news views and analysis

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the United States.

By some "divine" coincidence this is the day before the first black President of the USA will take the oath of office.

We have all heard MLK’s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The below text is a small excerpt of MLK’s speech on All India Radio in March, 1959 [via]

It may be that, just as India had to take the lead and show the world that national independence could be achieved non-violently, so India may have to take the lead and call for universal disarmament. And if no other nation will join her immediately, India may declare itself for disarmament unilaterally. Such an act of courage would be a great demonstration of the spirit of the Mahatma, and would be the greatest stimulus to the rest of the world to do likewise. Moreover, any nation that would take such a brave step would automatically draw to itself the support of the multitudes of the earth, so that any would-be aggressor would be discouraged from risking the wrath of mankind.

The website of the Indian Consulate in Chicago has the entire transcript of the speech and here is the Audio file of his recording.

A defining moment in history. Simply awesome.

The last two weeks have been the worst (in decades) in financial history, in the US in particular and the world in general.

Even the “solution” to create a $700 Billion US$ plan did nothing to change the mood of the markets worldwide, with the US markets crashing nearly 750 points, the Indian Sensex down 750 points and the Russian stock market down nearly 20%.

The collective prayers of the U.S. population seem to be this US$ 700B bailout. And who else but a desi dude is pulled in to administer this.

Neel Kashkari was selected by Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to oversee the bailout program

The Treasury Department plans to tap Neel Kashkari, an assistant secretary of international affairs and a former Goldman Sachs banker, to oversee the government’s $700 billion financial rescue program, sources familiar with the situation said yesterday.

Kashkari has been a close adviser to Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. on the credit crisis and helped draft the legislation for the massive rescue plan. He is expected to run the program on an interim basis until the Treasury finds a permanent head, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment. Kashkari’s replacement would stay on after the next administration takes office in January. [link]

Neel Kashkari is an ABD, and his parents hail from Jammu and Kashmir

Neel was born in Akron, Ohio to Chaman and Sheila Kashkari, Indian immigrants originally from J&K, who like thousands of Indian immigrants took the academic route to the United States. Chaman Kashkari, who taught at the University of Akron, is now a retired professor of engineering and Sheila Kashkari is a pathologist. Neel’s wife Minal works for defense contractor Lockheed Martin. The couple has been active in Republican circles with political contributions to the party. [link]

Neel is one more of a growing list of Indian-Americans that are playing an important part in the Bush Administration.

Now Neel with all his engineering background and financial acumen is expected to turn around the whole mess. The Indian angle to his background is not lost. At least three colleagues here in the office pointed this out to me, minutes after the news became public.

It somehow increases the growing influence and prowess of India in the international forum, and for all the positive reasons, unlike say China who is in the news for poison milk.

Remember the seminal Tank Man who brought the despotic Chinese communist juggernaut to a halt in 1989.

Yes the same man who stood in front of a column of tanks in Tiananmen Square protests. Here is a CNN Video of the actual event.

The video below is an entry for Pangea Day. It is a view of the Tank Man from inside. Brilliant idea.

At a time when the Chinese are rearing their ugly heads in Tibet even as they go on preparing for a doomed Summer Olympics, these moments come to mind.

Kosovo is slated to declare Independance as early as this Sunday.

The birth of a nation is indeed a historic time especially for the citizens of the country. Kosovo has gone through a terrible decade and more of war. Hopefully there will be long lasting peace in the years to come.

In what is a shocking article, China is asking all athletes of all nations to sign a contract that bans them from making political statements against China, or they will not be allowed to travel to China this summer.

The Daily Mail reports…

British Olympic chiefs are to force athletes to sign a contract promising not to speak out about China’s appalling human rights record – or face being banned from travelling to Beijing.

The move – which raises the spectre of the order given to the England football team to give a Nazi salute in Berlin in 1938 – immediately provoked a storm of protest.

In short, China is forcing athletes to sign a contract barring them from speaking against the country or else they won’t be allowed to Beijing and thus able to compete in the Olympics.

“The move – which raises the spectre of the order given to the England football team to give a Nazi salute in Berlin in 1938 – immediately provoked a storm of protest.”

This is chilling sinister stuff the likes of which the world has not seen in the sporting arena, since the Hitler Games of 1936. China has been a nation thriving on human rights violation, repressions of freedom, illegal occupation of Tibet and now this.

I have always maintained that it is one of the worst diplomatic decisions to award the Olympics to a country like China.

I wonder what India’s stand will be with its athletes who represent the country at various sports. I hope that India does not force its athletes to do what the British are asking theirs.

Bhutan, one of the worlds last mystical kingdoms, goes the way of democracy with its first ever elections.

As the wintry fog rose from above the lofty mountains letting the first rays of the sun touch upon the ground, Bhutan woke up to a new morning on the last day of the year that intertwined its destiny with democracy.

Stepping into a new realm where the kingdom’s sovereignty will be vested in them, the people of the world’s last Shangri-La voted with lots of hope and excitement in their first parliamentary elections.

Since early morning, voters, dressed in their national attire, converged on election stations, crossing forests, rivers and streams. “Some of them trekked over three hours,” said assistant returning officer (Chukha) Sonam Tobgye at Phuentsholing, 175 km south of Thimpu.

Polling was held in 15 of the kingdom’s 20 districts to elect a National Council (Upper House). Each district has two candidates. The districts of Thimpu, Haa, Gasa’ Lhuentse and Trashiyangtse did not vote because they could not throw up more than one nominee. The tiny land-locked nation has a little over 300,000 voters.

Continue reading here.

Ex Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was assasinated earlier today at an election rally near Rawalpindi in Pakistan. She had recently returned to Pakistan after a truce of sorts was announced between her and Dictator Musharraf who rules Pakistan after usurping power from a civilain govrnment in 1999.

Benazir Bhutto was the first female elected leader of any Muslim nation, and it is this singular achievement that overpowers all her wrongdoings. She was no paraih and has been in the news for amassing huge sums of wealth for herself and her family. However she was the one shining beacon of hope for a democracy in an otherwise failed democracy.

Hopefully, this will jumpstart the country out of its stupor and incite the people in non violent ways to kick Musharraf out of power and restore a real, elected leader.

For more on the spot reporting head over to Metroblogging Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

Technorati tags: Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf, Dictator, Assasination

Time Magazine announced Vladimir Putin as the Person of the Year for 2007. As much as I was a bit surprised by the choice, I was not taken aback. To keep things in perspective the selected person is the one that has the most impact on the year.

TIME’s Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is not an endorsement. It is not a popularity contest. At its best, it is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world–for better or for worse. It is ultimately about leadership–bold, earth-changing leadership.

I have personally never been a fan of Putin. There is a lot of the communist era scary baggage coming along with him to make me feel comfortable. Russia is slightly better off than despotic communist China when it comes to human rights and freedom of speech. [link]

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Readers of this blog will remember my complete distaste and contempt for the “Great Leader” Kim Jong-Il, the despotic ruler of North Korea. In today’s world, North Korea reamains the last of the “land of Oz”….a mythical and mystical land, that most people can only imagine, but one that exists in reality.

Peter Hitchens is a columnist for the London Mail on Sunday, and he writes a wonderful post about his journey to Pyongyang.

North Korea is a small, isolated, stagnant pond left over from the flood of Marxism-Leninism, which long ago receded. But it has nowhere to drain away. Far too many people, not all of them in Pyongyang, have an interest in keeping it as it is. It still has the capacity to do terrible things but mainly to its own citizens. A serious policy would aim to find a way to help it escape from the political and economic trap in which it finds itself. Threats, name-calling, and the pretence that this shambles of a country is a serious world power are unlikely to achieve this. It is more to be pitied than to be feared.

Read his entire post titled “Camp Kim” here.