राजकारणामध्ये ओबामा राजा आहे पण मोदी हा एक एक्क्लाकोन्डा पिल्लू आहे. कहा राजा भोज और कहा नरुभाऊ तेली!

 

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Sid Harth • 4 mins ago

राजकारणामध्ये ओबामा राजा आहे पण मोदी हा एक एक्क्लाकोन्डा पिल्लू आहे. कहा राजा भोज और कहा नरुभाऊ तेली! In politics, Obama is a king and Modi is a self-serving little cub. There is no comparison between a mythical king, Bhoj and an OBC seed-presser Narubhau. Jai Ho! ...and I am Sid Harth

Sid Harth • 12 mins ago

Avatar IAF101 DMC • a month ago Countries like India and China are distrustful of the claims about HFCs. Currently, non-HFC refrigerant production are technologies controlled by Japan, the USA and some countries in Europe. Further, the production of alternatives is FAR more costlier than the comparable costs for HFCs which millions of customers in the developing world use. There is a suspicion among some circles that the motivating factor for Western nation’s push towards these new refrigerants is more due to commercial factors than anything environmental. Further, the costs of using alternatives today is so high that it puts refrigeration and cooling technologies out of the reach of millions who can now afford HFC refrigerant using appliances. Without the West providing the technology or making available the IP on these alternative refrigerants in the public domain, there is very little incentive for nations like China or India to acquiesce to any “Protocols” about Global Warming – a theory that most in the West can’t even agree among themselves.

Sid Harth • 13 mins ago

DMC • a month ago This is a brilliant article. Well said Avatar DMC • a month ago The language on the venue for HFCs is pretty much identical to the G20 statement that Singh and Obama signed last fall, with both statements supporting use of “the institutions and expertise of the Montreal Protocol” to address HFCs while accounting for emissions in the UNFCCC. This article somehow calls this progress while even linking to a blog post noting that India’s agreement to this language last year meant nothing since India proceeded to oppose use of the MP for HFCs at the MP negotiations weeks later. So this language is more a sign of what hasn’t changed: U.S. getting strung along by ambiguity. G20 from 2014: “We also support complementary initiatives, through multilateral approaches that include using the expertise and the institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), based on the examination of economically viable and technically feasible alternatives. We will continue to include HFCs within the scope of UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol for accounting and reporting of emissions.” Obama/Modi statement: “The leaders recalled previous bilateral and multilateral statements on the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). They recognized the need to use the institutions and expertise of the Montreal Protocol to reduce consumption and production of HFCs, while continuing to report and account for the quantities reduced under the UNFCCC.

Sid Harth • 13 mins ago

PlanetPolicy SiDevilIam Avatar IAF101 • a month ago This is an optimistic article. The reality is going to be far more realistic. The USA has made grand statements and proclamations about Climate change and controlling emissions – yet comparatively even after 2 decades of the Kyoto Protocol, the USA remains the highest per capita emitter of carbon emissions. Further, to add insult to injury the USA has not even pretended to live up to its commitments towards funding emission control initiatives, neither have the Europeans. Only the Japanese have been serious and dedicated in their commitments, thus far. Considering the example of the last 20 odd years, the developing world will not do ANYTHING, until the nations responsible for the majority of global carbon emissions do FAR FAR MORE to prove their sincerity than what has been demonstrated thus far. If Americans are unwilling to give up their hummers or the SUVs or even pay some of the way for developing countries in terms of making clean energy technologies more widely available – nations like India, China, etc are unlikely to sacrifice the upward mobility of millions of their citizens (which for quite a few would mean the difference between a life of poverty and hunger or a life of productivity, hope and health for themselves and their families) just to assuage the noble platitudes of the West.

Sid Harth • 14 mins ago

A second promising development was on nuclear cooperation. When done in a safe and secure manner, of course, nuclear power has one major positive benefit: it produces no greenhouse gas emissions. In that regard, the Obama-Modi meeting suggested promise on greater U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation. The U.S. and India had agreed nearly a decade ago to greater cooperation in an effort to bring more nuclear power to India. But those efforts have been stalled since the two sides differ on whether nuclear power-plant manufacturers or operators bear liability in the case of an accident or malfunction. The Obama-Modi summit was encouraging in that regard, as it called for the establishment of a nuclear energy contact group that will address implementation issues, including administrative issues, technical issues, licensing, and in particular, liability. Beyond those concrete areas, both parties agreed to a “new and enhanced strategic partnership on energy security, clean energy, and climate change” that includes cooperation on developing “Energy Smart Cities” (with an emphasis on energy efficient infrastructure), cooperative efforts to scale-up renewable energy in India’s power grid, steps to promote investment in greater efficiency and innovation, and other clean power projects. They even signed a Memorandum of Understanding to make $1 billion available through the Export-Import bank for exporting US renewable technology to India. Mr. Modi and President Obama have pledged to cooperate in a set of crucial areas– economic growth, energy and climate change, defense and security, high technology, and global and regional issues. In the area of climate change, bilateral cooperation has an opportunity to deliver.

Sid Harth • 15 mins ago

Tangible, Positive Steps Forward Too often, international discussions about climate change only address the global climate talks. That is unfortunate, since the talks tend to be about long-term commitments and abstract legal frameworks, rather than concrete steps nations can take to cut greenhouse gases. Fortunately, the Obama-Modi meeting also paid attention to a few critical areas. One specific area where both sides made progress is on beginning to reduce the impact of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). These are very potent man-made greenhouse gases found in household products such as air conditioners and refrigerators. HFCs trap far more heat than carbon dioxide does. They were created as a replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which had been depleting the ozone layer. When the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987, it greatly reduced CFC production, only to replace it with increased HFC production. While this switch helped to restore the ozone layer, the increased use of HFCs means that this potent greenhouse gas has been emitted in growing quantities. The joint statement from the Modi-Obama summit recognized the Montreal Protocol as the right forum for reducing HFCs, but with reporting and accounting under the UN body responsible for addressing climate change – the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Under the previous government, this had been a point of disagreement between the two sides since India opposed any action on HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. The Modi-Obama statement was an encouraging first step.

Sid Harth • 15 mins ago

That would still leave much more work for negotiators. In the Paris talks – as in all previous agreements – each nation will need to determine for itself what is an appropriate level of emissions cuts. They will then subject that level of ambition to international scrutiny. Beyond that, countries will need to determine the legal nature of the agreement. Will it be “legally binding”, and administered by a central, UN organization? That was the design of the Kyoto Protocol – which was adopted by some nations, but ignored by others, like the United States. Or will it be a bottom-up, self-enforcing “agreement” like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade? That agreement gained support in the United States, and became the basis for over fifty years of reductions in barriers to trade. While Mr. Obama and Mr. Modi – or their teams – did not resolve any of those issues, it is certain that they are now aware that they will need to work closely together over the coming year to come up with a common framework for action. That is what the new U.S.-India Joint Working Group on Combating Climate Change will likely spend considerable time on.

Sid Harth • 16 mins ago

William J. Antholis | October 14, 2014 4:30pm The Modi-Obama Summit: What This Means for Climate Change U.S. President Barack Obama and India's Prime Minister Narendra ModiAfter their summit at the end of September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post, and their two governments issued a robust “U.S.-India Joint Statement.” The statement was surprisingly ambitious about a broad, strategic and global partnership across a diverse range of issues — from trade, manufacturing, maritime security, e-governance, to even sanitation.Both leaders paid particular attention to energy and climate change. In fact, both sides seem to embrace their responsibilities for dealing with climate change, while acknowledging the different responsibilities that each country holds.From the perspective of those responsible for these issues in each country, there was some urgency to this meeting of the minds. There is just over a year to go before all nations come together in Paris for the next UN Climate Change Conference. Although China has surpassed both the United States and India combined in total emissions, the U.S. and India rank second and third in annual emissions. The world’s oldest and largest democracies will need to step forward and demonstrate leadership in Paris.The central question ahead, in the run-up to the Paris meeting, is how rich and poor nations will see their obligations. The most pressing version of this question is whether to revise the technical definition of “Common But Differentiated Responsibilities.” That term, coined in the early 1990s and enshrined in UN treaty language prior to the Kyoto Protocol, has become a major sticking point in the negotiations. Many in India stick to an old definition that means that developed countries are the only ones that have to take on obligations to limit emissions, where developing countries can still wait until they have become wealthier before accepting any constraints on their emissions growth. Developed countries – especially the United States – are pressing rapidly developing nations to take on a common framework for the obligations, even if the level of cuts are very different for rich and poor nations.

Sid Harth • 17 mins ago

Modi and Global Climate Leadership How will the new government proceed on climate change? At the central level, Mr. Modi has already taken two dramatically important steps: he has streamlined energy decision-making, and also environmental decision-making. India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests is now the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Domestically, he has put the experienced and effective Suresh Prabhu as the head of a high-level panel on reorganizing the various energy ministries — an “Advisory Group for Integrated Development of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy.” The new consolidated energy ministries offer the promise of an integrated approach to clean energy. Internationally, the challenge for Modi will be the upcoming UN Special Summit on Climate Change – and India’s negotiating stance in the next Paris meeting of the UN climate negotiation in 2015. Historically, India has held fast to “equity” – that is, an emphasis on the industrial world’s historic role as the greatest greenhouse gas polluter and contributor to global warming, and India’s still relatively low per-capita emissions. And as Jairam Ramesh pointed out, some Indians are suspicious of a “covert political agenda” among climate scientists. Indians have, as a result, been reluctant to lay down any national goals for greenhouse gas emissions that would sacrifice the nation’s international sovereignty in a legal sense, and that would inhibit its economic growth. India can still be mindful of those objectives. Yet it now faces growing domestic attention to climate change impacts, as well as a more complex international picture. The United States has signaled that it will implement ambitious greenhouse gas regulations, and China appears to be doing the same. If Modi wants to project an image of an India “that actively engages with the world” and which wants to lead, as he said in his inaugural address, he may be willing to go beyond old-line climate change talking points. The new environment minister Prakash Javadekar still uses the language of “common but differentiated responsibilities” – still a relevant concept when India’s level of economic development and per-capita emissions are well below the United States or Europe. Yet how those responsibilities are taken within India remains an issue of both Indian and global importance. Internationally, Prime Minister Modi has an opportunity for India to step forward to lead a new low-carbon approach to development – and in the process to demonstrate that India can be a global environmental leader without sacrificing economic growth. Portrait: Bill Antholis William J. Antholis Managing Director, The Brookings Institution Senior Fellow, Governance Studies @wjantholis William Antholis is managing director of the Brookings Institution and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. His academic background is in how democracies conduct foreign policy, and he has served in the U.S. gover

Sid Harth • 17 mins ago

Growing Awareness of Climate Change Still, India increasingly sees the local impacts of climate change and growing coal use. The biggest climate impact has been on changing weather patterns in South Asia. Over the last 50 years, rising temperatures have led to a nearly 10 percent reduction in the duration and rainfall levels of the annual monsoons that are vital to nearly all Indian agriculture. Moreover, the melting of Himalayan glaciers threatens the country’s other vital water supply. In addition, rising sea levels have put hundreds of millions of Indians at risk in low-lying population centers in the Kolkata and Chennai metropolitan regions—a reality brought home during the devastating 2004 tsunami. So Indians now take climate change more seriously. Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, has become a global spokesman for the cause. For a decade, he has headed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—the UN-backed research body that collects and reviews the scientific evidence that human activity has been the main contributor to climate change. And little by little, his fellow Indians have begun to take notice. Perhaps most surprising to Pachauri was the phone call he received from Narendra Modi in 2009, then chief minister of Gujarat. Like many in New Delhi, Dr. Pachauri had only heard of Modi because of his role in the infamous Gujarat riots of 2002. Modi called to request a briefing on climate change. Pachauri was suspicious, but he agreed to host Modi and several top advisors for a two-day seminar. Modi returned home to Gujarat with the zeal of a convert. He launched the first state-level ministry to address the issue and promoted the use of renewables, especially solar. As he told me, “For me, this is a moral issue. You don’t have a right to exploit what belongs to future generations. We are only allowed to milk the earth, not to kill it.”

Sid Harth • 18 mins ago

India, Coal, and Greenhouse Gases In my previous post, I described India’s challenges in taking advantage of its wealth of energy resources. That has been particularly true of efforts to access and use coal. But in fact, not exploiting fossil fuels has had one positive benefit: it has been good for the global climate. India already is a greenhouse gas giant: it is the world’s third-largest national emitter. But if it had fully exploited its coal and gas resources, its emissions would be much greater. At 2 gigatons in 2012, its carbon emissions ranked far behind those of the United States (5.2 gigatons) and China (9.9 gigatons). When adjusted for population, the average Indian emits four times less than the average Chinese and ten times less than the average American. Of course, one of the reasons that the average Indian emits so few greenhouse gases is because hundreds of millions of Indians are still not connected to the grid. That disparity in average emissions per person has dominated India’s position on global climate talks for two decades. Since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, India has been the strongest voice for “common but differentiated” responsibilities. Those were enshrined in the famous 1997 Kyoto Protocol where developing countries avoided binding agreements to reduce their emissions until developed economies first dramatically slashed their own. For over a decade after Kyoto, India refused to discuss any binding limits. Indians would only discuss binding targets when other countries had reduced their own emissions to the per-person level of the average Indian – which at current rates would not happen until sometime in the 2030-2040 range.

Sid Harth • 18 mins ago

Modi: No Change in my Climate Change Dogma November 18, 2014 / elcidharth William J. Antholis | July 30, 2014 2:30pm India’s Climate Change Policy in a Modi Government Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to a crowd at Katra.As Secretary Kerry travels to India for the Fifth India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, it is worth noting the prospects for cooperation in one of the five pillars of the dialogue: energy and climate change. This is particularly important because Narendra Modi, the new prime minister of India, will appear on a global stage in New York in September at a special UN Summit on Climate Change, called for by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. It turns out that this is a global issue for which Modi has been studying and preparing for at least five years – well beyond any other state-level leader in India. Modi’s efforts to bring electricity to every corner of his state, Gujarat, are relatively well-known in India (see my most recent blog post). That power push helped unleash an economic growth boom that propelled him to the prime minister’s office. But in the middle of that effort, he also went out of his way to get educated on climate change and to take early steps to try to do something about it.

Sid Harth • 22 mins ago

Modi Misbehaves in Japan | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3580Sep 2, 2014 – It also gives a good peek into what Modi’s foreign policy is really like.Since the moment Narendra Modi invited the Saarc heads of state to … कृण्वन्तुविश्वमार्यम् | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3513Aug 31, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=3513 ….. Modi is likely to double down on the theme of foreign policy as foreign economic policy, with India’s … Modi’s Foreign Policy: MoFoPo | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=1002Jul 15, 2014 – This attempt is also leading to a focus on South Asia as a central strand in Modi’s emerging foreign policy priorities. Inviting all country leaders … BJP Exposed | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=38391 day ago – The BJP will also have to use the Modi factor, though the latter may not … the Congress and the BJP agreed over foreign policies that brought … Modi: Make a Mountain out of a Molehill | So Sue me sidileakdotcomma/?p=3428Aug 29, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=3428. Modi: … World is watching every move PM Modi makes. From his …. So, when it comes to Modi’s foreign policy, what have we seen and not seen, what do we now know and still not know? Modi Lies in Japan | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3583Sep 2, 2014 – Japan has played important role in India’s development: Modi · Live … READ ALSO: With bricks and mortar, Modi puts a foreign policy in place Modi Sarkar’s Missing Foreign Policy | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=992Jul 15, 2014 – Beginning this week with the Brics summit at Fortaleza and Brasilia in Brazil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a packed foreign policy … Narendra Modi’s Japan Visit | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3278Aug 26, 2014 – Modi hails India-Japan ties, says looking forward to visit … ministerial summits every year–a rare feature in the foreign policy of each country. Modi: Stuck in the mud 100 days | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3542Sep 1, 2014 – That does not however stop Modi implementing policies that the last … and bring back foreign investors who, though they are piling record … भगोडा घोडा: नमो का मनो परिवर्तन? | So Sue me sidileakdotcomma/?p=3422Aug 29, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=3422 … Modi Government To Shop For Choppers in India. … 5 hours ago – Opinion | August 29, 2014 Indian Prime Minister Modi’s Foreign Policy: The First 100 Days By: Tanvi Madan Selectively …

Sid Harth • 23 mins ago

Modi: A Hindutva Shogun | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3506Aug 31, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=3506. 6 hours ago – Why is Japan wooing Narendra Modi? …. neighbourhood as Prime Minister, he said it underlines “the high priority” that Japan receives in India’s foreign and economic policies. WTO: Modi’s Kodak Moment | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=1512WTO: Modi’s Kodak Moment. July 21, 2014 elcidharth …sidileakdotcomma/?p=1512. 4 hours ago – All 160 WTO … Modi Sarkar’s Missing Foreign Policy | So Sue me … Brics and later: PM Modi’s foreign policy must reflect … Brazil from … Modi, a hot air balloon, Oops, Buffoon | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=2658Aug 12, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=2658. Modi … Narendra Modi, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has spent this campaign season ….. Although Modi has not made a dramatic foreign policy speech since taking office, his choices … Modi’s BRICS Summit Propaganda | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=733Jul 12, 2014 – Modi’s Propaganda on BRICS Summit | So Sue me.sidileakdotcomma/?p=731. 5 hours ago – googledotcomma/#q=sidi…. …. summit and examining its implications for U.S. foreign policy and the broader international … मोदी सरकार चा सन्नाट-भन्नाट कारभार | So Sue me sidileakdotcomma/?p=2792Aug 17, 2014 – Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolish Planning Commission? …. when Modi had hit the ground running on foreign policy issues with his … Modi Hit With a Ton of BRICS | So Sue me sidileakdotcomma/?p=1016Jul 15, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=1016 … IMF is the lender of last resort to countries that don’t have the dollars to pay their foreign debt. … 20 hours ago – Modi Messing With Monetary Policy · July 15, 2014 elcidharth Leave a comment.

Sid Harth • 23 mins ago

अबेचट मंगनी लेकिन NO ब्याह, उफ़्फ़ … sidileakdotcomma/?p=3550Sep 1, 2014

Sid Harth • 24 mins ago

Modi’s Info-Blackout | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3323Aug 27, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=3323 … Modi’s media plan under spotlight after Rajnath episode. …. This time they may be more free to push forth the policies ….. His most confident steps have come in the realm of foreign policy, where … Protects Criminals | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=3449Aug 30, 2014 – 100 days: ‘Policies’ the Modi govt and BJP won’t talk about. by … There is a look-East policy on foreign affairs, a look North-East policy …

Sid Harth • 25 mins ago

So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=36586 days ago – In the Brookings Foreign Policy Brief, “Keeping the South China Sea in Perspective,” ….sidileakdotcomma/?paged=696.

Sid Harth • 29 mins ago

Sid Harth (USA) Presidential Barack Obama’s Approval Ratings — Barack Obama 12> Job Approval Ratings, Barack Obama 40% Sep 1-7 2014 Term Average to date 48% Jan 20, 2009-present High point weekly average 67% Jan 21-25 2009 Low point, weekly average 40% 11 times. Most recently Sep 1-7 2014 High point three day average 69% Jan 22-24 2009 Low point average three day average 38% Eight times Most recently Sep 2-5 2014 My dear Maitreyee Borouah, what do you do for living? Read PM Modi’s social media outrageous ‘bakwas?’ Have a nice ‘Onam.’ Please don’t eat, Oops, drink ‘Payasam.’ Bad for your complexion, physically, as well as literally. …and I am Sid Harth Sid Harth (USA) Sorry, Maitreyee, I had to do it to you. I voted barack Obama, twice. Not only that I am his generous patron–contribute to his various political and social campaigns. Check Democratic party donations List on Google. What is your point? Two world leaders are supposed to meet. Barack Obama is very anxious to let Narendra Modi’s sordid past be forgotten and/or forgiven. Modi has not indicated any such maltreatment from America. Elsewhere, a team of BJP ‘chamchas,’ some big name, big and deep-pocket persons are asking Indian diaspora in America, to meet and greet PM Modi at Madison Square Garden (huge arena). Obviously display their love and admiration for our leader of masses. What masses? Messed up Hindutva M-key masses? Modi is most vocal politician in the recent political history of Indian politics. He has a massive PR, either led by his cronies or paid for by Desis–Overseas Indian Diaspora. Modi wants their generous donations, even after becoming prime minister. I wonder why? Is India, a country second most populated in the world, so poor that Modi needs pennies, nickels and dimes, like a ‘tamasha’ performers? I am not a Modi fan, everybody and their brothers-in-law knows that. However, I am fair. If Modi has any, even little humility left in his bones, he ought to lay it down bare–accept his major role in ‘after Godhra–Muslim massacre. Dear Maitreyee, do me a favor, shut your trap. I was not born yesterday. have a nice day. …and I am Sid Harth

Sid Harth • 33 mins ago

Minister Narendra Modi while expressing … “On September 6, a …. analyzes India’s humanitarian aid as part of its foreign policy, asking why India gives humanitarian … Obama-Modi Duet | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=2944Aug 20, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=2944 …. Argument The U.S. Needs to Modi-fy its India Policy How Washington should … BY Alyssa Ayres MAY 20, 2014 Share + 427 Shares U.S. Foreign Policy India South Asia India has just voted the … Modi’s India, Oops, Australia First | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=1858Jul 28, 2014 – Modi Sarkar’s Missing Foreign Policy | So Sue me – Sid Harth.sidileakdotcomma/?p=992. Jul 15, 2014 – July 15, 2014 elcidharth … Mr Modi, Wake up, Please III | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=1787Jul 26, 2014 – The U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit: A Focus on Foreign Direct Investment …. The EU has a similar set of policies manifested in its Accounting and … Modi Hates Muslims, Loves jews | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?p=1246Jul 18, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=1246 … Sep 1, 2012 – Muslims, but haven’t yet heard Modi even remotely regret the killings of 2002. … civil connections with Israel — India’s avowed policy in the Southern Levant has

Sid Harth • 33 mins ago

US-India meet: Can Obama look into Modi’s eyes and see his soul? Mitt Movie – My Sister Marilyn Monroe mysistermarilynmonroedotcomma/… 18, 2014 – Aug 29, 2012 – Aug 21, 2012 – It’s Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy, Stupid … … Modi, a Dead man Walking | My Sister Marilyn Monroe …. That means that links from sidileakdotcomma have a small influence on the search engine … Ukraine Crisis – वसुधैव कुटुंबकम ?p=… 25, 2014 – “Suffice to say we’ve looked at our policy options,” she said. “We know … Narendra Modimania: Sid Harth | News, Views and Reviews: Sid Harth … US (Fucked-up) Foreign Policy and I – cogito ergo sum sidileakdotus 1 … Hang Narendra Modi – My Sister Eileen mysistereileendotorg/?p=699India… Narendra Modi wins 3rd term as state leader, setting stage for prime ministerial bid …… Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy ….. Jun 30, 2011 – More ….sidileakdotus/2012/01/arrest…. Jan 27, 2012 … Uncategorized – My Sister Eileen – Page 209 mysistereileendotnet/?cat=1&… 18, 2013 – Government shutdown · Hang Narendra ‘maut ka saudagar’ Modi · Goodbye Food Stamps, Hello Food Fights! … Blower, Julian Assange and I · Mitt Romney’s Family, Oops, Foreign Policy Secrets and I … sidileakdotcomma/… Modi’s BRICS Encounter of the Third Kind | So Sue me sidileakdotcomma/?p=752Jul 13, 2014 –sidileakdotcomma/?p=752. 5 hours ago – Modi’s BRICS Encounter of the Third Kind … 6th BRICS summit in Brazil: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement. TNN | Jul 13 …. Modi has a zero (0) background in foreign policy. Uncategorized | So Sue me – Sid Harth sidileakdotcomma/?cat=1.sid…. 5 hours ago – Modi: … He said that Prime

Sid Harth • 44 mins ago

the Pentagon and in Afghanistan urged Mr. Obama to define the mission. ...and I am Sid Harth Obama-Modi Bhai-Sautela-Bhai September 9, 2014 / elcidharth

Sid Harth • 45 mins ago

The decision ensures a direct role for American troops in fighting in Afghanistan for at least another year, it said, adding Obama’s decision was made during a White House meeting with national security advisers in recent weeks. In May, Obama said the American military would have no combat role in Afghanistan next year. Missions for the remaining 9,800 troops would be limited to training Afghan forces and to hunting the “remnants of al Qaeda”, he said. Obama’s new order lets American forces execute missions against the Taliban and other militant groups threatening U.S. troops or the Afghan government. The new authorization also allows U.S. air strikes to support Afghan forces on combat missions and U.S. troops occasionally to accompany Afghan troops on operations against the Taliban. The Times did not mention if the change would affect the number of American troops deployed to Afghanistan. The change emerged from debate over two imperatives: Obama’s promise to end the war in Afghanistan, and the Pentagon demand to let American troops fulfill their remaining missions there, the Times reported. Some civilian aides have argued against risking American lives next year in operations against the Taliban, saying there should only be a narrow mission against al Qaeda, it said. But generals urged Obama to define the mission more broadly if intelligence showed extremists threatening American forces. Two issues shifted the debate, the Times said. Obama’s Afghanistan strategy faces stiffer criticism after the advance of Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, it said, while Afghanistan’s new president has been more accepting o

Sid Harth • 46 mins ago

My dear Chidanand Rajghattaji, (short version) Who wins, Modi or Obama? (long version), Modi in his La-La-La-Larilappa Mood November 22, 2014 / elcidharth Sid Harth • Just Now Obama signs order expanding U.S. Afghanistan role – NY Times WASHINGTON Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:13am IST U.S. Marines march with flags during a handover ceremony, as the last U.S. Marines unit and British combat troops end their Afghan operations, in Helmand October 26, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/Files U.S. Marines march with flags during a handover ceremony, as the last U.S. Marines unit and British combat troops end their Afghan operations, in Helmand October 26, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Omar Sobhani/Files Related Topics Top News » World » South Asia » Supporters of Satguru Rampalji Maharaj, a self-styled “godman” take shelter under placards as they are hit by a police water cannon during a protest outside the ashram of Rampal in Hisar in Haryana November 18, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer India This Week Our best India photos from this week. Slideshow Children of Syria Mission to Tabit Transgender fashion show Holes in the earth Latin Grammys ceremony » Click here for more slideshows (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing a broader military mission in Afghanistan in 2015 than originally planned, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Obama's R-day visit: Lame game has no takers; visit will be strong and meaningful, experts say

Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN | Nov 22, 2014, 09.41 PM IST

WASHINGTON: For some critics, dame luck has favored Prime Minister Narendra Modi by making Barack Obama a lame-duck president, allowing the Indian leader to snag the US president as a Republic Day guest. But except for some domestic issues, the lame-duck trope is overused in America, where the President remains the country's — and arguably the world's — most powerful man till he demits office and steps out of the White House on the final day of a four-year term.

When he arrives in New Delhi on January 25/26, US President Obama will still have a week short of two years in office. In contrast, Bill Clinton, when he visited India in March 2000 as Prime Minister Vajpayee's guest, had only about 10 months to go before demitting office after a second term (because of term-limits, a US president cannot serve more than two terms). Vajpayee himself was Clinton's last state guest in September 2000 when the US president only had about four months to go in his presidency. They didn't too badly in laying the foundation of a solid US-India partnership.

READ ALSO: Modi's diplomatic coup: Barack Obama to be Republic Day parade chief guest

Although the 58th quadrennial US presidential election is due on November 8, 2016, and the new presidential-elect will likely be known the very next day, President Obama will continue to exercise full executive power till January 20, 2017, when the 45th president will be sworn in. Past records show that even in this so-called "lame-duck" period, with the shadow of a new Congress and a president-elect over them, incumbent presidents exercised their authority to order military actions and issue executive orders.

This has happened many times, according to presidential historians and analysts. Most recently, President Bush was able to implement the surge in Iraq when his policies in 2007 seemed to be failing and he was at the tail end of his second term, with Congress in Democratic hands. Even domestically, he initiated executive action to save the financial market from collapse in the final days, even final hours of his presidency.

"History shows that the next few years could be a highly creative and significant period in Obama's presidency," writes Julian Zelizer, a Professor of History at Princeton University and author of Governing America. "Just when things seem most desperate, presidents have sometimes found the space they need in the closing months of their term to make gains."


Obama and Modi at the White House earlier this year. (File Photo)

Lisa Curtis, a Heritage Foundation scholar and former CIA analyst told ToI that President Obama, faced with criticism about his handling of key foreign policy issues, is likely hoping a splashy visit to India will help him start off the New Year with a foreign policy win. "Aside from the symbolism and optics of being the first US President to serve as chief guest at the Republic Day celebration, Obama has a real chance to cement ties with India in a way that supports US goals with the Asia pivot," she said.

Curtis also maintains that the invitation demonstrates that, unlike Manmohan Singh during his second tenure, Modi is not afraid to lean toward the United States. Obama's visit in January, which will make him the only serving U.S president to visit India twice, allows the two countries to continue the positive momentum in relations that was started by Modi's visit to the US, she added.

India also has the added advantage of bipartisan support in Washington, with both Democrats and Republicans backing strong ties with New Delhi. "The importance of US-India relations cannot be overstated. Frankly, this has been a relationship that unfortunately has struggled to find its footing in the last several years,'' said Congressman Ed Royce, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee and a strong votary of even greater engagement with India. "The president's visit could be another important step in getting this relationship back on track, following Prime Minister Modi's very successful trip to the US."

"Given the significant threat India and the US face from radicalism, the president's visit should have a strong counterterrorism component, as well. US President Obama should push for more high-level visits by each country's various intelligence and security agencies. Our cooperation is strong, but there remains a need for greater engagement," Royce advised.

Given such views, Obama's visit will be anything but ceremonial, despite it being linked to the Republic Day celebrations. In fact, in as much as it commemorates the adoption of India's constitution, the R-Day parade has lately become a showcase of India's military heft, with the overt display of military muscle, including nuclear missiles. New Delhi wheeled out its Agni-5 missiles during 2013 Republic Day parade, and it remains to be seen what firepower will float past President Obama on January 26, 2015.