by the meltingpot: March 2015

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Indeed, what is at work in the recent return of realism is the revenge of geography in the most old-fashioned sense. In the 18th and 19th centuries, before the arrival of political science as an academic specialty, geography was an honored, if not always formalized, discipline in which politics, culture, and economics were often conceived of in reference to the relief map. Thus, in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, mountains and the men who grow out of them were the first order of reality; ideas, however uplifting, were only the second.
And yet, to embrace geography is not to accept it as an implacable force against which humankind is powerless. Rather, it serves to qualify human freedom and choice with a modest acceptance of fate. This is all the more important today, because rather than eliminating the relevance of geography, globalization is reinforcing it. Mass communications and economic integration are weakening many states, exposing a Hobbesian world of small, fractious regions. Within them, local, ethnic, and religious sources of identity are reasserting themselves, and because they are anchored to specific terrains, they are best explained by reference to geography. Like the faults that determine earthquakes, the political future will be defined by conflict and instability with a similar geographic logic. The upheaval spawned by the ongoing economic crisis is increasing the relevance of geography even further, by weakening social orders and other creations of humankind, leaving the natural frontiers of the globe as the only restraint.
So we, too, need to return to the map, and particularly to what I call the “shatter zones” of Eurasia. We need to reclaim those thinkers who knew the landscape best. And we need to update their theories for the revenge of geography in our time.
Here is the link for the whole write up.

Now at 2nd place

My view is that relations between countries in the coming decades are most likely to reflect their cultural commitments, their cultural ties and antagonism with other countries rather than other factors. Quite obviously, power will continue to play a central role in global politics, as it always does. But usually there is something else behind conflicts. In the 18th century in Europe, the issues to a large extent involved questions of monarchy versus the emerging republican movements, first in America and then in France. In the 19th century, it involved states identifying themselves through nationalism. In the 20th century, ideology came to the fore, largely, but not exclusively, as a result of the Russian Revolution. We had fascism, communism and liberal democracy competing with each other. Well, that’s pretty much over. Liberal democracy has come to be accepted, in theory at least, around the world, if not always in practice. So the question really is what will be the central focus of global politics in the coming decades? My argument remains that cultural identities, antagonisms and affiliations will not only play a role, but play a major role in relations between states. The full interview is here.

This is the 3rd

Every citizen in the City of Richardson will be able to access 756 Kbps of internet connectivity for free, from anywhere in the city. They will be able to access the internet from their homes, schools, restaurants and parks using standard wi-fi connections which are now installed on almost every notebook computer. That is almost as fast as many so-called high speed broadband connections that one pays dearly for today, and several times faster than the various hotspots at your local coffee shops. And I should note that the tax-payers of the City of Richardson are not paying one penny for this, and in fact are going to see additional revenues as a benefit. ... At the beginning of this letter, I suggested that this would be one of the fastest worldwide rollouts of a technology ever seen. It was just 20 years ago that the first cellular systems were being built. The rollout for mesh wireless systems is going to make that look slow. There are several reasons I make this assertion. But they all center on the facts that installing mesh systems will be cheaper and easier than any previous system and the economics in both the developed and especially the developing world will be so radically compelling. Throw in the fact the any astute politician will want to be at the front of this parade (They will all want to say, "I was the man who helped bring free internet to everyone!") and the groundwork is laid for rapid deployment. In Richardson and elsewhere, MeshLinx is offering the basic infrastructure for free. This avoids all the time consuming, political budget battles in the cities. When a service is offered for free, much of the mandated competitive process is eliminated. Next is the low cost of installation of the system. As noted above, Richardson is a city of roughly 100,000 people living in 27.4 square miles. It will "only" cost about $2,000,000 today to lay the wireless blanket I mentioned above. It will cost a great deal less in the future, as MeshLinx is building the pods at a pace of 100 a month today. The maximum output of the US pilot assembly line is 500 a month. When the demand exceeds this (and it will in a very short time) discussions have been held to move volume production to China. Of course, the world will need tens of millions of pods. The cost for a pod will be a fraction of today's cost, with that installation number for a city like Richardson soon being half (or less) the cost of today. What does that $1 or 2 million get you? The infrastructure to be an internet connection, telephone, security, entertainment provider and a whole lot more company. As noted, it will get cheaper as the number of pods being made each month rises, thus lowering their costs dramatically. This technology does have scale. The cost of physically putting up a pod is not a large part of the equation, as you simply need to run a power line, attach a few bolts to a mount on the side of a building or light pole and then off to the next point. Think about the 40,000 homes and businesses in Richardson. If and (hopefully) over time when 10% decide to pay $50 a month for 10-20 Mbps high speed internet access you could see a revenue of $2.5 million a year just from internet access. Now add in all the other income possibilities (phone, entertainment, security and don't forget advertising revenue on the free service!). Think about your town or country. What would service like this be worth? If you are a small city that does not have high speed connections available, how many businesses that could bring jobs do not come your way because they need reliable communications for their work and their employees? If you are in a developing country, where internet access is difficult and expensive, it will open whole new vistas. Couple that with the various programs which want to give cheap laptops to kids in poor countries, and you could see significant social progress in a generation. Here is the link.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Now,a naval blockade

We have just come to face to face with a naval blockade.The Suadi-led allies have started blockading the ports of Yemen using their combined navies.

I'm not quite certain of this but the last time the world had seen another naval blocakde might be during the Cuban missile crisis,way back in the Sixties.Even reckoning on the interval of the occurence of naval blockading of nations,the present naval blockading of Yemen is a very significant in human history.

More than this,Yemen has already become a very significant symbol for us as well.

With this,we must not forget that both Iran and Russia are under West-enforced blockades because econnic sanctions are just another name for economic blockade.

Sure,just the mention of the words,'economic blockades' makes me flinch.And,I bet I'm not alone in this experience.But,most interestingly,I'm forced to use these words,not because some people in the hills of Manipur announce the programme of 'economic blockade' but because of the developments around the world.So,some parts of today's world have deteriorated to a level as bad as the situation of 'econmic blockade-prone' Manipur.

To make the already moody atmosphere much more worse,India's defence minister is currently in Tokyo,talking,what else,military affairs with the Japanese.Not to be outdone,China inexplicably start talking about its army and battles.

Nearer home,Burma has just completed preparing the draft ceasefire agreement with its myriad ethnic nationalities.Now,they will present the draft agreement to all the nationalities for ratifications.

Now,we are confronted with a very interesting scenario.The scenario in which most of the nationalities more or less willingly sign on the document with the exception of Kachin Independent Army,which is most likley be persuaded(by india and its Western allies) not to ratify the agreement.If this scenario actually comes out true,then we would have a very clear picture of who are on which side of the battleline.

Today also presents us with a cruel deadline.Iran has all the time in the world until this midnight to accede to the demands of the West.Here also,we are again face with two equally cruel scenarios.

1)Iran and Western powers fail to come to an agreement.Anticipating such a scenario,Us has already stationed a squadron of its newest military toy,F-35.Would US start

bombing nuclear facilities of Iran?

2)Iran and Western powers come to an agreement.Just at this moment,would Israel hasten to bomb the nuclear facilities of Iran?

Both the scenarios are actually cruel.The West and it allies are lumbering on a war path.So,we are staring at a war encompassing whole of the Islamic world.With the

protection of the oilfields and its ally in the region,Israel,as its foremost national interst task,the Us (and its allies) would be tied down with a conduct of the

looming war.With US influend out of Asia(howsoever temporary it may be)the battleline nearer home would certainly get red hot.Would Burma's draft ceasefire agreement serve as the proverbial spark?

Is this the kind the situation which we call historic?

But one thing is quite certain--the wait for the deadline would be nerve-wrecking,in the true sense of the term.

UPDATE
10.20 pm

Just heard over the radio that 2 Indian troopers were killed in a rebel attack in Ukhrul district in early morning today.

Incidentally,I was with the radio upto 4 pm listening to the news but no news about the attack.The news only came to us on 7.30 pm news.No traces of the news in any online news aggregator ,even at the time of this update.Surprised!

As the attack happened in Ukhrul district it's almost certain that the attackers were operating out of Burma.And,this morning in Burma there was the completion of the drafting of the ceasefire agreement.

So,this morning attack is meant to challenge the Indian State not to persuade the Kachin Independent Army to ratify the ceasefire agreement!A challenge indeed!!

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Two ambushes and twin blasts--their meanings?

Just learnt about the ambush by a Kuki-Mizo-Chin armed group,though it happened this morning in Manipur-Mizoram border.

Actually,I heard about it over the radio as I was cooking my meal.

My instinctive reaction--is it somehow connected with an ambush and twin bomb blast in Nagaland?

As I was eating my meal I was trying to digest the news as well!

The ambush and the twin blasts happened two days to the north of us.This morning's ambush just happened to the south of us!But this does not help us in finding a pattern.Yet,in description itself of what happened to the north of us leads us to at least one anomaly--bomb blast in Nagaland is more or less an anomaly.So what happened two days ago in Nagaland was something for not internal to Nagaland?

If it's not for something internal to Nagaland,then,is it there any possibility that it's somehow connected with this morning's ambush?

A lot of questions indeed.

But we can find some answers for the ambush that happened this morning.

1) The attackers are from Kuki-Mizo-Chin community.This immediately leads us to Kachin Independent Army.This,in turn,leads us to the battleline.

2) The ambush happened one day ahead of a marathon race and a global youth meet in Imphal.

Although nobody is saying it openly,it's quite a common knowledge which rebel group is behind both the marathon race and the global youth meet.So, this morning's ambush is trying to elucidate who are on which side of the battleline.(Did the sudden dismissal of the Mizoram governor today by New Delhi say that New Delhi is the main author of this elucidation exercise?If so,New Delhi is responding to the twin blasts in Nagaland by way of this elucidation exercise?)

Going on with this logic,the unusual twin bomb blasts in Nagaland were triggered to elucidate who are on which side of the battleline?

I'm just attempting a logical deduction.I admit that I can't attempt to find out the answer within a short span of two hours.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

The battleline and another Chinese visit(updated).

We all know that the batlleline was publicly drawn when Chinese troops visited Pune on 18th Nov 14.

Now,another Chinese delegation is arriving in Delhi on 23rd March 15.

What will happen this time around?

I am keenly watching all the proceedings!

UPDATE
24-03-15(9.20 pm)

Two things had happened.

1)As the Chinese delegates were arriving in New Delhi,Burmese army suddenly expanded its operation against the Kachin Independent Army.Here is the link to the full news report.

2)China executed three Uighurs,who,in a rampaging knife attack in Kummin railways last year,killed 32 people.The execution happened just as the Chinese delegate leader was meeting the Indian prime minister in New Delhi.These should be read in the context of what had been happening around Kummin(read:Chinese warplanes scrambling for combat sorties) and of the fact the Uighurs were directly manipulated from inside India.

But,these are,as it is,the distant rumblings,may be,at best,distant war dance or war drums.

What about things nearer home?

I was again stumped by what had happened near me.Part of the reason is that the thing came to us in such a unremarkable fashion.

As unremarkable as this news item--some third parties urging start of talk between Manipur govt and the agitators regarding the bill,which aims to safeguard the indigenous people of Manipur.This is just another routine news item,probably ignored by almost all the people.But,when this unremarkable news suddenly cropped up,out of nowhere just as the Chinese delegates were landing in New Delhi,then,it starts to carry altogether new and profound meanings.

--The Indian military would join the battleline just as the polarisation of the Manipur society for and against the bill have peaked.--

Unknown to us,there might be several brainstorming sessions,quitely and privately carried out as soon as the Assembly session ended and Manipuri society was observing a bandh against the bill(all the while wondering who was behind the Muslim-targeted bomb blast--supporters or opponents of the bill?) .These brainstorming sessions might have already decided on several amendments to the bill,which they thought,might enable them to regulate the migrant workers,that too,while parking themselves within the ambit of the spirit of the Constitution of India.Having achieved this,they might have sounded out third parties lobbying for the start of the talk.

That they had timed the third party lobbying for the talk with the arrival of the Chinese delegates in New Delhi points to the coming of the polarization fast and furious.We would witness this arrival of the polarization on the streets of Imphal.If they don't work hard and fast for the polarization,there is ample chance of themselves getting 'smudged' by the battleline itself.

As soon as the polarization starts to peak,the Indian military would move in.They would attempt a debilitating military blow to the leading sections of the Manipuri society who would spearhead the movement against the bill.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The battleline--is it too hot to handle for the Indian State?

Come to think of this--two days long bandh has just descended on us!

Anything particular about these two days?

The same two days during which Indian prime minister is scheduled to stay in Sri Lanka on his official tour!!

If anybody reads this together with my last post,it would be crystal clear that this turn of event carries immense meaning.My last post talks about how the Indian state might exercise its military option against the Manipuri rebels while its prime minster is staying in Sri Lanka for two days.These two particular days are 13th and 14th of March.

It's really a fascinating sight how the Indian state has been artistically maneuvering towards these two days since the 9th Feb.Even US president Barack Obama took his measured participation in this maneuver!

Then,they traveled all the way to the region where East and West literally collide.There they murdered an upcoming opposition leader,that too,as another part of the maneuvre!!

Having become a witness of all these artistic and almost subline maneuvre of Indian state,this blogger must have all the sympathy of the world when he says that he has been breathlessly waiting for the grand finalle on 13th and 14th!

But the bandh that has descended on us is saying that we might be staring at a grandiose anti climax.If it's the anti climax then,it's irrefutable to conclude that India state all along know that the battleline is way too hot for its temperament--it is so artistically trying to avoid the battleline.

Gosh,all those maneuvres just means for frightening people away from the battleline,concealing its own fright in the process!

Saturday, March 07, 2015

Boris Nemtsov,Burmese students and flight MH 370(updated)

As we were reading the news of the assassination of Boris Nemtsov,it was clearly a news born out of Russia's internal dynamics.But within days of the assassination,the uncharacteristically defiant students protest suddenly surfaced in Burma.

The juxtaposition of the two apparently unrelated events is making my mind racing,itching to find out more and,if possible,to connect the dots.

Adding fuels to my already pumped up mind is the fact that we are only two hours away from the first anniversary of the fateful take off of the Malaysian airlines MH 370.Eight and half hours from now,the pilot would cooly switch off all communication devices onboard the plane.

So,was Boris Nemtsov assassinated because of another Malaysia airlines flight,MH17?

So far,nobody is saying that downing of MH17 is,in any way, related with MH370.But we know that MH17 was hit by a missile over an area held by Russian rebels.So,are some agencies trying to link up the two airplanes by assassinating Boris Nemtsov?

By the same logic,the same agencies are trying to link up the two Malaysia airline flights,MH 370 And MH17,with Burma.

WHY?

I know it's becoming rather too bizarre.So,I hasten to clarify that I'm not doing logical deductions.Rather it's the case of what writers of spy thrillers call the 'gazing at the mosaic' of apparently unrelated information,data.Viewed from this angle the assassination of Boris Nemtsov,Burmese students protest,flights MH 370 and Mh17,at the least,form such a mosaic.

Right at the moment,we are witnessing the curfew clamped on a town,following the bizzarest of a mob fury.We must not fail to note that the town houses the headquarters of the 3rd Corp of Indian Army.

Does this latest event also form the part of our mosaic?

UPDATE
09-03-15(6 pm)

The beauty of tirelessly putting in apparently unrelated information,data in a mosaic is that,with some luck,we might see some patterns developed in it.

In our mosaic let's put in this piece of easily overlooked information.The part of the reason why it's so easily overlooked is that it's so near us--so near,in fact,that we almost fail to notice it.

Here is the information in the form of a question.

Why was the current session of Manipur Legislative Assembly set to reconvene on 13th and 16th of March,skipping as many as four working days?

Before answering this(meaning before properly starting to insert it in the mosaic) it would be proper to see what they are trying to achieve on this two working days.They are trying to protect the indigenous people Manipur by an act of law under the constitution of India.To achieve this they would try to regulate the free movement and settlement of Indian citizens in the state of Manipur.In a sense,it's like testing the 'elasticity' of the constitution of India.It's really interesting here to note that New Delhi has already demonstrated that they can make it as 'elastic' as the 'accommodation'' given to the likes of Mr Masarat Alam.Seen in this light,the whole Masarat Alam episode might have been wholly stage-managed.In other words,it's another way of saying that Indian Constitution is so in-exhaustively full of carrots.

They are going to dangle the carrots on the 13th and 16th.

They are also trying to say that if the carrots are not accepted, there are also sticks as well(as explained below by way of answering our question).

Now is the right moment to answer our question and thus start inserting the information in our mosaic.

The reason why the Assembly session was reconvened on the 13th March is that Mr Narendra Modi,the prime minister of India would be in Sri Lanka on this particular day on the last leg of his three nation official visit.

Doesn't the name Sri Lanka instantly remind us the most effective 'stick' administered to an insurgent group in recent history?

Besides this, the Indian prime minister has this irresistible glee to show off his most recent 'victory' over China--how he so subtly snatched Sri Lanka away from the 'clutch' of China.What better option is there than to show off his 'trophy' by administering an equally effective stick to the rebels of Manipur,widely believed to be supported by China.

So,besides the carrots being dangled in the floor of the state Assembly,the 13th of March 2015 might be the day on which we are most likely to witness the sticks of the 'nazi' Indian state.(Or,is it the 10th March,the day the Indian prime minister starts his three nations tour?The 10th March '15 is the 56th anniversary day of Tibetan uprising way back in 1959.So, which one is the decoy date--10th or 13th?)

This must be reason why we are seeing the assassination of Boris Nemtsov linking flights MH370 and MH 17 which,then,points towards Burma.And when we talk of Burma we instantly remember Manipuri rebels.

by the meltingpot

Now Reading!

Now at 2nd place

This is the 3rd