Rahil Patel

@Ameer_Kotecha Genius diplomacy.

The gentlest, classiest reminder to Trump that The King is also King of Canada 🇨🇦 ⚽️ More powerful than any politician or ambassador trying to reprimand Trump for his talk of annexation and a 51st state.

@Peston @Madz_Grant And she was brilliant!

McSweeney confirms that Trump’s team was keen for Karen Pierce to remain US ambassador, obviating the need for a new one

@narendramodi Whatever one thinks of Modi’s politics, one has to say - he is a genius at optics - both at home and abroad. Cringy and shallow for some, but it works.

Nothing like playing some football with my young friends in Sikkim on a lovely Gangtok morning! ⚽️

The response from Rakesh is a no brainer. A significant (if not majority) of Indians who migrated to the west from East Africa have zero allegiance or interest in India. I have met many in their 60s and 70s in the UK for eg who struggle to last a week in India. And frankly, it’s not the heat as such - it’s the system and the mindset behind the systems. It just wears you down to beyond frustration.

Two posts. Two viewpoints. Read both.

It’s hard to figure out who this article is for. I have met so many ‘students’ who are no longer ‘studying’ and let’s say in the Harrow, Wembley or Leicester area are riding Deliveroo bikes. And as for crime is down in London - there’s a difference between ‘crime down’ and ‘crime no longer reported’ because nothing will be done about it.

"For Indians weighing where to study, build a career or invest, my message is simple: ignore the false news. Visit London, speak to those who live and work here, and look at the real facts. London remains safe, global, talented, innovative, and trusted. And as India’s economic influence grows, our shared prosperity depends on keeping that relationship strong, honest and grounded in reality — not rumours." - article by Dame Susan Langley, Lady Mayor, City of London. #google_vignette" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">hindustantimes.com/ht-insight/int…

Maybe, but then there was Suez- when Eisenhower threatened to dump the pound. And Reagan did not want us to take back the Falklands (Argentina was helping the US against Colombia). And remember Brexit? Obama’s speech? USA has always done what’s in its own interests. It’s not new but a myth we keep telling ourselves.

The reason Britain’s relationship with the US is in the toilet is because Starmer played student politics for his own political survival. Granting access to use our bases was a simple courtesy (as the Americans pay for them!). It didn’t mean entering the war. Keir said No to butter up his left wing and so we have alienated the one guarantor of our national security. Without the US we don’t have an independent nuclear deterrent. This stupidity has made Keir feel popular (er, no) but will cause numerous knock-on effects. Emboldening our enemies- Russian subs in the North Sea - for one. Trump is a grudge bearer and we are in trouble.

3000? Not sure… A significant portion of the Roman Empire’s taxes were raised from produce imported from (not a nation state then) India. And The Silk Road? The India - Middle East Corridor trade route? Takshashila University 7th century BC? Nalanda University 5th century AD? Buddhism spreading to China, Japan? Yes, Europe has significantly shaped the modern world as we know it - but 3000 is a bit of a stretch, even by Indian standards:)

By far the hardest thing for liberal Europeans to accept is the rise of a non-eurocentric world. Europeans can deal with the far-right, or Donald Trump's rants. But they cannot deal with being ignored. For over 3000 years, Europe was at the centre of the political, cultural and economic universe. It still thinks it is. eurointelligence.com

Spot on!

@benedictrogers It’s a brilliant book.

Last night I finished this excellent book. I highly recommend it.

funny, but so true…

Today is St George's Day. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Your patron saint wasn't English. Your flag wasn't English either. Here's why we claimed them both. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 He was from Cappadocia. Modern Turkey. A Roman soldier. The Praetorian Guard. Diocletian's personal bodyguard. 303 AD. The Emperor orders him to persecute Christians. He refuses. Walks into the throne room. Tells the Emperor his order is cruel. They offer him his life back. Gold. Land. His old command. He refuses again. 23rd of April, 303. They behead him. 1,723 years ago today. The flag was Genoese. 1099. Their navy was so feared that Barbary pirates turned home at the sight of it. In 1190, Richard the Lionheart signed a treaty. English ships could fly the cross for protection. We flew it so long we forgot it wasn't ours. In 2018, the Mayor of Genoa wrote to the Queen asking for 247 years of back rent. She didn't reply. Edward III makes George our patron saint. Henry V cries his name at Agincourt. A Roman soldier from Cappadocia became the name Englishmen died for. We didn't inherit our patron saint. We chose him. And we chose a soldier who refused. That is your history. This is who we are. 🇬🇧 We find what Britain has forgotten. And we tell it properly. proudofus.co.uk/support Be part of us. Be Proud Of Us. 🙏🇬🇧

@ProudofusUK Fantastic video!

Hey @Morrisons I will never buy ONE thing from you ever again unless this guy, trying to stop shoplifting, is reinstated. RETWEET IF YOU AGREE

“Colonial Employment Legislation in India and Ceylon” by R. P. Fernando R. P. Fernando’s article explores how labour laws developed in British India and Ceylon from the mid-nineteenth century onward. Outlining key legislation, including the Factory Acts and later laws on wages, working hours, and trade unions, while also noting their limitations. Fernando also examines similar developments in Ceylon, highlighting the growth of labour institutions and legal protections before independence. Read the full article here: historyreclaimed.co.uk/colonial-emplo… #HistoryReclaimed #RPFernando #LabourLaws #Employment #EmploymentLegislation #LabourHistory #LabourProgress #Ceylon #India #ColonialEmployment

Just pointing out that I broke the story 7 months ago that Mandelson failed vetting from the security services and put it to Downing Street...so the idea that Downing Street only found out on Tuesday is complete nonsense. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

Too neat a telling. Ronald Reagan initially downplayed the Falklands War. Margaret Thatcher pushed hard, knowing US interests in Argentina were in play. Only then did Washington shift. And let’s not forget Suez Crisis and US pressure on the pound. Iran point fair. UK US history far more nuanced than claimed.

𝐕𝐃𝐇: 𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐓𝐒 𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐘. 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐖𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔. Victor Davis Hanson just did what no one in legacy media will do. He looked at the Iran war empirically. The verdict isn't close. Iran — 𝟗𝟑 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, the largest military power in the Middle East by every measure, feared by the Gulf monarchies and Europeans alike — has just suffered one of the most lopsided asymmetric defeats in modern history. Hanson: "𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘶𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘸𝘢𝘳, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵." The scorecard: Iran has lost 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 — possibly 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 — in a half-century of investment in missiles, drones, submarines, and capital ships. Gone. Their command and control is "𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳." Nobody — not the theocracy, not the IRGC, not the political class, not the army — knows who's actually in charge. They're afraid of each other. They're afraid to look soft. And they're afraid that cutting a deal means "𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦." Meanwhile, the American left spent one day calling Trump a warmonger and a "𝘏𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦." The next day, after he announced negotiations, they called him a "𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘰" — a Neville Chamberlain, a Jimmy Carter. Hanson nailed the pathology. They don't analyze the war empirically. They analyze it politically. In his words, Tom Friedman and Bill Kristol "𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘱." 𝟏𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 are in that theater right now. Risking their lives to make sure Iran never puts a nuclear-tipped missile on Tel Aviv, London, or eventually Chicago. And half the political class is 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 because of who's in the Oval Office. Read that again. And the losers don't stop at Tehran. 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚: no more Venezuela. No more Latin America. No more Middle East. Assad is gone. The drone pipeline with Iran is severed. Bogged down in Ukraine, bleeding over a million and a half casualties. 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚: took 80 percent of all Iranian oil. That pipeline is now contingent on the United States. And Beijing just watched America broadcast to the world that it's about to mass-produce a half-million to a million drones. Any fantasy of crossing 110 nautical miles to take Taiwan just got a lot more expensive. 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞, in Hanson's words, is "𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳." We asked them for bases and airspace. That was it. Spain closed its embassy in Israel — "𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵." France wouldn't let us use its airpower or clean up H-z-b in Lebanon, its own post-colonial responsibility. Italy wouldn't let our bombers land in Sicily. The United Kingdom — the nation that built the Royal Navy — "𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳" to protect its own base in Cyprus. Turkey, a NATO member, is openly siding with Iran and threatening a NATO partner, Israel. Hanson's verdict: "𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘕𝘈𝘛𝘖, 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺." Going forward, the United States will pick and choose which NATO members are actually worth the alliance. The rest are "𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘦." And the Strait of Hormuz? The left spent two weeks shrieking that closure would end the world. Reality: it carries 𝟐𝟎 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 of world oil, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝟖𝟎. The Saudis are expanding their Red Sea pipeline. The Emirates are expanding theirs. A pipeline across the desert through Jordan to Haifa is on the table. Within a few years, the Gulf "𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘳𝘢𝘯." Their leverage becomes their liability. If the war ends in two or three weeks, Hanson estimates seven months to economic recovery. Then comes the realization. Iran is not threatening the Middle East. Iran has no ballistic missile threat. Iran has no immediate path to a nuclear weapon. Iran has no military. Its command and control is wiped out. Its population is stewing. "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘢𝘭𝘭." Not the next day. Not the next month. But within months — or within two years, like the Soviet Union — regime change. This war was fought on Western American terms. No Fallujah. No house-to-house in Taji. No villages in Afghanistan where you can't tell friend from enemy. The asymmetry — by design — was total. The 24-hour news cycle will keep shrieking. The Democrat-media borg will keep cycling through whichever narrative hurts Trump most that morning. But the map has already been redrawn. 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝. 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝. 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝. 𝐈𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬.

@DrSJaishankar Yes. Tragic that highly paid Indian soldiers did not think twice before firing 1615 rounds on fellow Indians. Baffling.

Tributes to the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Their sacrifice for our freedom will always be remembered.

Thank God for folks like @NigelBiggar !

@CNNnews18 @rammadhav_ Classic Indian diplomacy. Many friends but zero leverage and zero influence. And yet, they call it ‘success.’ The irony: Pakistan is mediating in this conflict (to some degree). Not ‘successful’ India. Well done, keep marking your own homework!

#WestAsiaConflict | In this situation the fact is that we did not take any sides and also stayed out of all of this whole conflict. This is a clear success of our diplomacy. Today the Iranian leadership is also talking to us, and the other side is also in touch with us: @rammadhav_, Member, National Executive, RSS & President India Foundation #CNNNews18WarConclave #IranUSWar #IranWar #India | @RShivshankar

Kapil, there never was a “rules-based world,” except in myth. Where was that world when China took Tibet, the South China Sea or land from India? Or when the US went into Libya, Iraq etc…? Powerful nations make up the rules as they go along. And as for “allies” and “friends” - yes, India has many friends but zero influence or leverage. That’s reality. As Palmerston and later Kissinger said - all nations do what’s in their own national interest. Sad, but annoyingly true.

@TheChaiDude As I said, India should have acknowledged and condemned the violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. It should now condemn the gratuitous destruction of Iran. I see no contradiction. To uphold principle is not to grandstand. It is to affirm our commitment to a rules-based world.

This is dogmatic Kapil. It is full of visceral anger against an individual. You may have your reasons for the same. But surprising to see you in the deep end of voodoo analysis. themorningcontext.com/chaos/delhis-s… This was your piece, from 2022, where you were dismayed that New Delhi is not Washington's lapdog. Now you are accusing New Delhi of being Washington's lapdog. The moral grandstanding of your Morning Context piece aside, it excuses Modi's supposed Islamophobia for once, and calls Pakistan "bitter rivals", just because India and Pakistan voted on the same side. Pakistan's place in history will be decided based on what Modi does? Is that your argument? It takes umbrage at New Delhi's refusal to follow American diktats, barely 4 years before today, where you now take umbrage at New Delhi refusing to follow Tehran's diktats and conflating the same to being Washington's lapdog? You have created a "Heads, I win; Tails you lose" proposition for New Delhi. If New Delhi had spoken in favour of Ukraine the way you personally wanted, then your criticism would have been, "Modi cut to size as India's oldest partner doesn't pay heed to his calls for stopping the war". Because when it comes to Modi, it appears you are not willing to explore the evidence says. You make up your mind and then weave a few sketchy arguments that back up your hypothesis. Intellectual honesty demands we find evidence that reject our null hypothesis, not support it. Because if we don't do that, we are no different the lapdog Godi media of the day, who have a set of arguments ready to call everything the government does a "masterstroke". There is no coherent foreign policy or statecraft argument flowing through these pieces across years. The only constant thread being your hatred of a politician who enjoys popular support. 'Whatever he does is wrong.' That is not analysis I am afraid. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. You do not even lend that courtesy to a 6-time democratically elected leader (including state and national level elections). I don't begrudge you for that. We live in a free world, free to espouse and believe what we want. But, to let that opinion of yours cloud your otherwise fine judgement is sad. Some of your work is remarkable. I enjoy reading you. Take a back seat and reflect. Is it really that New Delhi is both Moscow and Washington's lapdog at the same time? Is New Delhi Islamophobic and aligns with Pakistan at the same time? Is Modi really Trump's lackey and yet pissed him off more than anyone to warrant higher tariffs than China at the same time? How many of these contradictory positions have to be true at the same time for your argument to be substantiated? Occam's razor directs us to find a conclusion that involves the least amount of assumptions to arrive at that conclusion. For me, it is that New Delhi, for a change, has been trying to carve out it's own way in a period when globalisation is slowing down, trade is looked down upon and migration is a hot topic. Your conclusion involves assuming all of the above contradictory things are true at the same time.