Indian Elections, Russia's Energy Future, Taliban Map

Charles Blow
Darrick Jackson
Carl Cannon
William Kristol
Ron Paul

"Dick Cheney is reminding Republicans that they need to defend themselves when attacked." - William Kristol

"I believe that as long as the Federal Reserve exists it should be fully audited." - Ron Paul


The official results won't be known until later today or even in the days to come, but it looks like the Indian National Congress has won a decisive victory in the elections, gaining enough parliamentary seats so that it won't have to make alliances with other parties which would weaken its ability to make policy decisions. The continuity and stability of India is probably the most influential force in Asia today, there were over 700 million registered voters... From the NY Times: "..the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party conceding defeat by early afternoon, Congress’s strong performance signals the possibility of a stable and strong government in the face of stiff challenges: a sharp slowdown in economic growth, abiding poverty and instability in the region, including in Pakistan.

By early evening the Election Commission of India projected the Congress-led alliance to be leading in 259 of 543 parliamentary seats, with 160 for the opposition B.J.P.-led alliance and 63 for a third alliance, which is dominated by the Communists. Final results were due later.

“We have got the numbers now to form a stable government,” Prithviraj Chavan, a Congress minister, declared on television. A smaller vote share would have led to protracted and difficult political horse-trading to form alliances and engendered a potentially weak and ineffectual government — a prospect that had worried political observers at home and analysts and investors abroad.

The incumbent prime minister, Manmohan Singh, was expected to continue in office. Not since the country’s founding prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, has an incumbent prime minister finished a full five-year term in office and been returned to power.

al Jazeera adds: "Arun Jaitley, leader of the BJP, conceded that his party had been defeated.
"The Congress has the biggest mandate ... I think if Congress wants to compliment some of its leaders in this hour of victory, I think they're entitled to do so," he said.

Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), also conceded defeat. "We have suffered a major setback," Karat said. "This is a victory for the Congress and its allies who will now clearly form the government."

Raj Chengappa, editor of India Today newsmagazine, said a number of factors had played a role in the success of the Congress-led combine."First I think [was] their entire focus on development and the economy. Congress has a very strong economic team. Second, they have shunned divisive politics, unlike the BJP," he told Al Jazeera. "Third, we had for the first time a very young generation that is voting in large numbers. I went to a poll booth and I was surprised that almost 50 per cent of the voters were below 25. This is an unusual phenomenon. I think they rooted for Congress.

"Another factor was that rural India voted strongly for development again, because the [ruling coalition] had money in their hands; the economic meltdown had not hit [rural dwellers] as much as [those] in urban India."

Want to know where the next wars will pop up? Will we be fighting the Russians or will we be their allies in these conflicts? al Jazeera reports on a Kremlin white paper that lays out its energy strategy for the next 10 years: "Russia has warned that military conflicts over energy resources could erupt along its borders in the near future, as the race to secure oil and gas reserves gains momentum.

A Kremlin policy paper, which maps out Russia's main challenges to national security for the next decade, said "problems that involve the use of military force cannot be excluded" in competition for resources. The National Security Strategy's release coincides with a deadline for countries around the world to submit sea bed ownership claims to a United Nations commission, including for the resource-rich Arctic.

The paper, signed off by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, says international relations in the next 10 years will be shaped by battles over energy reserves. "Amid competitive struggle for resources, attempts to use military force to solve emerging problems can't be excluded. The existing balance of forces near the borders of the Russian Federation and its allies can be violated," it added.

The document said regions including the Middle East, the Barents Sea, the Arctic, the Caspian Sea and Central Asia could all be at the centre of competing claims for resources. Russia, the world's biggest natural gas producer, has already accused the United States, with which it shares a small sea border, of coveting its mineral wealth.

But Moscow is also finding its control over natural gas exports under threat, as the European Union seeks alternative supply routes that would bypass Russia and the Ukraine.
The country is also embroiled in a territorial dispute with Norway over claims to the Arctic sea bed, where around 25 per cent of the world's untapped reserves are believed to lie underneath the ice.

The National Security Strategy also pointed to the US and Nato as major threats to global security. It criticised a US plan to deploy a global missile shield in Eastern Europe, which has already infuriated Russia."The opportunity to uphold global and regional security will substantially narrow if elements of the US worldwide missile defence system are deployed in Europe," the document said.

But it added Russia would pursue a "rational and pragmatic" foreign policy and avoid a new arms race. The document said Moscow would seek an "equal and full-fledged strategic partnership" with Washington "on the basis on coinciding interests".

Here is a map from the BBC showing the current amount of land occupied by Talibans, versus the amount controlled by the Pakistani government:

Late night jokes:

"Barack Obama said that his Administration will not release the photographs of detainee abuse. Not because they don't want to, but because they can't get the password for Dick Cheney's camera phone." --Jimmy Fallon

"A Canadian scientist was arrested for smuggling vials of Ebola into the U.S. And I'm telling you, this wouldn't happen if the government would just legalize Ebola. You know? Been saying this for years." --Jimmy Fallon

"At the White House the other night, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted a night of poetry and music featuring musicians, authors and poets, to which President Bush said, 'Now, that's torture.'" --Jay Leno

"Oh, and speaking of torture, I love this. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now says the CIA and President Bush misled her on waterboarding. Yeah. Apparently she was misled by the Bush Administration. So she spends eight years telling everybody how dumb President Bush is, and the minute they're in trouble, 'He fooled me! I had no idea! He tricked me!'" --Jay Leno

"Well, in a sudden reversal, President Obama now is fighting the release of dozens of new photos showing U.S. personnel allegedly abusing prisoners. The matter has not been decided yet. I understand the photos are now under review from Donald Trump. He's reviewing them to see if they're tasteful enough." --Jay Leno

"Well, let me ask you, have you noticed since this whole stupid topless Miss California thing started, we haven't heard anything about the swine flu? Weren't we all supposed to be dead by now?" --Jay Leno

"To raise money for California, Governor Schwarzenegger says he's willing to sell some of the state's aging landmarks, like San Quentin Prison. So far, the only bid has come from Dick Cheney. Apparently, he wants to use it as a vacation home in the summer. 'I can just relax in the atmosphere.'" --Craig Ferguson

"John McCain's mother was on TV last night saying she doesn't like Rush Limbaugh. I think I speak for all: John McCain's mother is still alive?" --Craig Ferguson