Canada, India and the Unknown Gunmen: Is India responsible for the killing of criminals in Canada?

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

The Unknown Gunmen by Col Ajay Raina is a good place to start.  There have been a spate of killings that seemingly target anti-India terrorists. In Pakistan alone several of the terrorists involved in the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight to Kandahar have been eliminated together with terrorists belonging to the LeT and JeM, The Pakistani press has been crying itself hoarse over these executions though it has not provided any incriminating proof. Before proceeding we must look at this issue of "cross border" executions.

India has been wary of dealing with Pakistan ever since the audacious Mumbai Attacks on 26/11/2008. Obviously the teror attacks were organized by the Pakistani State and no meaningful resolution has happened. In fact the book by R V S Mani seems to imply that the Mumbai Terror Attacks were enable by the then UPA regime which colluded with Pakistan to help drive the narrative of "Saffron Terror". The Indian Army and Airforce were both ready to launch punitive strikes but the Government of Man Mohan Singh stood down. Since 2014 the policy has changes: surgical strikes and attacks on terror camps and facilities have taken place. And as the book Unknown Gunmen seems to imply, India has some ingress into opposition networks in Pakistan. It must be said that state Sovereignty casnnot be respected if a state indulges in terrorism and interferes in the internal affairs of another country. Westphalian statecraft does not apply in these circumstances. 

Justin Trudeau has made some outrageous allegations about the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Government of Canada is dependent on the support of extremist Sikh parties for survival and there are serious charges that China has helped Justin's Liberal Party win the elections. Is the Prime Minister of Canada diverting attention from China by making these allegations and this is exactly the line taken by the Ministry of External Affairs in its uncharecteristically harsh response to Canada. The fact that Nijjar may have been involved in the killing of Malik a Sikh extremist  who mended his relationship with India was ignored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in its investigation. Gangland rivalries within Khalistani Terror groups linked to US asset Patwant Singh Pannu are being ignored  and India which has sent 28 extradiction requests for the criminals involved is being blamed by the Canadian Government. The complicity of the Canadian Government is clear from the fact that Nijjar's petition for citizenship was fast tracked in spite of serious errors in documentation. 

In the latest round of accusations against India, Canada has brought in the name of Laurence Bishnoi whos is lodged in an Indian jail. Laurence and Goldy Barar are rivals and both groups are killing rival gang members and Canada is dragging the name of India in the murky waters of inter gang rivalries and conflicts. It must be said that Lawrence Bishnoi has emerged as a cult figure after he started a crusade against the Balck Buck shooting convicts. But this does not mean that the Government of India in any manner is supporting him. Therefore the insinuation that India is operating through Lawrence Bishnoi is misplaced.

Col Ajay Raina's book is written in  free flowing journalistic manner and he seems to suggest that R  &AW has made deep inroads into terror networks in Pakistan, Dubai and Thailand. There is little evidence from intelligence sources to back up the claims and the author has relied entirely on press accounts. However it is an interesting read.

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis: J D Vance and American Politics

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

Even the title is poetic. J D Vance who has been declared the running mate of President Trump, the once and future President of the United States is all of 38 years old and is a Senator from the state of Ohio. He has carved out a space for himself on the American Right by carefully selling himself as the epitome of a self made man who has caught the American dream in a green bay and danced with it to political visibility. His wife and mother of there three children is Indian and so obviously there is a great deal of interest in his politics and opinions. We were a little surprised by the nomination as Vance had attacked President Trump in a savage manner and did not expect him to be favored. But the die is cast and it is a Trump-Vance ticket. Vivek Ramaswamy had an incredible  run but after the Presidential debates he withdrew and it is certain that he will find a prominent place in the Trump Administration.

Vance advertises himself as a Hillbilly, a colorful word that has several  less respectable synonyms of which "poor white trash" is well known. After the Civil  War in America many white share croppers  and tenant farmers were displaced and made their way to the Appalachian regions. Vance's family settled in Kentucky and later Ohio. Poverty,  alcohol and substance abuse, serial marriages and joblessness were all part and parcel of Hillbilly society. And J D Vance's writes about his own mother as a typical representative of Appalachian upbringing--quick temper, a foul tongue, a violent passionate temper coupled with strong familial loyalty and Vance writes, " I was the abandoned son of a father I hardly knew and a mother I wished I did'nt."A very poignant statement about family in the poor regions of the US. As the country song of Lisa put it, learn right from wrong from a color T V.

Vance entered Yale Law School and graduated with a good degree in Law and joined a very prestigious Law firm. From his public positions he seems to have opposed the Iraq War and the costly military adventures  in Syria, Libya and other parts of Asia. And here he will certainly be on the side for maintaining peace in the world. The whole world is watching the Presidential Election very closely as another term for the war mongering Deep State will spell disaster. The crucial vote in this battle will be the African American vote.

Since the turn of the  twentieth century, the American Media and the "Professorate" has run a campaign blaming the Republicans for all the ills confronting African American Society. It has been pointed out that black families were functional entities until the 1960 when with the Civil Rights Movement and the transition to all enveloping Social Welfare, the families began to disintegrate with absentee fathers and multiple social crises within the Black Community. Some scholars have traced the process of ghettoization of Blacks to the Federal Housing Agency set up by the Democratic President Dwight Eisenhower when funds were made available for housing and by redlining neighborhoods whites  only communities were set up and with the concentration of high paying jobs the local schools tended to be better leaving the African American communities bereft of skills, social capital, jobs and education. The nanny state provided doles and that very much sealed the fate of most communities.

The Democrats are crafting a narrative that centers of "Black Empowerment" but few are trusting this narrative driven by the corporate media and Hollywood.

ARNI JAGIR AND THE "TEARS OF THE NAWAB": Histroy if Fiction

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

History writing is an underdeveloped art in India and Historical Fiction remains a distant dream, While the 1857 Revolt has inspired a few credible pieces of historical fiction, South India has essentially defied the charms of a novelist. This book The Nawab's Tears is neither well written not is the historical research of a high order. The plot is weak, the dialogues flat and one dimensional, the characters are really cardboard cut-outs. Yet I would like to take this book seriously as I am connected to both Vijayanagara as a Historian and Arni as I have heard tales about the goings on in the palace.

Palace of Poosimalai, Arni

 The attractive European style   building was constructed in the l   late nineteenth century, in a "French Style" to serve as the   residence of a court favorite. The   History of the Arni Jagir goes   back  to the days of the great Emperor Shivaji who conquered Tanjavur and Senji and made one Vedaji  Bhaskar Pant the Qiladar of the area, Consisting of around 125 villages, the Jagir was quickly acquired by the Bhonsle rulers of Tanjavur from whom it passed into the hands of the Nawab of Carnatic and saw considerable shifts in its fortunes as the English East India Company and Tippu Sultan faught for supremacy. In the famous Treaties, Sanads and Engagemenrts vol X were have the confirmation that in June 1789 the East India Company entered into a Treaty with Arni in which the jagir was conferred on Tirumal Rao and his successors. After the Administration of Sir Thomas Munro, Puddukkotai and Arni were the few estates which were not under the Royatwari Settlement. A Tribute of 10,000 Arcot Rupees was fixed as the peshkush, tribute, to the Nawab of Arcot. There is no record that  this amount was ever paid as the Nawab himself ceased to be an important player in politics after the Peace Settlement of Vienna which was signed in 1815. The Nawab was the only Indian potentate who signed this Settlement. The Jagirdars were firm devottees of the Madhava Philosophy and one of the heads of the Uttaradi Mutt attained Samadhi in Satyamangalam as Arni was called.

Arni Jagirdars were educated as the Madras Administration took over the samastanam and took custody under the Court of Wards decree. Consequently the princes were sent to Bangalore for education and later Tirumal Rao and Srinivasa Rao were both educated at Presdidency College, Chennai. The revenue of the Jagir picked up after the dissoulution of the Court of Wards and the Annual Reports of the Madras Irrigation Department and the Revenue Department show that considerable improvements were made. Silk production was encouraged and Arni Silk still remains an important item in the local economy. The jagirdars were notorious spendthrifts and lived a ;life of luxury. William Pogson, the noted Scottish Architect was commissioned to design the famous "Arni House" in Halls Road, Chennai.

Arni House, Halls Road

  It is against the back drop of the history       sketched above that we must situate the   context of the Nawab's Tears. This book  has been inspired by Dan Brown's Da Vinci   Code, Willkie Collins, Moonstone, Indiana   Jones with a touch of Hercule Pirot thrown in for good measure. The novel revolves arounf Krishna a widow of the last Jagirdar who asks her college flame Aravan to help her with some secret codes that she discovered in a diary belonging to one Captain Miller. Needless to say the necklace which was the Nawab's Tears as its immediate owner Chanda Sahib had been brutally executed after being defeated. The Masonic Lodge and its rituals play a prominent part in the novel. All said and done this is an entertsining read. Now I turn to certain Historical details which are certainly open to different interpretations.

There are frequent allusions to the History of Vijayanagara in this novel. Robert Sewell's Forgotten Empire even appears in the Bibliography. First, there is an equivalence drawn beteeen Hindu monarch's treatment of images and temples in the territory of rival kings after they had conquered them and Muslim conquerors like Malik Kafur and others including the Deccani Sultanates. The Historians of JNU are primarily responsible for the false equivalence. He gives the example of the Pallava conquest of Vatapi by the King Nandivarman. The image of Ganesha was neither destroyed or descecrated. It was brought to Kanchipuram and installed in the temple. Similarly when Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044) defeated the Chalukyas he drought back as war trophies images which till today are in worship in the temple of Gangaikondasolapuram. Similarly when Krishnadeva Raya (1509-1529)  defeated the Gajapathis of Orissa he brought back the image of Balakrishna from Udayagiri which was installed in the Krishna Temple which he specially constructed for this image. Unfortunately the Historians in their desire to please the powers that be made such outlandish claims and the novelist has only repeated them. Similarly the Gilani brothers who betrayed the Ruler, Rama Raya on the Battlefield of Talikota is referrewd to in a near contemporary account by Fredrick Ceasar.

This book needs a good editor to sharpen the storyline. And the writer does show the potential for Indian History to be engaging.

India's General Election 2024 The Prospects of the BJP and strategies

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

The bugle of elections has been sounded and the campaign to capture power has started. There is an increase of 11.5% in the strength of the Electorate and a significantly larger number of candidates are conrtesting, compared to the 2019 Elections. There are two broad allainces, the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP and the Indian National Democratic Inclusive Alliance the I. N. D. I Alliance. Rahul Gandhi, though not the declared leader, is the public face of this motely crowd.

Let us start with the I. N. D, I Alliance. The grouping is riven with personalitiy clashes and strong anti incumbancy wave in the two major states ruled by components of the Alliance: West Bengal and Karnataka. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the NDA is mounting a serious challenge but both the DMK and the CPM have deep roots and so there is only limited hope of BJP gaining a strong posse of seats. I expect asround 6 to 12 seats for the NDA from both these states together. In Karnataka and in West Bengal the BJP is slated to do well. The campaign of Rahul Gandhi is proving to be a huge embarassment to his Alliance. His statement against Sakthi has not gone down well and he has not mastered the art of political rhetoric which even ordinary members of the BJP have total command over. The seats for the INDI Alliance will not increase and Congress numbers may even fall. Except Punjab where the APP will getr the majority of the seats, the INDI Alliance is on a stricky wicket everywhere else in the country.

What are the issues before the Electorate: Governance, Internal Security, Economy, Infrastructure and Employment. On all these issue, except employment the Government has performed well. Governance has remained  more or less corruption free and there are no major scandals, financial or otherwise, affecting the credibility of the BJP. The Electoral Bonds which the Congress has tried to portray as "Licensed Corruption" was introduced to check the role of unaccounted money in the electoral process. The very fact that the electoral bonds could be traced back to the original donor is proof of the good faith in which the Government acted. Unfortunately the Government of India has to contend with a unified Opposition and a hyperactive Judiciary which struck down the Electoral Bond Scheme. It will be reintroduced after the General Elections. And a major slew of reforms of the judiciary including the judges appointing judges system that is in vogue today will ne introduced. The CAA has finally been passed and except for some organized identity groups, there is hope that Citizenship will be rolled out to the minorities in Pakistan. There have been some tension with regard to Center-State Relations. Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have refused to cooperate with the Centre on sensitive issues pertaining to transnational crime. I expect the next Government to define Law and Order which have been left by the Constitution to the Statesmore precisely. The Indian Economy has been growing at an average of 8% and the World Bank  and IMF expect this trend to continue. Unfortunately this is largely growth without employment as the only jobs available to the younger generation are in the gig economy. India has seen a phenomenal growth in terms of Infrastructure and the investment in Ports, Railways and Highways will continue. In fact the impressive economic growth figures of India comes from Infrastructural growth.

Given the track record of Governance, Internal Security and Economy I expect Narendra Modi to make a clean sweep in the forthcoming elections. I have not been wrong in my electoral prediction so far and I venture to state that the BJP will win between 334 to 354 seats. give or take a few. The 400+ that the leadership talks of is hype. Unless South India makes a complete U turn  in its politics, this number is not possible. And South India has outlawed miracles. 

All in all a BJP led Government seems probable.  Apart from the Electoral Bonds and the Arvind Khejriwal arrest and imprisonment the Government has not taken any major misstep. The Liquor Policy Scam in which Kavitha the daughter of K C  Rao, the former CM of Telengana and Manish Sisodia and of course now, the Chief Minister od Delhi figure as accused, is only fizz in a beer bottle. It will be impossible for the ED to prove the case in court and this makes me suspect that political motives are behind this strategy. If the Cabinet is guilty of making the decision why is the LT. Gov of Delhi who signed off on the policy not make part of the conspiracy.

India is facing serious challenges in the neighborhood. The tensions in West Asia are increasing and the war in Ukraine though is winding down is showing no sign of approaching peace. Tensions with China will continue as India maintains a strong and aggressive posture.

The Vishwanath Temple in Benares: Review of Vishwanath Rises and Rises by Meenakshi Jain

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

Vishwanath Rises and Rises: The Story of Eternal Kashi

Meenakshi Jain

New Delhi: Aryan Books 2024

After the restoration and consecration of the Bhavya Rama Temple at Ayodhya on January 22, 2024 a new set of historical issues have arisen: the Vishwanath Temple at Varanasi and the Krishna Janmastan at Mathura. Both were destroyed by the Mughal king Aurangazeb in 1669 and there are historical documents  that establish the destruction on the explicit orders of the king. 

Historians like Dr Meenakshi Jain who have worked extensively on the Rama Temple at Ayodhya and were instrumental in exposing the hollowness of the claims of the critics have now turned their attention to Benares. This book and Vikram Sampath's volume are the most comprehensive dealing with the historical and legal aspects of the issue. The latter is significant in that the Places of Worship Act of 1991 is seen as a statutory impediment to the demand for restitution and restoration of places of worship associated with the indigenous faith

of India. The map drawn by James Prinsep makes it clear that the floor plan of the Gyan Vyapi Mosque followed closely that of the temple and the three domes visible in the picture were placed directly above the sacred garba griha of the destroyed temple. As per the religious character of the site Courts will have no real issue ruling in favour of the indigenous faith of India. 

The book is a comprehensive history of Varanasi and its sacred heritage as reflected in archaeology and judicial and administrative documents. As early as 1809 itself there were systematic attempts to reclaim the site where the Lat Bhairava Temple stood which had been turned into a Mosque. In the struggle that followed sev eral people were killed and order restored. As in Ayodhya the indigenous people were allowed to worship at the site which will prove significant in determing the religious character of the site.

The sacred geography of Benares was shaped by the Skanda Puran a text put together during the 11th or 12 th century when the Ghadavalas were the ruling power. The Ghadavalas shifted their capital from Kanauj in order to be in a position to protect Benares which was being attacked by the Turks from the end of the 12th century. One consequence of the repeated destruction wrought upon Benares by the turushka is seen in the fact that places associated with the practice of the Pasupata Cult came to be inscribed on the larger canvass of Saivism. Apart from Aibak and Razia there were several instances of attacks on Benares. And after each cycle destruction effort was made to reconsecrate the destroyed temple by Rajputs, Mahrattas, and Sikhs. Ahilya Holkar restored the temple of Vishwanath destroyed by Aurangzeb at a site as close to the destroyed temple as possible and this temple still stands. The 12th century text Varanasi mahatmya provides information on the complex religious character of Varanasi that prevailed at the eve of the Turkish depredations over northern India.

The Vishwanath temple is credited to be the site of the Jotirling  of Siva and is said to be one of 12 sites so designated distributed from Kedarnath in the north to Somnath or Veraval in Gujarat and Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu. The Skanda Puran does not refer to the concept of Jyotirling and none of the Pasupata religious texts that survive contain any discussion on this important aspect of Saiva theology. Is it possible that this concept was fashioned to protect the virtual sanctity of Saiva temples that had been desecrated by the muslim invaders. The physical structure may have been destroyed by the divine image remains transcendental.

This book is full of interesting facts and contains a wealth of information that both historians and lay readers will find useful.

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.