SchwartzReport: Asia Owns the Future — Two Thirds of Global Middle Class in Asia by 2030

02 China, 03 Economy, 03 India, 04 Indonesia, 08 Wild Cards, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Cultural Intelligence, Government
Stephan A. Schwartz
Stephan A. Schwartz

As this report spells out, “By 2030, Asia-Pacific countries will comprise nearly two-thirds of the global middle class, dwarfing the projected one-fifth for Europe and North America combined.” Along with climate change this is one of the great geopolitical meta-trends that will define the 21st century.  In the U.S., one has to also add The Emerging White Minority Trend. And yet you will find barely a mention of this anywhere in corporate media. Why is that do you think? Austerity economics and deregulation have virtually destroyed the American middle class, certainly made it a shadow of its former self. In those European countries which embraced Austerity Economics a similar process has been going on. At the same time India, China, the Asia-Pacific nations, are creating a middle class that will dwarf its White counterpart. Power will shift. Our intransigence  concerning climate change, means leadership will go elsewhere, and will increase the speed of this transfer. We are going into a different world. And because profit is our only cultural priority, we are doing it rather badly.

5 Reasons America Should Fear the Global Middle Class

NIGHTWATCH: Afghanistan-Russia-India, Good-Bye ISAF

03 India, 05 Iran, 06 Russia, 08 Wild Cards, Peace Intelligence
Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

India-Russia-Afghanistan: India, Russia and Afghanistan quietly have created a triangular arrangement for providing arms aid to Afghanistan after NATO withdraws. None of the countries have made an official announcement. Only a small number of news services, including The Moscow Times and Pakistani newspapers, have published articles about it.

The arrangement was finalized in February when an India team visited Moscow, but it had been under discussion during the past year. It was one of the discussion items when President Karzai visited India last December.

Under the agreement, smaller arms such as light artillery and mortars will be provided by Russia and moved to Afghanistan from the north, while India paid Russia for the equipment. An inventory of Russian-made equipment in Afghanistan has been completed. Afghanistan has presented India with a list of requirements and Russia reportedly has made one or more initial shipments.

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH: Afghanistan-Russia-India, Good-Bye ISAF”

JZ: Feeding 9 BIllion with Seeds of Change in India (YouTube 9:03)

01 Agriculture, 03 India
Jason "JZ" Liszkiewicz
Jason “JZ” Liszkiewicz

For downloads and more information visit: http://www.journeyman.tv/?lid=65613&a…

In India, climate change is forcing farmers to adapt in order to survive. While scientists race to breed a new batch of climate-resilient super seeds, locals are instead turning to the ways of their ancestors.

Saltwater intrusion, flooding, droughts, rising sea levels and violent storms wreak havoc on the agriculture of countries like India, forcing many to seek out more resilient seed varieties. Rice conservators like Debal Deb are helping to reintroduce traditional, salt-tolerant solutions for struggling farmers. “They are more precious than gold,” says a local affected by cyclone Isla four years ago. People like Deb say these seeds rival modern scientific billion-dollar investments, including GM. But scientists say reintroducing old seed varieties simply doesn't produce enough to feed 9 billion people on a climate-changing planet.

Centre for Investigative Reporting

NIGHTWATCH: India Begins Military Support for Afghanistan — Robert Steele Comments

01 Poverty, 02 China, 02 Diplomacy, 03 India, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 05 Iran, 06 Russia, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Terrorism, 10 Transnational Crime, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Drones & UAVs, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Deeds of War, Military, Officers Call, Peace Intelligence
Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

India-Afghanistan: Indian Minister of External Affairs Slaman Khurshid said on 15 February that India will provide helicopters to Afghanistan.

“We are giving them helicopters and we will be supplying them very soon,” Khurshid told reporters accompanying him on a day-long visit to the Afghan city of Kandahar, where he inaugurated an agricultural university built with Indian aid. “We also have been giving them some logistical support and we hopefully will be able to upgrade and refurbish their transport aircraft.”

Khurshid did not specify the number or type of helicopters to be provided to Afghanistan. Nor did he elaborate on transport aircraft contracts.

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH: India Begins Military Support for Afghanistan — Robert Steele Comments”

Chuck Spinney: Should US Leave Afghanistan? Is BBC Out of Its Mind? Robert Steele Comments

02 China, 03 India, 05 Iran, 06 Russia, 08 Wild Cards, IO Impotency, Peace Intelligence
Chuck Spinney
Chuck Spinney

The attached BBC report/video by John Simpson describing Afghan attitudes toward the US/UK exit struck me as bizarre.  The weight of Simpson's gist is that most Afghans do not want us to leave.  But the report based most of its information on interviews in Kabul and only a short part (the wobbly part) on the countryside where the vast majority of Afghans live — i.e., Helmand.  Simpson did not mention of Taliban strongholds in Kandahar and the border areas with Pakistan,nor did he mention the western areas like Herat, or the Northern areas.  So I asked an Afghan friend who follows events in Afghanistan closely for his take on this report.  Attached below the video link is my friend's reaction and a NYT piece with yellow highlights.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25864611

(BBC) The BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson visited Kabul, a city he knows well, to discover what shape Afghan government forces are in and whether the Taliban could take over after UK and American troops leave.
 
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Email from Mr. X 
(a highly educated Afghan — ethnic Pashtun — an expat living in Europe)

NIGHTWATCH: Saudi-Funded Wahhabism on the Table as Enemy #1

02 China, 03 India, 05 Iran, 06 Russia, 08 Wild Cards, Cultural Intelligence, IO Deeds of War

Syria: President Bashar Asad Monday called for a battle against Wahhabism, the political and religious theology embraced by the Saudi Arabian government that backs the Sunni uprising against his regime.

“President Assad said that extremists and Wahhabi thought distort the real Islam, which is tolerant,” state news agency SANA reported. He underlined the role of men of religion in fighting against Wahhabi thought, which is foreign to our societies, according to Asad.

Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative Muslim tradition, which is predominant in Saudi Arabia and whose intolerant precepts govern Saudi religious, civilian and political life. It is a sect of Sunni Islam, whose leaders profess has no sects.

Continue reading “NIGHTWATCH: Saudi-Funded Wahhabism on the Table as Enemy #1”

Evan Ellis: China in Venezuelan Oil

02 China, 03 India, 05 Energy, 06 Russia, 07 Venezuela, 10 Security, 11 Society
Evan Ellis
Evan Ellis

In the aftermath of elections in Venezuela, I am writing to share with you my new publication “China, Russia, India and the Venezuelan Petroleum Industry,” just published by Latin Business Chronicle.

PDF (5 Pages): CN RU IN & VE Oil

Given the amount of confusion that has existed about the role of external actors in Venezuela, the article seeks to present the key  facts and data regarding Chinese loans, oil investment and other support to the Venezuelan petroleum sector, in the context of Indian and Russian activities in the sector as well.  I would like to offer my sincere thanks to a number of experts in the Venezuelan petroleum, financial, and other sectors who shared their knowledge and dedicated the time so that I could get the story right.

Dr. Evan Ellis is a professor of national security studies, modeling, gaming and simulation with the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University, with a research focus on Latin America's relationships with external actors, including China, Russia and Iran, as well as work on populism in the Andes, transnational criminal organizations and gangs in Mexico and Central America, energy security, and non-traditional national security topics. Dr. Ellis has published over 50 works, including the 2009 book China in Latin America: The Whats and Wherefores, as well as articles in national security, finance, and technical journals.