India-US relations: News and Discussions IV

[Amber G.]

Ok: Here is what Trump (re)posted a few hours ago:


He is not happy:


He is mad:

[Vayutuvan]

So basically India refines Russian crude and sells it to the chubs

Not really. Most refineries blend several different crudes before refining. It is a complex process. E.g. for diesel the blended crudes are first desalted, then fractionally distilled with crude diesel being one of the fractions, then goes through at least 1 to 3 catalytic reactions to produce diesel of different specification. There are many other intermediate processes not mentioned here. By the end of the process, it is really not possible to say that we are taking oil from russia to supply diesel to pakraine.

With all due respect, that is all fine. But these techno-legal arguments and terminological exactitude or lack there off childish and ieffective as counter arguments to the realpolitik the US admin is trying to play.

They are simply look at the sources of inputs to Indian refineries and end users of the refined products to make a case that India is using Russian crude in the mix to profiteer from a brutal war in which a large number of civilians are dying.

The same argument can be used to counter the profiteering by pointing out that we can replace Russian crude with another source if it makes economic sense.

[Vayutuvan]

Ok: Here is what Trump (re)posted a few hours ago:
[img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gzs0-cbXsAA ... ike]medium[/strike]small[/img]

He is not happy:
[img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gzs3WyaawAA ... ke]900x900[/strike]small[/img]

He is mad:
[img...]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GzslnbsbIAA ... ike]medium[/strike]small[/img]

These are looking very big. All three images have 'small' variations. Please be kind to server bandwidth usage. Bandwidth costs money

[m_saini]

- No ‘data’ gap
We don’t need new mushroom clouds for confidence. As you know Hiroshima’s uranium bomb was never even tested

was not because of

— the physics was solid, and leaders knew it.

Here's the truth:

..scientists at Los Alamos continued privately to have doubts that it would work at all. There was only enough weapons-grade uranium available for one bomb, and confidence in the gun-type design was high..

THE TRINITY TEST
Chatgpt etc usually makes such mistakes and it's also easy to miss.

Rest of the argument also assumes a lot of things with respect to "credibility" and "deterrence" such as rational state & non-state actors. You also posted this just now

Ok: Here is what Trump (re)posted a few hours ago:
He is not happy:
He is mad:

so I assume you know where I'm going with this

deterrence is credibility + partnerships + economic weight

Europe with all it's credibility+ partnerships+economic weight still ended up calling Trump, daddy and asking them to deploy a helicopter here or there.

All the niceties and partnerships (& leading in AI, space or precision strikes) worked while Unkill was being nice with their 10 aircraft carriers boating around the world. And I think people (mainly because of Trump) are starting to realize that hard power is all that counts when brown matter hits the fan.

[A_Gupta]

The story that Modi didn't take Trump's calls originated in a German publication, Frankfurter Allgemaine.
https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/ ... 53695.html

[Vayutuvan]

so I assume you know where I'm going with this

deterrence is credibility + partnerships + economic weight

Europe with all it's credibility+ partnerships+economic weight still ended up calling Trump, daddy and asking them to deploy a helicopter here or there.

@m_saini ji, nice analysis.

But I posit that Europe may or maynot have credibility depending with whom they have that credibility.

[Amber G.]

- No ‘data’ gap
We don’t need new mushroom clouds for confidence. As you know Hiroshima’s uranium bomb was never even tested

was not because of

— the physics was solid, and leaders knew it.

Here's the truth:

..scientists at Los Alamos continued privately to have doubts that it would work at all. There was only enough weapons-grade uranium available for one bomb, and confidence in the gun-type design was high..

THE TRINITY TEST
Chatgpt etc usually makes such mistakes and it's also easy to miss.
<snip>

As I said earlier, this was my take. I chose my words very carefully — may I suggest you read them again. If you would like further debate or clarification, it may be more appropriate to take it to the nuclear/physics thread, where I have literally hundreds of posts over the past two+ decades dealing with the details of nuclear weapons, tests, and history. (Those threads are still in BRF archives)

My perspective is not casual opinion but comes from over half a century of researching and teaching Physics (including Nuclear Physics) in both the U.S. and India. I have had the privilege of learning directly from people like Hans Bethe and Richard Feynman (both of whom worked on the Manhattan Project). I have also visited the Trinity test site in person. I have also visited U-235 production site (now open to public) at Oak Ridge (Y-12 & K-25) which supplied U to Hiroshima bomb. I studied Nuclear Physics (in late 60's) at IIT Kanpur and interacted/studied from top Nuclear professors in India.

The basic premise remains unchanged: we don’t need new mushroom clouds for confidence. . Even in the 1940s, the uranium bomb was fielded without a test because the physics was sound. (Yes, there wasn’t enough U-235 at the time for multiple devices, but the main reason was the choice to go ahead rather than wait — and avoid wasting such a precious material.). IOW- The uranium bomb was never tested — not just because U-235 was scarce, but because the physics was solid and wasting such precious material made little sense.

Today, with modern supercomputing and decades of open scientific literature, nobody seriously doubts India’s nuclear capabilities.

At this stage, calling for more “tests”[old fashioned mushroom 100MT bombs] is like asking Newton to re-drop the apple — the law has already been written - really testing another bomb today won’t prove anything new — it would just prove we didn’t learn from the last seventy years of physics.

We don't need more 'that kind' nuclear ‘data’ any more than demanding another Columbus voyage to confirm the Earth isn’t flat.
-Amber G.

[Bharadwaj]

https://x.com/shivaroor/status/1962326798865490241?s=46

“Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people,” says @RealPNavarro.

Clearly some desi on Team Trump has told him “Sir, the racist shit didn’t really land, let’s try caste.”

Attack Dog-in-Chief’s latest right ahead of Modi-Putin meet.

I think GOI has to respond to this. Navarro has crossed all lines.

[Vayutuvan]

Lot of appeal to authority is going on in BRF these days. Also putting down others by a presumption of superiority. Underestimating the other while overestimating self is a sure way to utter defeat. It is so very pakistani.

[Najunamar]

Navarro presuming to lecture on whom to target (Brahmins) shows the US establishment is in very deep doo doo. They are throwing everything possible at Modiji - unfortunately for them, we now have a BC PM, SC/ST President and so no caste shit can stick. White man is truly fcuked…

[m_saini]

I have also visited the Trinity test site in person. I have also visited U-235 production site (now open to public) at Oak Ridge (Y-12 & K-25) which supplied U to Hiroshima bomb. I studied Nuclear Physics (in late 60's) at IIT Kanpur and interacted/studied from top Nuclear professors in India.

Look, I know Physics, okay? I've been studying it for, like, over 50 years. Half a century! And I'm not just talking, I've taught it. In the U.S. and India, big places, very important. I learned from the best, people like Bethe and Feynman. Smart guys, believe me. Manhattan Project, you know? I've been to the Trinity site, seen it myself and the U-235 plant, the Oak Ridge. They made the stuff for Hiroshima, folks. I studied Nuclear Physics, the best stuff, with the top professors. I know more about it than anyone.

Are you sure you're not Donald Trump in disguise?

[Najunamar]

The shenanigans of some fizzicysts here in this Dhaga reminds me of Pirates of Penzance song! Perhaps some enterprising youngsters can create a new parody along similar lines…

[Mort Walker]

Who said this was for fun? Data and deterrence are needed. IOR is a big area. TSAR bomba concept needs to be re-visited with 100MT. The picture is going to get really clear when Gor goes in for Senate confirmation. Relations are set to go into the toilet once the Sooth-Asian envoy is confirmed.

Serious reply - My take (this is what I will say in more serious forums too - and have said similar things before)

- The Tsar Bomba fallacy
Revisiting a 100 MT bomb is like bringing back steam engines to prove you can run trains faster. Even in the 1950s, physicists knew that ‘super-megaton’ devices were technically flashy but militarily useless — impossible to deliver, wasteful of fissile material, and creating more fallout than deterrence. Nobody is impressed in 2025 by craters.
- I have personally visited the Nevada Test Site, where the U.S. conducted hundreds of nuclear explosions — including Sedan (1962), a 104 kiloton device that left one of the largest man-made craters on Earth. For years, the U.S. was setting off nearly one test a week. The sheer scale of those experiments proved one point clearly: no nation today needs that kind of destructive “data” anymore. Just as the U.S. moved beyond testing, India too has the technical maturity and scientific base to validate designs without turning deserts into craters. (I wrote about this in nuclear dhaga)

- No ‘data’ gap
We don’t need new mushroom clouds for confidence. As you know Hiroshima’s uranium bomb was never even tested — the physics was solid, and leaders knew it. Nagasaki’s plutonium implosion was tested once, then trusted. Today, with modern supercomputing and decades of open literature, nobody doubts India’s capabilities.

- Deterrence ≠ bigger blast
Credibility doesn’t come from stockpiling giant toys. It comes from precision, delivery systems, and proven competence. India already shows that — from surgical strikes to missile tests that land within meters.

- Reputation through science, not fallout
India’s soft landing on the Moon, its Mars orbiter, and now Operation Sindoor speak louder than a 100 MT crater. Exporting heavy water to Canada or isotopes to the U.S. adds to that credibility — India is seen as a responsible nuclear steward, not a reckless one.

- The real deterrent
In today’s Indo-Pacific, deterrence is credibility + partnerships + economic weight. The quickest way to the ‘toilet’ in relations is to start waving Tsar Bomba fantasies. The quickest way to influence is to lead in space, energy, AI, and precise low-yield deterrence — not in 100 MT fireballs."

Tsar Bomba impressed 1960s schoolboys. In 2025, it only impresses YouTube thumbnails

- Amber G.

Yes, the physics is well understood, but this is the problem with theoretical physicists. To bring physics to reality it has to become an engineering problem. I would suggest you interview your Engineering Physics graduates who go on to complete doctoral degrees in ECE, CS, ME, AE, & Material Science.

https://physics.osu.edu/engineering-physics-program

The US has had 2 decades of above ground testing, 2 decades of below ground testing, and decades of sub-critical testing a the Laser Ignition Facility. They've taken understood physics and turned it into an engineering program. India doesn't have that experience. The "enhanced neutron devices" can range from your washing machine, to neutron bombs, to boosted fission. Shakti 1998 had boosted fission, but there is little engineering data on it. More is needed.

A bigger blast with MRBM/ICBM capability = deterrence. Indo-US relations are set to nose dive regardless of any political party in the US or India. Just look at Peter Retardo's castiest message today on Fox. He claim Brahmins are benefitting from selling Russian oil. They seem to be operating with the INC and other anti-nationals.

[bala]

“Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people,” says @RealPNavarro.

So Brahmins instead of doing Veda chanting are becoming Baniyas, tis the varna (capability!) aspect now. Which was the whole point not Castas like the Britshits posited. PNavarro may look idiotic in front of the Britshits now who claimed strict Castas of the portuguese and from their Census determined people of birth belong to Brahmins. Whew. Manu claimed (of manusmriti fame) that all are born Shudra and based on their varna become brahmin, kshatriya, baniya but are firmly rooted in their shudra hood - which is a given since the high command (supreme headquarters) at home orders you to become handyman fixing various things plumbing, lights, cars, all shudra capability. Thanks PNavarro for affirming Manu (now he is your guru!). You sly dog you are on India's side not the Britshit side!

[Mort Walker]

^^^He's become Peter Retardo.

[Amber G.]

Mort - Let’s take this discussion to the Nuclear/Physics (or Deterrence) thread for clarity. I may post something, others may join in (for serious discussion - trollers will be ignored)

Most of my (like any typical) physics students — whether Physics graduates or even Physics PhDs — eventually move into fields like hedge funds (!), management, IT, or engineering disciplines (CS, EE, ME, AE, Material Science). Some do even join defense organizations (DOD, DRDO, etc.), but very few remain in pure physics or academia. I’m quite familiar with their careers and stay in touch with many of them.

What did you mean by enhanced neutron flow devices? ERWs? or something else?

[Vayutuvan]

Hedge funds hain?!!! Ito's Integral, Brownian Motion, yadda yadda yadda. Nothing nada nicht in all that jargon. Insider trading wins. Most fund managers are BA from UPenn, NYU, Columbia, Haavad. Shampoo salesthings are from Kellogg's. General management and public policy idiots are from Haavad.

Might as well take it to Miscellaneous thread

viewtopic.php?p=2658218#p2658218

(or redirect to /dev/null if you please).

[srin]

Navarro presuming to lecture on whom to target (Brahmins) shows the US establishment is in very deep doo doo. They are throwing everything possible at Modiji - unfortunately for them, we now have a BC PM, SC/ST President and so no caste shit can stick. White man is truly fcuked…

This means that the US Deep State has taken over the foreign policy. This is the same shtick that we get from Soros proxies and their princes/vassals in India.

[Amber G.]

^^^ May be this means Trump is finding new oil from the man in background (extreme right)..enjoy the picture. (Is their some oil in that red bowl ?)

[Vayutuvan]

The pic above is not upto the standards of BRF. Clearly a cheap fake. The rice bowl is pasted into the hands of the man in the background. I would rather that we do better analysis than try to get cheap laughs from cheap fake memes. FWIW.

[chetak]

[Amber G.]

He claim Brahmins are benefitting from selling Russian oil.

Best explanation I have heard :
" Brahmins are ...[not crude] pooja oil"

[uddu]

Trump is the Elephant in the Room at the SCO Summit | Vantage with Palki Sharma

The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin has turned into more than just a regional gathering—it’s become a stage for the Global South. Leaders from India, China, and Russia are present, all stung by Donald Trump’s tariffs and sanctions. And while Trump isn’t here, his shadow looms large—his trade war has united countries Washington once hoped to divide. Palki Sharma tells you more.

[williams]

^^^ May be this means Trump is finding new oil from the man in background (extreme right)..enjoy the picture. (Is their some oil in that red bowl ?)

It is photoshopped but very nicely done

[chetak]

Navarro presuming to lecture on whom to target (Brahmins) shows the US establishment is in very deep doo doo. They are throwing everything possible at Modiji - unfortunately for them, we now have a BC PM, SC/ST President and so no caste shit can stick. White man is truly fcuked…

This means that the US Deep State has taken over the foreign policy. This is the same shtick that we get from Soros proxies and their princes/vassals in India.

srin ji,

"Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people"

— Peter Navarro, US economist and Trump's counselor for trade.

Clearly, some self-hating Indian in their ranks is guiding them to attack India's fault lines, or they are hand in glove with those trying to gain power in India by fueling caste wars, or both.

[chetak]

Tariffs are taxes paid by American importers, not foreign govts, meaning the money “flowing in” is actually coming from US businesses and consumers, not China, India or anyone else.

It’s like robbing your own citizens and calling it foreign income.

For someone who claims to be a business genius, not understanding this basic economic principle either points to a dangerously low IQ or deliberate deception, and neither is reassuring.

[Amber G.]

^^^ May be this means Trump is finding new oil from the man in background (extreme right)..enjoy the picture. (Is their some oil in that red bowl ?)
<image>
It is photoshopped but very nicely done

Yep, It is *obviously* (and clearly known as such) photoshopped.. Actual photo is quite viral and famous by now too.

Meanwhile Taza khabar:

SCO condemns the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Kashmir which was conspired by Pakistan. SCO asks perpetrators of the terror attack to be brought to justice.
.

[chetak]

India emerges as Ukraine top diesel supplier| Russian Oil|

https://www.businesstoday.in/india/stor ... 2025-08-30

US hits India over Russian oil, but Ukraine runs on Indian diesel refined from it

According to a Ukrainian oil market analytics firm, India accounted for 15.5% of Ukraine’s diesel imports in July—more than any other country


India has emerged as Ukraine’s top diesel supplier in July 2025, just as the U.S. imposed steep 50% tariffs on Indian goods for continuing Russian oil imports.

The irony is stark: even as Washington punishes India over its energy ties with Moscow, Indian diesel is helping fuel Kyiv’s wartime economy.

According to NaftoRynok, a Ukrainian oil market analytics firm, India accounted for 15.5% of Ukraine’s diesel imports in July—more than any other country. Daily shipments averaged 2,700 tons, making it one of India’s highest monthly fuel export figures for the year.

From January to July 2025, India’s share in Ukraine’s diesel supply rose to 10.2%, a dramatic jump from just 1.9% during the same period in 2024. The diesel reportedly reaches Ukraine via tanker deliveries along the Danube from Romania, and through the OPET terminal in Turkey, despite sanctions.

This comes amid escalating trade tensions between India and the United States. The Trump administration recently imposed 50% tariffs—an initial 25% reciprocal levy, followed by an additional 25%—citing India’s continued imports of discounted Russian crude.

U.S. sanctions target India’s oil sourcing, while Ukrainian battlefields and cities are running on Indian-refined diesel. Much of India’s exported diesel may include reprocessed Russian-origin crude, though official data remains opaque.

Other major suppliers to Ukraine in July included Slovakia (15%), Greece (13.5%), Turkey (12.4%), and Lithuania (11.4%). Indian exports, however, marked the sharpest growth trajectory among them.

Despite American pressure, India has stood firm on energy procurement. It previously complied with U.S. sanctions against Iran and Venezuela, but this time has opted to diversify supplies and prioritise national energy security.

Analysts say the situation underscores the complexity of global energy flows—and the limits of unilateral sanctions in an interconnected market. While Washington targets Moscow’s oil, India’s refiners are quietly becoming critical players in Europe’s energy chain.

[rajkumar]

Trump family ambassador tears up diplomatic rulebook in France

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/tr ... d59c&ei=67

Ambassadors are not known for making enemies. But with the might of Donald Trump behind him, both as a family member and political ally, Charles Kushner is not afraid to tear up the diplomatic rulebook.

The emboldened United States ambassador to France, whose son, Jared, is married to Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka, sent a letter last week to Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of failing to protect French Jews and not doing enough to fight anti-Semitism....

If they keep this up then they will be left with no allies by the end of Trump's term

[chetak]

Hame To Apno Ne Luta, Gairo Me Kaha Dum Tha.

Meri Kishti Wahan Doobi, Jahan Pani Kam

New Delhi:

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged hugs and handshakes with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese premier Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China's Tianjin, a key member of US President Donald Trump's team has termed New Delhi-Washington DC ties a "defining relationship of the 21st century".

Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, has said the relationship between US and India continues to reach new heights.

"This month, we're spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward.

From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it's the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey," the US Embassy quoted Rubio as saying.

The post on X came minutes before Prime Minister Modi's meeting with President Putin on sidelines of SCO.

U.S. Embassy India@USAndIndia

The partnership between the United States and India continues to reach new heights — a defining relationship of the 21st century.

This month, we’re spotlighting the people, progress, and possibilities driving us forward.

From innovation and entrepreneurship to defense and bilateral ties, it’s the enduring friendship between our two peoples that fuels this journey.

Follow the hashtag and be a part of #USIndiaFWDforOurPeople. 11:30 AM · Sep 1, 2025

[Dilbu]

Ivo Daalder, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, is a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center and host of the weekly podcast “World Review with Ivo Daalder.” He writes POLITICO’s From Across the Pond column.

According to him, the root of the issue is Modi not willing to give credit to Trump for ending hostilities with TSP. If that is true, then Americans should take a cold hard look at the state of their country. Alliances built carefully over decades are being thrown away at the whims and fancies of a crazy President.
India turns away from Trump’s America

When I traveled to India last February, I found a nation enthralled by America and its newly reelected president. It was a point of national pride that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first foreign leader President Donald Trump welcomed to the Oval Office after his inauguration. And in contrast to opinion in Europe and elsewhere, polls showed a majority of Indians had confidence in Trump doing the right thing.

While traveling around the country, I met young people who yearned for the opportunity to study at American universities and build a better future for themselves and their families. Business leaders were on the cusp of expanding exports to the world’s largest consumer market and building a stronger industrial base to compete with China, having been promised a quick trade agreement. Meanwhile, diplomats and military officers believed that mutual animosity toward China would bring the U.S. and India into a new strategic partnership.

For all the optimism about a quick trade deal and stronger bilateral ties, things began to sour quickly after Modi’s return from Washington. In late February, Indians watched as their fellow countrymen were deported by the U.S. Then, amonth later, Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs — socking India with a 26 percent duty on all imports into the U.S.

But the biggest blow to the relationship came in May, after India retaliated against Pakistan for a terrorist attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. The fighting between the two countries escalated quickly, and by the third day, India was targeting a military base near the army division that oversees Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Trump immediately claimed credit for engineering the end to fighting, suggesting he used trade to bring both parties to heel. “We stopped a nuclear conflict,” the U.S. leader claimed. “I think it could have been a bad nuclear war, millions of people could have been killed, so I’m very proud of that.” But while Pakistan was quick to give the White House the credit it wanted, India insisted the deal had been reached bilaterally.

Eventually, as trade talks between India and the U.S. continued to stall over agriculture and other issues, Trump and Modi spoke on the phone in June. I have been told that during this call, the U.S. president insisted Modi publicly give him credit for ending the fighting in May, and that he invited the Indian prime minister to the White House when the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan Asim Munir would also be visiting.

Modi wasn’t about to consider either of these requests. India has always insisted its conflict with Pakistan is a purely bilateral issue, pointing to earlier agreements between the two countries that reject outside mediation. And as prime minister, Modi could never accept the idea of meeting with the Pakistani military chief as if they were equals.

This was the last call between the two leaders. Washington’s stance in the trade negotiations hardened after Modi’s rejection of Trump’s entreaties, making a deal less likely. And Trump has been insisting that a final agreement be reached between him and Modi directly. However, the Indian leader knows what the U.S. president really wants — his public assent to the idea that Trump prevented a nuclear confrontation.

This background helps partly explain why Trump decided to single India out for punishment for its purchase of Russian oil not long after.

It was a confusing decision: The U.S. has long encouraged India to buy Russian oil, provided its purchases stay below the $60 oil cap agreed by Western countries. Without Russian supplies, oil prices would spike and fuel inflation. Plus, China is a far bigger buyer of oil and gas than India, yet no tariffs or sanctions were imposed on Beijing.

So, after a quarter century of building a strategic partnership with the world’s most populous economy — its second-largest democracy and soon-to-be third-largest economy — why single India out? As commentators around the world were quick to note, it makes no economic, political or strategic sense.

But the damage has already been done. The enrollment of Indian students in U.S. universities is down 40 to 50 percent from last year’s record high of 300,000. Businesses are looking for other export markets, aided by new trade deals with Britain and, soon, the EU. Indian officials are strengthening relations with Moscow, and Modi traveled to China for the first time in seven years.

Those in India who long warned about entangling alignments are now having a field day, and Modi himself is talking about the critical importance of self-reliance. The U.S., meanwhile, is losing a strategic partner in an important part of the world.

[A_Gupta]

Since George Soros keeps coming up,

US Secy of Treasury Scot Bessent: (Wiki):

Bessent secured an internship with Jim Rogers after meeting him at a Yale Career Center event.[19] After graduation, Bessent worked at Brown Brothers Harriman and then for Jim Chanos at Kynikos Associates. He joined Soros Fund Management (SFM) in 1991, eventually becoming head of the London office. In 1992, Bessent was a leading member of the team whose bet on the Black Wednesday collapse of the British Pound sterling earned the firm over $1 billion.[8][20][21][22] Some sources, such as Forbes, describe Bessent as having been a "protégé" of George Soros, SFM's founder.[23][24]

After resigning from SFM in 2000, Bessent founded a $1 billion hedge fund, Bessent Capital.[8][25] The fund closed in 2005. Bessent has said he learned that he should not change his style or the firm's approach because of investor preferences.[26] He was also a senior investment adviser to fund-of-funds Protégé Partners.[27][20] Bessent returned to SFM as chief investment officer from 2011 to 2015.[21] His bet against the Japanese yen in 2013 yielded more than $1.2 billion in profit in three months.[28]

From 2006 to 2011, Bessent was an adjunct professor of economic history at Yale, where he taught three courses.[26][20]

Key Square Group
Bessent left SFM in 2015 to launch Key Square Group, a hedge fund named after a spot on the chessboard, with Michael Germino, who had been the global head of capital markets at SFM. It received a $2 billion anchor investment from George Soros.[22][29][30][31][32] Key Square uses geopolitics and economics to make macro investments.[11][33] Its main fund returned 13% in 2016 but declined or broke even every year from 2017 to 2021 before making major gains in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The inconsistent track record scared away clients. Assets under management shrank from $5.1 billion in 2017[33][34] to $577 million in 2023 and the number of institutional investors declined from 180 to 20 over the same period. It earned "double digits" percentagewise in 2024.[35]

As part of a prearranged deal, in 2018 the firm returned Soros's investment as it took in other assets.[33] Its investors include Australia's sovereign wealth fund, Future Fund.[34]

Bessent announced that he would sever ties with the group as Treasury Secretary.

[Bharadwaj]

https://x.com/ShivAroor/status/1962510493941452816



Taco Time

[uddu]

https://x.com/Preetam_M_Rao/status/1962401077615378906
@Preetam_M_Rao
I won't be surprised if in the next few days, Peter Navarro speaks about Vote Chori and how there is a death of democracy happening in India!
This message should go viral

[uddu]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gzw843KbAAA ... name=small


https://x.com/ShivAroor/status/1962510493941452816

Taco Time

https://x.com/wartrophy_414/status/1962514470300995622
@wartrophy_414
Btw in the last 5 years, billions have been spent on Murican hardware
99 F404-$756M
6 Apache-$600-700M
31 MQ-9B-$3.5B
24 MH-60R Roneo-$1.17B
& More deals were coming from now,

[uddu]

https://x.com/btarunr/status/1962438676421501083
@btarunr
Whenever the US uses "our two peoples" instead of "our two countries/nations," it is trying to separate the Indian people from the Indian government.

This statement is very regime-changey.

[m_saini]

.

[Amber G.]

Folks — I am moving/posting some of the deterrence-related posts to the Deterrence thread. I request that those interested in serious discussion post there.

-------

@m_saini: No, I’m not Trump in disguise. My background in BRF is hardly new — anyone can check my posts going back to 1998 in the nuclear and physics threads. Your LOLs are noted. I realize you may have an allergy to scientists, but that’s fine — we can simply choose to ignore each other if needed.

-----

It’s worth clarifying for everyone: drawing on science, evidence, and professional expertise isn’t “appeal to authority” — it’s simply how serious discussions are advanced. Only those with shaky confidence mistake this for “putting others down.” And when the language drifts into casual slurs like “Pakistani,” it says more about the poster than the topic. I’ll leave such trolling where it belongs — ignored.

[m_saini]

@Amber G. -
So serious question and I hope it doesn't come out rude:
Do you really behave this way in real life too? like saying how long you've been on BRF or what supposed degrees you have or what people you've supposedly met in response to someone correcting what you said/posted?

and if yes, it it supposed to give legitimacy to your arguments?

I typed out a childish passive-aggressive message before this (you know like "I realize you may have an allergy to scientists" kinda thing) but then i realized you're about the same age as my grandfather/grandmother or older and so even if I "win" I'd still lose lol guess i was just raised differently

[KL Dubey]

He claim Brahmins are benefitting from selling Russian oil.

Best explanation I have heard :
" Brahmins are ...[not crude] pooja oil"

While people like Navarro have very little idea of what they are talking about, we shouldn't fixate too much on the "brahmin" appellation. In USA "brahmin" is often used to denote "elite" in general, and not the actual caste/jati/varna that is meant in Bharat. For example, there is a luxury/high-end handbag brand named Brahmin. The same is true of the word "pundit" in western lingo, which does not mean the traditional definition of a pandit in Bharat.