South Asian Outlook
Happy New Year 2019 and Beyond...
SAO has merged into IDN-InDepthNews,
flagship of the International Press Syndicate.
UN Commends Cuba's Advances Under Fidel Castro
By IDN- INPS UN Bureau *
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon extended on November 26 condolences to the Cuban people and to the family of former President Fidel Castro Ruz on behalf of the United Nations. Fidel Castro passed away overnight at the age of 90. He served as Cuba's President from 1976 to 2008.
“At this time of national mourning, I offer the support of the United Nations to work alongside the people of the island,” Ban told reporters in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he was attending the Global Sustainable Transport Conference. He offered his particular condolences to Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz, UN News reported.
Nepal: Hydro Boom Sparks Violent Conflicts
By Louise Voller – DanWatch
A state of emergency in Nepal has paved the way for green energy projects intended to relieve the country’s energy crisis. But following the approval of new hydroelectric power plants, conflicts have arisen between the government and local communities who feel their voices were not heard in the process, leading to several violent clashes between police and locals in 2016 alone.
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The Rhetoric and Reality of Donald Trump's Foreign Policy
Geopolitical Diary – Stratfor
The election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency has set the world abuzz. U.S. allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, smiling through their teeth, are feverishly hoping that Washington will maintain its security commitments. The Russians are eagerly trying to get the ball rolling on negotiations while warning that they expect real concessions from the Trump White House. A largely helpless Mexico and other major trading partners of the United States are trying to weather a storm of uncertainty over future U.S. trade policy. The coming months will test the reality behind Trump's rhetoric on major policy matters. What follows is internal brainstorming with Stratfor analysts on some (not all) of the bigger hot spots that will be affected by his presidency.
Understanding Trump’s Beefed Up Economics
By Jonathan Power INPS – IDN-InDepthNews
Donald Trump is changing the right wing’s economic spots. He is doing what Franklin Roosevelt did at the time of the Great Depression by increasing government spending – although it was the rearmament brought on by entering World War 2 that was an even more important factor in lifting America out of the doldrums.
Trump is following what Hitler did so successfully before World War 2 when he rebuilt Germany’s economic strength with autobahns and industrial subsidies (not rearmament in the beginning, as is often said). He is walking in the footsteps of President Richard Nixon who when he changed course with a new economic policy said, “We are all Keynesians now”.
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Balochistan: Reaping the Whirlwind
By Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
At least 61 Security Force (SF) personnel were killed, and another 164 were injured as terrorists stormed the New Sariab Police Training College (PTC), some 13 kilometres from Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, in the night of October 24, 2016. Three militants entered the PTC and headed straight for the hostel, where around 700 Police recruits were sleeping. The attack began at around 11:10 pm, with gunfire continuing to ring out at the site for several hours. Major causalities were inflicted when two suicide bombers blew themselves up. One of the militants wearing suicide vest was killed by the SFs. 250 cadets who were held hostage were rescued by the SFs. SFs were able to clear the area after five hours. Entry and exit routes to the area were opened for traffic the next morning.
The Donald Trump Enigma: The Elusive Billionaire and His...
Corporate Labyrinth... Is Donald Trump worth £10bn or £788m? ... depends on who you listen to.
By Roger Baird , Dan Cancian – International Business Times - UK
Among the many things Donald Trump promised the American people during his US presidential campaign was that a skillful dealmaker in the White House was all that was needed to turn the country around. The notion of himself as the arch fixer is one he has carefully nurtured over his 45-year business career, and many American voters believed his acumen would sort the problems caused by a generation of bungling politicians.
But it is wise to approach the Trump business empire, which spans hotels, beauty pageants and TV production, with a mixture of awe and caution.
Nikki Haley Nominated to Serve As US Ambassador to UN
By Suresh Jaura *
First American-born Indian-origin woman, Nikki Haley, made history in US by being nominated to serve as US Ambassador to UN, by President - elect, Donald Trump, on November 23. She is one of the two women in Trump cabinet, the other is, Ms Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education nominee
Haley, 44, born as Nimrata Nikki Randhawa on January 20, 1972, is the American-born daughter of Indian immigrants. Her parents, Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, immigrated to Canada after her father received a scholarship offer from the University of British Columbia. Her father moved his family to South Carolina after earning PhD in 1969.
Derailing the Railways
By Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
Two coordinated blasts targeting railway tracks hit near the Rawalpindi-bound Jaffar Express on October 7, 2016, in the Ab-e-Gum area of the Bolan District in Balochistan, killing at least six people and leaving another 18 injured. Initial reports suggest that a bomb had been planted along the railway track. The second explosion took place in the same area 20 minutes later.
Could President Donald Trump Start a Nuclear War?
By Jon Lockett – The Sun
Not so long ago, it was implausible that a major nuclear power — the US, Russia, or China — would consider using atomic weapons in any imaginable conflict scenario.
But no longer and experts fears this is likely to be our reality for years to come, which means that the next president will face a world in which a nuclear decision-making point might arrive far sooner than later.
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