Sometimes, such things happen in the world which leave us in a state of dismay compelling to say ourselves..." ohh..is this true..? " Only with such things we come to know that imagination is not always wilder than truth. Here is such an incident. Can you imagine the big globe was set in motion by a small ball?
Mao Zedong overthrown US-backed KuOmintang government in 1949, and formed "People's Republic of China" ,a communist country. US announced an embargo on trade with China. China followed a policy of information blockade. US recognized Taiwan as independent country and not China ...blau..blau..blau... it's all history.
Suddenly at once, on 14th April 1971, US announced plans to remove a 20-year trade embargo with China and China reciprocated on the same day by annulling it's policy of information blockade by allowing American journalists into Mainland China. There were neither diplomatic envoys exchanged between those two countries nor any talks held between the two governments at any level. But still it happened which went to the extent of Richard Nixon, the then American President (and also the first president) visiting Mainland China which couldn't be thought even in the widest imaginations some time ago.
It all happened when the American ping-pong team got a surprise invitation from their Chinese counterparts during the 31st World Table Tennis Championship, Japan. Ofcourse well thought out diplomatic action can be inferred in such an invitaion but inviting a ping-pong team to herald a new improved Sino-American relations was wisest (even wildest) idea by any standard.
On April 10, 1971 nine players, four officials, and two spouses stepped across a bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland, ushering in an era of "Ping-Pong diplomacy." They were the first group of Americans allowed into China since the Communist takeover in 1949. "The ping heard round the world." observed Time Magazine. Ten journalists, including five Americans, were also invited to cover the team’s visit, ending the information blockade from the People's Republic in place since 1949. From April 11th to 17th , a delighted American public followed the daily progress of the visit in newspapers and on television, as the Americans played--and lost-- exhibition matches with their hosts, toured the Great Wall and Summer Palace, chatted with Chinese students and factory workers, and attended the Canton Ballet.
Chinese premier Chou En-lai worked the public relations opportunity beautifully, receiving the Americans at a banquet in the Great Hall of the People on April 14, 1971. "You have opened a new chapter in the relations of the American and Chinese people," he told the unlikely diplomats. "I am confident that this beginning again of our friendship will certainly meet with majority support of our two peoples." He also extended an invitation for more American journalists to visit China, provided they do not "all come at one time." That same day, the U.S. announced plans to remove a 20-year embargo on trade with China. A Chinese table tennis team reciprocated by visiting the United States.
Ping-Pong was "an apt metaphor for the relations between Washington and Peking" noted a Time reporter, as each nation signaled, in turn, its openness to change.
This incident, according to me, highlighted the human tendency to mingle with each other and to live with peace in unison, not because it led to meeting of the two Presidents, but because of the enthusiasm, the people showed throughout the tour.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
US Presidential Elections - Clarifications
Hi Kishore,
I have a small doubt. Hope you can resolve it.You have written that the electors are elected by the voters directly who further vote for the presidential candidate. But again you have written that once in a state, a party gets the majority of electors, the total number of electors goes to that party and further he total of this number decides who wins the presidential election."It needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency."Since the electors' vote is already pledged, doesn't it make the election a one step process. Also, in Pub Ad, we study that American elections in reality are indirect only in theory but in practice they have become direct.Please shed some light on this matter.Thanks again for this wonderful article.
- Ruchi.
Ruchi,
There are two steps in US presidetial election.
Step 1:
Electing Presidential candidate WITHIN a party. Here electors are pledged and have to cast their vote as per their pledging in the national conference held by respective parties separately. With this all the pledging stuff is over and one presidential candidate emerges from each party. The first sentence that you have highlighted pertains to this step. I think I put this in General Election section and hence the confusion.
STEP 2:
This is the contest BETWEEN the party candidates who are already elected as presidential nominees from their respective parties in the above step. Who ever wins takes presidentship. Here people have to choose 538 electors who in turn elects the president. This way it is a indirect election. But while voting all these electors people need not know their names, i.e., who are all there in the electoral college and to whom they are voting. They just vote to either democratic candidate or republican candidate. This way it is becoming a direct election and that is what we read in pubad. Here the example that I have given holds good. In 48 of the 50 states there is a system of "Who ever wins takes all" , which means suppose a democratic candidate gets majority in a state of california which has 55 electors then all the 55 electors will be allocated to the democratic candidate. This way they count the total number of electors support attained by each candidate and whoever gets 270 (simple majority of the total electoral college) takes away presidentship.
-Kishore
I have a small doubt. Hope you can resolve it.You have written that the electors are elected by the voters directly who further vote for the presidential candidate. But again you have written that once in a state, a party gets the majority of electors, the total number of electors goes to that party and further he total of this number decides who wins the presidential election."It needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency."Since the electors' vote is already pledged, doesn't it make the election a one step process. Also, in Pub Ad, we study that American elections in reality are indirect only in theory but in practice they have become direct.Please shed some light on this matter.Thanks again for this wonderful article.
- Ruchi.
Ruchi,
There are two steps in US presidetial election.
Step 1:
Electing Presidential candidate WITHIN a party. Here electors are pledged and have to cast their vote as per their pledging in the national conference held by respective parties separately. With this all the pledging stuff is over and one presidential candidate emerges from each party. The first sentence that you have highlighted pertains to this step. I think I put this in General Election section and hence the confusion.
STEP 2:
This is the contest BETWEEN the party candidates who are already elected as presidential nominees from their respective parties in the above step. Who ever wins takes presidentship. Here people have to choose 538 electors who in turn elects the president. This way it is a indirect election. But while voting all these electors people need not know their names, i.e., who are all there in the electoral college and to whom they are voting. They just vote to either democratic candidate or republican candidate. This way it is becoming a direct election and that is what we read in pubad. Here the example that I have given holds good. In 48 of the 50 states there is a system of "Who ever wins takes all" , which means suppose a democratic candidate gets majority in a state of california which has 55 electors then all the 55 electors will be allocated to the democratic candidate. This way they count the total number of electors support attained by each candidate and whoever gets 270 (simple majority of the total electoral college) takes away presidentship.
-Kishore
Thursday, February 7, 2008
US Presidential Elections - Primaries, Caucuses and More
Now that, Super Tuesday is over and results are out, I would like to give an account of US presidential elections, primaries, caucuses and more.
As we all know US is one of the largest democracies of the world, I wondered when I learnt about the internal democracy in place in their political party system as against the "High Command" system of India.
US is a presidential democracy in which president is elected INDIRECTLY for every four years. But the process of election starts one year before the ongoing president steps down as the president. The different phases involves:
1) Selection of presidential nominee from both the parties in the national conventions held in fag August(Democrates) and early September(Republicans).
2) Campaigning of both parties having selected their presidential nominees.
3) Election of Electoral College who chooses president.
4) Election of the president by the electoral college.
5) Disbanding Electoral College.
Explanation:
=========
The two major parties in US are democrats and republicans. The candidates who want to be nominated as preisdential contestents in both parties will form a core group and after assertaining their pros and cons, their capacity to raise money from people they register themselves with their parties as preisidential nominees from their parties. Generally more than two people will opt for that and there is inevitable competition among the members contesting for presidential nomination from the party. And there raises curtain for the PRIMARIES and CAUCUSES.
So now, What is a primary and what is caucus? How do they differ?
In a primary, voters simply cast their ballot and then go on with the rest of their day. But a caucus in more participative, with supporters showing up in person at designated sites throughout the state, such as a high school gymnasium, and standing up to be counted for their candidate.
In both, voters are ultimately choosing delegates to their party’s national convention, the body that formally nominates their presidential candidate.
State legislatures and state parties determine which form of balloting they prefer. In some states such as New Hampshire, the primary has become well entrenched and legislators are not likely to switch to a different system.
National Convention
===============
It is a quadrennial event at which the party formally nominates its presidential and vice presidential candidates. Then the question comes WHO nominates these presidential nominees? The answer to which is National convention delegates.
National convention delegates are those individuals authorized by the national and state parties to attend the parties’ national conventions and cast votes for the candidates running for the respective party’s nomination for President.
Each national party apportions a specific number of delegate votes to the various states and territories, based on state population and complex calculations of party strength and support in recent elections.
So, national convention delegates are PLEDGED to cast their ballot according to the results of primaries and caucuses. An associated press tracks all this process.
There are unpledged delegates too in both the parties who are free to cast their votes either of the candidates in the national party convention. These includes, mambers of congress, former president, vice-president etc..
Also, both the parties differ in the pledged and unpledged allocations and process as a whole. the process differs from state to state too.
After such an elaborate process, the presidential nominees are ready for actual contest. And now, the campaign starts for the presidential election.
The Election process:
===============
Voters in each state and in the District of Columbia will be casting their ballots on Nov. 4, 2008 for a slate of electors. Those electors, in turn, will cast votes on Dec. 15, 2008 for candidates to whom they are pledged.
For example, On the California ballot, for instance, will be a slate of 55 California Democratic electors pledged to the Democratic presidential candidate and a slate of 55 California Republican electors pledged to the Republican candidate.
A voter will chose one slate or the other (or perhaps the slate of a third party such as the Green Party). And the voter need not know the names of the members og eletoral college which consists of 538 members. It needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
And one key issue here is: Again taking above california example, there are 55 electoral college members. Let us assume Democrat candidate got 28 votes and republican got 27 seats. Whoever wins the state will be allocated TOTAL number of electoral seats, in our example total 55 electoral members are pledged to Democratic candidate only. This is the most criticised issue because it gives scope to a candidate with no popular support to win as a president of USA.
As we all know US is one of the largest democracies of the world, I wondered when I learnt about the internal democracy in place in their political party system as against the "High Command" system of India.
US is a presidential democracy in which president is elected INDIRECTLY for every four years. But the process of election starts one year before the ongoing president steps down as the president. The different phases involves:
1) Selection of presidential nominee from both the parties in the national conventions held in fag August(Democrates) and early September(Republicans).
2) Campaigning of both parties having selected their presidential nominees.
3) Election of Electoral College who chooses president.
4) Election of the president by the electoral college.
5) Disbanding Electoral College.
Explanation:
=========
The two major parties in US are democrats and republicans. The candidates who want to be nominated as preisdential contestents in both parties will form a core group and after assertaining their pros and cons, their capacity to raise money from people they register themselves with their parties as preisidential nominees from their parties. Generally more than two people will opt for that and there is inevitable competition among the members contesting for presidential nomination from the party. And there raises curtain for the PRIMARIES and CAUCUSES.
So now, What is a primary and what is caucus? How do they differ?
In a primary, voters simply cast their ballot and then go on with the rest of their day. But a caucus in more participative, with supporters showing up in person at designated sites throughout the state, such as a high school gymnasium, and standing up to be counted for their candidate.
In both, voters are ultimately choosing delegates to their party’s national convention, the body that formally nominates their presidential candidate.
State legislatures and state parties determine which form of balloting they prefer. In some states such as New Hampshire, the primary has become well entrenched and legislators are not likely to switch to a different system.
National Convention
===============
It is a quadrennial event at which the party formally nominates its presidential and vice presidential candidates. Then the question comes WHO nominates these presidential nominees? The answer to which is National convention delegates.
National convention delegates are those individuals authorized by the national and state parties to attend the parties’ national conventions and cast votes for the candidates running for the respective party’s nomination for President.
Each national party apportions a specific number of delegate votes to the various states and territories, based on state population and complex calculations of party strength and support in recent elections.
So, national convention delegates are PLEDGED to cast their ballot according to the results of primaries and caucuses. An associated press tracks all this process.
There are unpledged delegates too in both the parties who are free to cast their votes either of the candidates in the national party convention. These includes, mambers of congress, former president, vice-president etc..
Also, both the parties differ in the pledged and unpledged allocations and process as a whole. the process differs from state to state too.
After such an elaborate process, the presidential nominees are ready for actual contest. And now, the campaign starts for the presidential election.
The Election process:
===============
Voters in each state and in the District of Columbia will be casting their ballots on Nov. 4, 2008 for a slate of electors. Those electors, in turn, will cast votes on Dec. 15, 2008 for candidates to whom they are pledged.
For example, On the California ballot, for instance, will be a slate of 55 California Democratic electors pledged to the Democratic presidential candidate and a slate of 55 California Republican electors pledged to the Republican candidate.
A voter will chose one slate or the other (or perhaps the slate of a third party such as the Green Party). And the voter need not know the names of the members og eletoral college which consists of 538 members. It needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
And one key issue here is: Again taking above california example, there are 55 electoral college members. Let us assume Democrat candidate got 28 votes and republican got 27 seats. Whoever wins the state will be allocated TOTAL number of electoral seats, in our example total 55 electoral members are pledged to Democratic candidate only. This is the most criticised issue because it gives scope to a candidate with no popular support to win as a president of USA.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Small States- Clarifications
Ruchi_S
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
Hi Kishore,I think that by saying "while Jharkhand and Chattisgarh became FAILED states despite of large mineral and natural resources Chattisgarh has started to zoom up" ,you mean Uttarakhand has started to zoom up? Just clarifying.Thx.Ruchi.
_ Ruchi_S
Yes Ruchi... It was a typo.. Thx for clarification..
_ Kishore
===============================================
Chandra Sekhar
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
thats a nice writeup, kish404.
can you tell us why you are calling chattisgarh and jharkhand as failed states?
is bundelkhand being demanded only from the districts of uttar pradesh or would it also include other districts of madhya pradesh as well (like sagar, chattarpur etc) which together form the bundelkhand?
_ Chandra Sekhar
Hi Chandra,
I called Chattisgarh and Jharkhand as failed states because of their unability to solve their problems and take developmental path.Chattisgarh is now a worst sufferer of naxalism because of which the Law & Order is badly affected. Law & Order is an important pre-condition for development. If L&O is affected no development can take place.Jharkhand from it's inception was suffering from political instability. A politically unstable government cannot give a stable governance and hence good governance is the casuality.Regarding Bundelkhand I don't have any idea on it.. Can someday please help me to understand the issue of bundelkhand..
_ Kishore
===============================================
sivaharimani
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
kish it is a good write up. and your solution are also right.but can you give from what the base of your idea you have derived these solutions...means please explain in brief...
_ J.MANIVANNAN...
Hi Mani,
I will try to explain the solutions.. 1) Giving Panchayat Raj bodies autonomy.
The basic idea behind this solution is to use division as antithesis to a division. I mean, if a demand for division of state is coming up, annul this division by further devolving powers to local bodies. Then local problems get attended at the local level thus evolving local solutions.The constitutional machinery of PRI bodies can be used to strenthen PRI bodies.Even a bit wild, I have one idea in my mind in this respect. Lot of small state demands are coming up because of political considerations. To annul this, remove the state as political entity. It will give way to say, district administration, mandal administration, village administration etc.. [ I said it is wild..may be weird too ]
2) Setting scientifically evolved developmental indicators (As the current human development indicators fail to identify actual development) and apportioning state resources as per these indicators as applied to different parts of the countries.
This solution aims at tackling small states problem with development mantra.. The indicators of development being literacy, longevity, poverty, etc.. But the problem lies in the definitions of these indicators.For eg: let us take poverty line definition. A/c to it, any person who gets 2400Kcal per day is considered as above poverty line. Let us take this scenario: suppose a person gets the above said calories a day but do not have clothes to cover his body and no hut to live. Is he really above poverty line ???If a state goes by such definitions and announces that govt has achieved development in so called undeveloped region, the demand persists as the ground level realities are different.Therefore a state needs to develop comprehensive developmental indicators and analyse each region of the state with these indicators. If certain region is backward according to these indicators it has to spend more resources to develop such region as compared with other regions. All this information should be communicated to the people in a transparent way so that discontent is not arised in the people of other regions. Once all the regions are developed on par, then the allocation should be equal for all parts of the state.
3) Trying to achieve political consensus in forums like "National Integration Council".
This is based on the idea of achieving political consensus on small states demand in national forums such as "National Integration Council" instead of unnecessarilly going to streets and disrupting public life.
_ Kishore
===============================================
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
Hi Kishore,I think that by saying "while Jharkhand and Chattisgarh became FAILED states despite of large mineral and natural resources Chattisgarh has started to zoom up" ,you mean Uttarakhand has started to zoom up? Just clarifying.Thx.Ruchi.
_ Ruchi_S
Yes Ruchi... It was a typo.. Thx for clarification..
_ Kishore
===============================================
Chandra Sekhar
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
thats a nice writeup, kish404.
can you tell us why you are calling chattisgarh and jharkhand as failed states?
is bundelkhand being demanded only from the districts of uttar pradesh or would it also include other districts of madhya pradesh as well (like sagar, chattarpur etc) which together form the bundelkhand?
_ Chandra Sekhar
Hi Chandra,
I called Chattisgarh and Jharkhand as failed states because of their unability to solve their problems and take developmental path.Chattisgarh is now a worst sufferer of naxalism because of which the Law & Order is badly affected. Law & Order is an important pre-condition for development. If L&O is affected no development can take place.Jharkhand from it's inception was suffering from political instability. A politically unstable government cannot give a stable governance and hence good governance is the casuality.Regarding Bundelkhand I don't have any idea on it.. Can someday please help me to understand the issue of bundelkhand..
_ Kishore
===============================================
sivaharimani
Re: Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
-----------------------------------------------------
kish it is a good write up. and your solution are also right.but can you give from what the base of your idea you have derived these solutions...means please explain in brief...
_ J.MANIVANNAN...
Hi Mani,
I will try to explain the solutions.. 1) Giving Panchayat Raj bodies autonomy.
The basic idea behind this solution is to use division as antithesis to a division. I mean, if a demand for division of state is coming up, annul this division by further devolving powers to local bodies. Then local problems get attended at the local level thus evolving local solutions.The constitutional machinery of PRI bodies can be used to strenthen PRI bodies.Even a bit wild, I have one idea in my mind in this respect. Lot of small state demands are coming up because of political considerations. To annul this, remove the state as political entity. It will give way to say, district administration, mandal administration, village administration etc.. [ I said it is wild..may be weird too ]
2) Setting scientifically evolved developmental indicators (As the current human development indicators fail to identify actual development) and apportioning state resources as per these indicators as applied to different parts of the countries.
This solution aims at tackling small states problem with development mantra.. The indicators of development being literacy, longevity, poverty, etc.. But the problem lies in the definitions of these indicators.For eg: let us take poverty line definition. A/c to it, any person who gets 2400Kcal per day is considered as above poverty line. Let us take this scenario: suppose a person gets the above said calories a day but do not have clothes to cover his body and no hut to live. Is he really above poverty line ???If a state goes by such definitions and announces that govt has achieved development in so called undeveloped region, the demand persists as the ground level realities are different.Therefore a state needs to develop comprehensive developmental indicators and analyse each region of the state with these indicators. If certain region is backward according to these indicators it has to spend more resources to develop such region as compared with other regions. All this information should be communicated to the people in a transparent way so that discontent is not arised in the people of other regions. Once all the regions are developed on par, then the allocation should be equal for all parts of the state.
3) Trying to achieve political consensus in forums like "National Integration Council".
This is based on the idea of achieving political consensus on small states demand in national forums such as "National Integration Council" instead of unnecessarilly going to streets and disrupting public life.
_ Kishore
===============================================
Monday, February 4, 2008
Small States - Demands, Problems and Solutions
In lieu of various demands coming from different states for their bifurcation I would like to touch upon the possibilities, criterion, and solutions of small states demand.
Constituion has provided a very simple preocedure for the formation of new states under article 3. It vested complete power in the union parliament to alter any state boundary irrespective of the affected state's consent. It was correct at the time when constitution was framed and it was successful in containing further secession of the country.
When we analyse various small state's demands we can find various moot questions coming into fore.
1) Where from the demand for small state is coming ? Is it flowing from the people's aspirations to the leaders or from leader's political gains to the people.
2) Is there any rational criterion for the division of a state ? If yes, what is it ? Who forms it ?
3) After evolving a rational criterion one has to test this criterion in the state. Who does this job and is it possible to attain an unanimous opinion ?
Let me examine these issues in detail.
As we see in most of the states the demand for small state is coming from the politicians to attain their political ends rather than from the people of the state. This is clearly evident from the ongoing demand for Telangana in AP, Bundelkhand in UP, Saurashtra from Gujarat, Vidarbha from Maharashtra etc. Even the newly formed states Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand were formed because of political considerations. Can such states sustain ?
Experience in the newly formed states tells us that while Jharkhand and Chattisgarh became FAILED states despite of large mineral and natural resources Chattisgarh has started to zoom up. This clearly shows us that just a separate state is NOT a solution for all the developmental lacunae.
Coming to Rational Criterion, Usually commissions and committees were appointed to evolve a rational criterion for division of any state. Infact First States Reorganisation Commission drafted a criterion which involves economic viability, administrative convenience, willing of all parts of people living in that state etc.. But the moot question is how can one test this criterion ? For eg, If one has to test public opinion about the new state how one can elicit this. How one can assure the divided state will be economically sustainable after the division ?
In my opinion, EMOTIONAL INTEGRATION of the people should be the most important indicator in evauluating a criterion. Experience tells us that since independecs even after forming 28 states, people are not emotionally integrated despite of same language, culture etc in almost none of the states, forget about national integration. As long as people are not emotionally integrated the demand for division will become persistent.
So how to make people emotionally integrated is the key to the problem.
Some Solutions:
===========
1) Giving Panchayat Raj bodies autonomy.
2) Setting scientifically evolved developmental indicators (As the current human development indicators fail to identify actual development) and apportioning state resources as per these indicators as applied to different parts of the countries.
3) Trying to achieve political consensus in forums like "National Integration Council".
Constituion has provided a very simple preocedure for the formation of new states under article 3. It vested complete power in the union parliament to alter any state boundary irrespective of the affected state's consent. It was correct at the time when constitution was framed and it was successful in containing further secession of the country.
When we analyse various small state's demands we can find various moot questions coming into fore.
1) Where from the demand for small state is coming ? Is it flowing from the people's aspirations to the leaders or from leader's political gains to the people.
2) Is there any rational criterion for the division of a state ? If yes, what is it ? Who forms it ?
3) After evolving a rational criterion one has to test this criterion in the state. Who does this job and is it possible to attain an unanimous opinion ?
Let me examine these issues in detail.
As we see in most of the states the demand for small state is coming from the politicians to attain their political ends rather than from the people of the state. This is clearly evident from the ongoing demand for Telangana in AP, Bundelkhand in UP, Saurashtra from Gujarat, Vidarbha from Maharashtra etc. Even the newly formed states Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Uttarakhand were formed because of political considerations. Can such states sustain ?
Experience in the newly formed states tells us that while Jharkhand and Chattisgarh became FAILED states despite of large mineral and natural resources Chattisgarh has started to zoom up. This clearly shows us that just a separate state is NOT a solution for all the developmental lacunae.
Coming to Rational Criterion, Usually commissions and committees were appointed to evolve a rational criterion for division of any state. Infact First States Reorganisation Commission drafted a criterion which involves economic viability, administrative convenience, willing of all parts of people living in that state etc.. But the moot question is how can one test this criterion ? For eg, If one has to test public opinion about the new state how one can elicit this. How one can assure the divided state will be economically sustainable after the division ?
In my opinion, EMOTIONAL INTEGRATION of the people should be the most important indicator in evauluating a criterion. Experience tells us that since independecs even after forming 28 states, people are not emotionally integrated despite of same language, culture etc in almost none of the states, forget about national integration. As long as people are not emotionally integrated the demand for division will become persistent.
So how to make people emotionally integrated is the key to the problem.
Some Solutions:
===========
1) Giving Panchayat Raj bodies autonomy.
2) Setting scientifically evolved developmental indicators (As the current human development indicators fail to identify actual development) and apportioning state resources as per these indicators as applied to different parts of the countries.
3) Trying to achieve political consensus in forums like "National Integration Council".
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