Nehru’s Legacy: Time to pay tribute #547

now I believe my graduate school advisor

`` you lazy ass, always read the primary source, never use the ``cf`` ``

Nehru’s Legacy: Time to pay tribute #190, masanamuthu

Nirad-babu is eccentric if nothing else but he is also a very incisive observer. Since you are reading ``Thy hand great anarch`` turn to the section on ``Calcutta Corruption`` where he describes how the Calcutta Corporation was being run pre-Indepence under Sarat Chandra Bose. In one hilarious case he describes how an order for 2000 pairs of boots was fulfilled by supplying 2000 left feet boots so that the supplier (and his corrupt friends) would be gaurenteed a follow-on order for 2000 right feet boots. He accurately predicts how this tolerance for corruption will be an even greater problem post-independence.

In another one of his books (I think it was ``continent of circe``) he gives an alternate viewpoint of the 1962 war. In the same book he also speaks out against Hindu groups distorting the reverence for the cow (which comes from our pastoral past) into a political weapon.

He is honest about his prejudices (his euro-philia etc) so you can compensate for them if you like. Read him with an open mind, he gives an alternate view of India in that era which has been swept under the carpet by congress propoganda and doctored history books.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal #85

1) Reliable and resonably priced electricity supply eliminates the numerous diesel generation sets run by Indian companies. Eliminates use of small (1-10 KV) gasoline/kerosene gen-sets run by families and retailers all over India.

2) Cheap Nuclear Electricity can displace gas fired power plants which free`s up more natural gas for use in (a) CNG powered public transport (b)setting up city gas supplies, which reduces LPG, kerosene requirements (both of which which comes from crude if you were not aware). Pakistan has been quite succesful at using its good natural gas supplies to offset increases in crude demand.

3) Resonably priced electric power will encourage electrification of more rail corridors thus reducing diesel consumption. Cheaper rail freight will reduce trucks on road further reducing diesel consumption.

Indian refineries are the only ones in the world that work with an objective of maximizing ``middle distillates`` (diesel, ATF, kerosene) and LPG. Reduction in relative consumption of these with respect to gasoline will also allow more efficient operation of refineries.

I am not saying all of this will necessarily happen, but this is how the energy economics works.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal #46

d-m, watch out there are some changes in canadian tax laws that will affect these trusts in the future. They are called ``oil and gas royalty trusts``.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal #36

asfand, thanks, that was really interesting.

Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA).
ILSA requires certain sanctions on investments over $20 million in one year in Iran’s
energy sector.

Agip (Italy), Statoil (Norwegian) and various Korean and Japanese companies are big investors in Iran energy sector so there is some standard loophole they use around the ILSA. but seems like if Uncle Sam wishes it has big club to hit India over the head with, if required.

Re-Imagining Pakistan #85

can you point me to the article by Hoodbhoy on the Indo-US deal?

thanks

Re-Imagining Pakistan #77

BTW. he was picked up by the Army as a security risk, interrogated, and let go. He was not tortured.

Samaj-dar ko ishara kafi hota hai

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal sorry, Perkovich is at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace now.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal d-m, the situation is very complex and the knee-jerk free pass you give to them sticks in my craw. here`s a brief exposition:

some are principled, like IMHO Perkovich (read his book, its the best on the Indian nuclear program), he proposd an alternative to the july 7 agreement which from my perspective is consistent with the rest of his views on India (he is at brookings and you can read his stuff there).

On the other hand people like Jeff Lewis and David Albright (see some of their stuff at armscontrolwonk.com) are pure scam artists. for example DA came up with this idea on how tenders floated by AEC/BARC led to the Khan network developing better specifications for some equipment (in his opinion ``fed information into the khan network``) I cannot imagine a more obvious attempt to sling mud in hope that some of it will stick. But these guys are very influential and prominent members of the NPA community. Similar is also the work of the ``Wisconsin Project`` of Gary Milhorin (sp?), read up about that.

What about their behaviour for the whole of the late `80`s-late90`s when everyone and his dog was aware of the functioning of the Khan network but large segments of the NPA establishment (in alignment with US policy) kept silent over it. How come even today China is scarecely mentioned with regard to the Khan network (again in line with US policy).

This unfortunately in my opinion proves that large segments of the NPA community are far from ``principled``, they very cearly have their agenda`s.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal to elaborate further, its as if d-m said: ``I think 20th century French philosophers have had the most unique insight into the human condition``

and on being asked about Sarte or Camus he replies ``yeah I am vaguely familiar with the names, who are they?``

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal #22

d-m, the names I gave are some of the leading lights of the non-proliferation lobby, if you are just ``vaguely familiar`` with them i dont think there is anything more to discuss. As usual you are spouting off on the issue without having read anything of substance.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal and also for your kind information Mr D-M, read a recent interview by Ashley Tellis on how though the contours of the deal were proposed during the BJP administration they were unwilling to make some key concessions which Manmohan Singh eventually made.

Truth Behind US-India Nuclear Deal #4

``The principled opposition to the deal came from the non-proliferation lobby in the US``

Could you explain why you consider the opposition from the non-proliferation lobby as ``principled``?

as a corollary,

are you familiar with the work of people like David Albright, Jeffrey Lewis or George Perkovich?


#14
hasan, from past interactions I have learnt that you know nothing of nuclear issues and the opposition comes from somehwere deep within so I cannot presume to fight it with logic.

Swearing-in Ceremony with Hand on the Bible? #468

VRV, reminds me of the elder brother in M.S. Satyu`s famous movie ``Garam Hawa``

Stagnating Pakistan-Iran Relations #3
taiko-saheb, Just to set the record straight:

1) In 1967, 90 Canadair F-86 Mk.6 Sabre jets were bought from Germany by Iran and subsequently secretly transferred to Pakistan.
2) Iranian C-130B`s were used to transfer Pakistani troops between West and East. These aircraft were subsequently donated to Pakistan.
3) A squadron of brand new F-5 fighters transferred to Pakistan by Iran in `71 though these arrived to late to take part in hostilities.

Now most of this was probably arranged by the US administration, but there is not doubt that Iran (under the Shah) went out of its way to help Pakistan.

This article may help:
http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_326.shtml

Just to complete the post, we know of the following at least:
1) Ammunition was donated by Inonesian and Turkish (PNS Dacca that was blown up outside Karachi harbour was packed with Turkish ammo)
2) 10 F-104 fighters were donated by Jordan.
3) Indonesia donated 20 Mig-19 (similar to Pakistani operated chinese J-6) fighters
4) Saudi Arabia donated $100 million to enable Pakistan to buy its Mirage III fighters (which were horrendously expensive for those days)

The IIT experience #26

Sandeep (not Sanjay) Pandey of ASHA.

I bit too political to be altruistic (he gave up his magsasay award money because it was ``tinged`` with US money)

but one must respect a lot of what he has done.