What is evident is Pakistan's "victory" narrative is based on giving credibility to Trump.Amber G. wrote: ↑23 May 2025 10:21 From EAM's interview: Watch his body language and clarity ..(--DJT was taking false credit):
India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar: India made one thing very clear to whoever spoke to us. Not just United States but everyone. If the Pakistanis want to stop firing, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their General has to call our General & say this.
India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Per The Wire, 788 Indian students are impacted by the revocation of Harvard student visas.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
https://x.com/Manik_M_Jolly/status/1925807228025553054 ---> A very small section of Indians understand and truly appreciate the level of bonhomie that exists between Pakistani and American military and bureaucracy. We get angry at Americans on their double speak, without realising how deep the connect is. The grants, gifts and aids are just the visible shades of spectrum. Due to nearly 30 years of active American military, intelligence and bureaucratic presence in Pakistan (war against Russians and then Al Qaeda), generations of officers from both sides have created bonds that India cannot even imagine to match. And all those young guys are Generals and Secretaries now on both sides. Whatever the American government might say or announce, the decision makers at all levels in US have a soft corner for Pakistan and will never let that slide.
Yes, India has gained rapport and respect with our growth and self reliance. But mostly it has antagonised the West, pushing them even closer to Pakistan. Nobody likes to see India move ahead and become self reliant. Pakistan diplomacy is strongly entrenched in DC and even the military has phenomenal support from Americans. Which neither India’s resistance, nor Chinese influence has been able to shake. They even have solid network in media, educational institutes and banks in US. Imagine US knowing everything about Pakistan - right from every single terror network operating from there, finding Osama, corruption of leaders and Generals, coups, human rights violations against minorities - and yet, never even going for a sanction against them. Never said anything, never did anything. Just ignored ! And this is the country that invaded Iraq on suspicion of WMDs.
We make these concessions and turn a blind eye only for our dearest friends. Pakistanis may not have learnt to work hard, industrialise, educate themselves and build modern infrastructure, learn science and all that; but they’ve mastered the art of manipulation and seduction. Pakistan might be a puny challenge in itself for present India’s military and economic might. But make no mistake - we fight Pakistan, we irk USA. No Obama, Biden or Trump can change that. It’s not like we don’t have allies. But counting US amongst them would be a big mistake.
Yes, India has gained rapport and respect with our growth and self reliance. But mostly it has antagonised the West, pushing them even closer to Pakistan. Nobody likes to see India move ahead and become self reliant. Pakistan diplomacy is strongly entrenched in DC and even the military has phenomenal support from Americans. Which neither India’s resistance, nor Chinese influence has been able to shake. They even have solid network in media, educational institutes and banks in US. Imagine US knowing everything about Pakistan - right from every single terror network operating from there, finding Osama, corruption of leaders and Generals, coups, human rights violations against minorities - and yet, never even going for a sanction against them. Never said anything, never did anything. Just ignored ! And this is the country that invaded Iraq on suspicion of WMDs.
We make these concessions and turn a blind eye only for our dearest friends. Pakistanis may not have learnt to work hard, industrialise, educate themselves and build modern infrastructure, learn science and all that; but they’ve mastered the art of manipulation and seduction. Pakistan might be a puny challenge in itself for present India’s military and economic might. But make no mistake - we fight Pakistan, we irk USA. No Obama, Biden or Trump can change that. It’s not like we don’t have allies. But counting US amongst them would be a big mistake.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Yes and no. They fought together, ostensibly.
Pakistan also sheltered the Taliban that crossed the Afghan border regularly to kill Americans. No US military man can afford to let bygones be bygones.
Pakistan is useful for the US. It will not be allowed to weaken much further. The fact that no loans are written off but a sufficient funds are released for Pakistan to limp to another IMF bailout speaks volumes.
I have no doubt that India will outsource the Pakistan problem to the Baloch and afghans. It probably already has.
The Pashtuns have a valid claim on all lands up to Attock. The Baluch want to reclaim their independence.
And India holds the waters literally. I am shocked at the vast difference in India and Pakistan currently compared to even 15 years ago. India is attaining critical mass with possible exponential economic growth.
Pakistan is essentially finished.
Pakistan also sheltered the Taliban that crossed the Afghan border regularly to kill Americans. No US military man can afford to let bygones be bygones.
Pakistan is useful for the US. It will not be allowed to weaken much further. The fact that no loans are written off but a sufficient funds are released for Pakistan to limp to another IMF bailout speaks volumes.
I have no doubt that India will outsource the Pakistan problem to the Baloch and afghans. It probably already has.
The Pashtuns have a valid claim on all lands up to Attock. The Baluch want to reclaim their independence.
And India holds the waters literally. I am shocked at the vast difference in India and Pakistan currently compared to even 15 years ago. India is attaining critical mass with possible exponential economic growth.
Pakistan is essentially finished.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
With all due respect to Major Jolly Sahib-- and while agreeing 100% with his ultimate conclusion that India should not count the US among its 'allies'-- I think he is overstating the 'bonhomie' case here. It is not as generally true as he makes it out to be. Yes, the Pakistanis have worked hard at influencing specific nodes in the military and bureaucratic (especially CIA and State Dept) decision-making networks.
But that doesn't mean all, or even most people in those networks like or trust Pakistan. And also, those in the American decision-making networks who dislike or distrust Pakistan, don't necessarily like or trust India as a consequence of that.
As with their wider lobbying efforts in foreign countries, Pakistanis have been more proactive about cultivating influence at a personal level than India. India has preferred to let her growing strength speak for itself; Pakistan, having no real strength, relies on honeytraps, musharraf-kissing, bribery, blackmail, and all kinds of other kootneeti to achieve and retain whatever clout it can.
I think most of the outrage exhibited by folks like Maj. Jolly comes from a morally-grounded standpoint: the Americans SHOULD behave dharmically, accepting the reality of India's responsible conduct and rejecting Pakistan's kootneeti. When they don't, it's a reason to feel disappointed.
I would submit it's better not to have that expectation at all. Do not take American overtures of friendship towards India as anything more than they are-- attempts by the US to cultivate influence in New Delhi, with American (and ONLY American) benefits in mind. Do not take American support of Pakistan for anything more than it is-- a desire to retain whatever influence it can with a heeramandi rentier state that is completely willing to sell itself to the highest bidder, and thus to secure a geopolitical tool it can use against India, China, Russia, and Iran as necessary. Not a question of "bonhomie", "soft-corners", "yeh dosti hum nahi chhodenge"... international relations don't work on the basis of that.
And India should never make that assumption when doing a serious analysis of foreign policy. Whether in the US-Pakistan context or even the Russia-India or Israel-India contexts. Smiling for the cameras and speaking honeyed words into microphones is purely for cosmetic purposes.
But that doesn't mean all, or even most people in those networks like or trust Pakistan. And also, those in the American decision-making networks who dislike or distrust Pakistan, don't necessarily like or trust India as a consequence of that.
As with their wider lobbying efforts in foreign countries, Pakistanis have been more proactive about cultivating influence at a personal level than India. India has preferred to let her growing strength speak for itself; Pakistan, having no real strength, relies on honeytraps, musharraf-kissing, bribery, blackmail, and all kinds of other kootneeti to achieve and retain whatever clout it can.
I think most of the outrage exhibited by folks like Maj. Jolly comes from a morally-grounded standpoint: the Americans SHOULD behave dharmically, accepting the reality of India's responsible conduct and rejecting Pakistan's kootneeti. When they don't, it's a reason to feel disappointed.
I would submit it's better not to have that expectation at all. Do not take American overtures of friendship towards India as anything more than they are-- attempts by the US to cultivate influence in New Delhi, with American (and ONLY American) benefits in mind. Do not take American support of Pakistan for anything more than it is-- a desire to retain whatever influence it can with a heeramandi rentier state that is completely willing to sell itself to the highest bidder, and thus to secure a geopolitical tool it can use against India, China, Russia, and Iran as necessary. Not a question of "bonhomie", "soft-corners", "yeh dosti hum nahi chhodenge"... international relations don't work on the basis of that.
And India should never make that assumption when doing a serious analysis of foreign policy. Whether in the US-Pakistan context or even the Russia-India or Israel-India contexts. Smiling for the cameras and speaking honeyed words into microphones is purely for cosmetic purposes.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
^^^^
I think the cost to India to enter the US orbit in order to maybe stop this use of Pakistan as a lever against India is too high for some largely hypothetical benefit, i.e., one that likely will not materialize.
Security from physical aggression for India requires a sustained sense of mission in India, and the corresponding leadership. After the low of 26/11, one can be reasonably optimistic after Op Sindoor.
-----
Some trying to see silver linings - the West and China can keep Pakistan from sinking, but their combined might cannot raise Pakistan as long as Pakistanis think the solution to their problems is more Islam. Can Mullah Munir do a U-turn like MBS of Saudi Arabia and put Pakistan on a new path? My opinion is that he will not even want to, let alone try. If Pakistan's "victory" narrative feeds into them not making the changes necessary to solve their economic problems, then that may be a strategic win as big as the abeyance of the IWt.
Even a society at the Stone Age level can stage terrorist attacks, so avoidable security lapses must be guarded against (e.g., not having a few armed police posted at the congregation point of a tourist crowd, such as in Pahalgam.) And whatever brought India up from Balakot capabilities to Op Sindoor capabilities needs to be accelerated.
Does the US seek geopolitical levers against, say, Japan? Maybe, but much more covertly than with India, and second, Japan is ostensibly a US ally.Do not take American overtures of friendship towards India as anything more than they are-- attempts by the US to cultivate influence in New Delhi, with American (and ONLY American) benefits in mind. Do not take American support of Pakistan for anything more than it is-- a desire to retain whatever influence it can with a heeramandi rentier state that is completely willing to sell itself to the highest bidder, and thus to secure a geopolitical tool it can use against India, China, Russia, and Iran as necessary.
I think the cost to India to enter the US orbit in order to maybe stop this use of Pakistan as a lever against India is too high for some largely hypothetical benefit, i.e., one that likely will not materialize.
Security from physical aggression for India requires a sustained sense of mission in India, and the corresponding leadership. After the low of 26/11, one can be reasonably optimistic after Op Sindoor.
-----
Some trying to see silver linings - the West and China can keep Pakistan from sinking, but their combined might cannot raise Pakistan as long as Pakistanis think the solution to their problems is more Islam. Can Mullah Munir do a U-turn like MBS of Saudi Arabia and put Pakistan on a new path? My opinion is that he will not even want to, let alone try. If Pakistan's "victory" narrative feeds into them not making the changes necessary to solve their economic problems, then that may be a strategic win as big as the abeyance of the IWt.
Even a society at the Stone Age level can stage terrorist attacks, so avoidable security lapses must be guarded against (e.g., not having a few armed police posted at the congregation point of a tourist crowd, such as in Pahalgam.) And whatever brought India up from Balakot capabilities to Op Sindoor capabilities needs to be accelerated.
Last edited by A_Gupta on 23 May 2025 20:17, edited 1 time in total.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
I think that the biggest pro-India lobby in the US is the US business lobby. They know they can make money in India by participating in India’s growth story. They also know that Pakistan is a basket case and a sinkhole for anyone who invests money there.
The more US companies invest in India, the stronger will be the pro-India lobby in the US.
The more US companies invest in India, the stronger will be the pro-India lobby in the US.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
US President Donald Trump threatens fresh 25% tariffs on Appl if they do not stop manufacturing IPhones in India ["or anyplace else”].

Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Meanwhile A District judge has BARRED the Trump administration from revoking Harvard’s ability wrt foreign students ..

Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
US imposed 26% tariff on us and now 25% on Apple products while it will be only 20%+25% on Apple products from China. Cheaper for Apple to continue to produce there with an established production base.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Cry me a river. STEM folks can easily transfer to various schools across the US or even on the east coast itself. If UG, their parents will save money. If they are gard students on RA/TA, they will be grabbed by MIT, CMU, NYU, Rutgers, UMass, Penn State, GATech, UVA, UChicago, UIUC, OSU, Purdue, UC Boulder, UTA, UCB, USC, Stanford, CalTech, Berkeley, UCLA, ...
MBA folks can go back to ISB with credits getting xferred. The rest can go to wherever. No skin off my nose.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Japan was forced to be an US ally. They had no choice. Even now, they need the US protection. Apples and Oranges.
By the way Japan paid USD 5 B towards war effort on Iraq. US paid USD 10 B, UK USD 500 M. But on NOR they were complaining that Japan should pay more as they, the US, has boots on the ground. They forget that Japan can't put boots on the ground as they don't have their own army (that can fight in foreign lands). IIRC they cannot raise an army after their defeat in WW II.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Yes, all that could have been done. But as long as there are local enablers who provided food, shelter, and Army uniforms to those terrorist scum, India has to absorb some of these attacks. Anyways, OT here in this thread.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Excellent point. Trump knows as well as Tim Cook that making iPhones for the US market in the US == destroying the US market for iPhones. So that part is pure window-dressing.
What Trump has done is 100% consistent with his having been bought & paid for by China. Many Indians thought he wanted to see production moved out of China, possibly to third countries, and that India could take advantage of this. This was true exactly upto the point when the CCP made a small investment into the Trump Family Crypto Venture.
Trump is nothing but Laloo Prasad Yadav with a tacky suit, worse haircut, and an astonishingly cheap price tag.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
So, was Laloo careless to get caught in the fodder scam, or does the USA have weak anti-corruption laws?
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
The US Supreme Court greatly weakened the anti-corruption laws.
For example, Virgina Governor Bob McDonnell:
IMO, the Supreme Court conveniently omitted the "accepting gifts and loans", which were non-trivial, e.g gifts included a Rolex watch, designer clothes, free vacations, and the payment of the governor's daughter's wedding; the loans amounted to $120K.1. Initial Conviction:
Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were indicted on federal corruption charges in 2014.
They were accused of accepting gifts and loans from businessman Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company's products.
A jury convicted them on multiple counts, including honest services wire fraud, obtaining property under color of official right, and extortion.
McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison.
2. Supreme Court Overturns Conviction:
In 2016, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned McDonnell's conviction.
The court ruled that the government's interpretation of "official act" in federal bribery statutes was too broad.
The court's opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, stated that merely arranging a meeting or hosting an event isn't enough to constitute an official act that could trigger a corruption conviction.
3. Charges Dropped:
Following the Supreme Court's ruling, the Justice Department announced they would not retry McDonnell.
The charges against McDonnell and his wife were dropped.
Similarly, the Supreme Court in Snyder vs US overturned the conviction of a Mayor for accepting "gratuities" - in India it would be a bribe after rather than before the official act. Basically now in the US, if there is no record of a promise made to make a payment, a "grateful constituent" can make a payment to an official after the official does the desired act, and it is not corruption.
And so on and so forth. This really belongs in the "Understanding US" thread, but the question was raised here.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Why Did Trump Side with Pakistan? | Full Geopolitical Breakdown | By Ankit Awasthi Sir
https://www.youtube.com/live/GV5CeGAK1M ... 20Ie-eqzWt
YouTube in Hindi. Ankit Awasthi goes into mind-numbing detail to establish that Trump gave Pakistan the desired PR in return for a crypto currency deal with his family's company.
To translate and paraphrase Awasthi, Trump exploited the 26 dead in Pahalgam to advance his personal business interests.
https://www.youtube.com/live/GV5CeGAK1M ... 20Ie-eqzWt
YouTube in Hindi. Ankit Awasthi goes into mind-numbing detail to establish that Trump gave Pakistan the desired PR in return for a crypto currency deal with his family's company.
To translate and paraphrase Awasthi, Trump exploited the 26 dead in Pahalgam to advance his personal business interests.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Someone did warn what Trump actually is .. believe it or not by Biden.. last address to nation.A_Gupta wrote: ↑24 May 2025 22:49 Why Did Trump Side with Pakistan? | Full Geopolitical Breakdown | By Ankit Awasthi Sir
https://www.youtube.com/live/GV5CeGAK1M ... 20Ie-eqzWt
YouTube in Hindi. Ankit Awasthi goes into mind-numbing detail to establish that Trump gave Pakistan the desired PR in return for a crypto currency deal with his family's company.
To translate and paraphrase Awasthi, Trump exploited the 26 dead in Pahalgam to advance his personal business interests.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Sharing: An interesting piece by an Indian Muslim professor, analyzing U.S. involvement in India-Pakistan tensions through a Kautilyan lens. An application of Arthashastra to modern geopolitics.
The Washington factor in India-Pakistan Tensions: A Kautilyan perspective
The Washington factor in India-Pakistan Tensions: A Kautilyan perspective
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Pakistan is modernizing its nuclear arsenal
Pakistan primarily is a recipient of China’s economic and military.
&
India views China as its primary adversary and Pakistan more an ancillary security problem to be managed says US intel report
See us intel here:
x post:
Pakistan primarily is a recipient of China’s economic and military.
&
India views China as its primary adversary and Pakistan more an ancillary security problem to be managed says US intel report
See us intel here:
x post:
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
The Trump administration has asked the US embassies to stop student visa interviews.
Development to impact Indian students, who form a sizable group of intl students in US universities.
Development to impact Indian students, who form a sizable group of intl students in US universities.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Apparently the Trump admin wants social media vetting of all student visa applicants.
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Good time for us to start vetting the non- STEM students too … I wonder if banks are going to look at this and change lending criteria !
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
There is a brewing tussle by DJT wanting phones to be manufactured in the US vs India. There is a faction of the deep state which is anti-India in the US and maybe they have been whispering into DJT ears to prevent India becoming a manufacturing hub for phones. Many key components like batteries, display are being made in China.
In this PGurus YT link a deep dive yields costs of $3500 for making phones in US. The 25% tariff threat did not sway Tim Cook one bit and he insisted on India being the manufacturing hub for iPhones. Samsung is also going to make India as a hub. The tariff would affect US consumers not the worldwide consumers.
India has to get into more component manufacture which has more margins than mere assembly of phone. If India can get private players to become competitive alternate component supplier for things like battery, oleds, cases, chips, camera, lens and so on that would be super good. Many of the component suppliers are big names like LG, Sony, etc. Having them manufacture in India could be the first step.
In this PGurus YT link a deep dive yields costs of $3500 for making phones in US. The 25% tariff threat did not sway Tim Cook one bit and he insisted on India being the manufacturing hub for iPhones. Samsung is also going to make India as a hub. The tariff would affect US consumers not the worldwide consumers.
India has to get into more component manufacture which has more margins than mere assembly of phone. If India can get private players to become competitive alternate component supplier for things like battery, oleds, cases, chips, camera, lens and so on that would be super good. Many of the component suppliers are big names like LG, Sony, etc. Having them manufacture in India could be the first step.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Most of Apple's iPhone revenue comes from non-hardware streams (iCloud, Music, App store commissions etc) They may be fine with making iPhones a loss-leader
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
This is a positive development actually, lowered usage will lead to a less similar worldview, and you would have lowered western mind virus infecting our naive and guillible, so no blm or palestine protests in India while local issues are seen as unworthy or cringe for the cause, no more indigenous people of India who were displaced narrative as with other countries, no more othering, gender study lens on the land's religionMort Walker wrote: ↑28 May 2025 01:20 Apparently the Trump admin wants social media vetting of all student visa applicants.
When I was growing up is when SM and Facebook at that particularly came on it's own, overnight you went from paranoia from nightly news about sharing any information online to giving no thoughts to posting semi nude pics for any and all occasion
I kept to the first principles though, only sm that I have ever created an account in is WhatsApp for the daily good morning messages from the family, LinkedIn and brf, if that is considered sm
It's probably also a good lesson for the young, never use any platform that records your account history, probably more will reach 4chan than reddit or xitter
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Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
ricky_v ji,
On a side note. My kids & others of the same age, graduate students in EE & physics, who are in their early 20s, use SM as a form of communication. Handshake, Slack & Discord for professional & academic stuff, then also LinkedIn which they claim is for old people. Then Instagram for personal stuff. No one uses Facebook as it really is for old people (age 75+). All of this stuff leaves digital footprints.
On a side note. My kids & others of the same age, graduate students in EE & physics, who are in their early 20s, use SM as a form of communication. Handshake, Slack & Discord for professional & academic stuff, then also LinkedIn which they claim is for old people. Then Instagram for personal stuff. No one uses Facebook as it really is for old people (age 75+). All of this stuff leaves digital footprints.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Must watch.
Who is Trump's golfing buddy, Gentry Beach?
And why is he shilling so hard for Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/h3wBF7j3xOM?si=eaGvHafY06XRxdVr
Who is Trump's golfing buddy, Gentry Beach?
And why is he shilling so hard for Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/h3wBF7j3xOM?si=eaGvHafY06XRxdVr
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Mort ji, a bit round about response from me
the changes in the usage of sm platform throughout the years have been quite illustrative
i think fb had its heyday till 2015, no longer, it was decamped for xitter, tumblr and crystal cafe in large numbers
but messenger and more specifically, the fb marketplace is quite a ubiquitous platform that i do not see can be overcome anytime soon, it has made its niche
crystal cafe, the home of man-hating feminists, no hyperbole, has been chugging along quite well, recent purge from xitter and older purge from tumblr, when they introduced pronography have only increased their userbase, that has also its niche unlikely to be ever challenged
a sort of middle ground, kiwifarms, users have dwindled since the past 5 years or so, something awful was the progenitor of many of these, 8ch used to be quite aggressive, but it got shut down when the nz guy livestreamed his antics
these are all influential sm and the area where most of the ideologies / meme warfare are wrought, that is what you see on xitter or reddit as idealogue flaming, this is their genesis
then comes reddit, xitter and 4chan, of these only 4chan has anonymous posting, no account required, and no permanence and thus also one that can never be replaced; reddit has the largest userbase and also the seeming battleground for discussing competing viewpoints, but it is illusory as its moderation is like old twitter
and xitter is more like a fishmarket, though the vanquished have left for bluesky, some may have started realising that they are speaking in an echochamber, others will most likely start engaging the bluesky crowd as well
the point being, all sm revert to an echo chamber due to moderation, the only exception is again 4ch because there is little moderation as well, and in this chamber, it is quite understandable that people get excited and say all sorts of things that they regret later or something that they do not fully understand, the group peer pressure
as far as professional sm is concerned, i think ms teams is the most convenient particularly when it is paired with ms365 and other productivity tools, dont see longevity of miro/slack platforms
for academics, most unis provide sharing and workplace capabilities, and this can be anything, i believe google provides its own version of jupyter notebooks environment for collaboration purposes
a good bit of reticence is necessary for modern life, mental illness as a whole has increased in humans because the unhinged have taken to screeching their points loudly and repeatedly across all forums, and secondly, daily life has become too politicised for any discourse, with this latest move, people will hopefully start keeping a large parts of their identity to themselves and not tom-tomming it to everybody else's face 24*7
also, last thing, discord, its a haven for gamers and feds looking to incite the excitable, there's a lot of astro turfing and false flagging on there - a lot, if not all, of recent shootings in the us in the past 5-7 years can be traced to people who were regular discord users
the changes in the usage of sm platform throughout the years have been quite illustrative
i think fb had its heyday till 2015, no longer, it was decamped for xitter, tumblr and crystal cafe in large numbers
but messenger and more specifically, the fb marketplace is quite a ubiquitous platform that i do not see can be overcome anytime soon, it has made its niche
crystal cafe, the home of man-hating feminists, no hyperbole, has been chugging along quite well, recent purge from xitter and older purge from tumblr, when they introduced pronography have only increased their userbase, that has also its niche unlikely to be ever challenged
a sort of middle ground, kiwifarms, users have dwindled since the past 5 years or so, something awful was the progenitor of many of these, 8ch used to be quite aggressive, but it got shut down when the nz guy livestreamed his antics
these are all influential sm and the area where most of the ideologies / meme warfare are wrought, that is what you see on xitter or reddit as idealogue flaming, this is their genesis
then comes reddit, xitter and 4chan, of these only 4chan has anonymous posting, no account required, and no permanence and thus also one that can never be replaced; reddit has the largest userbase and also the seeming battleground for discussing competing viewpoints, but it is illusory as its moderation is like old twitter
and xitter is more like a fishmarket, though the vanquished have left for bluesky, some may have started realising that they are speaking in an echochamber, others will most likely start engaging the bluesky crowd as well
the point being, all sm revert to an echo chamber due to moderation, the only exception is again 4ch because there is little moderation as well, and in this chamber, it is quite understandable that people get excited and say all sorts of things that they regret later or something that they do not fully understand, the group peer pressure
as far as professional sm is concerned, i think ms teams is the most convenient particularly when it is paired with ms365 and other productivity tools, dont see longevity of miro/slack platforms
for academics, most unis provide sharing and workplace capabilities, and this can be anything, i believe google provides its own version of jupyter notebooks environment for collaboration purposes
a good bit of reticence is necessary for modern life, mental illness as a whole has increased in humans because the unhinged have taken to screeching their points loudly and repeatedly across all forums, and secondly, daily life has become too politicised for any discourse, with this latest move, people will hopefully start keeping a large parts of their identity to themselves and not tom-tomming it to everybody else's face 24*7
also, last thing, discord, its a haven for gamers and feds looking to incite the excitable, there's a lot of astro turfing and false flagging on there - a lot, if not all, of recent shootings in the us in the past 5-7 years can be traced to people who were regular discord users
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
US green card new rule for lawful permanent residents in America
-Starting May 29, 2025, applicants must use the new Form I-90 to replace a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Older forms will no longer be accepted.
:
Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) whose 10-year green cards have expired or will expire within 6 months must file Form I-90 to renew.
Green card holders should check if they're eligible for naturalization using USCIS tools before filing Form I-90.
-Starting May 29, 2025, applicants must use the new Form I-90 to replace a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Older forms will no longer be accepted.
:
Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) whose 10-year green cards have expired or will expire within 6 months must file Form I-90 to renew.
Green card holders should check if they're eligible for naturalization using USCIS tools before filing Form I-90.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/25-66.pdf
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE rules that Trump does not have the power to tariff virtually every country, only Congress can do so.
Per Curiam: The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive powers to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,” and to “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.” U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cls. 1, 3. The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (“IEEPA”) delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world. The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder.
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE rules that Trump does not have the power to tariff virtually every country, only Congress can do so.
Per Curiam: The Constitution assigns Congress the exclusive powers to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,” and to “regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.” U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cls. 1, 3. The question in the two cases before the court is whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977 (“IEEPA”) delegates these powers to the President in the form of authority to impose unlimited tariffs on goods from nearly every country in the world. The court does not read IEEPA to confer such unbounded authority and sets aside the challenged tariffs imposed thereunder.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
There is a deep sense of betrayal in Bharat of DJT's conduct during and after Op Sindhoor. This is quite widespread. Indo-US relations are in for a downturn in some aspects now. Defence, security-related, and political leaders' meetings, as well as international security-related partnerships like the UQAD, will all suffer to some extent.
Our leadership will also be wary of meeting with him after this, as he has gone overboard more than once with us now in a short period since Map 10th.
Our leadership will also be wary of meeting with him after this, as he has gone overboard more than once with us now in a short period since Map 10th.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
What prevents pakis from doing that again.. they will massage the orange man's egoA_Gupta wrote: ↑23 May 2025 18:37What is evident is Pakistan's "victory" narrative is based on giving credibility to Trump.Amber G. wrote: ↑23 May 2025 10:21 From EAM's interview: Watch his body language and clarity ..(--DJT was taking false credit):
India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar: India made one thing very clear to whoever spoke to us. Not just United States but everyone. If the Pakistanis want to stop firing, they need to tell us. We need to hear it from them. Their General has to call our General & say this.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
There are two separate things at work here.
1) Trump being revealed as the cryptocurrency Laloo Prasad Yadav of the world. A lucid explanation of the China/Pakistan-Trump Family Crypto Nexus is given by Col. Mayank Chaubey here:
This is a straightforward protection-money scam.
2) The second thing is that the US establishment itself has been shocked and rattled by what it saw India do in the first half of May. This is a victory unlike anything seen since the 1st Gulf War... total mil-tech dominance asserted over an adversary who had barely any capacity to retaliate meaningfully. The implications range from India as a new entrant in the international arms supplier market to India as a (nearly) undisputed geopolitical hegemon in its near abroad-- shaking to the core all the foundational assumptions peddled by egg-spurts, drunk tanks, and policy institutes that every foreign government relies on.
You cannot arrive on the world stage as dramatically as you just have and not expect that everyone is going to shift their perceptions of you quite significantly. China is scared. The US is wary-- earlier, it was mostly smugly indifferent, thinking that India could be some sort of 'counterweight' to China on its behalf even while remaining outside traditional alliance frameworks.
So this second factor would have been a thing to deal with regardless of Trump. The Trump corruption part of the story is ironic, because for once it puts all three parties-- the US policymaking establishment, the MAGA regime, and the People's Republic of China on the same page. All three were at loggerheads previously, all now are furiously recalibrating their long-held perceptions of India and coming to terms with how India just reshaped global reality.
1) Trump being revealed as the cryptocurrency Laloo Prasad Yadav of the world. A lucid explanation of the China/Pakistan-Trump Family Crypto Nexus is given by Col. Mayank Chaubey here:
This is a straightforward protection-money scam.
2) The second thing is that the US establishment itself has been shocked and rattled by what it saw India do in the first half of May. This is a victory unlike anything seen since the 1st Gulf War... total mil-tech dominance asserted over an adversary who had barely any capacity to retaliate meaningfully. The implications range from India as a new entrant in the international arms supplier market to India as a (nearly) undisputed geopolitical hegemon in its near abroad-- shaking to the core all the foundational assumptions peddled by egg-spurts, drunk tanks, and policy institutes that every foreign government relies on.
You cannot arrive on the world stage as dramatically as you just have and not expect that everyone is going to shift their perceptions of you quite significantly. China is scared. The US is wary-- earlier, it was mostly smugly indifferent, thinking that India could be some sort of 'counterweight' to China on its behalf even while remaining outside traditional alliance frameworks.
So this second factor would have been a thing to deal with regardless of Trump. The Trump corruption part of the story is ironic, because for once it puts all three parties-- the US policymaking establishment, the MAGA regime, and the People's Republic of China on the same page. All three were at loggerheads previously, all now are furiously recalibrating their long-held perceptions of India and coming to terms with how India just reshaped global reality.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
It is a narrow ruling. Many tariffs do not fall under this IEEPA perview. The only problem, for Trump and the folks who voted for him to go ahead with tariffs, is that Trump lost leverage with those countries who are coming to the table for deals.A_Gupta wrote: ↑29 May 2025 10:58 https://www.cit.uscourts.gov/sites/cit/files/25-66.pdf
UNITED STATES COURT OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE rules that Trump does not have the power to tariff virtually every country, only Congress can do so.
That means no revival of American manufacturing, steel, and mining (for rare earths).
By the way, A_Gupta ji, this should go into Understanding the US thread. It is OT here. If you want to analyze, let us take it there.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
The Brits concluded a trade deal too early. They can be cheaply bought. Now if the tariffs are deemed illegal then I do not know what is the status of such "deals".
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
^^BTW, the form seems practically the same as the previous one. This appears a routine announcement on the USCIS site that the DDM is trying to use.Amber G. wrote: ↑28 May 2025 23:48 US green card new rule for lawful permanent residents in America
-Starting May 29, 2025, applicants must use the new Form I-90 to replace a Permanent Resident Card (Green Card). Older forms will no longer be accepted.
Re: India-US relations: News and Discussions IV
Yes, a lot of people are too emotional/too gullible. And then there are the partisans/uncle tom types.Yagnasri wrote: ↑29 May 2025 12:02 There is a deep sense of betrayal in Bharat of DJT's conduct during and after Op Sindhoor. This is quite widespread. Indo-US relations are in for a downturn in some aspects now. Defence, security-related, and political leaders' meetings, as well as international security-related partnerships like the UQAD, will all suffer to some extent.
Our leadership will also be wary of meeting with him after this, as he has gone overboard more than once with us now in a short period since Map 10th.
The Jaipur Dialogues guy was waxing eloquent day in and day out about how Trump was going to bring a new era and help destroy all of India's enemies. Now he is singing a different tune. And oh, Balochistan has been liberated for the 50th time.
Pradeep Singh has kept himself on an even keel with great objectivity.
As I have been repeating many times - one should assume there is no underlying difference between administrations vis a vis their outlook towards Bharat. They will always want "mutually beneficial activities/transactions" but no let-up in the pursuit of wearing down Bharat's foundations. Menu may change, but still the same stale/rotten ingredients.
Last edited by KL Dubey on 30 May 2025 05:01, edited 3 times in total.