Is the United States of America a "Totalitarian Democracy?" Permanent War, Military Industrial Complex and Civil Society

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Full Spectrum Dominance by William Engdahi is a serious investigative Report on the interface between the political and civilian institutions and the organs of the Military Industrial Complex which some analysts term the Deep State in the USA.  Bereft of its conspitorial shimmer, this book examines in great detail the policy frameworks and the ideological matrix within which total dominance over the world is sought to be achieved. Preparing the citizens for a state of Permanent War implies the ability to command the economic, cultural and human resource in favor of the stated goals of the US and to be able to draw upon the discourse of "Democracy", "Freedom" and "Human Right" to render such wars legitimate in the eyes of its people and the world. In short a Prapaganda Empire that can sustain the war effort. The author claims that these goals lie behind the Full Spectrum Dominance aspired to by the US. Liberation, Free Market and Democracy are the rallying cry of the New Empire of the USA. 

The enemity first with the USSR and after the disintegration of Soviet Union, the continuing saga of hostility needs to be explained. It appears that right from the time of George Kennan the Russia expert in the State Department, USA committed itself to a policy of "containment". This policy itself was predicated upon the Eurasia-Heartland--Rimland theory of Sir Halford Mackinder whose pseudo science of Geopolitics found avid disciples in Henry Kissinger and even President Carter's National Security advisor, Brezezenski were impressed with the idea that Russia was the pivot of History and it was therefore in American interest to harass and intimidate Russia in order to curtail its natural importance. The policy with regard to Russia-Ukraine War that is presently taking place is also guided by the same strategy of ensuring that Russia does not dominate Eurasia. When Sir Halford Mackinder wrote his famous "Geographical Pivot of History" both China and India were weak colonized subjucated countries and in that specific situation Mackinder may have been right. Now with a boyant China and resurgent India, Eurasia is no longer the sole playground of Russia. This exaggerated theory that stresses the importance of Russia in the geopolitcs of Eurasia is the hangover of the Golden Horde and the long history of Mongol supremacy over the region. A costly war in Ukraine is governed by pseudo scientific theories of the early 20th century. 

The Totalitarian Democracy is a National Security State in which important organs of the Security Apparatus are virutually beyon the reach and scrutiny of the civilians. The Pentagon, CIA, National Security Agency and Defence Intelligence Agency are all part of a sprawling network of secret and semi secret beauraucracies that run the American State. In recent years we have even seen the FBI, the AFT anf the Justice Department being used to suppress and crush dissent. The world has been watching  incredulously as President Trump is being prosecuted by the current Administration. The Deep State has always regarded Donald Trump as a threat and tried its best to defeat him in 2016 and today wants to ensure that he does not contest. All these raise questions over the democratic credentials of he USA. 

The Prussian historian Clausewitz defined war as politics by other means and the US has taken this to a whole new level. Using NGOs, Church, media organizations and academics the US has acquired a creditable control over the narrative space of the world. George Soros and his Open Society, National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House and scores of such well funded fronts of the American state, pump money to create regime change all over the world. Successful regime change has been attempted in Ukraine, Myanmar, Tunisia, Egypt, Kosovo Khazakastan and other places. The tactic of "swarming" a event staged for the benefit of a photobgraphic crew with the international network of BBC and CNN ready at hand to amplify the message is seen in all these protests. In India too we have seen the same tactic in the anti CAA protests and the Farm Law Agitations. One added dimension was the support extended by the Governments of USA and Canada to these movements. These "Colour Revolutions" are the handiwork of the US Secret Service working in tandem with NGOs and Academics along with journalists.

The book brings out certain startling facts. For instance Winston Churchill wanted to send the 12 surrendeed divisions of the German Army into USSR in order to destroy the Soviet Union. USA even had a task force to identify Russian cities that would be bombed with nuclear bombs and it was Soviet demonstation of the Hydrogen Bomb in 1951 that ended US plans. And then there is the curious and tragic case of the Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The western press launched a viciuos campaign against him and he even was arrigned before the International Court of Crimianl Justice. He died in prison before the not guity verdict was pronounced. And men like Obama, Bush, Blair, Clinton and others are walking free as leaders of the "free world".

This book must be read for the facts it presents.

"Conspiracy Theory" and Statecraft: The Committee of 300 and the World Order

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

John Coleman is a well known public intellectual and his name is now cropping up in discussions on YouTube in connec tion with the emerging New World Order. The other day I heard a respected Major General refer to this particular book as his authority and decided to read it and offer my reflections on the book. Let me start by saying that as a Historian I feel that conspiracy theories are not worthwhile explanations though the arrangement of facts and the structure of the narrative may preclude any other conclusion save a conspiracy. 

Dr John Coleman maintains that a poweerful group of 300 men and I may add white men, in good measure, rule the world. They are extremely wealthy and powerful and run the world through a network of Institutions and Front Organizations. The proliferation of Think Tanks and policy institutes in USA together with the influence they exert on policy making and politics in general in USA and UK also incerasingly in other parts of the world as well suggests that Dr Coleman may be on to an important feature of contemporary foreign policy. The carreer of Dr Henry Kissinger keeps coming up as the quintessential apparatachick of the faceless mega institutions. 

What do General Zia Ul Haq, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Aldo Moro have in common. Dr Coleman asserts that in all these cases Dr Kissinger vowed to make an "example of them". The General was killed in a mysterious plane crash in Pakistan, Bhutto was hanged in a Pakistani jail following a judicial verdict and Aldo Moro was kidnapped and killed by the Red Brigade, an ultra left Communist group in Italy. All of them according to Coleman paid the price for going against the dictats of the powerful Committee of 300. The problem with this explanation as any historian will point out is self validating. Conspiracies validate themselves and that is why they are called consiparcies. Zia was probably executed by his enemies inside Pakistan and Bhutto was seen as an obstacle to what is now euphemestically called the "Establishment" in Pakistan and Aldo Moro was kidnapped by the Red Brigade a terrorist organization which was once close to the PLO. Oalf Palme is revealed by Coleman as an important member of the 300. His assasination on 1989 still remains murky and in India we believe that it had something to do with the  Bofors Scandal. 

Coleman tries to argue that the destruction of Nation State as the defining element of the existing world order will pave the way for the domination of the world by a self appointed elect. The sustained propaganda directed against Nationalism and Natioalists seems to hint that there is some truth in that. Accompanied by the destruction of the Nation State, the elect want a deindustrialization on a massive scale in the name of environmentalism. The sustained campaign against the Narmada Dam Project in India in the name of environmental protection is certainly symptomatic of ideological opposition to economic growth. Nationalist leadership ensured the defeat of such divisive agenda. Coleman's hypothesis that the New World Order that the 300 sought to fashion would be run by a technocratic elite of environmentalists, managers, programmers and data miners.

The growth of mega hedge fund operators like Black Rock and Vanguard has led to certain changes in the social and cultural landscape of western countries. The emphasis on Diversity, Inclusion and Equity has generated considerable pushback even in white countries. The War against Hamas launched by Israel after the barbaric October 7th massacres has led to widespread support for HAMAS across American campuses. The deep divisions have turned into racial faultlines which threaten to undermine the very base of western democracies. Wokeism may have been promoted by Soros and other leading lights of the Group of 300 but the consequences are beyond their control.

Coleman has exposed a side of Western Intelligence operations and that is welcome. The close cooperation between the five white Anglo Saxon countries--USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand--is based on perceived mutual interests. During the Cold War it was directed towards USSR. However after the disintegration of the USSR the focus has become more diffused leading to violence and chaos. Coleman repeatedly draws attention to the war crimes committed by USA during the Gulf War. The bombing of 150 000 soldiers who were retreating from Kuwait under a white flag constituted a war crime. The close links between the Intelligence and Media, particularly Washington Post and New York Times suggests that the "Free Media" amplifies the voice of the  powerful and the rich. Many of the members of the journalistic fraternity are also part of the various organs and agencies of the Committee of 300. 

This book contains a wealth of information and policy makers must be familiar with it. However in India, Coleman is taken very seriously and his construct of the Committee of 300 is seen here as the Global Deep State. The fact that Indian economy is doing well and foreign policy is on an even keel is interpreted in India as fissures within the Deep State which are opening up new possibilities and opportunities for India.  As Dr Jaishankar has shown in his book Why Bharath Matters the rise of India on the global stage  is a reflection of its civilizational strength and the confidence that follows from drwing upon the true history and heritage of India.

Justinian his Church and Column in Constantinople A Look at the Past

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Hagia Sophia

  The Church or more accurately the Basilica dedicated to Mary known to history as Hagia Sophia is a unique monument of the ancient world. It free standing dome was the largest such structure until St Peters, Rome surpassed it in the sixteenth century. It is today a muslim congregational structure and is undoubtedly a masterpiece of architecture. Built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian beteen AD 532 and 537, this Church was intended to be a monumental expression of his commitment to Christianity as the living faith of the Empire. Justinian is of course remembered for his attempt at codification of Roman Law now known as Corpus Juris Civiis.

The Emperor was presented an opportunity by the Riots of 532 when the Greens and the Blues supporting different gladiatorial champions rioted burning  the church consecrated by Constantine II that stood at the site. The Nika riots were put down with great efficiency by Generals Belisarius and Mundus. We have some details from Procopius, the contemporary who wrote the Secret History. The Hippodrome of Constantinople was the site of the massacre of nearly 30 000 rioters and it took nearly a fortnight for peace to be reestablished. The land was acquired and plans were made for a grand ceremonial centre for the city. Justinian's palace was close to the site of the Church making an obvious assertion of royal power in the heart of the sacred centre. The design of the Church was assigned to Anthemius of Trallus and Isodorus of Miletus.  On Christmas day 537 the new Church was opened for service. 

Misfortune soon struck. The earthquakes of 553 and 557 structure  severely damged the Church and in May 558 the dome collapsed, The Hagia Sophia had to be rebuilt and this time the architect chosen was the nephew of the original builder, Isodorus of Miletus. Surprisingly the new architect decided to raise the height of the dome by 25 feet inorder to reduce the lateral force and it seems that his experiment was successful. 

Material for the construction of the Hagia Sophia came from the spolia of the Temple of Diana, one of the wonders of the Ancient World and as far distant as Rome from the Temple at Quirinal Hill. 

Pausanias the Greek Historian of the Roman Empire said that the Romans worshipped their gods using other people's incense. A neat way of referring to the use of Spolia in Roman buildings. The Church and the Justinian Column were the heart of the new Augustanion, the ceremonial centre of Constantinople. After the conquest and sack of Constantinople during the IVth Crusade in AD 1204 the Orthodox Church was replaced by the pretentions of Roman Catholisism.  How did Justinian finabe this mega project?

Theodosius his predecessor had erected a huge equestrian statue cast in silver and Justinian had this melted and he obtained 7500 pounds of silver from this appropriation of  the statue of his immediate predecessor. Such acts which today we may consider as vandalism were common in the middle ages and indeed, Justinian was not done with his project. He felt that a monumental statue dedicated  to his reign would complete his design. And to this end commissioned a column which stood 75 meters and topped by a huge equestrian statue of him. Of course by this time he had run out of money and so settled for yet another statue which was recarved in his likeness. Again he chose a statue of Theodosius. The column with the ten feet tall equestrian statue  was level with the Church and made a huge impression on visitors who sailed into the Harbour from the Sea of Marmara. Both the Column and the statue have disappeared and fell victim to the devastation caused by Mehmet II as he sacked Constantinople after it was conquered in 1453, a dark chapter in human history.

Visitors to Constantinople have left records of the column and parts of the pedestal may have survived until the 18th century when visitors rocorded a huge platform like structure on the grounds of Topkapi Palace. There is an interesting story mentioned in Emma J Well's Heaven on Earth which she has just published. She says quoting Procopius that Justinian contrived/conspired to remove  the scaffoldding of the Column as his architect/mason Ingitius was high up on the platform overseeing the placment of the statue. Fortunately his wife seeing this waited for the darkness to fall and thew a rope and the mason used the rope to climb down. Was Justinian jealous of the architect or is this just a story handed down the ages to decry those who declare to the world:

I am Ozymandias, King of Kings

Look on my work ye mighty and despair.

Be that as it may the Column is lost to History but fortunately Hagia Sophia still stands.

Treason of the Intellectuals: The controversial Historian Neill Ferguson is spot on

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Neill Ferguson, the controversial author of Empire, The Cash Nexus, The Ascent of Money, Civilization, and Doom among others, has written a devastating critique of the white/western academic or intellectual  https://www.thefp.com/p/niall-ferguson-treason-intellectuals-third-reich and I have embedded the link. Dr Ferguson is  never afraid to speak the truth as he sees it and therefore has the respect of people who disagree with him. For inastance his understanding of British Imperialism is woefully onesided in that he completely ignores the subjects over which the Empire ruled and seems to suggest that the motives underlying the British conquest were not totally base, even if at times loot, plunder, and violence accompanied the expansion of British arms.

Neill Ferguson has completely shattered the myth surrounding American Universites that they are safe "spaces" for Research, Teaching and independent thought. On the contrary, the Universities seem to be riven with ideological battles with the Woke Ideology of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  being used to hammer and tar all those who disagreed with this format as "White Supremists" "racists" etc. The ease with which academic debates degenerates intro personal abuse and personalised attacks is very revealing. Like the Church of the Inquisition and the Community Party under Lenin Stalin and Mao, the elect considered dissenters to be traitors unworthy of the dignity of debate and whose ideas need to be cancelled and attacked using the combined force of mob fury and administrative power. Academics particularly Historians whose discipline has always prided itself as a craft have been badly hit by the fury of Wokeism that has undermined academic freedom and the independent pursuit of truth. The Social Sciences were the first to fall prey to the ideological agenda of the Wokes. It would be wrong to call Wokeism a "Left Wing" ideology as it has jettisoned class analysis and Marxist modes of social and economic analysis for idenity politics of Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation. Neill Ferguson has argued that after October 7th 2024, a new starand of virulent Anti Semitism has also erupted on American campuses. 

Neill Ferguson being a Historian draws a parallel with Nazi Germany when the most vocal and passionate supporters of the Nazi ideology was the Professorate in the best Universities and the credentialed professionals like Lawyers, Architects, Chemists, and Doctors. The intersectionality of ideology and profession led as Ferguson points out to carreer opportunities. Jews were dispropotionately the victims of Nazi ideology and the beneficiaries were the Germans. In a similar manner African Americans and White women have been dispropotionately benefitted from DIE based policies and once they infect academia they spread their ideology with passionate intensity which as Yeats once said was the sign of the "worst" as the best had lost  their conviction. Ferguson is now a lone voice in the wilderness. Jorden Peterson another dissident has paid an unacceptable professional price for his refusal to sign hosannas for Wokeism.

In India too we have seen all the signs of the ideological stranglehold of the Woke ideology. The systematic denigration of India and its indigenous people, the recasting of the Critical Race Theory borrowed from white sociologists into Critical Caste theory has led to the use of suspect sociological and anthropological models for studying Indian society. The main consequence of the large scale importation of white generated sociological theories into the discourse of Indian society is seen in the incited social and caste tensions that keep erupting from time to time. Groups who hold land and are dominant both in the agrarian and political landscape like the Jats, the Backward castes of Tamil Nadu and Andhra, the Yadavas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are  just a little distance from mobilization for identity assertion. India's inability to control the Social Science theories and its agenda both political and cultural has only been met and we are not sure if this is a case of too little too late.

Neill Ferguson has written a passionate article and it must be read by all those interested in intellectual pursuit and academic freedom.

 

Pakistan's YouTube Propagandists: Click Baits, Information War, Security Risks

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

For reasons that are totally obscure, YouTubers from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are hugely popular in India. One reason could be the facination with the enemy and what he has to say about India. In the run up to the pran pratishta of the Rama temple at Ayodhya the barrage of invective and provocative comments from Pakistan crossed all limits of propriety and civil behaviour. The context of their discourse was the participation of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in the ceremony and the incident of Decemeber 6th 1992 when the existing structure was brought down. Absent in their discussion was the long and sustained legal battle and there was no mention of the fact that the Supreme Court of India had given the judgement in favour of the Ram Janmabhumi Trust. The purpose of their entire attack was to incite anger and resentment in India and damage India's standing. 

The most venemous of the YouTubers from Pakistan is this sauve "Dr" Qamar Cheema who presents himself as a Geo Strategy Expert, India Watcher, Foreign Policy analyst. His rambling, at times even incoherent, string of words in a Punjabi accented Urdu patio, has only one objective: attack India and undermine its growing international stature. His stance on the Iranian missile attack on Pakistan is instructive. He suppressed the fact that militany attacks were being launched against Iran from Pakistan's soil. His outright support for terrorism in Kashmir is rather disconcerting and I wonder why this parricular YouTuber is not being blocked in India. His attack on the Rama Temple and its construction needs to be taken seriously as it has the potential to unleash violence in India. Qamar Cheema is silent on the question of minorities in his own country. I have not heard him mention the black Blasphemy Laws that are used to target Hindis and Sikhs in Pakistan, he is silent on the abduction of non Muslim girls and their sale to salwar clad senior citizens of Pakistan. There is no doubt that he enjoys the patronage of Rawilpindi, their euphemism for the Army Headquarters which runs their so called Hybrid Regime: Military dictatorship behind a civilian fascade.  His discourse revolves around presenting Pakistan as a victim of the vindictive policies of India towards Pakistan. India as far as I know just ignores Pakistan as it considers that country a mere nuisance.

Another YouTuber whose popularity in India is indeed huge is Ms Aarzoo Kazmi, a woman whose graceful smile wins her tonnes of admirers here in India. This woman is fr more sophisticated in her approach than the man discussed above. She is not a blinkered apologist of the men in uniform and at times she even utters a commet or two that can be critical of their "Establishment". The fact that she is allowed to broadcast is indication that she has support from the higherups in the Military hierachy. Her approach is based on the premise that India and Pakistan are conjoined twins strugglimg to reclam their identity. Ms Azmi,  India is fully aware of what it was and is and will be. There is no need for any advice. She is also strongly pro Pakistan though she will appear dressed in sari sporting bindi on occasion. Her sartorial experiments makes her popular in India.

Both these YouTubers are close to the Establishment and Indian viewers must be aware of their proximity to their Security Apparatus. Hence they disgorge propaganda against India, misrepresent its policies and programmes and strive hard to disturb social peace in India on behalf of their patrons in Pakistan. Unfortunately a Professor of Political Science from the University of Delaware, Muqtadar Khan has joined them.

India needs to take such propaganda seriously for reasons that I have already mentioned. The subscriber base  of their YouTube channel is entirely drawn from India which makes these propagandists particularly dangerous as they reach deep into the Indian population. If we look at their viewership figures it is staggering. They have at least 100,000 views on an average which means that they earn arounf $125,000 (US dollars) a year at the bare minimum. And Indians are helping them live this life.

Madam Commissioner's Extraordinary Life: An Autobiography or Public Relations?

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

The book Madam Commissioner: The Extraordinary Life of an Indian Police Chief by a retired IPS Officer Meeran Chadda Borwankar is extrordinary for two reasons: silence and evasion. This IPS Officer had served  the Maharashtra Police for nearly 4 decades and retired as the first wo,man Police Commissioner of Mumbai, an achievement. The reader expects a great deal from a person with such a range of experience who has risen from the ranks. However we are disapponted.

The author served in Maharshtra Police in 1993 wnen the Mumbai bomb blasts in 12 places took palce to which Sharad Pawar in his wisdom added one more making the numner 13. As a responsible citizen she should have given us some explanation regarding the 13 bomb blast. Sharad Pawar is on record saying thst he invented the 13 bomb blast in a "muslim" locality to defuse the "communal" situation. What a pathetic excuse to interfere in a crimianl investigation on a brutal terror attack on innocent citizens. If she is silent on the matter of the 1993 terror attacks, she is equally silent om the Mumbai attacks launched from Pakistan which witnessed 3 days of blood and mayhen in Mumbai: 26/11 attacks in 2008. Given the controversy over the attack stirred by by the Congress leader, Dig Vijaya Singh, clarification on this controversy would have been welcome. Silence on such important matters is not a good option.

Her book follows the standard protocol of any Police/Officer autobiography. Recruitment, recollection of training and early posting, marriage, birth of children, district posting, rise in the hierachy and the trials and tribulations of high office. In the case of this particular Officer she seems to have successfully pursued the infamous Jalgaon Sex Scandal in which a number of local policicians were involved. The speed with which she managed to arrest and prosecute them suggests that the accused belonged to the Shiva Sena and therefore the National Congress Party regime had no hesitation in unleashing the full force of the law. Of course when the BJP and Shiva Sena came to power many cases involving the Shiva Sena were withdrawn. Madam Commissioner does not say anything about the nexus between the crimnal underworld represented by the likes of Dawood Ibrahim and the Police. Guns and explosives were brought into Mumbai under the very nose of the Police. And the silence of Meeran Borwankar is rather eloquent. Curiously, the Mumbai Police effectively foiled an attampt by Shri Ajit Doval to send trained personnel to track down and punish the 1993 Mumbai Blast crimianls. Meeran's explanation that they were only intercepting Chota Rajan gang members does not sound convincing at all. 

Another issue on which she maintains stratregic silence is on the Vohra Committee Report which went into the close nexus between Maharashtra politicians and the Mumbai undersworld. It is obvious that the impunity with which the underworld operated was possible only due to political patronage across the ideological spectrum. We have already pointed out how Sharad Pawar did not hesitate to lie and prevaricate in orcer to defend the identity group involved in the 1993 blasts in which 265 citizens were killed. I have no hesitation in saying the the rise of Narendra Modi has ended the menace of Islamic terror in India.

On the whole this is an interesting book. But the reader cannot exoept any major expose.

Henry Every: Pirate and Nemesis of the Mughal Empire

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Henry Every

  The late 17th century was the Golden Age    of Piracy, and it was a global             

  phenomenon that essentially linked the          Indian Ocean to the Atlantic World.              Historians have now started exploring the    interconnections and linkages between          Piracy in different parts of the world.            Piracy as a state policy was instituted by      the English Crown during the reign of the    Tudor Monarch, Elizabeth I who                    encouraged Sir Francis Drake and John        Hawkins to prey upon Spanish ships sailing from South America to Spain. The South Atlantic became the theatre of English piracy sometimes called delicately as privateering, an arrangement in which the Crown protects the privateer in return for a share in the plunder and of course, deniability. Unfortunately, Sir Walter Raleigh another favorite of Elizabeth did not realize that the Stuarts were anxious to preserve their friendship with Spain and was executed at the insistence of the Spanish Ambassador.

The pirates of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean operated on what can best be described as contested spaces, the Caribbean and the Islands of the Indian Ocean, particularly, Madagascar. Here pirates found both facilities to have their ships repaired and recruit for future ventures. The Governors were notoriously corrupt and provided facilities for pirating expeditions. From the Caribbean the New England states of the US were within reach and pirate circuits soon spread to North America as well. It is against this historical background that we can situate the most infamous pirate of his age, Henry Every sometimes called Benjamin Bridgeman. Along with Captain William Kyd who was tried and executed at Tyburn, Henry Every too was the subject of a whole series of ballads and chapbooks, the product of the nascent print culture. Daniel Defoe also wrote a biography which was a huge success, King of the Pyrates. Though Henry Every operated in the Indian Ocean, unfortunately his name is largely forgotten in History.

On September 8th, 1695 the largest ship in the Mughal fleet, Ganj-i-Sawai was attacked and captured by the English pirate, Henry Every. Born in Devon in 1653 or so, Henry Every joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman and in 1694 mutinied and took control over the ship Charles II which he renamed Fancy. He sailed to Madagascar where two more pirate sloops joined in. Every avoided English and Dutch shipping and turned his attention to Mughals who plied their vessels from Surat to Mocha and thence to Mecca. The ease with which the Mughal ship was captured along with its accompanying flotilla of 3 or 5 smaller ships shows that the Mughals were a land based power who did not comprehend the importance of naval power. They seemed to have had no concept of lordship over the oceans. 

The Mughal Historian Kafi Khan in his record has referred to the incident and states that the Mughal King Aurangzeb was beside himself with rage when he heard that his granddaughter and members of the harem were captured and possibly abused: "After having remained engaged for a week in searching for plunder, stripping the men of their clothes, and dishonouring old and young women, they left the ship and their passengers to their fate". Kafi Khan goes on to say that the King ordered the Superintendent of the Port of Surat, Itimad Khan to punish the factors of the English East India Company. However for reasons that are still obscure, Imitad Khan did not enforce the royal order in its severity. He kept the English in confinement and soon released them. Even this was too much for the English who soon took revenge by seizing Mughal Officials and the Grand Mughal could do little over this challenge to Mughal authority and prestige. Like India's response to the 26/11 Attack, the Mughal response too was tepid and extremely tame. Finally trade concessions were extended even to Bengal after the East India Company gave vague assurances of bringing Henry Every to "justice". Except the Proclamation declaring Henry Every a fugitive there is no evidence that the East India Company or the English pursued him eagerly.

Where does the saga of Henry Every end. He seems to have lived out the rest of his life peacefully. The Mughal princess disappears from History though there are unsubstantiated rumours that she married one of her captors, an early instance of the Stockholm Syndrome. As for the treasure, a few coins discovered in Rhode Island in 2014 suggests that at least a part of the loot was hidden in New England making the Atlantic-Indian Ocean circuit complete.

India's Most Wanted Killed in Pakistan: The truth behind the killings

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Till now around 16 most wanted terrorists have been killed within Pakistan by unknown gunmen. The question that is being asked is a simple one: Is India behind the string of killings. This controversy has gained added salience due to the insinuation  of the US Deparment of Justice official that India, or some individual named Nikhil was behind an attempt on the life of the Kaliastani terrorist, Pannu. Let us take one issue first. India certainly has the intent to punish terrorists who roam the world scot free. But does India have the capability to launch kinetic strikes against terrorists. 

In the world today only 2 States have the capability of launching kinetic strikes against enemies, Israel and USA. MOSSAD is well known and the CIA has organized subversive strikes all over the world, the Nord Stream Pipeline being the most recent. India's  R&AW which was founded in 1968 has acquired information and itel gathering capacity. Its Electronic surveillance, particularly along the borders and the Coast is impressive and over the years has built its Humit network in certain countries, particularly Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal. However, it does not have the capacity nor the capability to launch assassinations and targeted interventions in any part of the world. Perhaps Nepal is the only country in which the R&AW operates with a fair degree of latitude. R&AW has cooperated with Bangladesh in identifying and transporting Mujib's killers who had sought refuge in India and successive Governments chose to ignore their presence. Of late the organization has increased its footprint in the Myanmar border region and the purpose is only to protect India. The collapse of the Myanmar Army would be a serious blow to India's aggressive counter insurgency strategy. I do not want to reveal more.

Returning to Pakistan, the death of the known terrorists is hardly a cause of concern. But India is being blamed for the death. While India does have the intent, capability is another matter. Further, the Government of India security apparatus reports directly to the Prime Minister through Ajit Doval and given the complex situation in diplomatic arena and the rapid rise in India's international stature, it is very unlikely that the Government would resort to illegal kinetic measures. R &AW has collected a great deal of information about terrorists and their network and it will not share this with either USA or Canada. India is only a beginner in the game of Big Power politics and will not jeopardise its goals early in the game. So obviously India is not directly involved. Deniability is very important and it takes time to build layers of deniability.

From 1999 onwards, when Benazir Bhutto came to power, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been encouraging terrorism in Kashmir and has built up support among identity groups in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala and Tamil Nadu. I K Gujral in 1997 as the appointed unelected Prime Minister,  to his eternal shame, had compromised Indian intelligence and so India was not able to either respond  and take adequate measures. The Kashmir Genocide was the result of I K Gujral's policy of appeasing Pakistan by disarming Indian intelligence and in Iran too Hamid Ansari as shown in Mission R &AW the same tragedy unfolded. 

The spate of targeted killings began in 2021 when an attempt was made on Hafiz Saeed. This terrorist escaped death and has been in hiding ever since. He is a UN designated terrorist and almost all terrorists killed during the course of the past year have been associated with (1) Laskhkar-e-Taiba, (2)  Hizbul Mujahideen, and (3) Jaish-e- Mohammed. Masood Azhar who was freed in exchange for the passengers of the hijacked AI 814 to Kandhaar in December 1999 is presumed to have died in the Balakot strike, though the R&AW has not stopped tracking him. Raheem Ullah Tariq associated with J-e-M was killed on November 13th in Karachi. Akram Gazi L-e-T killer was eliminated on November 9th near a town in Pakistan occupied Pashtunistan. Kwaja Shahid was kidnapped and executed in PoK. This man was involved in the attack on an Indian Army Camp at Sunjerwan in Kashmir. Shaid Latif who belonged to J-e-M and was the plotter behind the Pathankot attack was killed by unknown gunmen in Sialkot. In September Riaz Ahmed the mastermind of terror attacks in Kahsmir was killed in PoK. In Karachi Mufti Kasim Farooqi who had shifted to a new location was traced and killed. A month earlier, Hafiz Saeed's right hand man, Hussein Arain was killed in Sindh. IN Rawalpindi, in March 2023 Bashir Ahmed Pir of the Hizbul Mujahideen was eliminated. In Karachi again, Khalid Raza of the ul-Badr- Mujahideen was killed. Nepal too has witnessed the killing of India wanted terrorists like Lal Mohammed. 

India clearly and categorically denies involvement in these killings. And I have no reason not to believe what the Government of India says. As I have said, there may be intent but capability is a totally different order of magnitude. It is likely that a groups of Army Officers in Pakistan who are not favorably disposed towards the regime in power there are behind the killings and they may get assistance from patriots.

Emmauel Le Roy Ladurie (1929 - 2023) An Assessment and a Tribute

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Dr Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie died in Paris at the age  of 94 a long life filled with admirable contribution to medieval history and a stalwart of the "Annales" School of French Historiography. Of course the fact that his father served as a Minister of Agriculture under the Vichy regime in no way stands in the way of international recognition for his work. In fact as I have argued elsewhere it is about time to reassess the ideology of "collective guilt" imposed by Charles de Gaulle after his "Victory: march with the Allies in 1945. But this fact serves to underscore the complex relationship between the French Historical Establishment and the post "Liberation" French State. 

Dr Le Roy Ladurie

  Ladurie is a rock star among             Historians and his stellar reputation   rests on his Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error a study in which he used  the Inquisitorial Records to uncover the   pattern of culture and popular belief ina small mountainous village of just 250 peasants who came under the gaze of the Roman Catholic Church due to their apparent interest in the Cathars, a Christian movement that was declared heretical by the Catholic Church. Marriage patterns, familial ties, land control and ownership and relationship with the Clergy and its "errors" then as now are scandalous, Though published in 1978 this book still remains a classic study in what the French call mentalite`. 

This particular book has had a very wide impact and it has reshaped the field of agrarian and medieval history in significant ways. This was the first major work that used Inquisitorial Records to probe deeper questions of faith and religion in a medieval peasant society. As many scholars since have pointed out, the French peasants were usually unlettered and the records may at best reflect the scribes' perception. Here were have what Ranajit Guha in his classic paper, "The prose of Counter Insurgency" called History against the grain. Le Roy Ladurie followed this book with one of the classic statements on Historiography, The Territory of the Historian. Unfortunately this book remains almost undiscovered by students of medieval History. Another early book that must be mentioned is Times of Feast, Times of Famine a book in which he used the records of grape harvest to make a study of climate chamge and variation in medieval Europe. 

In 1580 a Carnival in Romans turned into a violent riot in which the leading citizens of the city of Romans attacked and killed craftsmen who were generally adherents of the Protestant faith. This event took place eight years after the 1572 Hugenots Massacre on St Bartholomew Day. The ferocity and the intense scale of the violence unleashed was unprecedented and the Historian puts in in the context of economic, cultural and social changes that were sweeping through France. 

This book is a study of the Platter Family which transitioned from sheep rearing to High social status profession within a single generation. Based on Family Records preserved in the Archives at Montpellier this work is an important contribution to the social history of early modern France. And the Peasants of Languedoc is a classic work of medieval agrarian history. 

One question that needs to be asked as Historians grapple with the methodological sophistication and grandiose sweep of Annales is the, apparent uniqueness of the French Method of History. Most of the world and certainly most of the non white societies lack historical documentation of depth and range that we see in France and other white states. The lack of resources itself should alert Historians to the fact that it is is not possible to replicate the Annales in other countries, certainly not in India. Second why do the Annales School of Historians stay away from Modern History. Is it because in the medieval period France was undefeated and was the proud centre of the European civilization.

The death of this great Historian is a loss and we mourn his death.

 

India's Experiment with Democracy: The Life of a Nation Through Its Elections: A Review

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

India's Experiment with Democracy: The Life of a Nation Through its Elections

S Y Quraishi, IAS (retd)

New Delhi: Harper Collins 2023

Shri S Y Quraishi I A S (retd) has written a hastily written book on Indian Elections in which all the talking points of George Soros and his Merry Men who scream about India being a flawed "democracy" in which "back sliding" of norms has become endemic are sprinkled in ample measure all through this badly written and sloppily edited book. We expect some quality from men who hold high Constitutional Office and I am sorely disappointed having perused the turgid pages hoping for insight and elucidation. And both were not forthcoming, unfortunately.

As the Chief Election Commissioner during the Man Mohan Singh regime, Shri S Y Quraishi for reasons that are quite obscure fails to highlight the two most important dangers faced by Indian Democracy: Corruption and Dynastic Politics. His tortured attempt to gloss over the conviction of Rahul Gandhi for his conviction in a criminal case of defamation shows bias in favor of the Congress and his insinuation that the case was instigated as vendetta makes one wonder about the quality of his judgement. He cites the Lily George judgement and is certainly aware of the consequences that stem from conviction. The purchase of criminals over Indian politics is hinted throughout the book but there is studied silence on Shahabuddin and Atiq Ahmed, the two most egregious instances of criminals masquerading as leaders. Giving more powers to the Election Commission of India to disqualify candidates is hardly a solution as this provision is likely to be used selectively on ideological grounds. Identity politics is reprehensible in whatever form it takes.

Apart from overweening bias, the book is flawed in that it takes a standard instrumental line when it comes to Democracy, Elections and Politics. The Indian Constitution does not mention Political Parties or their role in the affairs of the State and hence we can raise the question is the multi party democracy that flourishes in India alien to the letter and spirit of the Constitution. If political parties are not mentioned then it logically follows that defection cannot be regarded as an offence as the Constitution does not recognise the existence of political factions. This point is not addressed by Shri Quraishi though one of his predecessors Shri Navin Chawla thought it prudent to let the cat among the pigeons. Political Parties get legal status only through the enabling legislation, Representation of Peoples' Act. The founders of the Indian Constitution were perhaps aware of the ill of party democracy and hence avoided even according political parties constitutional recognition. 

The  Prime Minister has spoken of One Nation one Election as a solution to the constant election fever that grips the country. The Media has the distracting habit of reading election results as though state elections are referenda on the Central Government. This vital debate is not addressed except in a perfunctory casual manner. He rightly rejects NRI voting right but seems to bend towards allowing migrant voters the right to vote. Elections is India are in a federal context and the individual state must remain the locus of elections. On the Model Code of Conduct Shri Quraishi seems to think that giving it statutory powers will enable the Commission to be more effective. I think this will only lead to more litigation on the implementation of the code. 

Shri Quraishi seems to give far too much importance to Political Parties. May be for the Election Commission of India they remain its prime clients. However, political parties with a few honourable exceptions, have failed to maintain inter party democracy, failed to submit their election accounts to the Commission, failed to nominate candidates with good track record, and most have circumvented democracy by openly embracing dynastic fascism as the norm. Regional political parties are particularly prone to this tendency. And he has also failed to investigate the pernicious and corrosive practice of distributing money to the electorate. The Tirimangalam By election brought this before the Nation. And the author is discreetly silent on the huge sums of money seized during Elections. In Tamil Nadu, container lorries stuffed with currency notes were seized and till this day we do not know how the Election Commission of India disposed off the case. And the example of the Sivagangai Parliamentary Election result is still a lingering sore. Quraishi ignored all substantial issues dealing with money and crime in Indian elections. 

There is a great deal of repetition in the book. Passages are repeated verbatim and this only shows bad editing and poor writing and drafting. On page 218 and pg 222 we find the same sentence repeated dealing with corrupt practices. We find such instances throughout the book. It seems this hastily written book is designed to reinforce the George Soros and its affiliate Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) propaganda against India. India will remain a democracy in spite of the  poison emanating from white societies and their ideological partners and sepoys. 

Why should India and its former Election Commission have a  view on the elections in USA.  On pg 288 he write that President "Trump sought to cancel the 2020 election results an declare himself the victor". This is absolute nonsense. Trump sought to raise questions about the legal validity of the elections and nothing more. We do not expect a functionary of the Election Commission to accept uncritically the talking points from Washington Post and New York Times. His laboured effort to defend Muslim social practices as followed by Taliban in Afghanistan is not worth dealing with as a religion is judged not by what it preaches but what it practices. In any case that is an exercise in futility as far as the indigenous people of India are concerned.

This is a bad book. Written in a style that is full of North Block officialise and we are left with the wisdom that the Chief Election Commissioner ranks higher in the pecking order as seen in the Warrant of Precedence compared to a Principal Secretary. Hierarchy once again. 

Natalie Zemon Davis (1928-2023) A critical assessment and tribute

A look at the world of politics, statecraft, diplomacy and books

Dr Natalie Zemon Davis
1928-2023

Dr Natalie Zemon Davis was a rare historian in that he combined a vigorous prose style of writing with a flair for elucidating the unexpected and the spectacular. Crafting a taut narrative while keeping her eyes close to the primary sources is a talent that only the best among historians possess and these days when Historians compete with the "Social Scientists" for writing bland turgid jargon ridden semi literate prose, the stylist in Dr Davis stands out stark and clear. Her death on the 21st of October came as a shock to her admirers all over the world and I count myself as one such.

Dr Natalie Davis was a Jewish American Historian and as such gravitated towards the "progressive" side of American politics. Unlike the radicals of today whose radicalism is expressed primarily in a radicalized aesthetic, Davis and her husband, Chandler, face the raw brutality of the American State during the McCarthy Era when a campaign to root out "communist"   subversives was pushed through with the same passion with which the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion agenda is today being touted today. Davis and her husband who was a Professor of Mathematics were stripped of their passports and Chandler even spent six months in Prison for refusing to accept a subpoena and pleading the fifth. Certainly her politics was progressive. In 1959 she took her PhD for the University of Michigan and spent the rest of her life at Princeton University. Her Culture and Society in Early Modern France, Return of Martin Guerre, Fictions in the Archives and Trickster's Tales are important contributions.

Today the field of History has declined into a morass of post colonialism with the subjective and the unverifiable elevated as categories of understanding the past. Narrative and event oriented analysis of reality has given way to dense "thick descriptions" cast within a cultural/anthropological construct are seen as alternatives to the grounded histories that the Historical Method and its application creates. Memory, Culture, Society are the banners under which the New History associated with Carlo Ginsberg, Natalie Zemon, Ladurie and others marched. But these broad and almost undefinable concepts stretched Historiography almost to breaking point and in the cracks various kinds of splintered Histories sprouted based on identity, ideology and ideas. Dr Davis has not directly confronted these "post colonial" challenges.

Davis served as the President of the American Historical Association and her address History's Two Bodies remains a classic. Her death is a loss to the profession in the true sense.