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Sunday, June 30, 2013

Snowden and The American Tragedy


“The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.” 
Patrick Henry 

Snowden has become a big embarrassment for America. It is not so much his information leaks about America’s post 9/11 spying mechanisms that have been awkward, but the US’s increasingly humiliating global chase to capture this one man. 

There was a time when the world and almost every country within it shook with trepidation or at the very least publicly showed a great deal of respect, when America roared about anything at all. Today, the picture we are seeing is vastly different. Forget respect. Country after country is also showing no fear, even when being threatened. And we are not talking about Iran or Venezuela here, but places like Hong Kong, with whom the US has great relations, strong diplomatic ties and even an extradition treaty. Russia, with whom the US shares a love-hate relationship, usually ends up co-operating in such matters, but not today. Even tiny countries like Ecuador and Iceland are showing the US the middle finger by entertaining Snowden’s asylum request and refusing to kow tow to US demands and threats of withdrawing trade benefits.

Seeing the world react this way, most Americans will be quick to blame Obama for being a weak leader who has been soft on Iran, Syria and on terror. They will claim that he has made America look feeble. Perhaps it is true that he has tried to show a softer side of America in order to counteract the shoot from the hip years of Bush-Cheney. His words might have done this, but if you look purely at his actions around his national security decisions, they tell a different story. Consider his vastly expanded use of drones, a unilateral raid on the soil of a sovereign democratic nation (to kill Bin Laden) and his expansion of the NSA domestic spying program; all show him to be as hawkish as his predecessors. But it is too easy to put the blame squarely on Obama’s shoulders, even though he does share part of the blame for America’s growing impotence in the world today.

The reality is that America’s response and particularly her actions in the years following the attacks on 9/11 are entirely responsible for her lack of standing and respect today. On the 11th of September 2001, the majority of the world shared in America’s pain and stood shoulder to shoulder with her. There was unanimous global support for American retaliation in going after the Taliban regime in Afghanistan for providing safe haven to Al Qaeda. Nobody questioned the justification for this war; in fact most nations supported it, and it was sanctioned by the UN barely a few months after the first American and British boots were on the ground. But it was Cheney and Bush’s obsession with Saddam and their subsequent unilateral actions for their War on Terror, many in violation of International Law and the Geneva Convention, that led to America losing the moral high ground and respect it had earned for more than a century. Under Bush’s leadership the world witnessed a great superpower turn into a powerful bully that turned a deaf ear to everyone, including steadfast and lifelong allies. Now, a little over a decade later, America is witnessing the realities and outcomes that have resulted from Cheney’s knee-jerk reactions and secret government decisions made in those fear filled months and fear-mongering years after 9/11.

If I were to describe a country that operated a detention center that is located on foreign soil, simply to allow it to be outside the jurisdiction of their courts and legal processes. A place where anyone can be held indefinitely and without charges filed against them. A country that allowed warrantless wiretapping on its own citizens. One that set up detention centers across the globe for the purposes of using torture and other interrogation techniques, like water boarding. A country that believes it can use drones to hunt down and kill anyone, on any sovereign soil, without burden of proof. A country that passed opaque and far reaching laws that allow secret courts to make secret decisions that will never see light of democratic process. A country that was willing to allow its domestic surveillance programs to collect unlimited amounts of communication data on its own people, without any probable cause; and one that claimed to do all this in the name of protecting its citizens - what country would come to your mind? Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, Burma, China, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen…

Only through a combination of press leaks, public outrage, some congressional oversight and whistleblowers have we been able to piece together the extent of the secret decisions and frightening overreach made by our government in the name of security, in the years after 9/11. Snowden’s disclosures about the NSA’s massive domestic spying program are just the latest revelation to come to light. It is now abundantly clear that the vast majority of the decisions our government has made do not uphold America’s ideals, beliefs and democratic principles. The most distressing part is that each new disclosure serves to further weaken and erode America’s already diminished moral standing in the world, because her actions continue to be consistently incongruous with her stated character and ideals. I think someone once said that we see a person’s true character in times of adversity. This is not cause for celebration or an opportunity to point fingers; in fact quite the opposite. America for all her bad has been a responsible global citizen, and the most compassionate superpower in history, doing more to help the world than any other nation. Nobody is perfect but in the grand scheme of things America has always overwhelmingly stood for good, for democracy, for transparency and for rule of law and helped promote this cause across the globe. Today, it is hard for America to claim that China and Russia are thwarting the rule of law when lawyers in the White House have spent years writing-up legal arguments to defend US invasions of foreign lands, without any threat or provocation or UN backing. Creating new legal frameworks to justify drone strikes in any country, against anyone that the US deems a terrorist and without the burden of proof. Even justifying the murder of their citizens without any due process.

The America that Bush and Cheney created and Obama has failed to dismantle has clearly lost its way. Bush and Cheney’s America trembled and succumbed to fear in the face of great adversity; taking the easier and more slippery path to safeguarding national interests. They chose the path travelled by nations that feign democracy and do undemocratic things to protect their people and beliefs, justifying it in the name of greater good. The America I knew and have respected was made of sterner stuff. She would have resolved to defeat terrorism by further upholding liberty and justice, while protecting her fierce democratic ideals and freedoms, above all else. By choosing this path Bush, Cheney and Obama have achieved the opposite. They have weakened America and thereby made an already dangerous world a far less safe place.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Open Letter to Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo

“This above all, to thine own self be true.”
William Shakespeare

Dear Ms. Nooyi,

Among corporate leaders today, I believe you are among only a handful that have had the courage to stand up to both shareholders and Wall Street. Rather than bow to quarterly results pressures you have orchestrated a corporate strategy that embraces a long-term vision for your company. One that will no doubt help Pepsi become a more responsible corporate citizen as it re-balances its products and portfolio to have a greater focus on health. Rather than push for short-term profits, you have taken the harder road and the one less travelled. For this I have a great deal of respect for you and it is in large part the reason I am sending this open letter to you.

I believe integrity, honour and doing the right things are important to you, and that these are values you hold more dearly than those of simply pursuing and delivering bottom-line results, at all costs. Under your stewardship, PepsiCo’s corporate philosophy seems to be more than words on your website: “we believe acting ethically and responsibly is not only the right thing to do, but also the right thing to do for our business.” 

PepsiCo recently became the main sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL), reportedly signing a Rupees 396.8 crore deal for a five year sponsorship of the IPL (source: Wikipedia). The IPL and its owners, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are currently engulfed in a massive illegal betting and match fixing scandal that has tainted this tournament, the sport and distressed its loyal fan base. Worse than the unfolding scandal has been the spineless response to the crisis from its governing body, the BCCI. The President has refused to resign unconditionally, even though his son-in-law (CEO of one of the main IPL teams) has been directly implicated. The farce that is currently being orchestrated is not only shameful but blatantly unethical. And it is now clear that there will be no “real” attempt made by the BCCI to get to the bottom of the scandal or cleanse this great sport. Instead, they seem to believe that by trying to pull the wool over our eyes they will be able to keep their purse strings intact and continue to fill their coffers. This without any consideration for the reputation of the sport they are charged with stewarding or any shred of respect for the fans that fill those coffers.

This is why I am reaching out to you, to implore you to do the right thing and disassociate your company and this great brand and sever all ties with Indian cricket. PepsiCo should terminate its IPL sponsorship immediately and unconditionally; until such time as there is has been an unbiased, fully transparent and ethically conducted investigation into the improprieties and an effort made to rid the sport of this cancer. Show us that PepsiCo is willing to stand by its stated corporate values, ethics, and integrity and do the socially responsible thing in India. Show us that even when the financial stakes are high for the company that you will follow your own guiding principle that states: “Speak with truth and candor: We tell the whole story, not just what's convenient to our individual goals.” 

Like most Indians, cricket has been a religion for me also. Ever since I could walk I have adored the game, revered its players and most of all admired the gentlemanly values that the game embodies. Today, I ask you to help me save this game from the powerful few who have hijacked it and turned it into a corrupt racket. To save it from those who believe they can run it like a personal fiefdom with scant regard for the sport or for the one billion people who cherish it.

You have the power to send a message to the BCCI and IPL in the only way that will matter to them. Today, I ask you to help us take the first step in giving cricket back to the people of India and the world.

Sincerely,
Mr. Vaish 

NOTE: Here is the text of the response I got from PepsiCo. Sadly, it feels like standard form letter. However, I am still hopeful we will see some action by their senior management.

Dear Mr. Vaish,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us at PepsiCo. Your letter to Ms. Nooyi was shared with me for response.

We appreciate the time you took to share your sincere feelings regarding this topic and for the constructive spirit in which they were offered.

Please know that I've shared your concerns with our senior management team to be sure that they fully understand your position.

Sincerely,
Consumer Relations Associate Supervisor 
  

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