If I were God

I was envisioning myself as the “mighty one”, the omnipotent. And staring through the rational lens, I listed the actions I will take. Some of the actions are debatable and may be criticized as utopic, but still not implausible. Here is the result of that feeble attempt:

• Reform United Nations
- Dissolve Security Council; no special treatment for G8 countries
- 2/3rd of majority required for passing referendum; all treated equally
- Formation of United Nations Forces; troops support for repressed governments
- Sanctions against human rights violation
- Formation of committees to address AIDS, war, rebellions, extremism etc.
- Monetary contributions based on % contribution to World GDP

• Islamic Extremism
- Denounce insurgency; multi-lateral actions against malign governments
- Formation of United Nations Islamic Extremism Secret Services
- Diplomatic pressure on authoritarian governments to move towards democracy
- Educating masses about actual Islamism

• African War
- Immediately rescind UN membership of corrupt governments; put diplomatic pressure for free elections monitored by United Nations
- Disperse UN Forces to quell rebellions in democratic countries
- Ban countries from selling weapons in Africa

• African Poverty
- Formation of UN African Task Force; disbursement of funds by IMF and World Bank
- Explore formation of Africa Free Trade Zone
- Remove EU subsidies on Agriculture; use WTO to remove all tariffs on African goods and subsidies on competing goods
- Encourage corporations to invest in Africa; developed countries provide tax rewards for investment in Africa
- Raise awareness of African Issues in developed countries

• Israel-Palestinian Conflict
- Formation of the Israeli Support Group (US, UK etc.) and Palestinian Support Group (Arab Countries) in United Nations
- Pressure on Hamas to accept the existence of Israel; encourage the formation of democratic government in Palestine
- Pressure on Israel to disperse the Jewish settlements in Gaza and West Bank
- Signage of peace treaty between Israel and Palestine
- Free existence of Palestine
- East Jerusalem to Israel and West Jerusalem to Palestine
- Return of Palestinian refugees to Palestine
- Any act of terrorism should result in harsh punishment by the appropriate authorities

• Poverty Eradication
- Integrate One within the United Nations
- Raise economic status through concepts of “Fortune at Bottom of the Pyramid” rather through charity
- Government become loan guarantors for disbursement of loans among the impoverished population
- WTO enforces trade laws; no illegal subsidies or tariffs
- Corporations gets tax breaks for investing in the bottom of the pyramid

• Oil & Energy
- Raise taxes on gasoline and electricity; encourage conservatism; tax breaks on fuel efficient cars
- Exploration of cleaner and greener fuels; more government funding
- removal of oil cartel; let oil trade in free markets
- WTO tariffs on oil based on oil consumption; the more per-capita you consume as a nation the more you pay per gallon

• Global Warming
- enforcement of fuel emissions in the developing and developed world; every automobile needs to meet the requirement
- more forest plantations; conserve the existing greeneries
- encourage use of electronic resources rather than paper; ban tissue papers; explore a plastic alternative
- enforcement of pollution requirements in all countries as a membership criteria for World Trade Organization
- Economic Sanctions for not abiding by the rules

The Lost Boys

"The civil war in Sudan created a humanitarian crisis, leaving thousands of “Lost Boys” to fend for themselves. Eli Reed documented the tough living conditions in the refugee camps, and traveled back the United States with several of the Lost Boys, who were relocated for a chance at a better life"

Bush Budget 2007

Look at the whopping deficit of $354B in 2007 with a cumulative deficit of $1.1 trillion in the last 3 years. For the first time in history the deficit touched 3.2% of GDP.

One more interesting thing is that the deficit goes down drastically after 2008 (a 12 year kid can crack the code).



Look at defense spending, almost touched half a trillion in this year’s budget. Also, look at the negative growth categories in the last 6 years – EPA, Labor, Interior; does it ring a bell?

This is what Krugman calls "revolutionary forces"...

Islam and Democracy

There is a clear direct co-relation between Islamic fundamentalism and dictatorial governments. Look at Turkey with a predominantly Islamic population – extremists are unable to penetrate its society. On the other hand, look at closed societies like Syria and Saudi Arabia - insurgency (not in the literal sense) is at its peak. Osama Bin Laden is after all a Saudi citizen. Another relevant example is India with 150 million Muslims (second biggest in the world after Indonesia) – How many times do we hear Indian Muslim terrorists or Indian Al-Qaeda?

[Al-Qaeda’s primary mission is not to wipe out America from the global map but to overthrow the authoritarian governments in the Middle East. (At least this was the primary goal before September 11th). Al-Qaeda wants to do it by killing innocents while Muslim Brotherhood wants to do it through internal strife.]

Then the next question is – Is democracy the solution to Islamic extremism? Democracy is aided by market forces – it acts as a great leveler and wipes away most of the discontentment in any society through freedom of speech and freedom of press.

But how will democracy be achieved in the Middle East? Mark my words – Oil. Oil will cause the downfall of Islamic extremism. Oil is the reason for great imbalance in that part of the society (economic divide) and oil is providing the munitions to the existing governments. Once they run out of Oil (Syria’s reserve will replenish within the next ten years) – they will have to move towards a service dependant economy from an oil dependant economy. Once they open the doors, market forces will drive democracy in that region.

Oil Replenishment -> Service Based Economy -> Open Economy -> Open Society -> Democracy -> Death of Islamic Extremism

And that is not too far…

Diamonds

How to commemorate a blissful moment like an anniversary or an engagement – the answer is easy, buy a diamond. How naïve are we regarding what’s happening around the world? But do we really need to care before we buy a luxury item like diamond? Didn’t Darwin say that it is the survival of the fittest? Didn’t we read about John Galt in Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”?

It is very easy to be philosophical at times, but the reality is quite different. We all are hypocritical – How can we survive in this world if we have to think every time before we indulge in any luxury?

But we do have the responsibility – the responsibility towards mankind and justice…

“ALTHOUGH these lively histories share a villain—De Beers, the dark manipulator of the diamond trade—their indictments lack conviction. Neither author is able to persuade himself, let alone his readers, that the cartel is so very bad. By contrast their heroes really are heroic. For Kevin Krajick the good guys are the prospectors; for Matthew Hart they are the diamond cutters too.

Since the late 19th century, when De Beers came under the control of Cecil Rhodes, it has dominated the diamond market. It sells about $5 billion-worth of rough diamonds a year, closely adjusting supply to demand.

American trustbusters and crime watchers have at various times concluded that this constituted anti-competitive behavior. But who really has an interest in cutting diamond prices by breaking up the cartel? As dealers in Antwerp and Tel Aviv will admit, the diamond business rests on two supports: greed and vanity. Few of those in the trade, and none of the estimated 85% of American women who own at least one piece of diamond jewelry, want to see them cheapened. As that wise song has it:

He's your guy when stocks are high, but beware when they start to descend. That's when those louses go back to their spouses. Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

The De Beers cartel is also the world's best hope of crippling the trade in so-called blood diamonds—the diamonds that promote and prolong the wars in Sierra Leone, Angola and elsewhere in Africa. It alone has the market muscle, through its purchases and through identification marks, to bring diamonds to market with reliable guarantees of origin.”

- Endless Quest, Oct 18th 2001, The Economist

Global Economy Update

Update 2006: Global Economy
World Economic Forum
Doha

Islam And The Modern World

Hamas defeating Fatah and winning the elections with a landslide in Palestine; the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt; Iran defiantly pursuing the enrichment of Uranium for nuclear power; the violence surrounding the Danish cartoon incident and the debate between freedom of press and religious intolerance; Syria instigating the masses against the western civilization – our perception of the Islamic world is of violence, stubbornness and intolerance.

But, is our perception correct? Do we try to see the world from their eyes? Do we actually understand them? I am attaching a very recent video of Muslim leaders talking about Islam in the modern world from the World Economic Forum at Doha…

Confrontation

Leadership is not about agreeing to all the wrong-doings in this world; leadership is not about saying “yes” all the time; leadership is not about avoiding confrontations but LEADERSHIP is about taking a rightful stance (even when the mob is against you) and defending what you believe in.

Gandhi did it; Mandela did it; Teresa did it and Martin Luther King did it. They all stood against what they believe was wrong even if they had to sacrifice all the luxuries, forego all those pleasures…

It is not about being diplomatically and politically correct all the time – sometime you have to say what you think. Even if it means that you have to confront someone and take the bull by its horns… Why are we so afraid about confrontation? Why we always look for acceptance from others?

It is in our nature to look for recognition from others. It is in our genes and we cannot get rid of it. But then how Gandhi did it? How Mandela did it? They are exceptions and that’s why they are leaders.

So, wanna be a leader? Start confronting even if it feels uneasy? Once you master that skill, you will be on that path of leadership nirvana…

Bush's Oil Politics

Did the president just reiterate what I wrote in my post a few days back?

“In his televised, prime-time address, Mr. Bush described the nation's dependence on imported oil as "a serious problem".”The best way to break this addiction is through technology," he said, pledging to seek a 22% increase in funding for clean energy research, including nuclear and renewable energy. He said he was aiming for a 75% cut in US oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.” - BBC

Nobody's Home

Business school is not about popularity; it’s not about the marginal propensity to consume alcohol; it’s not about playing beer pong at the wee hours of the morning; it’s not about being the “stealth gunner” of the class; it’s not about faking laughter to be a part of a clique; it’s not about being the cliché stereotypical MBA – it’s about respect. Yes, you heard me right – it’s all about respect. The respect you show today – the respect you earn tomorrow. The smile you give today – the smile you get tomorrow.

This is not reality – the reality awaits for you tomorrow when the grey patches on your temples will hide the wrinkles beneath. It is reality when you browse through your phone book list wondering whom to call. “Is he the one who accosted me when I was standing in the corner?”; “I remember how she used to smile whenever she ran into me in the corridor.” And the voice at the other end of the line, cold and dry from years of distress, says “Hello!!”…

And the line goes dead…

“I've got a little black book with my poems in.
Got a bag with a toothbrush and a comb in.
When I'm a good dog, they sometimes throw me a bone in.

I got elastic bands keepin my shoes on.
Got those swollen hand blues.
Got thirteen channels of shit on the T.V. to choose from.
I've got electric light.
And I've got second sight.
And amazing powers of observation.
And that is how I know
When I try to get through
On the telephone to you
There'll be nobody home.”