Monitoring Biden and other Contemporary Events

Both India and pakistan are nuclear powers and not exactly pals.

Russia and China both have Iran's back.

Since 1972.

I’m guessing most of the anti-genocide ire from the public goes straight to Sunak—the one able to make decisions.

Are UK citizens making the argument that his possible replacement might be an even worse genocidist?

_______________

Also, I’ve really lost touch with UK political parties. Years ago, there seemed to be a handful of viable parties.

It seems they’ve been whittled down to two?

Verbatim from Trump in New Hampshire yesterday:



Also, this:

Ideally

And contributing expertise to the development of nuclear weapons program in North Korea and Iran.

The UK comprises England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
You've the Great Britain register of parties for England, Wales and Scotland, and a separate register for Northern Ireland.

There are 11 parties with representation in the House of Commons.
I'm not going to look up the parties in the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd [Welsh Parliament], the Northern Ireland Assembly, but there a couple in each, too.

Someone must have de-crypted it—and it’s a b i g vote getter.

“As your president, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency,” Trump said at a campaign stop in New Hampshire Wednesday night. “Such a currency would give a federal government — our federal government — absolute control over your money. They could take your money and you wouldn’t even know it’s gone.”

Any proposal for a digital currency issued by the US Federal Reserve would face significant obstacles, but has already generated significant opposition from conservatives, [and lefties— Lash.] who claim it would allow the federal government to track purchases and use that power to ban products. Proponents of the idea say it will speed digital transactions and make it easier to detect fraud and money laundering.


The Fed has said it’s studying a potential digital dollar but hasn’t made a decision on whether to recommend the establishment of one. The central bank has also said it won’t move ahead without the backing of lawmakers and the executive branch. Neither the Biden White House, nor Congress has done that.

Earlier: US Presidential Hopefuls Rally Against Central Bank Digital Cash

Yet Trump’s pledge to prevent any digital currency adds to his populist appeal and follows a similar campaign promise by his one of his chief rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

The campaign pledge came two days after Trump won the Iowa caucuses, prompting fourth-place finisher Vivek Ramaswamy to drop out and endorse Trump. Ramaswamy was an advocate of mass deregulation of the cryptocurrency industry and opponent of CBDCs, and Trump thanked Ramaswamy for his endorsement as he outlined his own plans.

Trump also said he would prevent the so-called de-banking of customers for their political beliefs. There are few examples of that practice in the US but a UK bank has been accused of closing the account of Nigel Farage, the right-wing populist leader who campaigned with Trump in Iowa. “That will never happen while I am your president,” Trump said.

Read More: Fed’s Barr Says Central Bank Still Weighing US Digital Dollar

Trump has been rolling out an economic agenda that advisers say will attract the support of working class voters. His Wednesday night promises are likely to resonate in New Hampshire, whose “Live Free or Die” motto reflects a small-government, libertarian bent. The state will hold the first-in-the-nation presidential primary on Jan. 23.

Trump’s advisers have also said the former president was leaning against lowering the corporate tax rate and would proposing to make the individual tax cuts that authorized under his administration permanent.

--With assistance from Ben Bain.
___________________

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-tells-hampshire-voters-d-034012550.html

This will attract a lot of Libertarians.
I brought up concern re CBDCs about a year ago and the primary response was anger that I used an unknown acronym.😑

UK citizens don't think like you.

And you have lost touch.

The SNP are governing in Scotland for starters.

Really?

The military keep a tight rein on government.

It's not free but it's fairly stable.

(I don't know what point you're trying to make sneering about Pakistan, I really don't. You see to have mischaracterised my post about Pakistani missiles and escalation as, "Pakistan comes to the rescue!")

Seems pretty stable for an unstable nation.


Environment - international agreements

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt


International organization participation

ADB, AIIB, ARF, ASEAN (sectoral dialogue partner), C, CERN (associate member), CICA, CP, D-8, ECO, FAO, G-11, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, SCO, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNSOS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO


Real GDP growth rate

6.49% (2021 est.)
-1.27% (2020 est.)
2.5% (2019 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating: B- (2018)

Moody's rating: B3 (2015)

Standard & Poors rating: B- (2019)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.


Inflation rate (consumer prices)

9.5% (2021 est.)
9.74% (2020 est.)
10.58% (2019 est.)

Background

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world and dating back at least 5,000 years, spread over much of what is presently Pakistan. The British came to dominate the region in the 18th century. The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with West and East sections) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved and the countries continue to spar over the disputed Kashmir territory.

Natural resources

arable land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Religions

Muslim (official) 96.5% (Sunni 85-90%, Shia 10-15%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 3.5% (2020 est.)
Population growth rate

1.91% (2023 est.)

Government type

federal parliamentary republic

Executive branch

chief of state: President Arif ALVI (since 9 September 2018)
head of government: Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq KAKAR (since 14 August 2023); caretaker cabinet (since 17 August 2023)

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of:
Senate (100 seats; members indirectly elected by the 4 provincial assemblies and the federal capital territory indirectly elected by the National Assembly using proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years)
National Assembly (342 seats; 272 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 70 members - 60 women and 10 non-Muslims - directly elected by proportional representation vote; all members serve 5-year terms)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.211 trillion (2021 est.)
$1.137 trillion (2020 est.)
$1.152 trillion (2019 est.

Industries

textiles and apparel, food processing, pharmaceuticals, surgical instruments, construction materials, paper products, fertilizer, shrimp

Exports

$35.566 billion (2021 est.)
$27.333 billion (2020 est.)
$30.67 billion (2019 est.)
Exports - partners

United States 14%, China 8%, Germany 7%, United Kingdom 6% (2019)

Disputes - international

Pakistan-Afghanistan: since 2002, with UN assistance, Pakistan has repatriated about 5.3 million Afghan refugees, leaving about 2.74-3 million; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan, which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; in February 2022, amid skirmishes between Taliban and Pakistani forces, Pakistan announced its intent to finish constructing the barbed wire fence along the Durand Line and bring nearby areas under its control; Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps

Pakistan-China: none identified

Pakistan-India: Kashmir remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have initiated discussions on defusing the armed standoff in the Siachen glacier region; the Siachen glacier is claimed by both countries and militarily occupied by India: Pakistan opposed India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control (completed in 2004) and the construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River (opened in 2008) in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh in India's Gujarat State as part of Pakistan

Pakistan-Iran: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 2.64-2.9 million (1.3 million registered, 1.34-1.6 million undocumented or otherwise categorized) (Afghanistan) (2023)

IDPs: 21,000 (primarily those who remain displaced by counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations and violent conflict between armed non-state groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Khyber-Paktunkwa Province; more than 1 million displaced in northern Waziristan in 2014; individuals also have been displaced by repeated monsoon floods) (2022)

Space agency/agencies

Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO; established 1961); National Remote Sensing Center (aka Resacent; established 1980) (2023)
Space launch site(s)

Somiani Flight Test Range (Balochistan); Tilla Satellite Launch Center (aka Tilla Range; Punjab) (2023)
Space program overview

space program dates back to the early 1960s but funding shortfalls and shifts in priority toward ballistic missile development in the 1980s and 1990s hampered the program’s development; more recently, the program has regained attention and become more ambitious, particularly in acquiring satellites and reaching agreements with other space powers for additional capabilities; manufactures and operates satellites; researching and developing other space-related capabilities and technologies, such as satellite payloads and probably satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs); also conducts research in such areas as astronomy, astrophysics, environmental monitoring, and space sciences; has relations or cooperation agreements on space with China, Russia, and Turkey (cooperated with the UK and US prior to the 1990s) (2023)

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S


Military - note

Military expenditures

4% of GDP (2022 est.)
4% of GDP (2021 est.)
4% of GDP (2020 est.)
4.1% of GDP (2019 est.)
4.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

the Pakistan military operates largely independently and without effective civilian oversight; it has ruled the country for more than 30 years since independence in 1947 and continues to play a significant role in Pakistan's political arena; it also has a large stake in the country’s economic sector and is involved in a diverse array of commercial activities, including banking, construction of public projects, employment services, energy and power generation, fertilizer, food, housing, real estate, and security services

the military is responsible for external defense but also has a large role in domestic security; its chief external focus is on the perceived threat from India; the military is the lead security agency in many areas of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA); it has considerable operational experience, having engaged in several conflicts with India and conducted counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations for decades against various militant groups in the former FATA; it is also one of the longest serving and largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions; China is its closest security partner

the Army is the largest component; it has more than 20 combat divisions, plus about 20 independent combat brigades; the Army also has an inventory of over 5,000 artillery systems organized into divisions and brigades, plus several squadrons of attack helicopters; the Navy operates throughout the Indian Ocean and conducts a variety of missions, including countering piracy, narcotics, and smuggling, protecting Pakistan’s sea lines of communications, multinational security and humanitarian operations, and naval diplomacy; the Navy is in the midst of a large modernization effort; its principal combat ships are a mix of about 15 frigates and corvettes, plus 5 attack submarines; there is also a small marine amphibious force; the Air Force’s combat missions include the air defense of Pakistan and support to the Army and Navy; it has over 400 Chinese-, French-, and US-made combat aircraft

Pakistan and India have fought several conflicts since 1947, including the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistan and Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, as well as two clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir (First Kashmir War of 1947 and the Kargil Conflict of 1999); a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the Line of Control remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir; in addition, India and Pakistan have battled over the Siachen Glacier of Kashmir, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area in 1985, 1987, and 1995; despite a cease-fire, as of 2022 both sides continued to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties were due to extreme weather or the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness

Pakistan has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US; MNNA is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2023)

Military deployments

1,300 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,900 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); 275 South Sudan (UNMISS); 575 Sudan (UNISFA) (2023)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 630,000 active-duty personnel (550,000 Army; 30,000 Navy; 50,000 Air Force); approximately 150,000 Frontier Corps and Pakistan Rangers (2023)

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/pakistan/summaries/#government

They’ve always been considered volatile in their relationships with neighboring countries (or unstable)—at least that was the pretext of our country not wanting them to have nukes long ago.

But use reams of pixels, trying to disagree.

The Federal government takes dim view of e-currency which makes it easier to dodge taxes, do illegal transactions, support terrorism.

Do you not know how to fact check the Orange Shitgibbon?

One of the few times he makes a clear statement and it is totally horse puckey about something he does not grasp.

So you read not a freaking thing I posted above. It addresses this very same issue. The major problems Pakistan has is with Afghanistan. India and Pakistan have committed to demilitarize their boundary issues and haven't had any large clashes in decades. Sooooo one more time:

Disputes - international

Pakistan-Afghanistan: since 2002, with UN assistance, Pakistan has repatriated about 5.3 million Afghan refugees, leaving about 2.74-3 million; Pakistan has sent troops across and built fences along some remote tribal areas of its treaty-defined Durand Line border with Afghanistan, which serve as bases for foreign terrorists and other illegal activities; in February 2022, amid skirmishes between Taliban and Pakistani forces, Pakistan announced its intent to finish constructing the barbed wire fence along the Durand Line and bring nearby areas under its control; Afghan, Coalition, and Pakistan military meet periodically to clarify the alignment of the boundary on the ground and on maps

Pakistan-China: none identified

Pakistan-India: Kashmir remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; India and Pakistan have initiated discussions on defusing the armed standoff in the Siachen glacier region; the Siachen glacier is claimed by both countries and militarily occupied by India: Pakistan opposed India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control (completed in 2004) and the construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River (opened in 2008) in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh in India's Gujarat State as part of Pakistan.


Pakistan and India have fought several conflicts since 1947, including the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistan and Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, as well as two clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir (First Kashmir War of 1947 and the Kargil Conflict of 1999); a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the Line of Control remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir; in addition, India and Pakistan have battled over the Siachen Glacier of Kashmir, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area in 1985, 1987, and 1995; despite a cease-fire, as of 2022 both sides continued to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties were due to extreme weather or the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness

Pakistan-Iran: none identified

I've never heard Trump mention CBDCs until this new campaign promise. I doubt his knowledge of it could fit in a thimble.

You are grossly factually incorrect. CBDCs has been a huge concern to a wide swath of voters from different backgrounds. It's a part of the security / surveillance / control net world governments are trying to throw over citizens--America included.

___________________


What Will a U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency Look Like?
By TOBI OPEYEMI AMURE Updated November 01, 2023
Reviewed by ERIKA RASURE
Fact checked by RYAN EICHLER
https://www.investopedia.com/us-cbdc-6740586

No sneering at all. I don't even see how you could take it that way.

A Google search of 'Pakistan instability' will show that whether or not it's true, Pakistan has definitely been widely characterized as unstable.

I mentioned it to underscore the concern of wider hostilities alluded to in your post.