India flogging a dead horse, IMEC

The India Middle East Economic Corridor (IMEC) joke died when Biden went out of the White House. Trump is not going to revive that project for sure, knowing he does not see India in good light. So, India can just live with the realization that the IMEC is a dead horse, stillborn project. Moreover, Trump is all for his 'USA first' doctrine, although action speaks 'softer' than words, meaning making others great again instead.

India lost out big on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) connectivity, which other countries in Central and South Asia are now benefiting. Now, India has no IMEC to crow about nor BRI to connect to Europe. Only the Red Sea corridor remains, which is beyond reprieve with the Middle East war ongoing.

Even Indian airlines cannot fly over Pakistan after the recent conflict and have to go a longer route, something unpalatable for airlines with fuel prices soaring. Which is why Air India is facing serious trouble ahead. Sorry for touching someone's nerve.

After all the years of gloating about India being the next superpower, as if Russia and China are not going to be around and the USA collapsing, India is still having a wet dream despite all the shortcomings. Without fast development, infrastructure building and job creation, India's hopes can be said to be based on fantasy.

But as long as the fanatic Hindus believe in holy man Modi, what does Modi care even if their dream falls apart.


Anonymous

America is so blessed. Run by a bunch of clowns led by a moron and still not collapsing

Holy shit, Trump is now threatening the world that those who do not call AI by his new name of 'Super Intelligence' are enemies. What kind of horseshit is the man trying to spout, thinking that everyone must follow what he renamed. He really thinks too highly of himself, when the world knows he is no more than just a clown clamoring for attention. His age is undeniably closer to death, but his thinking is aging backwards, in other words - childish.

Only dumb dicks care about his renaming 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America'. People and even Google Map still retain the use of the old name of 'Gulf of Mexico' on top of 'Gulf of America'. Only the rednecks and hillbillies will follow him into the sewers.

Trump is truly an 'unstable moron', not a 'stable genius' that he proclaimed himself. No genius in history will ever make such a self-proclamation. It is judged by others and proclaimed by peers. His actions came from his unstable mind and originated from his sleepwalking and depends on which side of the bed he woke up from. Imagine a leader leading a country having an unstable mind, whose actions is based on whims and fancies. It is a disaster that truly portends to the downfall of the USA.

Before 2016, not a few soothsayers had already prophesied that Trump will be the 45th and last President of the USA. That did not happen though, but the eerie part is that he is back in 2024/5 to finish his job, and it looks to be really coming true.


Anonymous

India has not given up on its big power dream

 The spate of humiliation that India went through recently did not in anyway affect India's big power dream. India is still calling itself the leader of the Global South, that it is speaking for and defending the interests of the Global South when it could not even protect its own interests. Defeated by Pakistan, got humiliated by Trump and kicked out of the failed Indo Pacific containment strategy of China, other countries would have curled up in some corner to nurse its wounds...but not India.

Modi and Jaishanker have stepped their diplomatic tours and appearance to court for supporters to join the Indian big power dream, to be the leader of the Global South. Modi knows that its game to ride on the Americans to counter China's influence is now in tatters. Maybe the next American president could want him back. Modi also knows that China will never trust India until the border issues are settled. Even his relation with Putin is questionable. Does Putin still has any fate in believing in the India game of playing both sides to serve its own interests above everyone's else.

India must raise its game, come up with some big plans, big strategies to attract the attention of the Global South and to show to the Americans that India is still a valuable partner. India's relations with the Arab and Muslim world have been compromised with his defence pact with Israel, meaning anti Arab and Muslims. What can India think of when China has taken the initiatives in several strategic and multi national projects like the BRI, BRICS and SCO? For the moment India has lost its magic to spin out something worthy of mentioning. The Indians have run out of ideas. India tried to be the leader in AI but fell hopelessly as it is not in the same league as China and America. No need to bother about high end chips. If India dares to crow about competing in chip manufacturing, it will be a laughing stock.

Finally India found a straw to grab on and hoping to push it as India's initiative to seek some recognition in the Global South. It was an idea or a red herring that desperate Biden threw up in the air as a great idea to counter China's BRI. Even the Americans could not come up with something better as China has made the first move and the BRI has covered every corner of the earth with more than 140 countries participating. But nevermind, anything will do for the the moment, better than nothing. Anyone remember what was dementia Biden's great and novel idea to challenge China's BRI? In short it is called IMEC, India Middle East Economic Corridor. This is supposed to link India through the Middle East, ie Saudi Arabia and Israel to Europe. The geography does not make sense, the road or sea route do not make sense. The pipeline through Saudi Arabia and Israel does not make sense. What goods are going to flow through this two patches of water and desert? Europe may have goods to send down to India. What is India going to send to Europe to warrant such a corridor?

Biden may not be serious, just throwing up an idea to please India in the meeting to be forgotten once he turned his back. But India is very serious. India thinks it was a great idea, even without Biden or the Americans. Modi believes India could take the lead with the support of Israel to make this happen, without understanding the politics and economics of this corridor. Modi and Jaishankar are now selling this IMEC as India's grand strategy to compete with China. Modi and Jaishankar did not see this IMEC as a dud from the beginning. India needs to do something worthy to show that it is a leader in the world.

We shall all pray and support India to turn this red herring into something real. Not to worry, India has many supporters and believers in whatever it says. Some rich countries with a lot of money and not knowing what to do with it will be throwing money into the IMEC because India said it is a good idea. And India will have a great project to rival the BRI in IMEC. By the way, where is Biden? Why no one else is talking about this dead horse, IMEC, but India?

India is also preaching to Europe with its great plan for a sort of alliance, with Europe and India as another pole to challenge China and the USA as one of the super powers. India still has high hopes for Europe without knowing that Europe is now a sick man in that corner of the world. The combination of hope, optimism and ambition are very powerful.

Rich Arab states wasting their trillions listening to foolish advice to spend and spend on vanity projects

The Saudi's are making the same fatal mistake as UAE, investing hundreds of billions trying to outdo Dubai, with its massive Noem construction projects and the highest building in the world - the 'Jeddah Tower' caught in limbo.

Dubai's Burj Kalifah is now facing massive problems with maintenance issues, just fifteen years after inauguration. The desert heat is destroying its glass cladding that poses enormous problems with replacements. I do not have to highlight all the other technical issues regarding water, sewage disposal and external cleaning which are well articulated elsewhere.

Saudi Arabia is caught between a rock and a hard place, trying to fund all the construction costs, with many projects now abandoned. When they look at what is happening with Dubai, they knew the kind of problems they are going to face. No longer would filthy rich investors be tempted to take up units in the Jeddah Tower after seeing what the Burj Kalifah is going through.

Both countries face the same problem - desert heat that destroys infrastructures. Nature is taking back what Dubai took from it by dredging sand loaded with salt as foundations for its Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Jumeirah beach homes. Another such project had been scrapped, leaving sand dunes basking in the hot sun and the sea claiming back its sand. Nature has all the time in the world to do its job or reclaiming what belongs to it.

Saudi Arabia needs desperate money trying to export its oil. The Strait of Hormuz already dampened its hope of generating more revenue to fund its development, thinking that the Red Sea gives it a alternative lifeline. Now, that possibility is being given a rude awakening by the Houthis. So, now the Saudis are claiming they have control of the Bab Al-Mandab. The question is how are ships going to avoid being accosted by the Houthis? Will shipowners and insurers just ignore the risks? We have gone through the Strait of Hormuz issues, and it is clear that gloating does not necessarily mean the problem is solved.


Anonymous

America already lost the AI war by making it so expensive and closed system

Actually, the USA knows its AI apps are too expensive to compete with Chinese AI apps, not just in China, but across the world and even within the USA itself.

As usual, the USA Government has to ban others from operating in the country in order to safeguard its own AI companies or rather its sectorial lobbies. We have seen what had been done to 5G, to EVs and soon to AI.

Many people are under the misconception that USA entities like Google, Facebook and Youtube are banned from operating in the Chinese market. What I understand is that they are not banned, but because they have to operate under certain conditions on national security issues which they do not agree with. That is unlike the total banning of 5G, EVs and fabricated connections to the CPC.


Anonymous