntelligenceAgencyoftheUnitedStatesofAmericais

the most powerful detectiveagency in theworld. Recently,aCIA agent byname

Mrs.Plame,wifeofasenator,wasaccidentallyunhoodedbyKarlRove,aprominentgovernmentservant.ThisisablackspotontheannalsofthehistoryoftheCIA.Itis

surmisedthatpoliticalrivalryatthetopleadershipsofthecountrybroughtaboutthis

seriousletdownofanimportantCIAagent,whichwasa great losstoboththeCIA

andtheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

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ROBOTIC WARFARE

TherearewarsinAfghanistanandIraq.TheUnitedStatesofAmericaisthe

country that isfightingagainstboth is resortingto roboticwarfareof late wherein

robot-aircraft are used tobombard enemy territories in inaccessible mountainous

terrainslikethebordersofPakistanandAfghanistan.Theserobot-aircraftsare

known asPredators and proved to besuccessful in spite of civilian casualties in

eliminatingdangerousenemies,whootherwisewouldhavesuccessfullyavoidedthe

militaryattacksoftheUSAandNATOforces.PEOPLE OF THE USA

PerhapspeopleofnoothercountryintheworldmatchthepeopleoftheUSA

intheirsenseofdecency,fairness,justice,generosity,charity,loveofscholarship

andentrepreneurship.Theybelieveinhelpingpeopleallovertheworld.Theyfought

againsttheirowngovernmentagainstinhumanactsoftheirarmyinVietnamWar,

andagain in Iraq War. They stood against Guotanamo tortures. People of which

other country would have deified Afro-American stars like Michael Johnson and

SerenaandVenusandmanymoreinculturalandsportsfieldandelecteda

descendentofMuslimforefathersfromAfricaastheirpresident? They generously

contributedforthereliefofthetsunami-hitpeopleandothernaturaldisastersallover

theworld.PeoplelikeBillGatesandtheFordsalwayshelpedunfortunatepeopleall

overtheworld.Theyaretheharbingersofthethink-tankphenomenatogive

intellectualslanttoworldaffairsandmattersofpublicinterest.Noothercountriesintheworldhavesomanyprofessorsandscholarsaspoliticalleadersheadingvarious

organsoftheGovernment.

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THE

ROLE

OF

RUSSIA

IN

THE

PRESENT

WORLD

RussiawasthecentralandstrongestpartoftheformerUSSR.USSR

continuedas thesecondsuperpowerofthe worldtill itdisintegratedbythe liberal

policiesof itsGeneralSecretary,Gorbachevin 1990.Thoughthe disintegration of

USSRweakenedRussia,itiscertainlynotoutofreckoninginworldpolitics.Recentpolitical developments likethetotalresponseofRussiainGeorgiain2008,its

aggressivepoliciesin CentralAsia,countermeasuresto stopexpansionofNATO

alliance further east, new military bases, attempts to move closer to China and

similar manoeuvres prove the rising confidence and importance of Russia in the

worldpolitics.

GEORGIA ARMED CONFLICT

GeorgiaasaCaucasuscountryofEurasia,situatedatthejunctureofWestern

AsiaandEasternEuropewithRussiainthenorthwasapartoftheSovietUniontillit

declared independenceon April9,1991,shortlybeforethecollapseof the USSR.

GeorgiaiskeentojoinNATOandtheEuropeanUnion.

TworegionsofGeorgia,namelyAbkhaziaandSouthOssetia,aftersimmering

disputes and widespread inter-ethnic violence and wars with Georgia, supported

byRussia,declaredindependencefromGeorgiain1995.

HostilitiesescalatedbetweenGeorgiaanditsbreakawaystateofSouth

Ossetiaescalatedin July2008.After theGeorgianbombingof theSouthOssetian

capital,TskhinvaliinthelateeveningofAugust,Georgianarmedforcesbegan

pushingintoSouthOssetia.RussiasenttroopsintoSouthOssetiatohelpthe

latter.The conflictbetween Georgia on the onesideandRussia,Ossetian, and

Abkhazianseparatistson theotherquicklyescalated intoa full-scalewar inwhichGeorgianforcesweredecimated.

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RussianmilitarytroopsinvadedAbkhazia,andseizedadditionalterritoriesofWestern Georgia. Russia recognizedtheGeorgian regions of South Ossetia and

Abkhaziaasindependentstates.

US-RUSSIA RELATIONS

BothRussiaandtheUnitedStatesofAmericaareveryimportantcountriesin

todays worldpolitics.Therelationshipbetween theUnited StatesofAmericaand

Russiaisatitslowestebbsincethelasttwenty-fiveyears.

This is some thing that both of these two countries would like to change.

RussiahasbeenhopingthatwithObamaatthehelm,thingswouldchangequickly.

WithGeorgeBushatthehelm,thingswereadisasterandthingskeptongoingfrom

worsetoworse.Obamasaysthathewill tryhisbesttoimproverelationshipswith

Russia;however,therearemanypeoplewhoareveryskepticalaboutthisbecause

oftheprecedenceandthestateoftheworldpoliticsatthisjuncture

EvenaftertheendoftheColdWar,RussiaandtheUnitedStatesofAmerica

havenotenjoyedcordialandfriendlyrelationswitheachother.Thisissomething

thatbothofthesetwocountriesareanxioustochangenow.Theyhadadeterioration

oftheir relationshipduring the timeofGeorgeBushasthePresidentof theUnited

StatesofAmerica.However,itlooksasiftheUnitedStatesofAmericaunderBarack

ObamaasPresidentwillchangethis.

AsObamalookstovisitDimityMedvedevandthenPutinin2009,itlooksasif

Obamaattaches importance toRussiaas hehasvisitedRussia beforehevisited

ChinaandJapan.ThisishowitisseeninRussiaandalsoallovertheworld.

ThevisitisofcoursegoodforRussia-USrelationshipsinfuture.Itlooksasif

Russia and theUSwhoactuallyalmostcameintoconflictafewdaysduringthe

Georgiawarof2008areintentonimprovingtheirrelationship.TheUnitedStatesof

AmericaandRussiaaretryingforanewtreatytoreplacetheSTARTtreatythatthe

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UnitedStates andRussiahadsigneda few yearsback inorder todecrease theirrespectivenuclearweaponsincontrasttothereluctanceofGeorgeBushforsigning

suchanewtreatyofarmsreductionwithRussia.BarackObamaistreatingRussia

moreasafriendsincehecametothehelminUSA.Russiafeelsthisisaverygood

sign.

Thus signing a nuclear weapons reduction treaty issome thing thatRussia

and the United States are hoping to do as soon as possible. President Barack

Obama visited Russia in 2009 to sign a new treaty with Russia to replace the

START-I treaty which had run out a few months back and which had not been

renewed bythe former President,George Bush.PresidentObamabegan the tour

withawrongmove.HetriedtoplayoffPutinandMedvedevagainsteachotherand

failedmiserably.Obamahadbeenoverconfidentintryingoutamovelikethatatthis

crucial time, especially inaplacewhereeventhe slightest move isscrutinized in

detailunderamicroscope.

ObamasmeetingwithMedvedevwasnotassuccessfulasitwashopedand

theystillhavealargenumberofdifferencesstillanditwillrequirealotoftimeand

effortstoresolvethem.

ItlooksasifRussiawantsUSAtotreatitmoreasafriendnowthattheCold

Warisadistantmemory.TheUnitedStatesofAmericatillBarackObamatookover

as the President of the United States of America had been secretly allying and

supportiveof theenemies ofRussiathroughits clandestineintelligenceoutfit, the

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) andbusy also buildingbases near andaround

RussiainCentralAsiaandhasembarkedonamissiledefensesystemintheregion

apartfrombeingaggressiveinexpandingNATOnetworkuptothewesternborderof

Russia. These measures made Russia suspicious of the intentions of the United

StatesofAmerica.RussiahasalsoseenthisassignsofthedistrustoftheUnited

Statestowardsit.PresidentBarackObamaspolicytowardsRussiamaychangeall

this.Russiawillmost certainlyask theUnitedStatestoshowmoretrusttowardsitandtakeconcretestepstowardsconfidencebuildingmeasuresfortheoverall

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CHINA

THE

RISING

POWER

TheJapanesearethemostdeterminedpeopleintheworld.AftertheSecond

WorldWar,theUnitedStatesofAmericathoughtitbetterthattheyhavethe

friendshipof the Japaneseratherthanriskfightingthem.The United States of

AmericadecidedtohelptheJapanesetorecoverfromthedevastations oftheSecondWorldWarandthenuclearattacksonitscitiesofNagasakiandHiroshima

andoffereditsfriendshiptoJapan.IndeeddissuadingJapanfromacquiringnuclear

weaponsand technology was the prime part of the deal inexchange to defence

umbrellaprovidedbytheUnitedStatesofAmerica.

Chinaisacommunistcountry.Ithasgotcheaplabourbecauseoflowsalary

andwagesandvastmarketbecauseofitshugepopulation.Somanyforeign

investmentshavecomeitswayleadingittobecomeaneconomicpower.Itsefficient

leadership and dreams ofworld power made it a military poweralso.China isa

nuclearcountryandnowprovingitsmightinspacetechnology.

There has always been enmity between Japanand China asboth want to

controltheregiontheyarein.CommunistChinasawJapanwithsuspicionasitwas

thefriendandcloseallyoftheUSAfromthedaysofColdWarwhileJapansimilarly

reciprocatedasChinawasa Communistcountry.Further, both arecontendersfor

regionalsuperiorityfromthe1950s.ThelastsixdecadesfoundJapangivingwayto

South Korea as a regional economic power while China is making rapid moves

towardsitsgoalofbecomingasuperpower.

ChinasriseinthefieldsofEconomyhasbeenstaggering.Itisfastbecoming

anindustrialpowerwithhugedemandforitsgoodsallovertheworldbecauseof

their lower prices without compromise in quality. Also, it is noted that if a new

technologyweredeveloped,Chinawouldbethefirsttoadoptit.Itisthisinitiativeof

itsleadersthatbroughtthisdreamtransformationinChinaseconomicprowessina

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matterofafewdecadesfromadevelopingcountrytoitspresentcompulsionofbeingcountedasasuperpower.

Thereisanadagethatawoundedtigerismoreferociouswhenitiswounded

andfallen. Itwaswhathappened toChinain1949 immediatelyafterCommunists

tookthereignsofthecountry.Theworldcommunityexceptforthosecountriesthat

belongedtotheCommunistblocdistanced theCommunistcountry.Mostcountries

of theworld including theUnited StatesofAmerica refused torecognisethenew

Governmentandpreferred tocontinue theirdiplomatic relationswithTaiwan than

withthemainlandofChina.Chinahadtostrugglehardforyearstogainadmissionto

the United Nations Organisation to replace Taiwan in spite of it being the most

populated country intheworldwithavastgeographicalarea.Indiaswellintended

effortsthrough itsgentlemanlyPrime Minister,Shree JawaharlalNehru to

accommodateCommunistChinabyintroducingitsleaderslikeMr.Chou-En-Laiand

otherstoworldleadersininternationalmeetingsliketheBandungConferenceand

movesfortheadmissionofthemainlandofChinatotheUnitedNationsOrganisationfurtherinfuriatedthewoundedproudtigerasitsawthesmallerneighboursandits

worldstatureleaderspatronageasnationalhumiliationofChinaanditsCommunist

regime. Theresult was the 1962 October Chinese aggressionon Indiannorthern

bordersonthepretextofborderdisputesandChineseclaimsonthepresentstateof

ArunachalPradesh,andIndiashumiliatingdefeat.

China,if anything,hasrisenon the ladderofEconomicsas well asMilitary

prowessbythesheerdintofpatriotism,largedreams,commitment,competenceand

hard work of its leadership.This is a very great rise for a poor and developing

country beyondwildestdreams toachievewithin a span ofhalf a century. China

could stalk this far becauseof its outstandingleadership. China isalready

recognisedinformallyasoneoftheworldleadersandanindisputableregionalpower

in Asia head and shoulder above former giants like Japan and South Korea and

perhapsstandsonparwithRussiainitseconomicandmilitarystature.Thetruerise

ofChinastartedfrom late 1990s after the transferofHong Kong from theBritishleasetothemainlandofChina. Chineseleadersbyallpossibilitylearntandpicked

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theropesofdevelopmentandprogressfromthewesternisedanddevelopedcityofHongKongandintelligentlyadaptedthetrickstotheirneedsandsystemtoproduce

ararehybridofunprecedentedsuccess.Thekindofgrowthandprogressseenin

China in a short span of time fades the otherwise stunning stories of progress

witnessed in countries like theCity Stateof Singapore,Japan, SouthKorea,and

TaiwanintheAsiancontinent. Its rapid rise in the ranksof theworldmade it a

respectablecountryinspiteofitsCommunistsystemanditsdisputeswithboththe

UnitedStatesofAmericaandRussia,and itsopinionsandactionson worldaffairs

arecountenancedwithseriousnessandalarmasfornoothercountries,andnodays

passwithout theworldpress, televisionsandInternetnewsreferring toChinaand

activitiespertainingtoit.

Chinawithaboutone-sixthof theworldpopulation accounts for thehighest

numberofrichpeopleoftheAsiancontinentandaccountedforelevenbillionairesin

2003againstseveninIndia.

Inspiteofall thisadvancement,thepeopleofChinacontinuetobepoorby

worldstandardsandtheymay remainso for some timeconsidering theirnumber.

China,tobeagreatworldpower,hastoattendthisweaknessofit.TheGovernment

ofChinaisdoingitsbestto improvethelotsofitsruralfolksandcitypoorthrough

novelschemes.But,raisingthestandardsofabillionpeopleovernightisbeyondany

humandream,lestChinasleadershipistryinginthatdirection.

Italy and China are two countries situated far from each other. They were

hardlyawareofeachotherinancienttimesandcametoknowabouteachotheronly

afterMarcoPolocametoChinafromItalyandwroteaboutChinainhismemoirs.

ItalyandChinaarecompetitorsthesedaysinworldtradeinidenticalgoodsandboth

haveidenticalinterestsinmostfields.Both countriesclaimnoodlesaspartoftheir

culinaryexpertiseandenjoyculturalsimilarities.

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THE XINJIANG TROUBLE

ChinahashadhugetroubleinUrumqiin2009inwhichethnictensions

eruptedbetween the localUighar Muslims and Han Chinese damaging Chinas

image.BothgroupsareantagonistictowardseachotherafterHanChinesehasbeen

foundmigratingtothatregionandfearedtobetakingawaythejobopportunitiesof

thelocals.

The Chinese Government tried to diffuse the tensions and ultimatelysucceeded.Chinainternallyhadrelativelypeacefullifefordecadesfreeoftensions

andinternalconflictsundertheCommunistregimesavefortheoccasionalTibetan

upriseandthestudentsprotestattheTianamenSquarein1989.

ThemigrationofHanChinesetotheUigharMuslimsmajorityUrumqifromthe

differentpartsofChinathataffectedthedemographyoftheregionisattherootof

theproblem.TherearenowalmostasmanyHanChineseinUrumqiastherearethe

UigharMuslims.ThishascausedtensionsbetweenthelocalsandtheHanChinese.

Inatoymanufacturingcompanyafewdaysback,agroupofHanChinesekilledtwo

ofthelocalUigharMuslimsandthisledtocommotionsintheareaandlocalswent

on a rampage killing Han Chinese. That led to serious clashes between the two

ethnicgroupsatXinjiang,thecapitalofUrumqileadingtoheavycasualtiesoflifeand

propertiesforcingtheChinesePresidentHuJintaotoreturnhomehalfwayfromthe

G5,G8summitanddispatchthearmytocontrolthesituationatXinjiang.

WhenonethinksofChina,heusedtothinkofitasasmallerversionofthe

formerSovietUnionoftheStalinvintagewithCommunism,onepartyrule,spiesand

secretagents,suspicion,oppressionandsuppressionoftheopponentsandruthless

administration,andasasatelliteofthelatter.Nomoreofthatnow.Chinaofpresent

daysstandsuptoRussiaasmuchasitstandsuptotheUnitedStatesofAmericaor

anyotherdevelopedcountriesinspiteofthebrethrenfeelingsfortheformeroutof

theCommunistideology.Ithaslong-standingborderdisputeswithRussiaand

adoptsitsownpolicies in foreignaswellaseconomicfields.Undernostretchof

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imagination,itcanbecalledasasatelliteofanyothersuperpower.Ontheotherhand,mostdevelopedcountriesarecompetingtobefriendChinaanddevelop

economicandtraderelationswiththecountry.

Chinaseconomicgrowthhasbeenstrongforquitesometimenow.Forthe

lastfewyearsithasrecordedaneconomicgrowthofexcessoftenpercent.This

howeverhadbeenforecasttodecreaseoverthecourseofthepastyear,becauseof

the economiccrisisthathasstrucktheworld.However, ithasbeenseen thatthis

hasnothappenedandChinahasdoneratherwellforitselfintheeconomicfront

overthelastoneyear.

Thishasbeenattributedto themassivestimulusplanthatChinahasdrawn

uplastyear.Thismassivetrillion-dollarplanhasshoredupChinatoaverygood

extent. The United States has on the other hand not beendoingwell, likeother

developedcountriesandalsoIndia.

China has recorded an economic growth of 7.9% for 2008-2009, which is

muchbetterthanpreviouslyexpected.Thisisthusarathergoodthingforthe

Chineseandthis issomethingthattheChinesewillbehopingtobuildonoverthe

nextfewmonthsandyears.Afterhalfoflastyear,Chinahadseenasmallslumpin

theireconomyamountingtoaboutfiveorsixpercentto6.4%growth.However,they

haverecoveredratherwelltoposttheoverallgrowthoverthelastoneyear.

TheChinesegovernmentishopingtodobetterthanthatin2009-2010and

thisissomet

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