In 58 posts with close to 100k words, we shared a lot in 2024! Explore 2024’s biggest geopolitical shifts, cultural battles, and bold insights with Drishtikone’s year in review. See you in 2025! Happy New Year! Be safe!
When you see Russia get into existential war over Ukraine, or Israel bomb Syria or India battle with Pakistan or Bangladesh, it is not because of some whim. It has a historical and geographical context. That is critical to understand for analyzing geopolitics.
Dive into the shadowy world of the Deep State—its hidden structures, powerful networks, and the far-reaching impact on global events and control.
With over 70 countries holding elections and champions of democracy making a mockery of it, 2024 will decide the next 100 years of humanity. A Tipping Point!
January 22nd is a Civilizational moment for Bharat, that is India. It is the coming alive of Shri Ram after over five centuries. Shri Ram Mandir will have the Prana Pratishtha - or breathing Ram's life force into the temple and its deity.
I have shared my sentiments in this video. Please watch and share on the social media. Also would be grateful to get your comments.
Prana Prathishtha is not a normal event. It is a shift in consciousness around the area where it happens. And when it is the prana prathishtha of such a potent scale, then the impact is global.
2024 was, therefore, never going to be a normal year. However, its significance has increased because of how the changes in over 70 countries have been lined up already.
Planned events for change and a transformational consciousness underpinning - we have a recipe for a long-lasting shift.
Put on your seat belts for the most significant year of your lifetimes. A year that your next 10 generations will talk about.
2024 will go down in the next 100 years of human history as the greatest turning point.
Over 70 countries around the world will have elected a new government by the end of the year. Countries like Taiwan, Russia, India, the United States, Britain, the European Union, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela, and Bangladesh either have already or will go to poll.
The greatest power in the world (the United States), the most-populous country (India), the biggest trading bloc (the European Union), the largest Muslim country (Indonesia), the largest Spanish-speaking country (Mexico) and the territory that embodies the greatest risk of confrontation between the two superpowers of this century (Taiwan) will all hold elections in 2024. (Source: "2024, when half of the planet goes to the polls" / El Pais)
The significance of these elections cannot be undermined. Here is an interesting set of factoids.
In the first on January 7th, 2024, Sheikh Hasina's Awami League won the election for the 4th time. The problem was that the opposition had boycotted the elections.
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has won a fifth term in power with her party taking three-quarters of seats in parliament, election officials said Monday after polls boycotted by the opposition as a "sham". "The Awami League has won the election," said Moniruzzaman Talukder, a joint secretary of the Election Commission a day after a vote boycotted by the opposition, with initial reports suggesting a meagre turnout of some 40 percent. Talukder said Hasina's party had won 223 seats, but support of other lawmakers including from allied parties, means Hasina's actual control over the 300 seat parliament is even higher, analysts said. (Source: "Bangladesh Elections 2024 Highlights: PM Sheikh Hasina re-elected for 5th term in office" / Live Mint)
Despite the shenanigans of the opposition, Awami League won.
The United States, a country that cannot hold its own elections properly and goes about disqualifying the opposition leaders or challengers the ruling party (Democrats currently) do not deem fit, had a very dim view of the Bangladeshi election. Not sure why because one wonders who even provided them with that mantle anyway!
The United States shares the view that the weekend's elections in Bangladesh were not free and fair, the U.S. State Department said on Monday, adding that Washington was concerned by reports of vote irregularities and condemned violence that took place. (Source: "US says Bangladesh elections were not free and fair" / Reuters)
It must be remembered that United States was interfering in the Bangladesh elections to get Khalida Zia's party win. Khalida Zia's party is aligned with the Jehadi forces and Pakistan's ISI in turning the country more radical.
To twist Bangladesh's hand, the Biden administration, even put visa sanctions on Bangladesh (Source: The Hindu) In the run up to the elections, India warned America about the folly its disastrous subversive attempts.
If Sheikh Hasina had lost the elections, as the US establishment was pushing for, Bangladesh, and consequently, India would have faced the impact of renewed Jihadi violence.
Pressure is mounting on India to bail Bangladesh out from a US-imposed political crisis that is shrinking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s space to manoeuvre and encouraging political opponents, particularly Islamist fundamentalist outfits, to put her in a corner in the run-up to the country’s parliamentary election scheduled for January 2024. (Source: "If Sheikh Hasina loses January election, Bangladesh could face prolonged political and economic instability" / Frontline)
Unable to secure its puppet and unleash Jihadi terror on India's eastern front before India's election, US went about denouncing the election results.
Too typical a strategy to even be surprised.
The other important election that has selected a leader who would not toe the line of an outside power is Taiwan.
The country rejected China.
January 13th, 2024 Taiwan elected Vice President Lai Ching-te as the next president. He is from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). DPP is the most anti-Beijing party in Taiwan.
The main opposition party, the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party prefer to have close ties with Beijing.
Lai won 40% of the vote, Hou Yu-ih of Kuomintang won 33%, and Ko Wen-je of Taiwan People’s Party won 26%.
Unfortunately for the new President Lai, the DPP lost control over the legislature.
At a news conference after his victory on Saturday, Lai said he would continue foreign affairs and national defense in line with Tsai’s policies. China cut off direct dialogue with Taiwan after she was elected in 2016, and has rebuffed offers of talks with Lai as well. Lai, 64, who will take office for four years starting May 20, said he hopes that China will “understand that only peace will benefit both sides of the strait. In addition, global peace and stability depends on peace in the Taiwan Strait. We hope that China understands the situation, because China also has a responsibility.” (Source: Taiwan defies China, electing a new president Beijing labeled a separatist ‘troublemaker’ / NBC)
So, Lai's election represents a continuation of the DPP's policies, which are characterized by a strong emphasis on Taiwan nationalism and autonomy. The DPP's commitment to a "democratic constitutional order" and the principle that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other reinforces the island's current political stance, which resists encroachments on its sovereignty or annexation.
This political landscape in Taiwan affects its relationships with both China and the US. The DPP's stance and Taiwan's increasing closeness with the US have provoked responses from China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force for reunification, and increased military activities around Taiwan have been observed. However, the more the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) pressures Taiwan, the more united the people of Taiwan seem to become in their support for parties advocating for Taiwanese autonomy.
The other important election will be in the European Union.
The European Parliament elections, set for June 6th to 9th, 2024, carry significant geopolitical weight. As a decisive event in the EU's democratic process, the outcome will determine the composition of the European Parliament for the next five years. The elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be instrumental in shaping the EU's legislative and policy direction. Their decisions will influence critical areas such as trade, environmental regulations, security, and foreign policy, impacting not only member states but also the EU's global partnerships and its position in international affairs. The elections are thus a crucial moment for the EU, setting the course for its future role on the global stage and its internal dynamics, particularly in response to contemporary challenges such as economic fluctuations, regional conflicts, and the evolving global political landscape.
A total of 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will be elected. This is an increase from the current number of 705 MEPs. The number of MEPs per country is decided before each European election and is based on the principle of “degressive proportionality.” This means that while countries with larger populations have more seats, smaller countries are given more seats per capita to ensure a minimum level of representation for European citizens from these countries
So what do these MEPs do?
MEPs play a crucial role in the European Union's legislative process. They are responsible for examining, amending, and adopting legislation, in conjunction with the Council of the European Union. MEPs also decide on the EU budget and scrutinize how it is spent. They vote on trade agreements with countries outside the EU and elect the President of the European Commission. Thus, MEPs influence decisions that affect a wide range of issues, from jobs and healthcare to environmental policies, directly impacting the daily lives of EU citizens.
What do these elections look like?
If European elections were to take place today, it is likely that the European People’s Party (EPP) would win the most number of seats, followed by the Socialist and Democrats (S&D) and Renew Party. The conservative nationalist ECR group, currently the sixth force in the European Parliament, however has still the chance to be the third-largest group, taking over from the centrist Renew Group. The biggest loser, however, is likely to be the Greens/European Free Alliance who would lose the most seats. (Source: "European elections 2024: predictions and implications for European businesses" / Publyon)
We need to also understand the situation in individual European countries to properly understand what will happen in the EU this year.
In the latest Spanish elections in July 2023, the Socialist Party (PSOE), led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, managed to retain power. The left-wing political landscape experienced some turmoil, particularly with the Podemos party facing internal issues and disagreements with its coalition partner Sumar. Despite these challenges, the left remains in government.
On the right, the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox did not perform as expected and failed to secure enough seats to form a government. They have been critical of the government's decisions, particularly regarding the proposed amnesty for Catalan politicians involved in the 2017 independence referendum. This amnesty has been a point of contention with pushback from the right-wing parties and even some legal professionals.
With the Catalan factor as the big difference and the right-wing coalition breaking up, the power went again to the leftist coalition.
Espinosa de los Monteros, who said he was leaving to spend more time with his family, has been increasingly marginalised by hardliners close to the party leader, Santiago Abascal. While they look for inspiration to the authoritarian government of Viktor Orbán in Hungary and the rightwing nationalists of Law & Justice in Poland, Espinosa de los Monteros represents a wing of the party that identifies more with the British Conservatives and whose role models are Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. “I believe it’s more of an internal power struggle than anything to do with ideology because there is little ideological difference between them,” said Pablo Simón, a political scientist at the University Carlos III in Madrid. Simón believes the infighting has been caused by frustration that, despite winning virtually the same percentage of the vote as the leftwing Sumar (Unite) party, Vox has no chance of being in government, while Sumar does. Amid internal recriminations over the party’s collapse, the mainstream conservative People’s party (PP) has also been distancing itself from Vox. The PP, which had been expected in the run-up to the election to form a coalition with Vox, emerged as overall winner but is now unable to form a government. (Source: "Infighting at top of Spain’s far-right Vox party as spokesperson quits" / The Guardian)
This important country which has 61 MEPs in the European Parliament.
In the recent Dutch elections in late November 2023, Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) won a significant victory, securing 37 seats in the 150-seat legislature, which was the largest single bloc. This was ahead of the outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative People's Party, which won 24 seats, and the left-wing Labour-Green coalition, which won 25 seats.
So, although Geert Wilders, the leader of the Dutch far-right Freedom Party (PVV), has positioned himself to potentially become the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands, as of now, it is not confirmed if Wilders has officially become the Prime Minister. He needs to find coalition partners to form a majority in the legislature to enable him to win a vote of confidence and form a government.
Poland, on the other hand, went left.
The Law and Justice (PiS) party which had ruled the country since 2015 lost power to a coalition of left parties. Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform coalition won a big majority. Interestingly, this happened on the back of an unprecedented 74%!
Currently, Europe is going through a massive churn between its so-called liberal order (basically socialism and communism-lite) politics and the nationalist sentiments.
Central to this churn is the influx of the refugees, specifically from the Islamic countries.
The refugee population is skyrocketing in Europe. As this World Bank graph shows, in just 2022, the numbers shot up 6.7 million from 2.9 million in 2021! An increase of a whopping 230%!
In terms of demographics, this means the share of foreign nationals in the EU (mostly from Islamic countries) is now close to 13%.
A majority of the foreign nationals, or the refugees now EU residents or citizens are Muslim.
And the numbers have been rising to a point where Islam is the second-largest religion in Europe by a wide margin.
According to the Pew Research Center, Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe. The Muslim population in Europe (excluding Turkey) was about 30 million in 1990 and 44 million in 2010. By 2023, that number has exceeded 50.3 million, which makes Islam the second largest religion in Europe. The figure pales in comparison with the third and fourth largest religions in Europe, which number between one and two million. (Source: Rise of Islam in Europe and its consequences / Tehran Times)
If these numbers from the Tehran Times are correct, then within 7 years, the Muslim population has doubled!
And, this is close to the target numbers that Pew Research had predicted for 2050 (with medium migration). It may have happened in 2023 already!
So it is better to take the "High Migration" scenario into account for better predicting purposes. This is how Europe will look like in 2050.
Conversions in Europe are not really a factor, although the article in the Tehran Times would have the reader believe so. The real factors are high fertility rates and influx.
France overwhelmingly but Switzerland and Belgium too were hit by Islamist violence in 2023.
Desh Kapoor
The kind of weaponry used was not ordinary. Despite this, the Western intellectual circles and media are terming it insignificant.
We view Europeans who are Muslims almost exclusively through the lens of national and global security, as seen in the aftermath of the attacks in Paris in January and November 2015, despite evidence suggesting comparable or even potentially greater threats from other sources. According to Europol’s 2016 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report, ethno-nationalist and separatist groups were responsible for the most terrorist attacks in the EU last year. (Source: Anti-Muslim Hatred Grows in Europe / Penn Carey Law, Univ of Penn)
There are reports in the media that Europe is turning extremely racist and Islamophobic in recent times.
So there is an extreme level of tension within Europe. Violence and hatred is rising on both sides - natives and migrants/refugees.
Either way - whether it is the refugees to blame or the natives - the European fabric will be torn apart fundamentally.
Europe is not the only one besieged by immigrants or refugees.
When a person enters a country legally, s/he is obviously a migrant. But a person who has illegally entered - should s/he be also treated like a migrant?
The Southern border with Mexico saw 2.5 million illegals coming in as per the Federal Agents. Here is the kicker - they were not Mexican nationals alone. Folks from China, India, and Russia are using Mexico as a conduit.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, federal agents encountered roughly 2.5 million migrants at the southern border in 2023. While debates in the U.S. focus on domestic immigration policy, there's an undeniable reality: The year saw a historic rise in the number of displaced people around the world. That's apparent at the border and in shelters throughout American cities: a Venezuelan pharmacist sleeping in line to get shelter in New York City; a Kurdish English teacher crossing the California border; a Russian doctor in Tijuana who spoke to NPR while in line to request asylum. His sons were entering the age of military service. "Russia is so difficult. I can't describe it," he said. "It's so difficult for me. Catastrofa." (Source: "An unprecedented year in immigration, and in anti-immigration rhetoric" / NPR)
To house the unprecedented rise in the numbers of illegals, who have turned into holy cows in the Biden administration, "Welcome Centers" have been set up. The illegals are provided lodging and other amenities in these centers.
Apparently, going into these centers is not easy, nor allowed.
Illegal migrants are welcomed. USA citizens are not. One of many welcome centers in NY that your tax dollars are financing. Thanks for the footage @InfoUncensored 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JW44eaLwvz
— Gail Alfar (@GailAlfarATX) January 11, 2024
The favorite cities for the illegal immigrants attract most such illegals.
American cities are being overwhelmed. It has reached crisis levels now.
Because the makeshift centers by the government are clearly insufficient to house the illegal rush, the government has pushed these "immigrants" to fancy hotels.
The hotels are now turning them out even as New York City works to get more hotels - at the taxpayers' dime, of course! So when the illegals are turned out by one hotel, they go into another "city-paid" one.
The first migrant families residing in city-paid hotel rooms were served their eviction notices this week as New York Mayor Eric Adams seeks to open up beds for more recently arrived entrants. Some 40 families who have been housed for up to a year at the Row NYC hotel were turned out for having exceeded Adams’s 60-day housing limitation, which was announced in October, according to the Associated Press. And this is only the beginning, as the Adams administration plans to serve similar notices across the Big Apple. Many of the migrants who lost their months-long hotel rooms say they will just make their way to any number of other hotels the city is contracting with to house migrants. Some also told the AP that they had found private arrangements to move to. (Source: "First Illegals Served Evictions from New York Hotels, Only to Reapply to Others" / Breitbart)
In some cases, the illegals are being dropped by the city authorities into schools for the illegals to sleep in school gyms! Because of that, the schools are being closed for the students. This prompted Elon Musk to remark that they will next come for your homes.
This is what happens when you run out of hotel rooms. Soon, cities will run out of schools to vacate. Then they will come for your homes. https://t.co/MQ159OlOXc
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2024
If you think it is fear-mongering.
It is not.
In Massachusetts, it has already become a reality. Albeit, as of now, it is wrapped as an appeal. First, the governor declared a "state of emergency" in the state.
Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency Tuesday over the flood of migrants pouring into her deep blue state and straining emergency resources. Healey urged the federal government to step up support for the crisis, which she claims has caused a “severe lack of shelter availability.” “I am declaring a state of emergency in Massachusetts and urging my partners in the federal government to take the action we need to address this crisis by streamlining the work authorization process and passing comprehensive immigration reform,” she said in a statement. (Source: "Massachusetts governor declares state of emergency over migrant influx" / New York Post)
After that, Governor Maura Healey asked Massachusetts state residents to open their homes for illegal migrants in the state in August 2023.
Our politicians have absolutely no idea how to handle the massive wave of migrants sweeping the nation and are proposing brain-dead solutions. Massachusetts is the latest state to declare a state of emergency due to the “rapidly rising numbers of migrant families” seeking shelter. By state law, they must accept and house families who qualify. Governor Maura Healey said that over 100 illegal aliens PER DAY applied in July, and she is now asking the people to personally house migrants in their homes. Taxpayers in Massachusetts are footing a $45 million monthly bill to house 5,600 migrant families. Healey said that the state simply cannot keep up with the demand and noted that most of these people are unable to work legally and have no other resource besides US tax dollars. These people who trespassed into the country cannot obtain licenses to drive or earn a paycheck and will require full sponsorship from you in addition to your tax dollars. Of course, there have been no background checks on these people either since no one knows who they are or where they came from. There are currently 20,000 migrants throughout MA, with shelter capacity expanding by 80% in the past year. (Source: "Massachusetts Residents Asked to House Illegal Migrants" / Armstrong Economics)
Here is her video.
Some are saying that America is dying as we speak. Cities overwhelmed.
More than 45,000 have tried to cross into America from Mexico in the last five days, 10 News First reported. The mayor of Eagle Pass, Texas, Rolando Salinas Jr., has declared a state of emergency to deal with the illegals. And places thousands of miles from the border, from New York City to Logan Airport in Boston, have become overwhelmed by the open border policy of this Joe Biden presidency — the policy that puts illegals first, citizens second. America is on the cusp of breaking. America, as a free society, is at the point of dying. (Source: "Thousands of illegal immigrants overwhelming U.S. cities: Deport or die, America"/ Washington Times)
And, this is all happening in the US while the radical left/woke/Islamist crowd has become bold and aggressive with complete impunity. Any other group attempting something even remotely to the kind of aggressive activities that this bunch indulges in would be processed as an attack on national security. Which it really was.
In Washington DC, Pro-Palestine protesters try to breach the security fence outside of the White House. All that the DC police could do was hold the fence! What if they were large enough numbers to breach the fence to the White House?
What was this mob doing? It is 100 days since the Hamas attack on Israel. This pro-Palestine "protest" was part of global rallies.
Thousands of pro Palestine supporters have descended on the White House, violently shaking the security fence and lobbing over bloodied dolls as part of a huge demonstration demanding a ceasefire on Gaza. Secret service agents and police defending the People's House donned riot gear as a baying mob pelted them with dolls symbolizing Gaza's children and other projectiles. Video taken at the event on Saturday shows how the metal perimeter was shaken so hard that portions of it were shunted back, forcing secret service operatives to rush to one part to prevent a breach. (Source: Daily Mail)
By every count, this was an attack on the White House, even though the media and others did not even spare a moment to discuss it.
As unprecedented as these events are, the intellectual circles, reeling under the unrepentant anti-semitism and the consequent resignation of Harvard President Claudine Gay, are now digging their heels deeper into breaking society up further.
In a piece of bizarre news Dr. Sherita Golden, Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Chief Diversity Officer (Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Health Equity) issued a "privilege" list that instantly disenfranchised and disempowered the majority of their employees.
All in the name of "privilege".
After the backlash, Dr. Golden walked back the earlier communication.
UPDATE: The Johns Hopkins DEI Office has retracted their "privilege list" after our post went viral and drew massive outrage https://t.co/DWirlJBpKg pic.twitter.com/j26FUKSp2w
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 11, 2024
All this is happening when the American establishment is systematically subverting American democracy.
While the Democratic party and the courts are working to throw Trump out, they are not stopping at just him.
Vivek Ramaswamy was pushed out of the Republican debate stage for the 5th debate on January 10th.
How? By using fake surveys and keeping him out of the choices.
He instead went on a Live discussion with Tim Pool and Candace Owens.
Prediction: we get more total views than CNN’s fake “debate” tonight. Won’t hold back. LIVE NOW with @Timcast & @RealCandaceO.https://t.co/wKY2ugaC4x
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 11, 2024
This crisis of fundamentals of democracy and freedom of expression is what is at stake this year.
Democracy is the rule by the people for the people and it is a governance of the people.
With the majority of the world going through the exercise to elect their leaders, this year 2024 will be the year of our collective voice.
There are forces that are clearly subverting societies. And they are blatant. Without remorse.
Even when institutions are clearly falling apart, the narratives are holding them up.
We are being made to believe that this subversion is in our favor.
That is the key.
Will the world be able to disentangle the untruth of the narratives from the actual facts?
The next 100 years will be shaped by the world's collective ability to do that and speak our minds.
Will we?
When you see Russia get into existential war over Ukraine, or Israel bomb Syria or India battle with Pakistan or Bangladesh, it is not because of some whim. It has a historical and geographical context. That is critical to understand for analyzing geopolitics.
Dive into the shadowy world of the Deep State—its hidden structures, powerful networks, and the far-reaching impact on global events and control.
While game-playing the future, one of the main flashpoints we came across, where the global conflict can start, was the Arctic. We look at it in complete detail.
North Korea launched its most advanced monster missile yet. China is readying its 'mysterious' amphibious ship. Russia is advancing in Ukraine while losing men. America goes to poll and civil uncertainty. Global economy is on the brink. What is coming? Let's game plan it.
Every Sunday AM (US Time)/ PM (India time), we send out a weekly detailed newsletter. We also share other insightful notes during the week. Its free. Do sign up and share with friends!
