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FATF Greylist- The global terror financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), has added Turkey, along with Jordan and Mali, in its revised list of “jurisdictions under increased monitoring”. The FATF is an inter-governmental body that works to “set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system”. There are now 23 countries in the FATF grey list, officially referred to as “jurisdictions with strategic deficiencies”. From India’s, and most of the rest of the world’s perspective, the most important country on the list is Pakistan. Myanmar is also on the list — and now, Turkey. In essence, in the assessment of the FATF, all these countries have failed to prevent international money laundering and terrorist financing, and are, therefore, on a global watchlist. Source; indianexpress.com  India looks West. The foreign Ministers of India, Israel, and UAE along with the US secretary of State on 18 October met virtually leading to huge speculations of the formation of a new Quadrilateral or Quad group. Israel in the last couple of years has built some serious engagements with many Middle Eastern countries and India already has good relations with most of them. Such coordination between an important gulf country, Israel, and the US can prove to be a game-changer in the political and economic relations within and outside the region. It is particularly this decision that is leading to speculation regarding the formation of a new quadrilateral group among these members. If this happens, this could lead to greater cooperation among these influential countries in the region. India and the US along with Australia and Japan are already part of another Quad group. Source indiatimes.com https://youtu.be/ckP49ssiW6U Pakistan's Worsening Economic Crisis- A report in the Economic Times stated that Pakistan needs an infusion of $51. 6 billion in the two-year period (2021-23) in order to meet its financial obligations. The article quotes a conservative estimate of the IMF which mentions that Pakistan’s “external financing requirement stands at USD 23.6 billion in 2021-22 and USD 28 billion in 202223.” In case talks fail with the IMF, funding from other sources including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank remain at risk. As much as 28 per cent of Pakistan’s debt is owed to China, which was 9 per cent in 2013. This will only grow. Simultaneously, China demanded $38 million as compensation for loss of lives of its nine engineers, employed on the Dasu hydropower project, in a terrorist strike. At the current exchange rate it works out to Rs 73 crore per individual. China has stated that work on the project would only recommence once the amount has been paid and additional security ensured. Pakistan has constituted a committee to deliberate on the Chinese demand as also negotiate with China on the amount. A Pakistani media report last month stated that as per the State Bank of Pakistan, the government’s debt increased to Rs 39.9 trillion, of which 14.9 trillion was in the past three years of Imran Khan’s reign. This has been accentuated by large public borrowings during the Covid pandemic. There was some relief with the IMF handing over $2.75 billion under a Special Drawing Rights programme for battling Covid. The World Bank included Pakistan in the top ten nations with largest foreign debts. Added to these miseries is the fact Pakistan will continue to remain on the Grey List as it has failed to fulfil FATF’s basic requirements. In a paper titled, ‘Bearing the cost of global politics — the impact of FATF grey-listing on Pakistan’s economy,’ Naafey Sardar states that the impact on GDP of Pakistan being in the Grey List from 2008-2019 has been $38 billion. Source thestatesman.com

YT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTzKE0XFPJk 

Recently, Afghanistan was struck by a deadly terror attack. Around 200 people died in it. US Pres. is dumbstruck at it. It was quite visible at the Press conference he held that very day. This is not the first time the US has been humbled. During the Vietnam War as well, the US pulled out its troops hastily and a lot of lives were gone. However, in Vietnam there was no issue of Terrorism as it is in Kabul. There is the looming threat of ISIS, who is said to be the mastermind behind this attack. Also, there is Pakistan and the support they provide to the Taliban of Afghanistan. Someone rightly pointed out that Pak’s intention is that they do not want peace and stability in their neighboring regions. India is the biggest example of this. Now, they are supporting Taliban, making statements like Afghans broke free from slavery of the USA. The irony is they are themselves going to be a colony of China.

What should be India’s take on all this? And should the allies of the US trust it when it comes to their security? The hosts have tried to answer it all.

In this episode we discussed about Brexit it is an abbreviation of  'Britain' and 'exit' and refers to the withdrawal process of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

This withdrawal process of the United Kingdom commenced following the referendum held on June 2016 and the subsequent notification to the European Council on March 2017.

The UK then entered an 11-month transition period in which to negotiate its future relationship with the European Union, ended barring an extension - on 31 December 2020.

Although the UK's withdrawal from the European Union took place on 1 February 2020, the Withdrawal Agreement came into force thenceforth, which regulated the orderly withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

As from 1 January 2021, relations between the UK and the EU are based on the "Trade and Cooperation Agreement" - an ambitious agreement, but one that amounts to a major change for citizens, companies and public authorities in both the EU and the UK.

We further discussed about the pro cons of this very important event.

In the course of our discussion we agreed that the pros of brexit is short lived as brexit was poorly planned and implemented, This have further initiated cracks in United Kingdom.

Will London be able to cement its position as a global trading centre without the help of EU is a question of speculation.

00:30- Why does the Western press call India Quad's weakest link? 

04:25- Why is Russia giving more importance to Pakistan than India on the issue of Afghanistan and Taliban?

09:40- Why Japan vowed to defend Taiwan against the Chinese invasion? 

13:38- What are India's options against the Pakistan-Taliban team?

International Media Portrayal of India: https://open.spotify.com/episode/380deyxKWYNha8uPWpvPBx?si=a74ac016f17a482e

Quad: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4aS1zI298w93oBDwxzM2cZ?si=b66d6db79e1a4dec

In this episode we conversed breifly about the history of afghanistan and its bleak future ahead.

History has seen that no foreign power has been successful in acquiring Afghanistan. The strategic location of the country is its biggest strength. "It is a doorway to Central, middle-east and south-east Asia"

In the 19th century the Barakzai dynasty gained control over Kabul. The growing rivalry between the expanding british and soviets complicated the geopolitics. :The Great Game" influenced the politics of Afghanistan to great extent.

Habibullah Khan, came to the throne in 1901 and kept Afghanistan neutral during World War I. 

Charges of corruption against the royal family and poor economic conditions created by the severe 1971–72 drought, former Prime Minister Mohammad Sardar Daoud Khan seized power in a non-violent coup on July 17, 1973  but even this government could not remain in power for long as in April 1978, Nur Mohammad Taraki, Babrak Karmal and Amin Taha overthrew the government of Mohammad Daoud, who was assassinated along with all his family members in a bloody military coup with the help of Soviet Union.

But the government in power refused to become a puppet government of soviets which infuriated the soviets. But the government in power was becomimg unpopular among the citizens because of its liberalist approach. This gave foreign powers to interfere in its regime

Soviets complete takeover of the Afghanistan infuriated the world and many countries like pakistan, saudi arabia etc started giving backing to small militias which later became taliban.

9 September 2001 about 3,000 people became victims of the September 11 attacks in the United States, and it marked the official entry of USA in Afghanistan.

USA might have won the tentative war but it lost the bigger war the moment it announced hasty withdrawal of American troops.

With US out of Afghanistan many contenders have emerged including China and Russia. But with shifting powers in Afghanistan the situation of the natives is worsening.

The power struggle has united the long foes Russia and US to some extent.

The stance of India is yet to be deciphered but one thing is very clear that if Taliban is able to quinch kabul it would lead to unexplained violence and bloodshed in the whole region.