Stanly Johny

Happy to announce my new book, Original Sin: Israel, Palestine and the Revenge of Old West Asia. Will release the book on December 15 at the Bangalore Lit Fest, with @HarperCollinsIN. You can preorder it here: amazon.in/Original-Sin-P…

@ambtstirumurti @BashirAliAbbas Thank you sir :)

@johnstanly @BashirAliAbbas Thank you Stanly for this truly engaging conversation. Your knowledge and grasp over issues of that region made a huge difference.

Had an excellent conversation with Amb. Tirumurti today at Saveetha University. He says the U.S. security umbrella in the Persian Gulf is broken; the IRGC appears to be stronger today than it was on Feb 27; trump is going to China with a weaker hand; India has good bilateral ties with all the major countries in the region, but we also need a pro-active regional policy; strategic autonomy is paramount and Pakistan, which is in a 'geopolitical sweetspot', has benefited from the conflict.

You may watch it here. From 3:30:00 youtube.com/live/geoHoktFj…

In action

It’s been 10 days since the election results were out. The Congress party is still unable to pick a Chief Minister for #Keralam

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@kalyanasc During the first Gulf war, I was not even in high school.

@johnstanly Which Iraq war, sir? The First Gulf War (1990-91) against Iraq or the second one that followed 9/11 in 2003?

I became a student of IR during the Iraq war. Though critical of US foreign policy, I am not someone who underestimate America's power, or its ability to project force. But I have never seen America so helpless in a conflict situation--unable to win, unable to get out. trump has only himself and netanyahu to blame. But the tragedy is that the whole world is suffering because of this war, because of these two men--particularly India, where the PM is asking the public to cut fuel use, preparing the ground for what's to come.

@ShrimaanAashik Who reported this?

@johnstanly But as it’s reported, Modi was told by netanyahu that the Iranian government would fall in 4 days, and he believed them, so modi also played his part in this conflict, very limited though, also shows how clueless he is and that’s why he behaved the way he did since it started

@Barugaru1 I hope there are more, sir. Deep-seated interest, I would call :)

Even after watching all the reels throughout the day about #Vijay’s swearing in, I still want to read the report in the morning paper. Reading helps you put things in the right perspective.

It’s been a week since the results were out. #Keralam still doesn’t have a Chief Minister.

Many seem preoccupied with Vjay’s religious identity. What they wonder is absolutely possible in #TamilNadu. MGR, the actor-turned-CM, was a born to Malayali parents. Rajinikanth’s mother tongue is Marathi. And Vijay, a Christian, was voted to power in the very first election he contested by an electorate which is overwhelmingly Hindu. Your linguistic or religious identity is actually not a barrier to winning the hearts and minds of the people in the state.

In Tamil Nadu, reel is often indistinguishable from real, esp in politics. Just 2 years old, the TVK, formed in February 2024, has managed a cinematic transformation, taking 108 seats in TN Assembly. A profile of TVK in @the_hindu @johnstanly thehindu.com/elections/tami… 1/2

Iran turns bombed Karaj Bridge into a symbol of resistance Saurabh Shahi and I report for The Hindu from Iran ⁦@johnstanly⁩ ⁦@suhasinih⁩ ⁦@Smita_Sharma⁩ thehindu.com/news/internati…

Juan Guaido says he can become the acting Chief Minister of Kerala until the Congress decides on its pick.

Left parties extend support to TVK. VCK will follow--which means Vijay has the numbers.

@KAVINMEGAM1 Equally compelling

@johnstanly Now stanly sir inclined to tn politics 😅😂 than geopolitics

Left parties have become the unlikely kingmakers of #TamilNadu politics. For #Vijay to form the government, he needs the support of the CPM, CPI and VCK. The VCK is likely to follow the line taken by the Left. All three parties are part of the DMK alliance. If they support Vijay, they would be blamed for breaking the prepoll alliance — Congress has already broken away and the DMK is furious. If they don’t support Vijay, the alternative proposal of a DMK-AIADMK alliance would gain traction. Such an alliance would be an abject rejection of the spirit of the people’s mandate. Left leaders met Stalin on Thursday and told him they would take a call today.

And then trump sent destroyers to the Strait of Hormuz. And when they came under fire, he bombed Iran.