BRIC BY BRIC - Dominance of the BRICS Countries in the World Economy

The BRICS nations have commenced their quest to command as the United States’ hegemony recedes over the World Economy.


On July 15th, 2014, the BRICS nations, Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa signed the long-anticipated document to create the $100 billion BRICS Development Bank and a reserve currency pool worth over another $100 billion. Both will help to counter the influence of Western-based lending institutions and the dollar. While the New Development Bank is seen by conservative western economists and policy advisors as an unwelcome competitor to the World Bank and IMF, some in the left politics consider it as beneficial. Fidel Castro in particular wrote favourably of the bank for its potential to assist the development of third world countries. This move by the five major emerging economies might be a signal that the uni-polar world of almost 25 years is coming to an end paving the way for a multi-polar world with developing nations having more freedom, choice and more flexibility in trade, diplomacy and development, which is a desirable state of affairs.


Some international media houses are claiming that the New Development Bank is born out of a political gridlock. They might not be far off the mark!


Some geopolitical experts view this as a move to counter the prejudiced praxes of the IMF such as appointing a European Managing Director since its inception, or using the non-revised quotas for assigning voting power. It may be imperative to note that the USA holds 17% of the IMF’s voting power and its nod is necessary to get the 85% supermajority to bring about radical reforms. Interestingly, the proposed reforms would only dilute the U.S. voting power to roughly 16.5%, still enough voting power to veto any future IMF proposals that require a supermajority.


Thus, it may be aptly inferred that the BRICS nations, which represent 40% of the world population & 18% of the World Economy have actualized an appropriate alternative to the World Bank & the IMF. The new Development Bank may also help the BRICS nations in advancing political agenda in the way the World Bank & IMF do for the US and simultaneously weaken the ability of the US & the European Union to control the politics and economies of other nations.


So, the creation of the New Development Bank may be considered as throwing down the gauntlet at the feet of the West as it is the first serious challenge to the global economic setup established at Bretton Woods some 70 years ago.


These steps taken by BRICS nations might be tiny & tentative but display their desire to transform the global economic scenario in their own interest as they advance in economic clout. As, predicted by many financial experts, this group of diverse nations is quickly moving up the ranks on the global economic chessboard aiming for the bull’s eye, i.e. dominance of the global economic setup keeping in mind the benefit of emerging economies looking for financial assistance.


But, all this might only be possible when the BRICS nations first deal with the serious economic problems at home. The new Indian regime under the leadership of Mr. Narendra Modi would be hard-pressed to implement reforms to boost the stalled national economy. While China has held up a consistent growth rate, Brazil, Russia & South Africa are growing sluggishly. If these countries drag themselves out of the slowdown pit, and all their initiatives get off the ground, they will surely create a new future for the world economy in which they would be the crown princes, the benevolent saviours of the third world countries and the challengers who broke away from the shackles of and overthrew the Western dominated Economic establishment to create multi-polar world having a more diluted power distribution.

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Little Boy & Fat Man: Angry Avengers or the Only Suitable Solution?

 Image Courtesy www.moristowngreen.com

Yesterday, Japan marked the 69th anniversary of Little Boy's visit to the city of Hiroshima and would be marking the anniversary of Fat Man's visit to Nagasaki on Friday. The nasty "Little Boy" took the lives of about 140,000 people over the course of four months while "Fat Man" extirpated 70,000 three days later and many more in the days that followed. The final tally stands at 292,325.
Yes, you guessed correctly,Little Boy & Fat Man are the 9,700 pounds & 10,300 pounds atomic bombs dropped by the United States on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima & Nagasaki which resulted in the surrender by the Japanese Forces on September 2,1945, thereby ending the World War II.
But, apart from providing the Allies with a much needed victory, the bombardments also ushered the world into the Nuclear Warfare Era. An Era, in which a constant threat of being obliterated looms over the head of every nation.
Although, after the end of the Cold War in 1991, the threat of two superpowers annihilating each other has subsided, but the focus now is over precluding proliferation and nuclear terrorism. Well the responsibility to hinder the holocaust lies with the planet pioneers. Yours truly would like to stir a debate over what really was the intent behind the extermination.
Was it payback for Pearl Harbor(a surprise attack by the Japanese resulting in 4111 DEATHS & INJURIES & loss of HUNDREDS of air crafts and battleships which ultimately LED TO THE USA's ENTRY into the World War)? or
Was it an optimal solution to end the World War in the Pacific without going through with the planned invasion?
Was the USA a brilliant belligerent or a riled retaliator?
According to hiroshimatessa.weebly.com -
"In the History lessons in American institutions, it is inferred that the bombing of Nagasaki & Hiroshima was a consequence of the attack on the Pearl Harbor. In a speech, the then US President Harry S.Truman mentioned that Hiroshima & Nagasaki were industrial centers where weaponry was produced & targeting them was a strategic decision. But,the U.S. Strategic Bombing Survey states, "all major factories in Hiroshima were on the periphery of the city – and escaped serious damage.”
The truth behind all this is anybody's guess.
But, there maybe another reason which is being put forth to justify the massacre. Even before the surrender of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945, plans were underway for the largest operation of the Pacific War, Operation Downfall, the invasion of Japan.
A study conducted with the help of US Military Officers estimated the invading Allies would suffer between 1.7 and 4 million casualties in such a scenario, of whom between 400,000 and 800,000 would be dead, while Japanese casualties would have been around 5 to 10 million. Alot of questions arise after reading all these facts.
Wasn't there any other option to end the War without sacrificing this many number of lives?
Wasn't there any other option to avenge the unprovoked killing of thousands of US sailors which would not have required massacring civilians?
How different would have been the world if the nuclear weapons weren't used for the first & last time almost seven decades ago?
Let's all try to commemorate the victims of every conflict which took lives of innocents and pray that in future, a nation's ambition to conquer doesn't lead to the annihilation of its own people!!
©Copyright 2014 GarrulousGautam

INDIA ON IT’S WAY TO BECOME NUMBER ONE!!

Yes, India has managed to retain its 2^nd position as a country with highest number of rapes reported and MAY VERY SOON BECOME NUMBER ONE!!

We should thank all the abominable a**holes and oblivious onlookers.

 

Violence against women is a global pandemic but India may be leading the pack.

Crimes against women have increased by 7.1% since 2010.

According to latest estimates, in India, a new case of rape is reported every 22 minutes.

In India, rape is very rarely reported, due to the extreme social stigma cast on women who have been raped. Despite this, India stands 2^nd in the list of countries with highest reported rape incidents.

Nearly one in three rape victims in India is under the age of 18. 

One in 10 is under 14.

A report from National Crime Records Bureau states that, 25,000 and 24,206 cases of rape were reported across India in 2012 and 2011 respectively. 

A point worth noting is, out of these, around 24,470(2012) were committed by a relative or a neighbour.

Statistics show that, among Indian cities, New Delhi has the highest number of rape-reports.

OF THE MORE THAN 600 RAPE CASES REPORTED IN DELHI IN 2012, ONLY ONE LED TO A CONVICTION.

There are more statistics available for public consumption, but let’s try to see the real picture here.

India has been the rape capital of the world since its inception as a Republic.

It is estimated that during the partition of India, around 100,000 women were kidnapped and raped.

Sexual violence has become a common phenomenon during riots, as seen recently in the 2013 Muzzaffarnagar riots.

But, in the past few decades, there has been a tremendous increase in cases of rape, acid throwing and domestic violence against women. This may be due to the perpetrators’ lack of fear for the consequences of their actions and a reprehensible silence of the society.

What’s more shameful than this is that most of these callous criminals have gone scot free due to the lax laws and considerably mild penalties.

It should be noticed that there is a competition going on between the public figures of the nation to see who makes the most idiotic remarks on these unfortunate happenings!

In the aftermath of the 16^th December 2012 tragedy, Botsa Satyanarayana, a Congress Party leader was quoted as saying, “Just because India achieved freedom at midnight does not mean that women can venture out after dark.”

Even the CBI Director Mr Ranjit Sinha, although in a totally different context made a remark, “if you can’t prevent rape, enjoy it”.

This kind of mistake may be expected from a semi-literate politician but not from a senior IPS officer!

Even the society isn’t far behind in their treatment of the victims.

It is a known fact that rape victims in India, especially in rural areas, are often subject to shaming and considered unfit for marriage.

A lot of people protested in December 2012, some participated in demonstrations, bravely faced water cannons, some denounced with putting Black Dots as their profile pictures on Social Media Sites.

These widespread protests led to a relatively speedy conviction of the perpetrators and amends in the Indian Penal Code.

But, rapes are still happening in every part of the country, some even more barbarous than the past ones.

It’s as if the rapists are leaving no stone unturned to show their monstrosity.

We all know that our near & dear ones might become the targets someday (God Forbid), but while every sensible citizen denounces these crimes against women vocally, intentionally or not, people do sometimes turn a blind eye to these instances.

Even if half of the post December 16^th protesters had roamed the city streets as look outs, several rapes (or even other crimes) may have been prevented.( Not criticizing the protesters!! At least you people did what most could not!)

A cure may not emerge all of a sudden but let’s be hopeful.

And while we are doing that, let’s all pledge to open our eyes, be alert; ready to raise our voices & if push comes to shove, even becoming sentinels of all those in need of help.

©Copyright 2014 GarrulousGautam

WHERE HAVE ALL THE JOBS GONE???

*DISCLAIMER:

No particular community has been targeted or mocked here.

I am in total support of reservations as long as they focus on social upliftment of genuinely oppressed people.

I abhor the caste system or any other form of discrimination against any human being.

Here is a pic which depicts the current scenario of India where unreserved category people have to fight for jobs whereas reserved category people get those same jobs with less than 1/3rd marks!!

Currently, 49.5% seats are reserved in all government institutions and Public Sector undertakings.

How is a reserved category engineer/ doctor equally qualified as those who scored more than twice as him in the requisite qualifying examination???

Does the government really think that they can work properly when half their employees are not competent enough???

And the number of these incompetents is rapidly increasing due to all these free educational facilities which only very few enjoy while the general category guy struggles for the same resources!

It happens every day that all the posts mentioned in an advertisement are for reserved category only. The government has really succeeded in making general category people feel left out!!

It cannot and should not be conceived that all the people belonging to reserved category are narcissistic opportunists.

Millions of them genuinely need these resources, but they are deprived of this chance while some have been using the caste certificates for generations!

Many of us may have read about a certain Top Level Bureaucrat & representative of the Indian Government being harassed in a foreign nation. But, a lot of us don’t know that the aforementioned “Star” of Indian Government  is a multi-millionaire and comes from a prominent family of Top Level Bureaucrats and has been given each and every privilege possible (for one  such  privilege  even the Supreme Court Of India  said that rules were altered in order to favour a particular candidate by the  Government!!! Ultimately resulting in unfair dismissal from service of another Bureaucrat!!! ).

Some might be shocked to know that this Bureaucrat belongs to Scheduled Caste Category!

Here, the question arises that when one generation from reserved category has gained substantial prosperity by being selected in a good government job, why do their kids still use a caste certificate???

Are they unaware of others from their own community who did not have an upbringing as good as theirs and need those jobs more than them???

Article 46 of the Constitution states that "The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people,

AND (DOES NOT SAY “ONLY”), in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.”

This statement has been exploited by vote hungry politicians for almost half a century now!

The Constitution does not state that people from certain castes should enjoy benefits EXCLUSIVELY without any consideration to their economic background.

The Supreme Court, in its 16 November 1992 judgment in the Indra Sawhney case, ruled that reservations in promotions are unconstitutional, but allowed its continuation for 5 years as a special case.

A point worth mentioning is that there are NO SEATS RESERVED ON BASIS OF CASTE IN THE INDIAN ARMED FORCES!!!

Is this because the government thinks that incompetence can be tolerated in domestic administration but not on the issue of National Security?

Or the government forgot about ensuring a "level" playing field in the Armed forces??

There shall be no equality until these so called "under privileged" ones keep sucking up all the jobs! The only thing these pro-reservationists are achieving is sowing the seed of hatred as every deserving candidate who didn't get selected because someone with a caste certificate took his job will might even loathe the genuinely oppressed reserved category guy!!

I did not intend to write this long a post but there’s so much that is unsaid and unknown about this crisis and I could have continued on but it wouldn’t have made a difference as the ones who could do something may not even be able to read this blog whereas their counterparts with caste certificates are surfing the Net on their free laptops provided by the Government!!!
©Copyright 2014 GarrulousGautam

IT’S A GREAT LIFE IN FUTURE! *ONLY IF THE EARTH DOESN’T EXPLODE!!

Remember TV shows such as "The Jetsons” and fantasizing about the possibilities of living with a robot  in homes raised high above the ground on adjustable columns, riding in a flying car???

Well, fast forward a couple decades later, and it turns out that we are now on the brink of a Jetsons-like reality.

We all know that technological evolution is taking place at a hypersonic pace. Of course, the trigger is natural curiosity & a need for efficient systems requiring less human effort.

But, we must also think about THE CATALYST!

We, humans thought of switching to inexhaustible & nature friendly resources to satisfy our needs only when it was realised that THERE WILL NOT BE ENOUGH OF IT IN FUTURE!

The reason for deficiency of all amenities & resources is that everyone’s a bit greedy but what we sometimes forget is that THERE”S TOO MANY OF US!

Yes, as of July 2013 we are more than 7151000000 in number!

We need those flying cars because there’s no more space on the roads unless you possess the patience of a monk!

We need those homes raised high above the ground on adjustable columns because there’s no more space on land!

Every year sea levels rise & by the year 2100 a country as beautiful as Maldives would become the modern day equivalent of Atlantis!

We need those robots because more & more idiots are born every minute!

The increase in the level of average human intelligence may said to be increasing but that doesn’t explain millions of unemployed deemed as NOT GOOD ENOUGH!

Of course everyone has desires & a biological need to procreate but that doesn’t mean we have to behave like bunnies!

Every parent has felt the urge to provide for a good education for their kids, but, have they ever thought that there might not be enough seats?

Of course, they have and this worries them a great deal, but, extra tuitions and a prep school is not the answer!

The answer is abstinence & contraception that you deemed unnecessary all those years ago!

Of course, this might be due to lack of blood supply to brain ON THOSE MOMENTS but we must realize that future especially its problems are nothing but consequences of the actions in present.

In some cultures, children are regarded as a gift of God the more the merrier is THE MANTRA!

But, one must think that God, referred to as the Creator by some, must be pitying upon his creations fighting fiercely for the resources which should have been for EVERYONE!

Of course this same debate may go on forever on the themes of

Tradition VS Logic or Choice VS Need  but as is usual with the problems of the world, yours truly is fed up and may take your leave.
©Copyright 2014 GarrulousGautam