India-US relations: News and Discussions III

Vayutuvan · Post by **Vayutuvan** » 10 Dec 2016 03:41

In the US, anybody on a job, say plumber, on site would not expect for free nor do they accept anything even for gratis. That is what is called professionalism. For example, I had a window/house washer come by to change all my bulbs outside bulbs (which are sort of 18' high in the soffits) from incandescent to LED. I asked him to take the incandescent if he has any use for them. He was very tentative that he is also thinking of changing his own incandescent ones to LEDs. Then it hit me that he was thinking that I would deduct a few bucks from what I have to pay him. I told him he can take them free and give it to somebody else who needs them. I am going to chuck them anyway. Then he says "o, OK I can use them here and there in my house".

"TANSTAFL" - Robert A. Heinlein

GShankar · Post by **GShankar** » 10 Dec 2016 03:52

RD, while the incident may be true, I interpret this a bit differently. If DT and company (DTC) thinks someone could be suckered, they will sucker them. Other corporates might also do that but may be DTC does it in your face.

It tells me a few things.

1) DTC like to do things blatantly and are happy doing it that way
2) They are always prepared to change terms to strike a better deal
3) If anyone stands their ground, they will get what they want assuming it is fair

So, anything blatantly done is good for us. We'll know thing from a (few) mile(s) away.

And in order to get a fair treatment, India should first stand up and go sit at the Table. And then hold the ground and be ready to fight (figuratively speaking).

PS: I know a few people who rent in Trump Towers in NJ and NY. They do pay an arm and length but seem to be happy where they are and haven't moved out for a while. So it is not all take,take,take. Seems to provide value to customers (in this case luxury living for those who need it for quality money).

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 10 Dec 2016 04:45

svinayak wrote:New Labor policy will also impact Indian business
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/don ... feb0da1b7c
Donald Trump Chooses Fast-Food CEO To Be His Labor Secretary
Puzder told the Los Angeles Times that he isn’t opposed to a minimum wage in principle, and doesn’t mind an occasional bump. He also told the paper he’d be open to indexing the wage floor so that it rises gradually over time.

In the same interview, Puzder didn’t seem to show much empathy for workers. He laid out all the reasons a company might prefer to use machines rather than humans for its labor force: “They’re always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there’s never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnkRfjs45hY

Yeah he keeps forgetting that if everything falls to automaton then there will be no customers. There will be only robot customers and they never need anything such as food or such.

Puzder seems to be extremely shortsighted.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 10 Dec 2016 04:51

Someone has to build the robots, write their software/firmware, test them, etc etc. This may not be evident to some.

The thing about not having customers applies equally to all productivity tools. The Marxists made a huge deal about it when computers were being introduced in India. Then they discovered all the bijnej they could grab, and AKG Center in TVM, the center of the Communist Machine, rapidly became THE most automated and largest computer user in India.

But communist agitators will always try to obstruct hard-working people while the commies figure out how to extort more from them.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 10 Dec 2016 05:05

ramana wrote: Trump if you notice says what it takes to win and acts pragmatically once he wins.

Time will tell but if history is any guide, I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

ramana wrote: Keep your spirits.

Oh my spirits are still up because I am the master of my own fate and no else is.

ramana wrote: Nikki Haley is UN Ambassador a Cabinet level appointment
This is a great election form Indian American view point.

Most likely 2020 0r 2024 will see Harris and Haley throwing the hat for President nominations!

I disagree that Haley being UN ambassador is great. UN ambassador is the kiss of death for many politicians' political career or aspirations. This is a very bad move. She should have stayed and run for Senate.

ramana wrote: Black Elephant. He was ignored while his presence was very obvious since the primaries where he defeated his 16 opponents.
Trump picks one opponent and make one remark which accurately describes the faults of the person and finis.
Example Low Energy Bush and that ended him.
It shows he does opposition research very well. Mark of a negotiator and uses the facts in confrontation.

I disagree. Bush was a non starter. Rick Perry could not overcome the perception of the fiasco 4 years ago. Christie was permanently damaged by the Bridgegate. Rubio was seen as too young and inexperienced and too Latin. Ted Cruz had a chance but he burned too many bridges and alienated a lot of voters. Trump won the nomination because he was seen as an outsider and played to the white supremacist streak in his party base. He only got the nomination with 9% of the party members. And as for the general election, Trump was not prepared for the debates and lost each time and lost the momentum. He only got the momentum back due to the FBI letter. I am still of the opinion that he only won because of FBI Director Comey's letter and the entry of third party candidates. Trump's margin of victory in the 4 swing states where he won 75 votes were a total of less than 200k votes. In those 4 swing states, the 2 major third party candidates each got more than 200k votes. So all the stars lined up for Trump to win even though he was not the most popular candidate. If you take away the 2 third party candidates, Clinton would have won the electoral college vote and the majority of the popular vote. Looking back, Clinton made a mistake in going after Trump's flaws and should have focus more on the job creation theme. Trump was able to get away with the negativity attacks because he played to a negativity theme and as long as he played to that, he won over the white base. He already lost the minority vote and the women vote. He didn't think he would win until that night. In my mind, that tells me that the FBI letter and the 3rd party entrants messed and skewed up the polls.

ramana wrote: Please look at the bios of these Generals and you will find common thread is humiliation by or confrontation with Obama Administration (OA).
So by seeking them out he is restoring the pride in the military.
Most of them faced career dead ends due to OA.

Let's look at the facts. Mattis was pushed out because he was trying to start a war or conflict with Iran and Obama made it clear that US was to enter no new conflict. He did not want to enter into any war unless absolutely necessary and Mattis went over the line when he tried to create situations where there would be live fire exchanged between Iran and US. That is why his career ended prematurely.

Flynn, he was forced out by his subordinates and employees not by Obama. That should tell you something.

Petraeus... He did it to himself. He had a mistress and shared classified info with her. That is a huge big no no and if it was anybody else that person would have been crucified.

Trump picked those men only because they were terminated or perceptibly forced out by Obama. That tells me that Trump really has no plan other than that whatever it is, it has to be anti-Obama. Look at the choices and it is clearly anti-Obama nominations and choices. Nothing to do with the best of US national interest. He wants to dismantle the Obama legacy because he want to avenge his own humiliation at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in 2011. That is why he ran in the first place. He wanted to humiliate Obama. He cares nothing for the interest of US except his own and when the US interests suit him and his own interests, he will do. But if it doesn't, US interests go out the window.

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 10 Dec 2016 05:07

UlanBatori wrote:Someone has to build the robots, write their software/firmware, test them, etc etc. This may not be evident to some.

Only for a few selected people. Eventually it will trickle down. But that is not the point. Based on Puzder's thinking, he really doesn't understand automaton.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 10 Dec 2016 06:21

BO orders Review of Hacking Effect on US Elections.
Read through and it turns out that the main effect is that certain truths were revealed to the American voter in time to vote. The Al Capone whine. :LOK

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 10 Dec 2016 06:54

Hiteshji, the robot discussion is most pertinent to yooess-yindia relations going forward. The straws in the dung-breezes smelled in Ulan Bator strongly indicate a huge push in AI (Artificial Intelligence) along with nonlinear robotics. Very powerful opportunity and also risk for DOO bijnej. Basically, researchers have the gleam in the eye saying that the time is now right to actually accomplish a lot of promises that have not panned out in AI.

This may in fact be at the root of a lot of the 'Zee noise about renegotiating trade agreements. What if Yoo Ess mass-production of several entire classes of products becomes so cheap that Yoo-Ess can flood phoren markets? What if this can happen in say 3 years once it starts? Maybe the only way to prevent massive trade tariffs will be to get the receiver nations to scream murder and go to the Dubya-Tee-Oh and sue the Yoo Ess for putting up trade barriers. Just in time for the flood to reverse direction.

If you remember, this is what happened to say, wrist-watches and small cameras. Japanese plants became fully automated, so equivalent productivity of one paid worker became maybe 1000 times that of any worker in other countries.

I think this can happen to DOO jobs, big-time, unless the TCS/InfoSys ppl are extremely agile and forward-looking. Most of the routine software-writing can become automated. Have to drag DOOs up the knowledge pyramid to keep them from getting swept away in the tsunami.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Dec 2016 06:58

Good post Hitesh.

I disagree that Haley being UN ambassador is great. UN ambassador is the kiss of death for many politicians' political career or aspirations. This is a very bad move. She should have stayed and run for Senate.

I tend to agree. But there are exceptions. If she can still ride a coattails or if a power vacuum were to occur, then she can survive. Also, she has survived in the past. Made one of the most daring decision in taking down the flag.

On Mattis, specifically, it is not that he wants to start sometime, as much as he wants to win a staring contest. He , as far as I know, respects right decisions. Iran, per him, is making wrong decisions. And that is his beef. I think specifically the whatever guards Iran has is the problem. He will get along with the current president of Iran, but not with the ayatollahs.

But, Trump is sticking to what he has said during the campaign. Good for him. And so far good for India too.

I think he will bless the F-16 deal, IF Modi wants it.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 10 Dec 2016 07:05

As for Haley, why assume that she aspires to be Senator etc? Maybe a UN stint is what she wants, followed by a quiet professorship at U.South Carolina? I would think 8 years as Gov. of SC is probably enough to make her tired of the job.

Or, a stint at the WHOTUS as NSA, or maybe at Foggy Bottom as SoS following the UN job. After all, we know that SoS job has pretty low bar: less than kindergarten level of computer literacy.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Dec 2016 07:12

On Mattis and Iran.

IF there is any problem, it will be a huge headache for India.

From an Indian pov, this needs to be tampered down.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Dec 2016 07:15

Haley would have been a very serious contender for VP if Rubio had won. They had projected her for running in 2020s. Not a small feat. In fact comparable to Obama.

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 10 Dec 2016 08:32

the problem is not if or when robot and AI become an integral part of advanced civilization because if we don't destroy ourselves in the near future then robots and AI are inevitable,

the problem is........who benefits.....how.....and by what cultural mechanism?

I see a number of societies that want the benefits but they don't want to make the cultural changes necessary to have it.

Rammpal · Post by **Rammpal** » 10 Dec 2016 09:02

^^ It's a seamless and incremental process, and it's already here ain't it ?
Or do you have a more definitive concept on robot and AI ?

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 10 Dec 2016 10:04

Rammpal wrote:^^ It's a seamless and incremental process, and it's already here ain't it ?
Or do you have a more definitive concept on robot and AI ?

it's very rudimentary right now and already we're having cultural problem,.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 10 Dec 2016 10:24

Don't worry. I have seen NASA research on how to keep robots from eating the humans on Mars missions. Still chewing on it..

Rammpal · Post by **Rammpal** » 10 Dec 2016 10:39

TSJones wrote:
it's very rudimentary right now and already we're having cultural problem,.

Culture would forever remain in a flux, which is its nature.
When exactly did humans Not resist technical change, any kinda change ?
(progress or going backwards doesn't make sense, as it's a point view).

e.g.: we machined metal in a certain fashion for the past 150 or so years, and we have enough COTS technology for us to do this with a static 'robot'.
We see blood in Wall Street Not because we started cutting steel with robots, but because we starting cutting steel in China !!

i.e.: Robots and AI are Neutral !!

Robots eating humans?
Well, good manual lathe machines chew operators(humans) to pieces too.
Apparently, these lathe machines like their human steak Extra-rare !

TSJones · Post by **TSJones** » 10 Dec 2016 10:41

UlanBatori wrote:Don't worry. I have seen NASA research on how to keep robots from eating the humans on Mars missions. Still chewing on it..

many years ago I was programming at a john deere combine/harvester equipment factory. the company installed an automated parts storage/retrieval system at the factory.

it eventually ate a worker.

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 10 Dec 2016 14:07

UlanBatori wrote:Someone has to build the robots, write their software/firmware, test them, etc etc. This may not be evident to some.

The thing about not having customers applies equally to all productivity tools. The Marxists made a huge deal about it when computers were being introduced in India. Then they discovered all the bijnej they could grab, and AKG Center in TVM, the center of the Communist Machine, rapidly became THE most automated and largest computer user in India.

But communist agitators will always try to obstruct hard-working people while the commies figure out how to extort more from them.

Unlike commonly assumed automation will be killing white collar jobs more than blue collar jobs. Who looses more in such an environment? Those who do not want to get their hands dirty. Read more here The book is written by one Pedro Domingos.

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 10 Dec 2016 19:24

Re: Understanding the United States of America (USA) - IV
Postby ldev » 20 Nov 2016 00:49

^^
Guiliani's best days are behind him. He is like a watered down version of Subramaniam Swamy on the political front. HIs private business is doing very well though. Take what he says with a spoonful of salt. I will be surprised if he gets a major cabinet position with Trump, may not even get into the Cabinet at all because of his bombastic talk as well as conflicts of interest with his non US customers in his security consultancy.

What I predicted on November 20th has happened:

Giuliani pulls out of consideration to serve in administration: Trump

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 10 Dec 2016 20:00

Looks like Trump is trying to tap a pro-Russian for SoS.

This pro-Russian and anti-China leaning, seems to be working in India's favor. Need to work on US_Iran relations. India should throw her hat in to mediate between them?

Hitesh · Post by **Hitesh** » 10 Dec 2016 21:17

NRao wrote: If she can still ride a coattails or if a power vacuum were to occur, then she can survive. Also, she has survived in the past. Made one of the most daring decision in taking down the flag.

Yes she was brave for doing that and kudos to her for doing that. As for surviving, well she has to watch her back against Trump or his inner circle. They are a bunch of vicious backstabbing people. She cannot let her guard down. They want her to talk tough and at times, you cannot appear to talk tough but be reasonable. That is the problem with Trump's inner circle. They have this masochism streak and no back down, no apology rule.

NRao wrote: On Mattis, specifically, it is not that he wants to start sometime, as much as he wants to win a staring contest. He , as far as I know, respects right decisions. Iran, per him, is making wrong decisions. And that is his beef. I think specifically the whatever guards Iran has is the problem. He will get along with the current president of Iran, but not with the ayatollahs.

Then he is not a political guy, therefore not the right guy. The game with Iran is a political game, not a military or staring contest. Staring contest have a bad way of turning into physical fights. Especially when you got a guy at the helm of Israel chomping to go after Iran. Under the Bush administration, they had to literally restrain Netanyahu and his people by refusing air passage or refueling points. They even pinged Israel's subs in the Persian Gulf.

NRao wrote: But, Trump is sticking to what he has said during the campaign. Good for him. And so far good for India too.

Really? I far have a totally different read on that. I think he is walking away from many things he has said in the campaign.

NRao wrote: I think he will bless the F-16 deal, IF Modi wants it.

I am totally against the F-16 deal. I only want the GE engine deal with transfer of technology which would never happen. We have the LCA program. We have to make that work. Once we accept the F-16, the LCA program is dead in the water and we cannot let that happen under any circumstances.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 10 Dec 2016 22:32

http://www.npr.org/2016/12/10/505038537 ... op-whining
Trump Supporters to Detractors: 'Pull Up Your Panties' And Stop Whining {This is exactly how our fiberals should be addressed}

"Everybody's protesting that Trump got in," said Deborah LaGrange, a dental assistant from Des Moines, Iowa, who attended a Trump thank-you tour rally Thursday. "I'm sorry, but I didn't whine and cry when Obama got in for the last eight. I mean, pull up your panties, and let's deal with it. Let's all unify; let's get on board; let's stand behind him; and let's make a change for the United States."

<snip>

"Hey guys, we won," said Kellyanne Conway, who managed Trump's campaign, in a contentious session between the Trump team and top Clinton staffers at the usually staid campaign post-mortem at the Harvard Institute of Politics earlier this month. "I mean, seriously, hold on — why is there no mandate? You've lost 60 congressional seats since President Obama got there."

Exactly about the same spiel about mandate is used by our fiberals and presstitutes to discredit Modi. I read another fart just the last week ranting about "30% vote/no mandate" thought it is rare now.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 11 Dec 2016 03:50

http://www.breitbart.com/national-secur ... val-india/

U.S. Govt: China ‘Exploiting’ Kashmir Tension to Contain Rival India

China is increasingly providing military and economic assistance to Pakistan amid deadly confrontations between Islamabad and New Delhi over the Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir.
Pakistan receives more weapons from China, the world’s third-largest arms supplier, than any other country, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The primary purpose of Beijing’s assistance to Pakistan is to contain the rise of their mutual rival India, according to the most recent annual report to Congress issued by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Although economically and militarily China is currently more powerful than India, the report notes:

China exploits the longstanding rivalry between India and Pakistan to ensure its own ambitions in South Asia are achieved. This strategy aims to keep India so preoccupied with its western neighbor that it will not have the ability to mount a serious challenge to China’s power and influence in Asia…

China’s relationship with Pakistan has been defined by mutual animosity toward India since the early 1960s..Since then, China’s increasingly sophisticated military assistance to Pakistan — particularly on missiles and nuclear weapons—has been instrumental to Pakistan’s ability to credibly threaten India’s security.

China’s assistance to Pakistan dates back to the early 1960s when China-India relations began to deteriorate over Tibet and a border dispute that included parts of the Kashmir region.

Pakistan and China grew closer after the 1962 Sino-Indian border war and the 1965 Ind0-Pakistani war.

China has managed to remain in the shadows of the ongoing deadly clashes between Pakistan and India along their mutual border in Kashmir.

All three countries — China, India, and Pakistan — have competing claims to the Himalayan region.

China’s autonomous province of Xinjiang, home to the country’s largest concentration of the Muslim Uighur minority, borders Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The U.S. commission reports to Congress:

Although China has never intervened in an India-Pakistan conflict on Pakistan’s behalf, its diplomatic, material, training, and intelligence support have enabled Pakistan to present a formidable military challenge to India

…

China’s support for Pakistan is driven in large part by shared concerns about India: for China, India represents a potential challenge to China’s regional dominance. For Pakistan, India represents the country’s top security threat, a perception informed by their history of partition, four wars, territorial disputes, terrorism, and overall deep-seated distrust.

Despite U.S. sanctions, China played an instrumental role in enabling Pakistan’s ballistic missile capability in the 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, China assisted Pakistan in building its first nuclear bomb. China is still providing assistance to Pakistan’s nuclear program.

“The border dispute remains the most likely source of armed conflict between China and India, although the probability of such a confrontation is low, particularly if other facets of the relationship are relatively calm,” points out the commission.

It adds, “Geographically, the border dispute spans several sections of the two countries’ 2,500-mile-long border,” including “a 14,670-square-mile area that China has occupied since the 1962 war but which India claims as part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (which in turn is contested by Pakistan)…”

A copy of the report was disseminated during the Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum on Wednesday hosted by Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC), chairman of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare

Various Members of Parliament, Senators, Ambassadors, and other officials from 39 nations in Europe, Asia, Middle East, and South America attended the event.

sanjaykumar · Post by **sanjaykumar** » 11 Dec 2016 04:04

Do the good white people at Breitbart know the meaning of autonomous as in Xinjiang?

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 11 Dec 2016 04:23

Another fool trying to exploit the Transition of power
similar thing happened during the 2008 before President Obama took office
link

They keep jumping up and down

An India-Pakistan Crisis: Should We Care?
8 Dec 2016
By Moeed Yusuf for War on the Rocks

Yes we should, argues Moeed Yusuf, because India and Pakistan are the only regional nuclear states in the world that are locked in an acutely crisis-prone relationship. Indeed, a tit-for-tat escalatory dynamic could easily be unleashed in a future crisis which could then lead, for example, to a breach of Pakistani and Indian nuclear security protocols by those seeking access to their arsenals.

About the Author
Moeed Yusuf is Associate Vice President for the Asia Center at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C. He is the author of an upcoming book on South Asian nuclear crises, Brokering for Peace: Third Party Roles in Regional Nuclear Crises.

Look at this joke.

The many competing foreign policy demands for the next U.S. administration notwithstanding, the Trump White House must make a normalized India-Pakistan relationship a top foreign policy priority. No other issue risks causing as much damage to the world, and to America’s credibility as its effective leader, as the prospect of an India-Pakistan nuclear exchange. On the other hand, normalization of their ties promises a more stable Pakistan less worried about Indian presence in Afghanistan and therefore more willing to support U.S. interests there. Normalization would also transform a jaundiced nuclear relationship that has held India back from becoming a truly global power.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 11 Dec 2016 07:11

^ You may call the appeal to Trump to help 'normalize' the India-Pakistan relationship a joke. But, successive US administrations, whether of Republican or Demoocrat persuasion, from 1950 have bought into this and most other ideas floated by Pakistan.

SSridhar · Post by **SSridhar** » 11 Dec 2016 07:13

svinayak wrote:http://www.breitbart.com/national-secur ... val-india/

U.S. Govt: China ‘Exploiting’ Kashmir Tension to Contain Rival India
The U.S. commission reports to Congress:

Although China has never intervened in an India-Pakistan conflict on Pakistan’s behalf, its diplomatic, material, training, and intelligence support have enabled Pakistan to present a formidable military challenge to India

The bolded part applies equally to the US, I would even say more to the US than China.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 Dec 2016 07:32

From Washington Post.

Three people close to the transition team confirmed Saturday that Rex Tillerson is President-elect Donald Trump's expected choice for secretary of state. Tillerson has a close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could become a flash point during confirmation hearings.

More ......

Tillerson has no experience in the public sector, a first in modern history for a potential secretary of state. Tillerson, 64, joined ExxonMobil in 1975, after receiving a civil engineering degree from the University of Texas. He worked his way up through the ranks, beginning as a production engineer and becoming chairman and chief executive in 2006.

Over his decades at the company, Tillerson's work took him all over the world, including to Yemen and Russia. That, along with his experience as CEO, apparently provides the basis of his familiarity with international diplomacy.

On Twitter, a former ExxonMobil employee who is now at Brookings Institution defended Tillerson's experience. “Oil folks know stuff: anyone who manages multibillion dollar, multi-decade projects needs deep, nuanced understanding of political context,” Suzanne Maloney wrote on Twitter. “… Tillerson rose to top of a company that prizes technical excellence, rock-solid financials, hard work and integrity. State could do a lot worse.”

Tillerson received the Order of Friendship from Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013. Tillerson's work with ExxonMobil included a stretch working for Exxon Neftegas Ltd., putting him in charge of the subsidiary's fields in Russia and the Caspian Sea.

Two years before receiving the award, ExxonMobil won a contract to explore for oil in a Russia-controlled portion of the Arctic Ocean, which was made more economically viable for drilling in part thanks to the sea ice decline that's followed global warming. Putin himself announced the deal at a meeting in Sochi (where the Winter Olympics would be held the next year).

Tillerson's stake in ExxonMobil will certainly raise questions at a confirmation hearing. Once Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, the United States instituted sanctions against Russia that froze ExxonMobil's Arctic agreement. Were those sanctions to be lifted, the deal would probably move forward — making Tillerson's shares of ExxonMobil stock much more valuable. (The Wall Street Journal noted that he'd probably have to divest from that stock if appointed to run the State Department.)

Tillerson's position on climate change may be to the left of Trump's. ExxonMobil understood the connection between greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use and the warming climate as early as 1977, according to recent reporting. It then proceeded to combat the idea, recognizing the risk posed to its industry by curtailing fossil fuel use. Only fairly recently did it acknowledge that link publicly, and the company is now on record in support of accepting the established science and identifying solutions to the problem of climate change.

That shift happened under Tillerson's leadership. The issue of climate change will be a potent one for whoever takes over the State Department, given the long-standing international diplomacy efforts to address the issue. Shortly before this year's election, ExxonMobil issued a statement in support of the sweeping agreement reached in Paris at the end of last year aimed at cutting down on carbon dioxide emissions internationally.

Trump said repeatedly on the campaign trail that he opposed the Paris agreement and has regularly expressed his opposition to taking action to address climate change. Tillerson, as CEO, promoted positions contrary to that. His most recent personal comments echoed the sentiment of his company, calling the threat of climate change “real” and “serious” — though the extent to which he was speaking as a representative of ExxonMobil vs. his own views is worth asking.

Tillerson is a lifelong Boy Scout. Tillerson was an Eagle Scout in his youth and eventually became president of the national organization. It was under his leadership — and through his advocacy — that the organization embraced the membership of young men who identified as gay.

Tillerson's positions on a variety of other political issues are largely unknown. Climate change is central to what we know about Tillerson, thanks to the industry of his long-term employer. The Wall Street Journal noted that Tillerson supports free trade — which, as a CEO of a major international corporation, is probably a natural position. Beyond that, it's not clear where Tillerson's politics align with or differ from his possible boss's.

His political giving suggests an alignment with establishment Republican politics, having given to the Republican Party of Texas repeatedly, to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (Wis.) and to other national Republican priorities. So it probably isn't a surprise that...

... Tillerson originally supported Jeb Bush for president. He gave Bush the maximum allowable contribution in September 2015.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 Dec 2016 07:38

I feel this is a very good choice for India.

Business wise.

IMHO, Trump will make noise about Kashmir, but will very easily gravitate towards business.

Concerns for sure. No worries.

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 11 Dec 2016 08:16

I do not have any dhoti shiver on DT and J&K issue. US tried it when we were meek and weak and has idiots like MMS as PM. Today situation is different. Sure they may make some play to explore, but no one is going to give them something from the Indian side.

What happened to the Tulsi as SoS idea? I mean no news on SoS at all.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 11 Dec 2016 08:31

^^^^^

SOS latest, two posts above. Never came across a report that Tulsi was ever under consideration. Perhaps I missed something.

However, some insight on Mattis.

Trump’s New Defence Secretary Was Obama’s Go-To Man to Keep Pakistani Generals Happy

Yagnasri · Post by **Yagnasri** » 11 Dec 2016 09:27

http://www.vox.com/2016/12/10/13908108/ ... nald-trump

Wow. Who is this man? I mean has no exposure to international affairs etc. Total outsider. I wonder how US SD deal with this man. Fun times ahead if this report is true.

sooraj · Post by **sooraj** » 11 Dec 2016 10:10

Exxon Mobil doesn't care about the environment

In a recent speech (27 May, 2015) in shareholders meeting, Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson made fun of clean energy and expressed his disbelief on climate change.

does this mean that environmental experts are just jokers? Is economy the only critical question and not the environment?

This is the message from Exxon Mobil CEO to the Paris COP21 attendees: " just chill dumbos, all is well as long as we make money. If you are going there and are from my company, go there and have a good time, shop around in Paris, but dont come back with crazy ideas that can hurt our profits. The so called climate change experts in COP21 are in delirium and wasting money for no reason at all. Environmental protection is just part of our marketing budget"

Mort Walker · Post by **Mort Walker** » 11 Dec 2016 10:36

NRao wrote:I feel this is a very good choice for India.

Business wise.

IMHO, Trump will make noise about Kashmir, but will very easily gravitate towards business.

Concerns for sure. No worries.

We'll see. T.Rex is good as he will be approach foreign relations as transactional and not some sort of ideological bent. However Bolton will be deputy secretary to clean up the bureaucracy.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 11 Dec 2016 11:56

SSridhar wrote:^ You may call the appeal to Trump to help 'normalize' the India-Pakistan relationship a joke. But, successive US administrations, whether of Republican or Demoocrat persuasion, from 1950 have bought into this and most other ideas floated by Pakistan.

That was a coordinated ideas floated jointly with CYA for the last 40 years

Read this carefully

The many competing foreign policy demands for the next U.S. administration notwithstanding, the Trump White House must make a normalized India-Pakistan relationship a top foreign policy priority.

Even Americans dont know the future of their own interest

No other issue risks causing as much damage to the world, and to America’s credibility as its effective leader, as the prospect of an India-Pakistan nuclear exchange.

Fake sensation blowup to make US feel as the leader. Browning the nose!

On the other hand, normalization of their ties promises a more stable Pakistan less worried about Indian presence in Afghanistan and therefore more willing to support U.S. interests there.

This is another fake scenario to appease the master.

Normalization would also transform a jaundiced nuclear relationship that has held India back from becoming a truly global power.

Another bombastic statement

How did the author land up in that institute. A lobby group with active assistance from SD for sure!

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 11 Dec 2016 12:07

Are Democrats still in denial over Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton? Some are demanding briefings on whether Russia somehow interfered in the election. Rep. Adam Schiff sounds off to Tucker

Dipanker · Post by **Dipanker** » 11 Dec 2016 12:13

Trump, CIA on collision course over Russia’s role in U.S. election

The simmering distrust between Donald Trump and U.S. intelligence agencies escalated into open antagonism Saturday after the president-elect mocked a CIA report that Russian operatives had intervened in the U.S. presidential election to help him win.

The growing tensions set up a potential showdown between Trump and the nation’s top intelligence officials during what some of those officials describe as the most complex threat environment in decades.

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 11 Dec 2016 12:27

Dipanker wrote:Trump, CIA on collision course over Russia’s role in U.S. election

The simmering distrust between Donald Trump and U.S. intelligence agencies escalated into open antagonism Saturday after the president-elect mocked a CIA report that Russian operatives had intervened in the U.S. presidential election to help him win.

The growing tensions set up a potential showdown between Trump and the nation’s top intelligence officials during what some of those officials describe as the most complex threat environment in decades.

Fake news
Just ignore all such news. This is a FUD campaign

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 11 Dec 2016 12:29

It's possible some hackers located in Russia provided data to wikileaks. That's not same as Putin hacking US elections.