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.
The election victory of Donald Trump was an unprecedented one in many ways. The type of campaign he ran was just one part of it. Now, despite losing the popular vote by 2.84 million, he has won the math for the electoral college to be the next President-elect. However, the recklessness with which he is approaching the entire process of getting into the saddle is just mind-boggling.
Professor Allan Lichtman, author of “Predicting the Next President: The Keys to the White House 2016″ had predicted that Trump’s victory also predicted that he will be impeached because of his arrogant transgressions of power.
“First of all, throughout his life he has played fast and loose with the law,” Lichtman said. “He has run an illegal charity in New York state. He has made an illegal campaign contribution through that charity. He has used the charity to settle personal business debts. He faces a RICO lawsuit.”
Now it seems that the situation similar to what Lichtman pointed to may come faster than predicted by him. After all, its tough to predict the stupidity of a lunatic. And the issue revolves around Trump’s businesses which deal with foreign governments and foreign enterprises. He has admitted just last week that he will NOT divest in his businesses but merely turn over the operational responsibility to his sons.
Wonder if he is getting sane legal advice because the issue of ethics of conflict of interest is not just about “managing” a business but even more importantly about the “ownership” of business. Every employee who works in an audit firm has to divest ALL stock of any company the firm audits, whether he/she works on the audit or not! So why should the President be held to a different standard?
Norm Eisen the former White House ehics lawyer says this in the video clip below:
“The Constitution” has something called The Emoluments Clause. That’s just a fancy, 18th century word for no foreign government payments. And Donald Trump is collecting foreign government payments and other benefits throughout his business.
It is a direct violation of “The Constitution” and unless he divests, not just operations, he must divest from all business interests or he will be in violation of “The Constitution” from day one.
The next President will be violating the US Constitution on Day One of his office if he plans to do what the New York Times reported he will do (or not do!).
He is self-delusional person who happens to have ways to do things which run contrary to all decency. And, not only is he turning against the top intelligence organization in the country – the CIA – he is even boasting that he knows enough and if he needs more information, he will ask for it. Meanwhile he reads up on twitter (as opposed to intelligence briefings) and watches Cable news debates (as opposed to participate in briefings) to get prepared for the world full of lurking disasters.
He is not just ignorant and ill-informed, he is proud of it! Trump is like a truck-driver who is driving the whole 16-wheeler of this nation right off the cliff and he is so high on opium and his own self that he is not willing to listen to any sanity. Watch this video clip to understand his take on his personal intelligence vs Intelligence from the spy agencies!
As you watch all this, you feel more and more pathetic about what has US gotten itself into? The very idea that a man with no national security experience whatsoever surrounded by serial controversy theorists and one who is temperamental enough to engage in twitter wars can avoid learning of the day’s intelligence briefings and be rather given a filtered version by his aides can be extremely dangerous! What if his aides include a mole? What if his aides forget an important detail? What if they inject their own ideological bias?
Specially when so many of them are Russia lovers. In a time when Russia is doing everything it can to influence the US polity. Given that US is now investigating the Russian role in the just concluded elections, the national security may have been compromised already. But more importantly, it could give grounds to electoral college to reject Trump and give the votes to Hillary instead because he is not able to fulfill his pledge to serve as the President to the best of his ability.
The Electoral College could find another set of grounds for not giving the Presidency to Donald Trump. And that is information on any ongoing investigations by the intelligence into Trump’s ties with Russia.
Ten members of the Electoral College, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s daughter Christine and a former member of Congress, are demanding a briefing from U.S. intelligence officials on any ongoing investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia.
In a letter to Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, the electors — nine Democrats and one Republican — argue that they require the information ahead of Dec. 19, when the Electoral College is set to meet and select the next president
If there are any investigations on, things could indeed get serious for Trump!
The issue of how Russia intervened in the US elections this time is so terrible that many Republicans are rethinking their priorities. In fact, President Obama has ordered an investigation. Its report will come before Trump’s swearing in. So it might very well be the case that Russia may have played a significant role in disrupting the whole elections. How will that play out?
Some are pointing to a case in 1995 – Mark vs Stinson – where the Supreme Court went along with the ruling of federal district judge in Pennsylvania which invalidated a state senate election because of fraud. In that case, the election winner was removed from office and his opponent – who lost – was made the victor. People are now saying that this case could be the bedrock for many anti-Trump folks to launch a movement to take the Presidency away from Trump and give it to Hillary.
Am not sure if that is where this will go, but there are a lot of challenges that Trump faces to be ready to take that final oath of office despite his electoral college math victory. Remains to be seen if the electoral college does a number of Trump come the final count.
Featured Image Source: Flickr
America's Justice Department and SEC have targeted India's Adani Group with a bribery case. Using Nationalistic sentiment doesn't help. Yes, law has been weaponized and India's sovereignty compromised but not how they think. A definitive guide to understanding the case.
There was a clear warning from Putin on provision of long range missiles that could hit deep into Russia to Ukraine. It would be consider as a direct attack by NATO on Russia. Biden has done just that!
The premise and the mindset apparent in the new Trump team points to an interesting world out there. Things will not be rosy, but they will be very different. Very, very different.
The US, and indeed the world has seen a watershed event of Donald Trump's victory. It will change the US direction and may have pushed a World War by at least 3-4 years.
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