The Ledger, every show
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks, across all 44 shows. Pick shows below, then mix any filter with any other.
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every show 44 of 44
Sikri: Israel's objective is to clear Gaza and seize territory
“They just want to clean up Gaza and take the territory.”
Sikri: Russia is winning in Ukraine and will not stop fighting
“Well, basically Russia is winning the war as far as I can see. And Russia has been fighting it for what, three and a half years now almost. They have also invested a lot of money, prestige, lives, and they are unlikely to stop till they have achieved their min…”
Sikri: China armed Pakistan with nuclear weapons while the US looked away
“And they have given Pakistan
[526] Rajiv Sikri: The nuclear weapons.
[528] Rajiv Sikri: They've given them the technology.
[530] Rajiv Sikri: The Chinese gave it to them.
[532] Rajiv Sikri: The Americans winked at it.”
Sikri: Pro-Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami is now running the show in Bangladesh
“The Jamaat-e-Islami, which is now running the show, is a lot of pro-Pakistani elements.”
Sikri: US sees a peaceful, dominant India as a long-term threat
“America wants to remain number one. And they do not want Any country to become a regional hegemon. Now, if India has good relations with all its neighbors, particularly big ones like Bangladesh and Pakistan, then in course of time, India will be at peace with …”
Sikri: Ukraine is gradually losing the ground war
“Ukraine is losing the war on the ground gradually, but it is losing the war on the ground.”
Sikri: Modi's mediation efforts in the Ukraine war have no practical impact
“It's only when the Americans are ready and the Russians are ready That there'll be a settlement. Mr. Modi can go and talk to Putin and Zelensky and so forth and convey messages, but it has no practical impact.”
Sikri: Slow, cautious global de-dollarization is currently underway
“There's a slow de-dollarization which is underway. Very cautious, very careful because nobody wants to get on the wrong side of America. But like India or China or Russia or other countries are trading in their national currencies”
Sikri: US weaponization of the dollar is weakening its own global dominance
“And that in my view represents a long-term danger for the Americans because this biggest tool which they have to dominate the world, they themselves are weakening it.”
Sikri: US blockage of WTO tribunal eliminated appellate dispute resolution
“For example, the Americans held up the appellate tribunal of the WTO. So now there is no appellate tribunal to which any country can go in case they have a problem.”
Sikri: US tariffs make electronics cheaper in India than the US
“Now it's amazing that today there are many products, say, electronic products or cameras and stuff like that, which are cheaper in India than in the USA because of the tariffs.”
Sikri: Russia will not unthinkingly back India over China and Pakistan
“But Russia will not, ah, unthinkingly support India. They also have their interests to look at, ah, whether it is vis-a-vis China, which is now increasingly influential on Russia. Or, ah, Pakistan, which remains, because of its geography, a very, very importan…”
Sikri: Britain Has Delusions of Great Power Status Regarding Russia
“Well, you know, Britain, ah, I think still has delusions of being a great power, you know. And, ah, I think they have a particular, ah, rivalry or antipathy towards Russia.”
Sikri: Operation Sindhu revealed open Chinese military involvement in Pakistan
“One of the things that has emerged very clearly after Operation Sindhu, Is the open Chinese involvement in in Pakistan's military and offensive and defensive capabilities.”
Sikri: India Faces One Coordinated China-Pakistan Front Rather Than Two
“Earlier we used to talk about two fronts. Now it's just one coordinated front with Pakistan as the lead player.”
Sikri: China is recalling technicians working on iPhone production in India
“They're calling back their engineers, technicians who are working on iPhone production because India is emerging as an iPhone thing.”
Sikri: Israel cannot defeat Iran given Iran's size and population
“I don't think that they can defeat Iran because, you know, given the size of Iran, the population of Iran compared to that of Israel.”
Sikri: Large-scale American casualties would trigger a global war
“Now, if, you know, a few hundred or a thousand Americans die, there will be a global War.”
Sikri: India withheld SCO defense endorsement over Pahalgam terror attack omission
“We did not endorse the Iran, their statement on Iran being attacked by Israel because they did not endorse Pahlgahm. And we did not sign on to the SCO defense minister because Pahlkam was not mentioned.”
Sikri: Pakistan's military manufactures an Indian threat to secure state resources
“The motive of the army is to feather their nest, to get all the benefits that they, in order to get a lion's share of the resources, they must have a threat.”
Sikri: Indian defenses in Jammu weakened after troops redeployed to Ladakh
“But our defenses have become weaker in the Jammu region. Partly because we have had to move some of our troops from there to the Ladakh Front after 2020.”
Sikri: Russia remains the only nation capable of destroying the US
“Russia today is the only country which has the capacity to inflict unacceptable damage and even destroy the United States.”
Sikri: India buys discounted Russian oil, refines it, and exports to Europe
“We have managed to get a cheap oil from Russia because they couldn't sell it in the global market. So we have been buying the oil, refining it, and selling it to Europe at a profit.”
Sikri: Pushing China and Russia together is a major US strategic mistake
“Well, now the Americans have brought China and Russia much closer, which I think is a strategic mistake from American point of view, because Chinese American thinkers like Brzezinski and others, and earlier also have all argued that you don't want Eurasia to b…”
Sikri: It is shameful when Indians ask foreign powers to intervene domestically
“I think it's quite shameful that Indians should be going abroad and asking foreigners to intervene.”
Sikri: The United States remains the world's only true great power
“Well, the US remains the number one power for now. Everyone recognizes it. It's the only true great power.”
Sikri: Foreign GM seeds are too dangerous for India's agriculture
“Now, if you have genetically modified Seeds and so forth. Then where will you get them from? At present, you will get them from Monsanto or from the other American companies. And then there is also the danger that they could infect your local production. It co…”
Sikri: US consumers will reject price hikes caused by manufacturing reshoring
“And the American consumer will have to pay so much more. Will he or she be willing to pay that? I doubt it. Because don't forget that America has been fed an opium of cheap prices. People are not going to be happy if the prices go up.”
Sikri: Donetsk and Luhansk Regions Are 90% Russian-Speaking
“Or the Donetsk and Lugansk regions are all 90% Russian, Russian speaking.”
Sikri: Unlike in Russia, oligarchs still control politics in Ukraine
“That did not happen in Ukraine. So the oligarchs are still controlling the politics of Ukraine.”
Sikri: India now buys 40% of its imported oil from Russia
“After all, you know, if you're buying 40% of our imported oil from there, it's a lot.”
Sikri: Germany is de-industrializing after cutting off cheap Russian energy
“Frankly, the European attitude surprises me because they are de-industrializing. I mean, for 5060 years, they have been dealing with Russia, they've benefited, particularly Germany has benefited from low energy prices, reliable energy supplies.”
Sikri: Interest in BRICS reflects desire to escape Western-dominated institutions
“The fact that so many countries want to join the BRICS means that there is a yearning, a striving for something other than an organization that is dominated by the West.”
Sikri: Pakistan's Military Runs Commercial Enterprises Through Fauji Foundation
“Army is running, there's a FAUGI foundation which is running businesses, producing, you know, in cement, in petroleum, in, in the construction material, in all kinds of consumer goods.”
Sikri: Modi Government Limits Pakistan Engagement to Terror and POK
“So now I think Mr. Modi's government has decided is enough is enough. We're not going to waste our time with them. And therefore we are saying, well, you know, the only thing to discuss with them is how to stop terror and please return us to be okay.”
Sikri: US held well-known antipathy toward Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina
“I mean, it is well known that they were, they had a lot of antipathy towards Sheikh Hasina.”
Sikri: The US Was Consumed by Hubris in the 1990s
“Unfortunately in the nineties the United States was consumed by hubris, and they felt that, you know, as Francis Fukuyama said, this is the end of history.”
Sikri: Narasimha Rao prepared nuclear tests but aborted after US discovery
“In fact, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had made all the preparations for nuclear tests, but then these were revealed to the Americans. They got to know about it, and we shut down.”
Sikri: Weaponizing the Dollar Undermines Global Confidence in US Currency
“I think that the Americans have done a disservice to themselves by weaponizing the dollar because it undermines the confidence that other countries have in the dollar.”
Sikri: China controls and weaponizes critical battery minerals and supply chains
“The whole battery production in the world is concentrated in China, and they have Control of a lot of the rare earths and minerals which go into this production, which they are weaponizing whenever they feel it is necessary.”
Sikri: India's democratic turbulence is a safety valve that China lacks
“In India, we have whistles all the time. So there's some steam is escaping all the time. It makes for a turbulent atmosphere, but in one way it is safe because steam is being let off. In China, no steam is being let off.”
Sikri: India's poor education system drives students to study abroad
“Our education system is quite bad, which is why so many of our students are going abroad to study.”
Sikri: US demands India open agriculture to GM and dairy products
“Now, in this mini trade deal that we have been negotiating with the Americans want us to open our agricultural sector to genetically modified products, dairy products, and so forth.”
Sikri: US workers cost at least 10x more than Bangalore workers
“Your worker in Bangalore will be satisfied with X amount of money, which the worker in America will require five or 10 X. 10 X, at least.”
Sikri: India-Russia ties are driven by pragmatism, not Soviet-era ideology
“Look, there's no room for sentimentalism in relationships. I think relationship today is not based on ideology as it was in Soviet times. It is based on pragmatism and what serves each country's national interests.”