The Image Reflecting Flavour of the Year 2024

                        

REFLECTIONS 2023 & NEW YEAR GREETINGS 2024


“The most concerning finding of the spreading war clouds from Ukraine to West Asia, South Asia, extending to South China Sea, and Taiwan, are the emerging links that point to a joint Sino-Russia challenge to the US led West Bloc geopolitical supremacy.” – Col RS Sidhu 


The ‘Year of 2023’ lived up to its billing of being the year of human follies, battlefield bullies, economic uncertainties, and natural catastrophes. Even scientific advancements, such as AI enabled autonomous weapon systems, were of a nature that gave cause for greater concern than hope and excitement.

The ongoing battle for global supremacy between China-Russia combine and the US led Western alliance is getting fiercer. Militarily, the stalemated Russian ‘Special Military Operation’ in Ukraine can now be seen for what it is; an opening chess ‘Queen’s Gambit’ which has tied down NATO in the European heartland from Finland in the north, to Poland in the centre, down to Ukraine in the south. Further down in West Asia and the IOR, the US has been baited into a very subtly orchestrated ‘Chinese Chakravyuh,’ through Iran led proxies. It’s interesting to witness how China is overextending the US militarily, without firing a single shot! The US is unable to pursue its geostrategic shift to the South China Sea, where Chinese belligerence is not being seriously contested.

Continued disregard to adverse human impact on the environment has upped the ante, with EM–DAT, the international disaster database, recording substantially increased fatalities in the year 2023 vis-a-vis 2022. Even the heavens seem to frown upon the West Asia region, with Turkey, Syria, Morocco, Libya, and Afghanistan being at the receiving end, suffering nearly 75,000 fatalities, and nearly 30 million people displaced, from enormous magnitude earthquakes and epic floods.

But in all the brouhaha of 2023, what should catch the eye of the cognizant, is the attempts at geopolitical manipulations in military battlefields of Ukraine and Palestine by Elon Musk, with net worth assessed at US Dollar 238 billion and a workforce of plus 1,20,000, leading high technology companies of Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, Boring, X (erstwhile Twitter), engaged in exploiting cutting edge technologies in the areas of space launch, LEO satellite constellations, artificial intelligence & neuroscience, hyperloop underground transportation, renewable energy, and social media. This validates the envisioned event of 2023, with maximum long term impact, being “the emergence of supranational-corporations” with near sovereign influence and whose acts of omissions and commissions shall have greater impact on life on Earth than even the more powerful states.”

On the economic front ‘The Year of 2024’ harbingers increased monetary stress to nations. Geopolitically, the outlook indicates lateral spread of the ongoing conflict for global supremacy between the two warring blocs. But the event with the maximum long term impact of this new year will be the India – China regional rivalry. South Asia is already aflame in internal turmoil from Afghanistan in the west to Myanmar in the east.

Despite all blunders and weaknesses, India as a nation has not deviated from its long stated intent to unify POJK and Aksai Chin with the country, though unsuccessful. China too has similar resolve towards Taiwan, which it has not been unable to achieve despite its greater geopolitical heft. This clash of ‘National Will’ shall play a dominating role in the Asian region in the “Year of 2024”.

Wishing you, and those you hold dear, fortitude to face adversity and the vision to negotiate the uncertain future.

Best wishes,

Col RS Sidhu 

#reflections2023 #bestwishes2024

 

 

 

 


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