Retaliate To Get Campaign Returned: According to Trump’s legal team, those who oppose Trump’s views will react against him because of his tax returns. Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have sought a federal judge to block the release of Trump’s tax returns to Congress, claiming that the Democrats’ pursuit of the documents is Political Retaliation against the Trump administration.
The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel sent a memo to the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee on Friday asking for access to Trump’s tax returns. On the other hand, Democratic lawmakers and Trump’s legal team agreed to postpone the transfer so that the previous administration’s legal team could contest the case in court. President Trump’s lawyers have reiterated their opposition to the publication of his tax returns, claiming that Democrats are trying to retaliate against him “because of his policy stances, political convictions, and free speech.”
We’re keeping an eye on Ukraine diplomacy, India’s non-campaign election, the Italian presidential conclave, the Burkina Faso coup, and Russian crypto operations
Ukraine has launched a diplomatic offensive. The US and the UK removed employees from their embassies in Kyiv during the present diplomatic frenzy to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine, while NATO countries upped the number of the military on alert. After supporting his boss Joe Biden over the vice president’s divisive remarks on Russia and Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a grave warning. While Blinken is attempting to maintain an open dialogue with Russia, he has turned down Ukraine’s call for preemptive sanctions.
According to the Russians and the UK, a pro-Moscow leader would be installed in Kyiv. On the ground, both sides are boosting their military presence. As the first US weapons arrived in the Ukrainian border town of Mariupol, there was a Russian troop buildup in Belarus. Blinken’s conversations with the Russians, which are expected to resume this week, could wind up being a deciding factor. Perhaps Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom Vladimir Putin now regards as his “old pal,” would attempt to dissuade Putin from invading Europe in time for the 2017 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Thrilling Campaigning and Festivities
India is divided over whether it should concentrate on elections or sickness. The world’s most populous democracy’s elections are a sight to behold. “A huge amount of planning goes into these events, and they are preceded by weeks of thrilling campaigning and festivities. Because of COVID limitations on mass meetings, five states, including the most populous, will vote differently.
Many Indians are recalling the horrible second pandemic wave of 2021, which was preceded by state elections, due to an increase in infections from less than 10,000 per day to more than 300,000 per day in just one month. For months, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to stop campaigning and allowed religious celebrations to become superspreaders, only to be chastised subsequently for his management of the public health crisis. Nonetheless, both the electoral commission and the courts have concluded that there will be no campaigning in the February elections. We’ll monitor voter turnout to determine if the restrictions have any impact on Modi’s BJP.
On Monday, more than 1,000 Italian MPs and regional delegates will begin voting for a new president in a convoluted procedure akin to a papal conclave. Candidates must receive a two-thirds majority of the vote in the first three rounds; after that, they just need 50 percent of the vote to win. There is no clear frontrunner in the contest to succeed Sergio Matarella as president, a primarily ceremonial office with the power to choose prime ministers, call early elections, and sign or reject bills.
The “Election” for the Presidency of Italy
Former Italian prime minister and “Bunga Bunga” supremo Silvio Berlusconi, 85, entered the marathon but withdrew at the last minute. Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who currently leads Italy’s unity coalition government, is thought to be interested, but the majority of Italian political parties want him to stay in power until the legislative elections next year. Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi hopes to reduce Italian red tape in order to improve the economy with the support of approximately 192 billion euros ($218 billion) in EU pandemic relief funding. Would “Super Mario” agree to stay in his current position in order to complete the task?
Mines, militants, and mutineers all fall under this category. In an apparent coup, Burkina Faso’s president, Roch Kaboré, was detained by rebel forces on Monday. The mutineers had taken over specific barracks the day before, asking that the government provide them with more resources to fight terrorism, fire military, and intelligence chiefs, and care for their injured. Burkina Faso is increasingly being used by Islamic State-affiliated extremists to broaden their reach across the Sahel. The authorities first ignored the power grab, despite growing public displeasure with the president. Kaboré, who was re-elected for a second term in 2020, is responsible for one of the world’s most under-reported humanitarian crises. The Islamist attacks on Burkina Faso’s gold mines are also wearing foreign investors down.
Russia is pitted against cryptocurrency. The Russian central bank wants to make cryptocurrencies illegal in all forms and uses. Transactions and mining of cryptocurrencies would be outlawed completely. Despite the fact that Russia is the world’s third-largest generator of digital currency, the central bank regards cryptocurrencies as a “pyramid scheme” that might undermine government control and jeopardize Russia’s climate change policies because mining requires so much energy.
As indicated by its own plan, the EU is also aiming to restrict crypto mining due to environmental concerns. In the summer of 2014, China imposed a similar ban, causing a global sell-off and a drop in the bitcoin market. Despite the fact that crypto-assets are becoming more widespread, the Russian plan and expectations that US regulators would act soon on crypto have prompted a recent decrease in Bitcoin prices. As a result, Moscow may permit the usage of “stablecoins” backed by tangible assets, as well as government-supervised crypto mining.
Pakistan’s information war Campaign Against India
The importance of paying attention to Pakistan’s information warfare strategy against India cannot be overstated. Whether it’s politicians like Imran Khan or Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the ISPR, or print, electronic, and social media, every channel, and platform is pushing the same anti-India narrative. Pakistan’s violent propaganda campaign against India has risen dramatically in recent months. The February 2019 Balakot attack, the BJP’s re-election in May 2019, and the August 2019 change to Article 370 are all examples of triggers.
The bombing of Balakot demolished Pakistan’s long-held notion that nuclear parity ensured that India would not retaliate against terrorist strikes. With the BJP’s return to office, it seemed evident that India will continue to pursue a strong foreign policy for the next five years. The decision of Article 370, which prompted fears about India’s aspirations for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, damaged one of Pakistan’s most important emblems of nationalism, “Kashmir Banega Pakistan” (POJK). In contrast to the prior approach of terrorism-supported information warfare, terrorism-supported information warfare is now the principal emphasis of its anti-India campaign.
The ISI and the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) are two of Pakistan’s most important tools for implementing this policy (ISPR). The ISPR is a one-stop shop for anti-India propaganda. Over the years, thousands of young individuals have been recruited, trained in social media mechanics, and then exploited to propagate anti-India views. (Xanax)
Islamabad seeks to demolish “Brand India” by undermining the country’s secular and pluralistic society as well as its democratic government, as well as its expanding economic power, and assertive foreign policy. In order to do this, an endeavor has been made to polarise society and erode social peace. This strategy, if implemented, is predicted to have a cascading effect on India’s secular and democratic credentials, frighten foreign investors, and cast doubt on the country’s international reputation.
