What drove Senator Baldwin’s anti-India resolution, and what can we do about it
7 min read
By: Dr. Richard L. Benkin
On October 24, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), introduced Senate Resolution 424, which is anti-India, based on misinformation and disinformation, and treats one of our greatest allies as a second rate power. The resolution calls on the United States (US) government to “engage” the Indian government “to end persecution of, and violence against religious minorities and human rights defenders in India and a reversal of government policies that discriminate against Muslims and Christians on the basis of their respective faiths.” It was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations where it remains—and where it must die.
There are a lot of things wrong with the resolution, but its fatal flaw is its assumption without critical evaluation that this Indian government actively discriminates against religious minorities and provides impunity for individuals who do so. Because minorities unfortunately face discrimination pretty much everywhere. Resolution 424 charges India with being far worse by asserting that such discrimination is government policy. It also singles out India in a way that usually is reserved for Israel, while holding favored nations harmless. For instance, it calls out the state of Karnataka for banning the hijab in schools and colleges but never seemed concerned when France did the same; nor when several European states banned kosher slaughtering of food animals. Nor did it object to the reams of US case law in which courts ruled that public safety and law have precedence over parochial religious desires that put them both in jeopardy. One set of standards for white Europeans and another for non-white Asians was the basis for centuries of European imperialism and colonization. Baldwin might not be trying to revive the British Raj, but her actions do so anyway.
Having said that, I have no reason to not think that Senator Baldwin herself is a bigot. I don’t know her or what her personal biases might or might not be; but I do know the US Senate and a lot of current and former Senators. Most have expertise in one or another area, however, they are asked to take positions on a range of topics, foreign and domestic. Only in very rare cases do we find one who knows most of them; especially where foreign policy and global matters are concerned. The sheer volume of issues can be overwhelming; plus, constituents, staff, and supporters often come to them believing their issue should take precedence over everything else. So, Capitol Hill lawmakers depend on their staff and constituents to research, verify, and provide them with good insight and information on whatever particular issue is before them. It’s even more complicated when the subject is India or South Asia because of its distance from the United States. As such, few Americans go there, unless they have South Asian heritage themselves. Cultural, linguistic, and other differences between West and East also militates against serious understanding. Add to that the fact that many people, by default, have a notion that India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “Hindu nationalist,” and somehow that is not good for Muslims and Christians. I know that’s not the case, but I do spend a lot of time in India so I know better. I’m talking about people’s perceptions when all they hear comes from one, politically interested, side.
That means two things for us. First, it would be a mistake to dismiss Senator Baldwin as irredeemable and assume that she never will see things fairly. Second, it is our responsibility to inform lawmakers. If all they hear comes from those who have an agenda to harm India and especially Prime Minister Modi, what should make them think that there’s another side to the story? That’s where a truly grassroots effort can have an impact on what happens to Senate Resolution 424.
In actuality, there is little chance that this resolution will pass the entire Senate, but this is not the goal of those who cajoled Baldwin into proposing it. If they can get it heard in Senate hearings, where their political operatives can get a whole bunch of anti-India misinformation on the record, they win because few people will go to the trouble and fact check their allegations. The bias and misinformation will be out there as something “everyone knows.” Stopping that requires anyone who cares about this to contact their US Senators. For instance, if you live in Illinois, as I do, you would want to contact the offices of Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. If one of your Senators is on the Foreign Relations Committee (as Duckworth is), it is even more important that he or she gets this important information. If you live in Maryland, contacting Senator Ben Cardin is critical because he chairs the Committee. Virginia and Tennessee residents want to contact Senators Tim Kaine and Bill Hagerty respectively because the resolution’s advocates are trying to convince them to co-sponsor it. Kaine is a Democrat and Hagerty is a Republican; and the resolution will need co-sponsors who are on the Committee, one from each party. If we stop that, we stop the resolution.
Besides killing a very bad and bigoted resolution, your action also helps your Senators who depend on getting good information from their constituents.
Calls are better than emails or faxes, and the call can be as simple as registering that you are a constituent of the Senator and strongly opposed to Senate Resolution 424, introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin and referred to the Foreign Relations Committee; and you urge the Senator in the strongest possible terms to reject this bigoted resolution and make sure the Senate rejects it, too. Or you can add something about how it offends you, or that it is based on false information. You can cite the unequal treatment it accords to India vs. other nations as evidenced by the example I gave earlier regarding the hijab ban. Or that it leans heavily on recommendations from USCIRF—recommendations that the State Department rejected. You also might refer to the highly authoritative Pew Research Center, which studied this and found that about nine in ten Indian Muslims and Indian Christians said they were perfectly free to practice their faiths. And certainly, Wisconsin residents should contact Senator Baldwin’s office.
If you need information to call your Senators, you can get information here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
If you want to know who is on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, that information is here: https://www.foreign.senate.gov/about/membership.
Several years ago, I was told by former Vice President and then Indiana Congressman Mike Pence that any Member of Congress who gets five or more calls from constituents about any piece of legislation will take notice and take action. They are that sensitive to what the voters say, especially if, like Senator Kaine, they are up for re-election.
The opposite is true, as well. If they do not hear from you, they might have no reason to question all those who are telling them otherwise. Take advantage of your rights as a member of this democratic republic. The choice to stand up for them or not is yours.
Interview with Dr. Richard Benkin on Terrorism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K0YyuqpCD0
While in India, Analyst Amitabh Tripathi interviewed me for his YouTube channel. We planned to focus on the terror against Israel but ended up talking about terrorism everywhere and the differential reactions we have to events in South Asia and the West.
How Can Bangladesh Maximize its People's Benefit?
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in the Daily Asian Age of Dhaka. It is the second part of a two-part article about negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with strong US involvement, that would normalize relations between the two countries and again change the way people understand the Middle East conflicts. It is written to address the people of Bangladesh, whose population is 92 percent Muslim, and whose leaders can use this moment to advance the interests of their people and re-join the democratic alliance against tyranny.
https://dailyasianage.com/news/311829/how-can-bangladesh-maximize-its-peoples-benefit
In 1978, I was teaching at a university in Chicago. One evening after finishing my day, I got on the subway train to return home; all quite routine. But what followed was not routine. One of my students followed me onto the train and sat down next to me. I liked when that sort of thing happened because my students represented such a wide range of cultures, faiths, and nations. It was—and still is—important to me that I know and understand as many different peoples as possible; and that I saw all of us as one family. The young man had come to the United States from a village in Gambia. He was rather agitated and wanted to talk to me. He told me that during the 1960s and 1970s, he and his village experienced a period of tremendous prosperity and development during that time from a contingent of Israelis who were there to teach new farming methods, help with medical treatment, and so forth. They were there as part of their government’s commitment to the people of Africa that could be seen throughout the continent and in the smiling faces of the people. Moreover, he said, they and the villagers developed strong relations that helped the Israelis adapt their technology to the real needs of the people. That all changed, he said, in October 1973, when the Gabon government cut off relations with Israel and sent the doctors, technicians, and others home.
No one like it, not even the government that took this step. Africans as a whole maintained strong relations with Israel despite Arab pressure to cut their ties with the Jewish State. Israelis then and still today have strong feelings about Africa and their ability and obligation to help its people. By the 1973 Yom Kippur War (when Egypt and Syria launched surprise attacks on Israel on the holiest day of the Jewish year), African nations were cajoled, bribed, and told to break relations with Israel in the name of “continental unity.” According to my student, this political act was a severe blow to the well-being of the village and others like it. Without the Israelis, crops produced less food, if they produced any at all. Small businesses died out and even were prevented from selling to the Israel market, which also cost them. Conditions in the villages became difficult, and many young people, including my student left for what they hoped would be opportunities elsewhere. And my student’s experience stuck with me: the elites in the capital made a political decision that benefitted them personally without regard to the devastating affects it would have on the rest of the population. And that’s what happens if leaders believe they have to take certain actions because of things like faith. They will put the interests of others ahead of those of the people they are pledged to serve.
Forty-seven years later, we can be confident that leaders of Muslim-majority nations no longer have to subordinate their people’s well-being to others thousands of miles away who refuse to accept the sovereignty in whose name these sacrifices are demanded. The US brokered Abraham Accords effectively decoupled religion from what is a geopolitical conflict in the Middle East.; and in doing so cleared the way for a host of nations to drop their forced antipathy toward Israel and take actions to help their own people. You don’t have to take my word for it either. The evidence is all around us. In the past, anti-Israel activists regularly would try to manipulate support for their actions and to activate others’ emotions tying their own political interests to supposed religious dicta for all Muslims. But it no longer works. During conflicts in 2021 and 2022, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, and other actors tried to compel support for Islamist and Palestinian attacks by going reflexively to their false claims that “Al Aqsa is at risk,” and the only way to save it is to eradicate Israeli authority over the mosque and Jerusalem. Their bigoted screeds fell on deaf ears, and Iran might have been the only Muslim-majority nation to ape those cries. Most Muslims refused to be fooled. They did not allow these radical forces to drag them back to a previous era from which they now have evolved. And they were not going to subordinate their people’s well-being to that of radical rejectionists. The world had moved on, and it was high time that Palestinian leadership allowed their people to move into the 21st century.
Two months after the Abraham Accords were signed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Saudi city of Neom on the Red Sea. It was an historic moment, and the first time an Israeli Prime Minister set foot on Saudi soil; though Saudi spokesmen still had to deny it occurred. A year and a half later, in May 2022, when more Israeli officials visited Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi leaders about critical security matters, nobody tried to hide it. As Israel and Saudi Arabia moved closer, there was a marked shift in how the Saudis saw the Palestinian issue. It once was central to their policy, with successive Saudi leaders making clear that there would be no relations with Israel unless there first was an independent Palestinian state. The Abraham Accords flew in the face of those pundits and partisans alike who chirped for years that Middle East peace was dependent on pleasing (read: held hostage by) the Palestinians. That is, as long as they refused to make peace, the rest of the Muslim world was supposed to support them blindly. Not this time! Saudi Arabia did not object to the Accords between Israel and Arabs that never addressed Palestinians. The Saudis approved of and applauded them heartily. Thus, in March 2022, MBS said “We don’t look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together.” Four years before that, the future Saudi monarch said "It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining." He further said that Palestinians have rejected one opportunity after another to make peace and that Palestinian statehood is no longer a priority for the Saudis. Others got the message and began following suit.
With talk of normalization discussions heating up recently (and some in the US predicting an agreement within nine to twelve months), incorporating this seismic change in Saudi policy was handled surprisingly simply. The Saudis could not simply ignore this shift, but they also refused to let it stand in the way of a successful negotiation, as have the Palestinians in decades of failed negotiations. They would not let this chance crash and die on the craggy rocks of Palestinian inflexibility. So, yes, they raised the issue of a Palestinian state in the current talks, but it was made clear early on that this would not happen. While Israel was prepared to take a few steps along this dimension, it would not be agreeing to a Palestinian state that still does not accept it as a nation and continues launching terrorist attacks on Israel. According to all sources, we should expect any final agreement to include some concessions for the Palestinians, such as a building freeze or release of funds; but do not expect them to be anything permanent. Those concessions, by the way, likely will help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the rough and tumbled world of Israeli politics; but that is a matter for an article in itself.
The United States has been a key player in making these agreements happen, with the Arab signers getting something substantial as part of the deal. For the UAE, it was new arms. Regardless of party or President in power, the US is committed to helping Israel maintain its “qualitative military advantage.” Israel is not an existential threat to its neighbors, but they were to it. Israel could face extinction if it ever lost a war, something its Arab belligerents did not have to worry about. That meant the United States would not sell its most advanced weapons to nations formally at war with Israel. But by signing the Abraham Accords, the UAE was no longer a belligerent and as such given access to a whole new body of American weaponry. Bahrain, already firmly integrated into the US defense network in the Gulf, gained greater US commitment in its fight against radical extremism and Iranian threats. Sudan was rewarded by the US removing it from the list of states sponsoring terrorism; and Morocco got US support for its claim to the Western Sahara. If the current talks prove fruitful, Saudi Arabia will be placed under the US nuclear defense umbrella, meaning that any attack on it could face US military action even including its nuclear arsenal. In fact, this has led to serious proposals that would give US Middle East allies the same protection currently enjoyed by South Korea. While some in Washington are hopeful that an Israel-Saudi deal could be inked within a year, US Senator Ted Cruz thinks it will take longer to finalize. An influential member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and its subcommittee on the Middle East, he believes that agreement will be reached. The Saudis have told him as much in private. He is less optimistic about the time it will take; telling me that the US still has a lot to do internally to regain its unchallenged position of strength in the region.
What does this mean for Bangladesh? Bangladesh is one of only nine Muslim-majority nations that has no level of relations with Israel. Four of them are in a state of chaos brought about by decades of civil war (Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen). That puts Bangladesh in a category with authoritarian and anti-US countries Algeria, Iran, and Pakistan, and Taliban Afghanistan (which had contacts before the Taliban takeover). Is that the group Bangladesh, which prides itself on being a democracy with a foreign policy of “Friendship to all, malice to none”? Are the conditions of their people what Bangladeshi leaders want for their people? I’m betting not and urge the Bangladeshi government to put out the right feelers now. You will find the Israelis very open to it. Remember: Israel was one of the first countries to recognize Bangladeshi independence; and the process began before the War of Independence ended when Acting President Nazrul Islam and Foreign Minister Mastaque Ahmed of the Bengali provisional government requested it. Start some level of relations with Israel, with US support; or risk being at the end of a long line of countries with much less leverage in gaining concessions for the Bangladeshi people.
Dr. Richard Benkin is an American scholar and a geopolitical analyst.
Israel, Saudis in Marathon Recognition Talks: Affirming That the Conflict Is Geopolitical, Not Religious
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in the Daily Asian Age of Dhaka. It is the first part of a two-part article about negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with strong US involvement, that would normalize relations between the two countries and again change the way people understand the Middle East conflicts. It is written to address the people of Bangladesh, whose population is 92 percent Muslim, and whose leaders can use this moment to advance the interests of their people and re-join the democratic alliance against tyranny.
The issue of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be a sensitive one given the centrality of the Kingdom in the history of Islam, its being the home of the Kaaba and the site of the Hajj, and the religious overlay attributed to the Israel-Arab conflict; but that sensitivity has changed. The 2020 Abraham Accords de-coupled religion from what is essentially a geopolitical conflict whose anti-Israel partisans have used religion to get people to ignore reality and their own interests in favor of pure propaganda. This soon became very clear. During conflicts in 2021 and 2022, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, and other actors tried to compel support for Islamist and Palestinian attacks by going reflexively to their false claims that “Al Aqsa is at risk,” and the only way to save it is to eradicate Israeli authority over it and Jerusalem. It seemed to work in the past, but this time it fell on deaf ears. Iran might have been the only Muslim-majority nation to ape those cries. Most Muslims refused to be fooled and allow these radical forces to drag them back to a previous era from which they now evolved. And they were not going to subordinate their people’s well-being to that of radical rejectionists. The world had moved on, and it was high time that Palestinian leadership allowed their people to move into the 21st century.
Signed on the White House lawn in Washington, the Abraham Accords saw the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain extend full recognition to Israel; Sudan and Morocco later joined the Accords and embraced Israel as a friend and ally. It resulted in strong people-to-people contacts with Israelis and brought immediate dividends to the peacemakers. None of this, however, could have happened without the tacit approval of Saudi Arabia, which the Kingdom granted heartily.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have been growing closer for some time, with ever increasing cooperation in areas like defense, security, the environment, and business development. While relations were kept secret for a while, they’ve been an open secret for quite some time. Even previous taboos against speaking about it long ago evaporated, and both countries acknowledge the interaction. Two months after the Accords were signed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the Saudi city of Neom on the Red Sea. It was an historic moment, though Saudi spokesmen still had to deny it occurred. But a year and a half later, in May 2022, more Israeli officials visited Saudi Arabia to meet with Saudi leaders about critical security matters—and this time, nobody tried to hide it.
After the Accords, we also saw a notable shift in how Saudi leaders talked about the Palestinians, who had been held up for years as being the victims of Israeli intransigence and refusal to give them a state. Pundits and partisans alike chirped for years that Middle East peace was dependent on (read: held hostage by) them. But the inconvenient truth of multiple Israeli offers of statehood, and multiple Palestinian rejections without so much as a counteroffer made it clear that Palestinian leaders were never going to accept a Jewish state in the Middle East; and other Muslim leaders had grown frustrated with their refusal to consider negotiation, holding only to their own maximalist demands. Thus, in March 2022, MBS said publicly and without the slightest attempt to hide it, “We don’t look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together.” Four years before that, the future Saudi monarch said "It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining." He further said that Palestinians have rejected one opportunity after another to make peace and that Palestinian statehood is no longer a priority for the Saudis.
And it shouldn’t be. The Saudis could be in for a difficult future if they do not pivot from an economy dependent on oil revenues to something else. Most of their traditional customers already are weaning themselves off fossil fuels, a process that only will accelerate and leave the Saudi economy in tatters unless it evolves beyond oil. MBS is one of the young Saudi leaders who recognized this need and (often with Israeli help) has been steering the Kingdom’s economy on a more sustainable course. There are not very many ruling monarchies left, let alone any ruling major international players, and MBS knows that it would not take much to push things over the edge—if the Saudis do not modernize. Leaders in power when their people’s economic well-being plummets soon encounter popular anger, social unrest, and often even revolution; and there are plenty of adversaries looking to topple and replace the Saudi monarchy. Besides, modernizing is an obligation leaders owe their constituents. That economic development is well underway among the nations already in the Abraham Accords. Their trade with Israel saw an immediate billion dollar plus jump in trade just from Israel. By the end of 2021, direct Israel-UAE commerce alone exceeded a billion dollars, on top of increased tourism, investment, and trade with the US. UAE officials predict trade with Israel to top $1 trillion over the next decade, and the two countries are putting the final touches on a free-trade agreement. They also have benefitted from Israeli investment in both business and social projects, joint projects in clean energy and other critical areas, and defense purchases from the US and Israel.
Mutual defense was an initial motivation for what has become known as the Sunni alliance with Israel. The Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia have a lot more to fear from Iran than Israel does. Israel has held its own and then some in its conflicts with Iran and its proxies; Arab nations have not done as well. Egypt’s leaders toppled a short-lived Muslim Brotherhood government, which Islamists allied with Iran want to bring back to power, even though it lost the Egyptian people’s support before it was brought down a decade ago. And nations from Jordan to the Gulf States see their unity and alliances with Israel and the United States as their best chance of stopping an imperialistic Iran and their terrorist proxies, like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi rebels. Taking that next step from even open cooperation to full, mutual recognition has been slower because of the religious overlay in which the Israel-Arab conflict has been cast; which is another reason why Saudi recognition of Israel will be so impactful.
Representatives of several Arab and Muslim-majority countries attending the September 15, 2020, signing of the Abraham Accords, with more than a half dozen gleefully telling people that they will be next to join. Change appeared to be happening with lightning speed. Unfortunately, COVID and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine focused attention away from the Middle East; and domestic US politics also slowed momentum for expanding the Accords. President Joe Biden and his administration did not pursue the Accords as actively as did former President Donald Trump. Biden and the Democrats wanted their voters to see the administration as a clear break from everything associated with the Trump Administration, which was their primary reason for electing him. For a while, State Department employees were not even allowed to use the phrase, Abraham Accords. But negotiations never stopped. Intense negotiations are going on now, led by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and confirmed as recently as the Spring, on normalizing Israeli ties with Mauritania, Somalia, Niger, and Indonesia; Mauritania seems to be furthest along in the process.
The Saudis were on the White House lawn that day, too, to signal their support for normalization publicly. US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) told me that he was with the Saudi representative who told him that the Kingdom expected to join the Accords and embrace Israel as a friend and ally; that full recognition was a matter of when, not if. Cruz, who is on the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and its Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, & Counterterrorism Subcommittee, also agreed with me that once Saudi Arabia joins the Accords, there will be a rush of Arab and Muslim-majority nations will be lining up to join them.
Over the past weeks, however, there has been a great deal of chatter about intense three-party talks involving the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. We know this is not simply rumor because the individual participants and even issues being discussed have been identified. Sources have confirmed that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer (who also used to be Ambassador to the United States, Israel’s most critical diplomatic post, and Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman (MBS’s brother) are leading the negotiations. All three countries have a great deal to gain from an agreement. For the United States, it would re-assert leadership in the Middle East and more generally, and it would sideline China despite the latter’s brokering a Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement. It is clear to all parties involved, as well as others looking at it from the outside, that the US is the only nation with the strength to insure the deal’s specifics; and that China simply is incapable of doing that.
Israeli officials have told me on several occasions that they are always very keen on building relations with other countries, all but three of which are Arab and Muslim majority. Moreover, Saudi recognition would signal to everyone else that the supposed religious aspect of the conflict does not exist. With that barrier gone, it would not be long before the Israeli economy was fully integrated with those states, providing it with new markets and joint ventures, and opening opportunities for social and humanitarian projects in those countries. (Israel’s humanitarian projects are renowned globally for the countless lives they have saved throughout the world.) Saudi gains were mentioned earlier: developing new economies to take the Kingdom through the 21st century; surviving the end to a fossil fuel based global economy; cementing its regional alliance to defend against an expansionist Iran. In fact, all three nations are key beneficiaries of that international pact.
For each of the three countries, full relations would have a positive impact on their most pressing issues: for Saudi Arabia, military security against attack and the means to evolve their economy; for Israel, further normalization and cooperation with allies; for the United States, a re-asserted geopolitical role and checking Chinese geopolitical expansion.
Dr. Richard Benkin is an American scholar and a geopolitical analyst.
Interview of Dr. Benkin on India in a geopolitical context (Hindi)
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in the blog of Amitabh Tripathi, geopolitical analyst and expert on India and its geopolitical realities, and Hinduism both religious and otherwise.
Amitabh Tripathi ji and I have been working together on a range of issues for years. Because of him, I know that I am never alone in India.
Interview of Dr. Benkin on India-Pakistan Relations
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in India’s Foreign Policy Research Center journal
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UJLDCfqTfcIJRR6RM5hsFXeERM4blBFr/view
For many years, I have been associated with India’s Foreign Policy Research Centre (FPRC) and its driving force, Professor Mahendra Gaur. Periodically, FPRC gathers groups of experts and interviews them regarding relations between India and different nations. This one was about India-Pakistan relations. My response to the questions is on pages 28-36 of the journal, linked above.
Mount Prospect, IL: Proclamation Recognizing the Days of Remembrance
Dr. Richard Benkin
Brief acceptance of proclamation from village by Richard Benkin
Good evening.
This is the first night of Passover, which marks the exodus from Egypt and re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in the land of Israel. So, I first wish you all a joyous holiday season, regardless of which holiday you celebrate.
And that’s really what this proclamation is trying to protect: the right of all people to believe and worship as they wish without the government stopping them. At the time of the holocaust, fascism threatened those freedoms, and while freedom ultimately prevailed then, and later against Communism and radical Islamism; we today face a new geopolitical authoritarian alliance; because the enemies of freedom never rest, which is why we can’t ever rest—or forget what happens when they hold sway. That’s also what this proclamation is about.
Four years ago, I visited Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar Germany to say kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, for a relative of mine interned there. In Buchenwald and other concentration camps, who lived and who died was often a matter of chance. Guards took pot shots at prisoners without regard to whom; people were pulled aside and killed at random. Yet, for whatever reason, my relative survived to have a family. Look around our community. The vast number of American Jews lost family in the holocaust; as did many non-Jewish Americans. All of their descendants here today were in real jeopardy of never having existed if our forebear was randomly killed instead of someone else’s. Genocide takes all of our individualities and puts them into one collective identity, and it doesn’t matter who in that collective is killed.
The holocaust was unique in its centrality to national ideology, its uncompromising nature, and industrial scale; but it has echoes today. As a human rights activist, I have seen them close-up in places and among people who never get the headlines others do: Hindus in Bangladesh, who will not survive past mid-century unless things change; Pashtun Muslims, who face Pakistani terror and cultural jihad, who battled Al Qaeda; stood with me in Buchenwald that day; and fought by our side in Afghanistan, and I’m still trying to get some out.
Today, we lionize Ukraine though it would be difficult to find another country with a more violent history of antisemitism, so firmly embedded in much of the population. Not only were almost a million Ukrainian Jews murdered during the holocaust, but many Ukrainians participated in the killing and joined with the Nazis. (Yes, it’s kind of personal for me, because some of those murdered were my family, an entire section, who lived in a village about eight hours from Kyiv and were killed either in pogroms or at the nearby Belzec death camp.) Yet today—and here’s the point—the face of Ukraine and the patriotic defense of its homeland and people is its Jewish president, whom Ukrainians embrace. A nation and people that took a painful look at history and rose above it.
Yet, right here in Illinois, 15 percent of young adults think the Holocaust is a myth, one in 12 think the Jews caused it; nationally, almost a quarter say it’s a myth. Most of these people aren’t neo-Nazis or conspiracy mongers, but victims of ignorance, which makes our job that much harder—and that much more important.
As a Jewish child growing up after the holocaust, I realized that the Nazis weren’t the real problem. They knew they could not have done all that themselves, and correctly counted on all those “good Europeans,” just looking out for their own, who drove the trains to the death camps, gladly looted empty Jewish homes, or just closed their shutters while their neighbors were being dragged away in the night.
Only by remembering the Holocaust can we live its clarion call of NEVER AGAIN so that we don’t stand by while these things happen. Our village’s refusal to forget the holocaust is a testimony to its people and leaders; and I am eternally grateful for it.
Thank you.
Press Coverage of Dr. Benkin's Appearance, Address, and Meetings in Lucknow
There was extensive press coverage of Richard Benkin’s discussions and public speech in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India in February 2023. This is one example.
Debt Trap Diplomacy: A Robust Threat and Corruption Institutionalized
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in the Daily Asian Age of Dhaka
The Asian Age organized a roundtable seminar at its office on 2 March 2023 titled “Debt Trap Diplomacy: A Robust Threat and Corruption Institutionalized” with the participation of academic scholars, economists, media personalities and civil society members.
It was presided over by Chairman of The Asian Age Shoeb Chowdhury. Editor-in-Charge of The Asian Age Selim Omrao Khan gave the welcome speech. Advisory Editor of The Asian Age AKM Shameem Chowdhuri made concluding remarks.
American intellectual and geopolitical expert Dr. Richard Benkin presented the keynote paper at the seminar. Dr. Richard Benkin said that Bangladesh is strategically located on an important geographical spot. Pakistan has turned into a failed state as a result of taking Chinese loans, Dr. Richard Benkin further said. Pakistan also cracks down hard on its religious minorities, Dr. Richard Benkin stated.
Dr. Richard Benkin conveyed the greetings of two US Congressmen to the seminar who are Roger Krishnamurti and Mike Gallagher.
Moreover, Dr. Richard Benkin referred to Sri Lanka as another country that has been plunged into insurmountable woes because of getting cobwebbed with Chinese financial deals. He commented that China pays big sums of loans to developing and least developed countries to make these countries dependent on China. Djibouti, Maldives and Montenegro are also victims of China’s debt trap diplomacy, Dr. Richard Benkin said while presenting his keynote paper.
Other speakers talked about the syndicated corruption that has been taking place in various countries through Chinese financial schemes. Not just that, China supports religious extremists and supplies arms and ammunitions to separatist groups in many countries, the discussants remarked. Financial vices like money laundering have put on a monstrous shape in many countries as a result of getting involved in Chinese debts and Chinese projects.
The discussants recalled that China opposed Bangladesh during the Liberation War of 1971. Three million martyrs of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were killed with Chinese weapons, the participants of the seminar recollected. They called upon Bangladesh government not to fall into Chinese financial traps. They expressed gratitude to India for standing by Bangladesh in 1971.
The USA also opposed Bangladesh during 1971 but the American people comprehensively supported Bangladesh back then. The Concert for Bangladesh organized by George Harrison and Bob Dylan and some other singers and musicians were remembered during the seminar.
The seminar was attended by former Secretary Mostafizur Rahman, former Secretary Kamal Uddin Talukder, UN Disability Rights Champion Abdus Sattar Dulal, former director of ISPR Shaheenul Islam, Professor Mohammed Nuruzzaman of North South University, Professor Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah of Dhaka University, Nirmol Rozario and President of Bangladesh Christian Association and advocate Saikat Paul.
Shoeb Chowdhury, Chairman, Editorial Board of The Asian Age
We are going through a very restless time because of the adverse economic impact of Covid 19 pandemic which has been all the more intensified by the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. Today we gathered at this place to talk about debt trap diplomacy, its threat to the economy of developing countries and the corruption caused by it.
China has been exercising debt trap diplomacy in various parts of the world. South Asian countries like Sri Lanka and Pakistan have been shattered by Chinese debt traps. We should take lessons from it. History shows that China opposed Bangladesh during the glorious Liberation War of 1971. Three million martyrs of the war were killed with Chinese weapons. China recognized Bangladesh after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
However, Bangabandhu’s capable daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a competent leader. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not allow anything detrimental to happen to Bangladesh I believe. Bangladesh exports most of its products to the United States of America and the European Union. On the other hand, China exports goods of around 12 billion dollars to Bangladesh every year while Bangladesh’s exports to China annually is less than 1 billion dollars. It shows Bangladesh’s huge trade deficit with China. Financial fraudsters launder money to overseas locations taking advantage of this trade imbalance.
Geopolitical experts have remarked that China backed up Myanmar in instigating the influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh. China has been building up special economic zones in the Rakhine province of Myanmar wherefrom the Rohingyas were driven away. Myanmar also violated Bangladesh’s air space a number of times. Myanmar is showing this audacity because they are supported by China.
Allegations show that China has instigated corruption in many countries through over-valued projects. Chinese projects are not transparent. Bangladesh has meanwhile borrowed 4.7 billion dollars from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to deal with economic shortfalls. We are alarmed to see the rise of radical Islamic groups in Bangladesh in recent years. China supplies arms and ammunitions to separatist groups and terrorists in many countries. Thus China unsettles peace and stability across the globe. We should be highly careful about the Chinese financial deals with Bangladesh so that we do not turn out to be another Sri Lanka or Pakistan.
Chinese financial schemes in Sri Lanka and Pakistan have not only devastated these countries in economic terms. Moreover, Chinese involvement in the economic affairs of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe etcetera have jeopardized these countries politically too and have destabilized these countries’ ruling authorities.
Selim Omrao Khan, Editor-in-Charge, The Asian Age
I warmly welcome all of you to this afternoon’s roundtable seminar titled “Debt Trap Diplomacy: A Robust Threat and Corruption Institutionalized”.
Renowned American scholar and geopolitical expert Dr. Richard Benkin will present the keynote paper. Afterwards all other participants will put forward their opinions, thoughts and views. I am thankful to Mr. Shoeb Chowdhury, Chairman, Editorial Board of The Asian Age for organizing this seminar.
I thank everyone for coming to join us. I hope everyone’s ideas will help us to better understand the topic on which today’s seminar is based.
AKM Shameem Chowdhuri, Advisory Editor, The Asian Age
Debt traps have turned out to be death traps in some countries. Bangladesh government is highly cautious to avoid getting endangered with Chinese debt traps. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has in the meantime asked the authorities concerned to take up unnecessary and expensive mega projects. Our constitution states “Friendship to all, malice to none”. Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formulated our foreign policy with these words. In the present world no country is our enemy. Russia, USA, China—all these countries have friendship with us according to our constitution. China and USA opposed us during the Liberation War of 1971 but the American people supported Bangladesh in 1971 in a comprehensive way. We still remember the Concert for Bangladesh organized in the United States by George Harrison, Bob Dylan and some other singers and musicians to extend their support to Bangladesh during that crucial time.
Historically we were part of India during the reign of Maurya dynasty, during the reign of Muslim Sultanate, the Mughals and the British Empire. I have full confidence on Bangabandhu’s efficient daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who has transformed Bangladesh into a development role model. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has become Mother of Humanity by sheltering over one million Rohingya refugees on the soil of Bangladesh.
There is no permanent ally or enemy in diplomacy. China and America opposed us in 1971 but both these countries are at present our development partners. China is also being deplored by human rights groups for repression and persecution on the Uyghur minorities. Bangladesh strategically holds an important position. We people are very resilient and withstanding. We won a war in 1971. We can defeat any enemy. Ordinary people of Bangladesh defeated the Pakistan Army in 1971 which was at that time the most well-organized military force in the world.
Islam says to Muslims, “Minorities are at your disposal”. We should uphold democracy and meritocracy. Historically we coexisted peacefully with Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists for hundreds of years.
Dr. Richard L Benkin, American Scholar and Geopolitical Expert (Keynote Speaker)
First I would like to extend my thanks to The Asian Age authority for inviting me to this seminar. Two American Congressmen Roger Krishnamurti and Mike Gallagher have conveyed their greetings to the participants in this program. China’s expanding influence on developing countries through financial deals is a big concern in the present world. Bangladesh holds an important geopolitical location. For this reason China intends to tie up with Bangladesh to achieve financial and geostrategic gains.
Pakistan has become a failed state because of getting embroiled in Chinese financial gambits. However, China keeps pumping big sums of money into Pakistan. Pakistan cracks down hard on religious minorities. Sri Lanka is another victim of China’s debt trap diplomacy. Sri Lanka had to hand over Hambantota Port to China failing to pay back Chinese loans. Chinese development programs in developing countries aim to make these countries dependent on China. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Djibouti, Maldives, Montenegro and some other countries’ economy has been broadly damaged by Chinese financial stratagems.
China also triggers communal uprising. The United States of America provided to Bangladesh the highest number of Covid 19 vaccines. China pays loans to under developed countries on very tough terms and conditions. In most of the cases the countries who take Chinese debts cannot pay back Chinese loans and their economy suffer badly. Bangladesh should train up its local people and indigenous clans to work for the country instead of being dependent on foreign countries.
Mostafizur Rahman, former Secretary, Bangladesh government
Thanks for inviting me to this seminar. Debt trap diplomacy is an international phenomenon. Chinese authorities spearhead debt trap diplomacy to gain political leverage over certain countries. Once upon a time, a senior diplomat of the USA termed Bangladesh, “bottomless basket”.
However, at present USA is Bangladesh’s development partner. Pakistan took away all assets of Bangladesh from 1947 to 1971 which led to Bangladesh’s destitution. The US government has imposed embargoes on some senior police officers and Director General of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The USA has also withdrawn GSP facility. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is a competent and fair leader. Bangladesh government has decided not to take further Chinese loans until repayment of old Chinese debts.
Professor Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, Department of Public Administration, Dhaka University
There is a potential danger of receiving loans from China. China is a one-party country. There is no practice of democracy in China. Freedom of speech in China is restricted.
Ethnic minorities in China are tormented and cornered. China supplies arms to Myanmar and insurgent groups in many other countries. China is the catalyst of Rohingya predicament in Bangladesh.
Chinese workers in Bangladesh all belong to the People’s Liberation Army of China. China also supplies weapons to the military forces of Bangladesh. China has become a big factor in today’s world.
Md. Kamal Uddin Talukder, former Secretary, Bangladesh government
I hope Bangladesh government will be able to retain the range of socio-economic development the country has attained during last several years under the firm leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government stands on high alert so that nothing goes wrong with Bangladesh’s economic foothold. The government is aware of the pros and cons of Chinese loans. So, I believe Bangladesh will not face any adverse situation because of Chinese financial deals.
Professor Mohammed Nuruzzaman, Department of International Relations, North South University
Indian author Brahma Chellaney wrote an article on debt trap diplomacy which was published by Project Syndicate. Sri Lanka’s economy was plagued with domestic mismanagement and corruption. IMF and World Bank pay loans to developing countries on harsh terms and conditions. Bangladesh has built up Padma Bridge on a self-finance basis. Bangladesh keeps up a balanced relationship with India and China.
Foreign debts account for 15% of Bangladesh’s gross domestic product (GDP). Chinese loans occupy only 5% of Bangladesh’s GDP. Chinese institutions do not disburse loans transparently. The USA stands by Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue for which we are thankful to USA.=
Abdus Sattar Dulal, UN Disability Rights Champion
The Asian Age has organized an interesting and well-timed event. I appreciate The Asian Age for organizing the program. Most of the business enterprises in our country are running with debts. It impacts disabled people. Development initiatives are not all-inclusive. World and IMF do not care how buildings are designed. All buildings should be designed as such so that disabled people can reach any floor of the buildings without difficulties. It is very important to pay back loans to the countries from whom the debts were borrowed.
Md. Shaheenul Islam, former Director, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR)
Every country should deal with China’s debt trap diplomacy very carefully. IMF and World Bank pay loans to different countries on certain terms and conditions. Loan borrowers in the third world are always in an abject position. Least developed countries (LDC) and developing countries take loans from rich countries to mitigate their financial crisis. Countries should learn from their own mistakes. All shops in the United States are filled with Chinese goods.
Nirmol Rozario, President, Bangladesh Christian Association
China is a major economic power in the world. China exerts economic influence on other countries. In our country we always want communal harmony to prevail. Extremist groups always work against religious minorities. Uyghur minorities are tormented by China. In Bangladesh, there have been a number of attacks on religious minorities. The government should take up strong measures to protect religious minorities from assaults by fundamentalist groups.
Advocate Saikat Paul, Lawyer, Supreme Court
The banking and financial sectors in Bangladesh are at present inflicted with corruption and irregularities. The power plant in Bashkhali is jointly being Constructed by a private company and Chinese government.
Hefazat-E-Islam carried out violent demonstrations in some parts of Bangladesh and burned some government offices when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh in 2021. Fanatical Islamic groups are backed by China. Religious fanaticism is a big threat to peace and stability. It should be identified wherefrom religious extremists get financial support and severe actions should be taken against them.
Lessons from the 2022 US Elections (Concluding Part)
Dr. Richard Benkin
Originally published in the Daily Asian Age of Dhaka
https://dailyasianage.com/news/297877/lessons-from-the-2022-us-elections--concluding-part
Implications for 2024: Joe Biden: Although a lot can happen between now and the 2024 Presidential election, the 2022 midterms will have an impact on it. Before the midterm elections, the common wisdom was that President Biden would not run for re-election in 2024; and, especially among Democrats, that he should not run. As noted above, he is not a popular President, with more Americans disapproving of him than approving. Inflation, one of the biggest problems for any President's electability, continues to top eight percent. Making matters worse, the United States has not experienced significant inflation for more than 40 years, which means that many American voters are watching the value of their money drop for the first time in their lifetimes. At the same time, they are seeing a bit of an economic slowdown, also something that they have not seen since, except for the 2008 recession and the height of the pandemic. Biden also has presided over increased social unrest and rising crime. In fact, Biden was seen by many Democrats as a political liability, and they avoided campaigning with him during their election efforts. Many equivocated when asked if they would support the President for re-election.
The same factors that predicted Democratic disaster in 2022 worked against Biden running in 2024. In many ways, they were similar to the situation in 1980 when President Jimmy Carter failed in his bid for a second term. And unlike Carter, Biden also faced questions about his age. If he is elected to a second term, he will be the oldest person ever to be sworn in as President: just over 82 years old. President Ronald Reagan in comparison, who currently holds that distinction, was just under 74 when he was sworn in for his second term. People began encouraging a number of prominent Democrats to run for President. But the election results, in no way what people expected, indicated that voters were not looking at things the way most pundits were. In fact, less than three weeks after the election, one of the most talked about Democratic alternatives to Biden, California Governor Gavin Newsom, laid any speculation to rest, telling "everyone in the White House from the chief of staff to the first lady 'I'm all in, count me in'" on the President's re-election. In a private conversation, he also told Biden directly. After the midterms, speculation about Biden not running has quieted down; the 2024 Democratic nomination for President is his to lose.
Many insiders, however, believe that the election was not a referendum on Joe Biden's presidency or which party voters believe are best able to handle critical issues, such as the economy, our southern border, and foreign policy challenges. Early in the cycle, GOP Senate leader Mike McConnell said that many Republican primaries ended with, as he put it, a lot of poor quality candidates. As someone who has been involved in US politics for many years, I can say that, yes, party does matter, but voters weigh the pros and cons of the specific candidates in these Congressional elections, rather than vote for or against a party's performance. That could mean that President Biden, if he runs, will be a weak candidate. So, in the end, did midterm success actually hurt Democratic chances in 2024?
Implications for 2024: Donald Trump: Former President Donald Trump officially announced that he was running for a second term in 2024 one week after the midterms. His announcement was widely seen as foregone conclusion, and most pollsters believed that Trump has the inside track for the GOP nomination. But the midterms put that in doubt. Trump backed a number of "his" candidates against more mainstream Republicans in primary elections (those that determine a party's nominee) and won most of them. In many cases, Trump was outspoken about defeating certain Republicans, especially those who voted for his impeachment, or in his support for those who outspokenly identified themselves as strong supporters of the former President. But when they had to face all voters and not just those conservative activists, Trump's track record was not very good. His candidates lost overwhelmingly, especially in so-called battleground states where both parties have a relatively equal chance of winning. His candidates did especially poorly when they needed votes from an entire state, for offices like state Governor or US Senator. Republicans feel in many cases that the candidate Trump vilified and defeated in the primary would have won the general election; and that if he did not oppose other, good Republicans, the GOP would have won the Senate as well as the House. It seemed to many that Trump's endorsement reflected a candidate's loyalty to him and his claims, rather than who the best candidate is. McConnell's comment about candidate quality was seen almost universally as a knock on Trump.
More importantly for Republicans, it was clear that Trump has a committed core of followers, enough to win primaries; but he remains a polarizing figure who does not have the gravitas to bring home a victory where it matters. That has led many Republican leaders to move further away from Trump and to begin looking at other potential Presidential candidate. The most talked about since the midterms is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who was a vote-getting juggernaut in his election. DeSantis and Trump were once allies, but since people have touted DeSantis for 2024, Trump has taken several swipes at him. Other 2024 GOP hopefuls include Trump's former Vice President and Secretary of State, Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo respectively. Another is former South Carolina Governor and high profile US Ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, Nicki Haley, whose parents immigrated to the US from India. Many Republicans believe that in order to take back the White House, they need to nominate someone other than Donald Trump. Prior to the midterms, most were concerned about his electoral power and well-known grudge-holding against those who oppose him. But Trump's electoral losses have caused many to re-assess that fear.
There is also a sense among many Americans that it's time to get past the vitriol and divisiveness of the past and move into a new era of bi-partisan cooperation. Many have told me that the former President has shown he is not able win over enough independents and others in those battleground states for them to win an election. So, in the end, did midterm losses actually help Republican chances in 2024?
Americans voted their values over their pocketbooks: As mentioned earlier, a lot can happen between now and 2024, and the US political landscape is littered with the remains of people who counted out Donald Trump. What if something happens to President Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris (who also some Indian heritage) takes over the job? And there can be crises or successes in so many different arenas-from the crisis on our border and immigration to foreign conflicts to a resurgence of what remains the strongest economy on the globe.
What is clear is that American voters are not as predictable as some people think. They went to the polls with high inflation after decades of none, high petrol and home heating bills, lower oil production, and increased crime in our major cities; but they did not vote for their financial interests. In the end, they voted for candidates who reflected their values and commitment to democracy and fairness. That is an important lesson for America's friends and foes, partners and competitors. We will not give up the values that are the basis for our way of life and success over the years, simply for some immediate relief from our material concerns.
Dr. Richard Benkin is an American scholar and a geopolitical analyst.