greatgameindia--2020-04-27--How Bill Gates Infiltrated Global Health

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ( BMGF ) has been in the news recently for earmarking “ billions ” to fight COVID-19 and getting their accounts hacked and sensitive information leaked – the foundation was in charge of assets worth a little under $ 48 billion as of the end of 2018 .
But little is known of how its money and its consultant friends exert tremendous influence in the space of public health and international governance .
Here is how Bill Gates infiltrated Global Health .
The BMGF counts Bill Gates , his wife Melinda Gates and billionaire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The primary goals of the foundation are , to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally .
It was set up in 2000 , the very year the United Nations set its Millennium Development Goals ( MDG ) around health-related targets , which called for a reduction in infectious diseases that “ threatened to reverse decades of development.
” The BMGF soon founded the Grand Challenges for Global Health ( GCGH ) initiative , influenced heavily by the MDG .
The GCGH pulled in increased funding from the U.S. government at a time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other national programs .
Gates had a few preconceived ideas about what the GCGH should fund – such as finding new approaches to preventing and treating HIV ( we would be remiss if we failed to bring up that there has been little progress in an HIV cure ) .
The foundation has since given out more than $ 50 billion !
No such thing as a Free Gift The foundation is deeply committed to international health agencies such as the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and UNITAID .
Its overall spending @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 229 million in the year 2018 alone .
Linsey McGoey , a University of Essex professor and author of the book “ No Such Thing as a Free Gift : The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy , ” said that the BMGF gives voluntary donations to the WHO , which is strictly strings attached .
According to a press release by UNITAID , it was funded to the extent of $ 150 million by the foundation between 2006 and 2017 .
The BMGF has spent heavily on Gavi , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million just to its launch and a whopping $ 1.56 billion since 2016 .
The BMGF regularly doles out multi-million dollar contracts to management consulting firms , despite having to slash spending by 50 % on consultants beginning 2015 .
It spent $ 300 million on consulting firms between 2006 and 2017 .
Since 2017 , it has splurged just under $ 12 million on WHO ’ s transformational consulting programs alone .
In just one instance of undue influence and lavish spending , the BMGF pushed a failed fund-raising project called “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The project cost UNITAID $ 11 million in just consulting fees alone , the beneficiary being one of Gates ’ consultant friend , McKinsey & Company .
Management consulting firms do not make meaningful revenue directly from public health sector , but they would be extremely grateful to Bill Gates for the general influence they get .
Such a “ halo effect ” of public health work would no doubt contribute significantly to the large revenue streams these consulting firms get from governments , which at least in the UK , contributed 25 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenue .
Social sector projects have had a “ disproportionate impact on the firm ’ s external image and internal sense of purpose , ” admitted McKinsey & Company .
The projects have also proved to be a powerful recruiting tool for the firms .
Bill Gates and his coterie of consultants have come to believe that they are so well-connected to global health care spending , that they are “ ideally suited ” for tackling cross-cutting problems , such as the HIV epidemic .
Secret internal documents obtained by Vox of a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ the rise of the global philanthropists ” clearly has been exerting undue influence on global healthcare spending .
“ In the U.S. alone , individuals will donate $ 5.5 to $ 7.4 trillion to charitable causes between 1998 and 2017 .
Globally-focused institutions like the Gates Foundation are leading a sea change in philanthropic giving : Their founders are actively involved , they distribute far greater sums far more quickly , they demand measurable results and are pioneering innovative solutions , on a national and global scale.
” The various management @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have severe issues of conflicts of interest .
These companies work for the beverages industry , with companies such as PepsiCo , pushing to the public sugary drinks , well known to be a cause of cancer and obesity .
The consulting companies work with the coal sector , promoting unclean energy and polluting the air .
Similarly , the consultants have deep wallet shares within the tobacco and alcohol industries , which pedal toxic products , the root cause of so many diseases .
Are we to turn a blind eye when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ multi-million dollar contracts from big foundations and governments to fight TB and cancer ?
Investigation carried out by GreatGameIndia has uncovered Bill Gates collaboration with American and Chinese biotech companies in developing drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 .
Using the patent pool concept , his $ 50 billion worth BMGF has formed a big-pharma cartel under UNITAID .
Such grants into medicine and healthcare sector by Bill Gates have wreaked havoc on nations which was most recently exposed on the world stage by none other than Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , the nephew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And India is their testing field .
Even the much sought after COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroquine was tested by East India Company on Indian soil .
Already WHO has initiated a COVID-19 Surveillance Project in India in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare .
The data gathered through full-scale surveillance will be used to make future Indian nation policies .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for more intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has been in the news recently for earmarking “billions” to fight COVID-19 and getting their accounts hacked and sensitive information leaked – the foundation was in charge of assets worth a little under $48 billion as of the end of 2018. But little is known of how its money and its consultant friends exert tremendous influence in the space of public health and international governance. Here is how Bill Gates infiltrated Global Health.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
The BMGF counts Bill Gates, his wife Melinda Gates and billionaire investors Warren Buffet among its trustees. The primary goals of the foundation are, to enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty globally. It was set up in 2000, the very year the United Nations set its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) around health-related targets, which called for a reduction in infectious diseases that “threatened to reverse decades of development.”
The BMGF soon founded the Grand Challenges for Global Health (GCGH) initiative, influenced heavily by the MDG. The GCGH pulled in increased funding from the U.S. government at a time when funds were being pulled back from other national programs. Gates had a few preconceived ideas about what the GCGH should fund – such as finding new approaches to preventing and treating HIV (we would be remiss if we failed to bring up that there has been little progress in an HIV cure). The foundation has since given out more than $50 billion!
No such thing as a Free Gift
The foundation is deeply committed to international health agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNITAID. Its overall spending on WHO is astoundingly high at nearly $229 million in the year 2018 alone. Linsey McGoey, a University of Essex professor and author of the book “No Such Thing as a Free Gift: The Gates Foundation and the Price of Philanthropy,” said that the BMGF gives voluntary donations to the WHO, which is strictly strings attached.
According to a press release by UNITAID, it was funded to the extent of $150 million by the foundation between 2006 and 2017. The BMGF has spent heavily on Gavi, the international vaccine alliance, contributing $750 million just to its launch and a whopping $1.56 billion since 2016.
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Web of Management Consulting Firms
The BMGF regularly doles out multi-million dollar contracts to management consulting firms, despite having to slash spending by 50% on consultants beginning 2015. It spent $300 million on consulting firms between 2006 and 2017.
Since 2017, it has splurged just under $12 million on WHO’s transformational consulting programs alone.
In just one instance of undue influence and lavish spending, the BMGF pushed a failed fund-raising project called “MassiveGood” to UNITAID in 2008. The project cost UNITAID $11 million in just consulting fees alone, the beneficiary being one of Gates’ consultant friend, McKinsey & Company.
Management consulting firms do not make meaningful revenue directly from public health sector, but they would be extremely grateful to Bill Gates for the general influence they get. Such a “halo effect” of public health work would no doubt contribute significantly to the large revenue streams these consulting firms get from governments, which at least in the UK, contributed 25% to consulting firms’ overall 2017 revenue.
Social sector projects have had a “disproportionate impact on the firm’s external image and internal sense of purpose,” admitted McKinsey & Company. The projects have also proved to be a powerful recruiting tool for the firms.
Rise of the Global Philanthropists
Bill Gates and his coterie of consultants have come to believe that they are so well-connected to global health care spending, that they are “ideally suited” for tackling cross-cutting problems, such as the HIV epidemic.
Secret internal documents obtained by Vox of a leading consulting company, McKinsey, revealed that “the rise of the global philanthropists” clearly has been exerting undue influence on global healthcare spending.
“In the U.S. alone, individuals will donate $5.5 to $7.4 trillion to charitable causes between 1998 and 2017. Globally-focused institutions like the Gates Foundation are leading a sea change in philanthropic giving: Their founders are actively involved, they distribute far greater sums far more quickly, they demand measurable results and are pioneering innovative solutions, on a national and global scale.”
Conflict of Interest
The various management consulting Companies such as BCG and McKinsey have severe issues of conflicts of interest. These companies work for the beverages industry, with companies such as PepsiCo, pushing to the public sugary drinks, well known to be a cause of cancer and obesity. The consulting companies work with the coal sector, promoting unclean energy and polluting the air. Similarly, the consultants have deep wallet shares within the tobacco and alcohol industries, which pedal toxic products, the root cause of so many diseases.
Are we to turn a blind eye when these very consultants turn around and bag multi-million dollar contracts from big foundations and governments to fight TB and cancer?
Investigation carried out by GreatGameIndia has uncovered Bill Gates collaboration with American and Chinese biotech companies in developing drugs and vaccines against COVID-19. Using the patent pool concept, his $50 billion worth BMGF has formed a big-pharma cartel under UNITAID.
Such grants into medicine and healthcare sector by Bill Gates have wreaked havoc on nations which was most recently exposed on the world stage by none other than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former American President John F. Kennedy. And India is their testing field.
Even the much sought after COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroquine was tested by East India Company on Indian soil. Already WHO has initiated a COVID-19 Surveillance Project in India in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The data gathered through full-scale surveillance will be used to make future Indian nation policies.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-04-28--Whistleblower: Vast Majority Of Coronavirus Infected People Do Quite Well

According to an emergency physician treating COVID-19 patients the vast majority of Coronavirus infected people do quite well .
“ I worry about non-coronavirus care .
A large share of those staying home surely have emergency medical and surgical conditions not related to the novel coronavirus .
The way this transpired tells me the ebb and flow had more to do with the natural course of the outbreak than it did with the lockdown.
” I ’ m an emergency physician at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx .
I have been in the ER every day these last few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care .
I contracted a COVID-19 infection very early in the outbreak , as did two of my daughters , one of whom is a nurse .
We are all well , thank God .
COVID-19 has been the worst health care disaster of my 30-year career , because of its intensity , duration and potential for lasting impact .
The lasting impact is what worries me the most .
And it ’ s why I now believe we should end the lockdown and rapidly get back to work .
From mid-March through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barnabas huddled in groups of about 20 every morning .
We asked ourselves what had happened over the previous shift .
We generated a list of actionable tasks for the following 24 hours .
At first , we addressed personal protective equipment and the management of patients with mild illness who were seeking COVID-19 tests .
Then came the wave of critically ill patients in numbers none of us had ever seen .
This lasted for two weeks .
The number of patients on ventilators accumulated in the ER and throughout the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths .
The tone of the huddles became more somber .
We became accustomed to the morbidity ; we did our jobs .
It is precisely what I have witnessed that now tells me that it ’ s time to ease the lockdown .
Here ’ s why .
First , the wave has crested .
At 1 p.m. April 7 , the COVID-19 arrivals slowed down .
It was a discrete , noticeable event .
Stretchers became available by 5 p.m. , and the number of arriving COVID-19 patients dropped below the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This was striking , because the community I serve is poor .
Some are homeless .
Most work in “ essential , ” low-paying jobs , where distancing isn ’ t easy .
Nevertheless , the wave passed over us , peaked and subsided .
The way this transpired tells me the ebb and flow had more to do with the natural course of the outbreak than it did with the lockdown .
Second , I worry about non-coronavirus care .
While the inpatient units remain busy with sick COVID-19 patients , our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week .
We usually average 240 patients a day .
For the last week , we averaged fewer than 100 .
That means our patients in this diverse , low-income community are afraid to come to the ER for non-COVID care .
Gotham-wide , the number of 911 ambulance runs declined to 3,320 on April 18 , down from a peak of 6,527 on March 30 , according to New York Fire Department data .
The current nadir is significantly below the average .
A large share of those staying home surely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the novel coronavirus .
The growing numbers dying at home during this crisis must include fatal myocardial infarctions , asthma exacerbations , bacterial infections and strokes .
Meanwhile , our pediatric volume in the ER has practically disappeared .
Visits to primary-care pediatricians are also down , with vaccine schedules falling behind .
Everyone seems to be avoiding the health system — an important and unfortunate consequence of the stay-at-home strategy .
Third , inordinate fear misguides the public response .
While COVID-19 is serious , fear of it is being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the vast majority of infected people do quite well .
Finally , COVID-19 is more prevalent than we think .
Many New Yorkers already have the COVID-19 infection , whether they are aware of it or not .
As of today , over 43 percent of those tested are positive in The Bronx .
We are developing a significant degree of natural herd immunity .
Distancing works , but I am skeptical that it is playing as predominant a role as many think .
More testing will better establish the numbers among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
My professional experience tells me the number of infected people will be high .
Testing is important work , but it should happen in parallel to the immediate resuscitation of the economy and getting people back to work .
At present , the testing is imperfect .
We can ’ t wait months .
We must protect the vulnerable and mitigate without destroying the economy .
Standing up to this virus can ’ t be the job of essential workers only .
We ’ ve been strong , but we ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of you to help us .
By getting back to work .
Daniel G. Murphy , MD , is chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx .
With courtesy of New York Post .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

According to an emergency physician treating COVID-19 patients the vast majority of Coronavirus infected people do quite well. “I worry about non-coronavirus care. A large share of those staying home surely have emergency medical and surgical conditions not related to the novel coronavirus. The way this transpired tells me the ebb and flow had more to do with the natural course of the outbreak than it did with the lockdown.”
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
I’m an emergency physician at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx. I have been in the ER every day these last few weeks, either supervising or providing direct care. I contracted a COVID-19 infection very early in the outbreak, as did two of my daughters, one of whom is a nurse. We are all well, thank God.
COVID-19 has been the worst health care disaster of my 30-year career, because of its intensity, duration and potential for lasting impact. The lasting impact is what worries me the most. And it’s why I now believe we should end the lockdown and rapidly get back to work.
From mid-March through mid-April, the ER staff at St. Barnabas huddled in groups of about 20 every morning. We asked ourselves what had happened over the previous shift. We generated a list of actionable tasks for the following 24 hours. At first, we addressed personal protective equipment and the management of patients with mild illness who were seeking COVID-19 tests.
Then came the wave of critically ill patients in numbers none of us had ever seen. This lasted for two weeks. The number of patients on ventilators accumulated in the ER and throughout the hospital. We witnessed an unprecedented number of deaths. The tone of the huddles became more somber. We became accustomed to the morbidity; we did our jobs.
Subscribe to GreatGameIndia
It is precisely what I have witnessed that now tells me that it’s time to ease the lockdown. Here’s why.
First, the wave has crested. At 1 p.m. April 7, the COVID-19 arrivals slowed down. It was a discrete, noticeable event. Stretchers became available by 5 p.m., and the number of arriving COVID-19 patients dropped below the number discharged, transferred or deceased.
This was striking, because the community I serve is poor. Some are homeless. Most work in “essential,” low-paying jobs, where distancing isn’t easy. Nevertheless, the wave passed over us, peaked and subsided. The way this transpired tells me the ebb and flow had more to do with the natural course of the outbreak than it did with the lockdown.
Second, I worry about non-coronavirus care. While the inpatient units remain busy with sick COVID-19 patients, our ER has been quiet for more than a week. We usually average 240 patients a day. For the last week, we averaged fewer than 100. That means our patients in this diverse, low-income community are afraid to come to the ER for non-COVID care.
Gotham-wide, the number of 911 ambulance runs declined to 3,320 on April 18, down from a peak of 6,527 on March 30, according to New York Fire Department data. The current nadir is significantly below the average.
A large share of those staying home surely have emergency medical and surgical conditions not related to the novel coronavirus. The growing numbers dying at home during this crisis must include fatal myocardial infarctions, asthma exacerbations, bacterial infections and strokes.
Meanwhile, our pediatric volume in the ER has practically disappeared. Visits to primary-care pediatricians are also down, with vaccine schedules falling behind. Everyone seems to be avoiding the health system — an important and unfortunate consequence of the stay-at-home strategy.
Third, inordinate fear misguides the public response. While COVID-19 is serious, fear of it is being over-amplified. The public needs to understand that the vast majority of infected people do quite well.
Finally, COVID-19 is more prevalent than we think. Many New Yorkers already have the COVID-19 infection, whether they are aware of it or not. As of today, over 43 percent of those tested are positive in The Bronx. We are developing a significant degree of natural herd immunity. Distancing works, but I am skeptical that it is playing as predominant a role as many think.
More testing will better establish the numbers among those with mild illnesses and no symptoms. My professional experience tells me the number of infected people will be high. Testing is important work, but it should happen in parallel to the immediate resuscitation of the economy and getting people back to work.
At present, the testing is imperfect. We can’t wait months. We must protect the vulnerable and mitigate without destroying the economy.
Standing up to this virus can’t be the job of essential workers only. We’ve been strong, but we’re tired, and we need the rest of you to help us. By getting back to work.
Daniel G. Murphy, MD, is chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx. With courtesy of New York Post. Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-04-29--How US Funds Were Diverted To Engineer Coronavirus At Wuhan Lab

It has come to light that American tax-dollars were used to fund controversial gain-of-function research , which is the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans .
The project backed-up by Dr. Anthony Fauci diverted US funds to engineer Coronavirus at Wuhan lab via a company now under federal investigation .
Last year , the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases , the organization led by Dr. Fauci , funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions for work on gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses , reported NewsWeek .
In 2019 , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Institutes of Health committed $ 3.7 million over six years for research that included some gain-of-function work .
The program followed another $ 3.7 million , 5-year project for collecting and studying bat coronaviruses , which ended in 2019 , bringing the total to $ 7.4 million .
Many scientists have criticized gain of function research , which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans , because it creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release .
The NIH research consisted of two parts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved surveillance of bat coronaviruses , and had a budget of $ 3.7 million .
The program funded Shi Zheng-Li , a virologist at the Wuhan lab , and other researchers to investigate and catalogue bat coronaviruses in the wild .
This part of the project was completed in 2019 .
A second phase of the project , beginning that year , included additional surveillance work but also gain-of-function research for the purpose of understanding how bat coronaviruses could mutate to attack humans .
The project was run by EcoHealth Alliance , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of President Peter Daszak , an expert on disease ecology .
NIH canceled the project just this past Friday , April 24th , Politico reported .
In layman ’ s terms , “ spillover potential ” refers to the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans , which requires that the virus be able to receptors in the cells of humans .
SARS-CoV-2 , for instance , is adept at binding to the ACE2 receptor in human lungs and other organs .
A decade ago , during a controversy over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fauci played an important role in promoting the work .
He argued that the research was worth the risk it entailed because it enables scientists to make preparations , such as investigating possible anti-viral medications , that could be useful if and when a pandemic occurred .
The work in question was a type of gain-of-function research that involved taking wild viruses and passing them through live animals until they mutate into a form that could pose a pandemic threat .
Scientists used it to take a virus that was poorly transmitted among @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was highly transmissible—a hallmark of a pandemic virus .
This work was done by infecting a series of ferrets , allowing the virus to mutate until a ferret that hadn ’ t been deliberately infected contracted the disease .
The work entailed risks that worried even seasoned researchers .
More than 200 scientists called for the work to be halted .
The problem , they said , is that it increased the likelihood that a pandemic would occur through a laboratory accident .
Nevertheless , in 2014 , under pressure from the Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health instituted a moratorium on the work , suspending 21 studies .
Three years later , though—in December 2017—the NIH ended the moratorium and the second phase of the NIAID project , which included the gain-of-function research , began .
The NIH established a framework for determining how the research would go forward : scientists have to get approval from a panel of experts , who would decide whether the risks were justified .
The reviews were indeed conducted—but in secret , for which the NIH has drawn criticism .
In early 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovered that the NIH had approved two influenza research projects that used gain of function methods , scientists who oppose this kind of research excoriated the NIH in an editorial in the Washington Post .
Similar controversial research was also conducted by Dutch Virologist Ron Fouchier , a controversial figure in the field of Viroscience .
Ron Fouchier created world ’ s deadliest virus strain and his research sparked a global controversy to de-fund and shutdown such experiments .
Experts have raised concerns legally that such experiments could not only lead to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bio-terrorism .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

It has come to light that American tax-dollars were used to fund controversial gain-of-function research, which is the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans. The project backed-up by Dr. Anthony Fauci diverted US funds to engineer Coronavirus at Wuhan lab via a company now under federal investigation.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
Last year, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the organization led by Dr. Fauci, funded scientists at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and other institutions for work on gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses, reported NewsWeek.
In 2019, with the backing of NIAID, the National Institutes of Health committed $3.7 million over six years for research that included some gain-of-function work. The program followed another $3.7 million, 5-year project for collecting and studying bat coronaviruses, which ended in 2019, bringing the total to $7.4 million.
Many scientists have criticized gain of function research, which involves manipulating viruses in the lab to explore their potential for infecting humans, because it creates a risk of starting a pandemic from accidental release.
The NIH research consisted of two parts. The first part began in 2014 and involved surveillance of bat coronaviruses, and had a budget of $3.7 million. The program funded Shi Zheng-Li, a virologist at the Wuhan lab, and other researchers to investigate and catalogue bat coronaviruses in the wild. This part of the project was completed in 2019.
Subscribe to GreatGameIndia
A second phase of the project, beginning that year, included additional surveillance work but also gain-of-function research for the purpose of understanding how bat coronaviruses could mutate to attack humans. The project was run by EcoHealth Alliance, a non-profit research group, under the direction of President Peter Daszak, an expert on disease ecology. NIH canceled the project just this past Friday, April 24th, Politico reported.
The project proposal states:
“We will use S protein sequence data, infectious clone technology, in vitro and in vivo infection experiments and analysis of receptor binding to test the hypothesis that % divergence thresholds in S protein sequences predict spillover potential.”
In layman’s terms, “spillover potential” refers to the ability of a virus to jump from animals to humans, which requires that the virus be able to receptors in the cells of humans. SARS-CoV-2, for instance, is adept at binding to the ACE2 receptor in human lungs and other organs.
A decade ago, during a controversy over gain-of-function research on bird-flu viruses, Dr. Fauci played an important role in promoting the work. He argued that the research was worth the risk it entailed because it enables scientists to make preparations, such as investigating possible anti-viral medications, that could be useful if and when a pandemic occurred.
The work in question was a type of gain-of-function research that involved taking wild viruses and passing them through live animals until they mutate into a form that could pose a pandemic threat. Scientists used it to take a virus that was poorly transmitted among humans and make it into one that was highly transmissible—a hallmark of a pandemic virus. This work was done by infecting a series of ferrets, allowing the virus to mutate until a ferret that hadn’t been deliberately infected contracted the disease.
The work entailed risks that worried even seasoned researchers. More than 200 scientists called for the work to be halted. The problem, they said, is that it increased the likelihood that a pandemic would occur through a laboratory accident.
Nevertheless, in 2014, under pressure from the Obama administration, the National of Institutes of Health instituted a moratorium on the work, suspending 21 studies.
Three years later, though—in December 2017—the NIH ended the moratorium and the second phase of the NIAID project, which included the gain-of-function research, began. The NIH established a framework for determining how the research would go forward: scientists have to get approval from a panel of experts, who would decide whether the risks were justified.
The reviews were indeed conducted—but in secret, for which the NIH has drawn criticism. In early 2019, after a reporter for Science magazine discovered that the NIH had approved two influenza research projects that used gain of function methods, scientists who oppose this kind of research excoriated the NIH in an editorial in the Washington Post.
Similar controversial research was also conducted by Dutch Virologist Ron Fouchier, a controversial figure in the field of Viroscience. Ron Fouchier created world’s deadliest virus strain and his research sparked a global controversy to de-fund and shutdown such experiments. Experts have raised concerns legally that such experiments could not only lead to a global pandemic but could also lead to bio-terrorism.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-04-30--Power Struggle In North Korea

Power Struggle In North Korea

36-year old Kim Jong Un has been missing from the public eye and is suspected to be dead , according to unverified Japanese and American news sources .
Last reported seen on April 11 , Kim ’ s health and whereabouts have been the subjects of fervent speculation , particularly having missed the April 15 celebrations , marking the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea ’ s founder , Kim Il Sung .
There are unquestionably those who would be looking at Kim Jong Un ’ s vanishing act opportunistically .
However , one must be wary that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the volatile region in the ensuing power struggle .
The prospect of sudden death to the leader of North Korea could bring about a power struggle within the ravenous country and its military brass .
Despite being led by a family since World War II , North Korea is fundamentally a military dictatorship , and the lack of a Kim at the top of the family tree will mean a leadership vacuum that has to be filled by a military leader , if the current political structure has to continue .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entire world is dealing with a pandemic , can a sound political process at all be envisaged in nuclear North Korea ?
If stability is desired , then the potential successor should be from a military background .
The successor would also need to be a hardliner , in order to suppress all internal revolt and deal with likely foreign interference .
The struggle to control North Korea is not just North and South Korea ’ s business .
It is also Beijing ’ s .
The geopolitical perception that North Korea is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Communist Party will force China to act in order to suppress signs of overt instability in the region .
In the event of a transfer of power , China would be backing one party over the other .
In the event of a grapple for power , China may also step in to occupy militarily .
For a moment , we could consider a candidate recently emerged – Kim Jong Un ’ s 65 years old uncle , former military officer and ambassador to Europe , Kim Pyong Il .
However , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being out of favour currently .
It is Kim Jong Un ’ s famous sister , Kim Yo Jong , who is perhaps the most legitimate candidate at the moment .
Kim Yo Jong came in the limelight when she travelled to the 2018 Winter Olympics hosted in Pyeongchang , South Korea , and was generally seen as a prominent , dignified front for North Korea .
She has otherwise garnered a reputation of being strongly by the side of her elder brother .
North Korea analyst Robert Collins opines that she regularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important enough for the attention of Kim Jong Un ’ s scrutiny .
It wouldn ’ t be an absolute shock to see her rise to the very top in her country , being from the very same family dynasty that has ruled the North side of Korea with an iron fist since 1948 .
However , the fact that she is only a young woman of around 30 of age will surely make it difficult for her to take such reins of power in such times when there will be an internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rule out even successive military coupes as a possibility .
Not to mention , the nuclear missiles and warheads could become a trophy with the lower level militia .
However , the ultimate prize is North Korea ’ s estimated $ 6 trillion of natural resources within its borders .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

36-year old Kim Jong Un has been missing from the public eye and is suspected to be dead, according to unverified Japanese and American news sources. Last reported seen on April 11, Kim’s health and whereabouts have been the subjects of fervent speculation, particularly having missed the April 15 celebrations, marking the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea’s founder, Kim Il Sung.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
There are unquestionably those who would be looking at Kim Jong Un’s vanishing act opportunistically. However, one must be wary that North Korea without Kim may further destabilize the volatile region in the ensuing power struggle.
The Power Struggle
The prospect of sudden death to the leader of North Korea could bring about a power struggle within the ravenous country and its military brass. Despite being led by a family since World War II, North Korea is fundamentally a military dictatorship, and the lack of a Kim at the top of the family tree will mean a leadership vacuum that has to be filled by a military leader, if the current political structure has to continue.
However, in such tumultuous times, when the entire world is dealing with a pandemic, can a sound political process at all be envisaged in nuclear North Korea?
If stability is desired, then the potential successor should be from a military background. The successor would also need to be a hardliner, in order to suppress all internal revolt and deal with likely foreign interference.
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China’s Backyard, China’s Problem
The struggle to control North Korea is not just North and South Korea’s business. It is also Beijing’s. The geopolitical perception that North Korea is the caged angry hound of the Chinese Communist Party will force China to act in order to suppress signs of overt instability in the region.
In the event of a transfer of power, China would be backing one party over the other. In the event of a grapple for power, China may also step in to occupy militarily.
Enter Kim Yo Jong
For a moment, we could consider a candidate recently emerged – Kim Jong Un’s 65 years old uncle, former military officer and ambassador to Europe, Kim Pyong Il. However, he is under house arrest and perceived as being out of favour currently.
It is Kim Jong Un’s famous sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is perhaps the most legitimate candidate at the moment. Kim Yo Jong came in the limelight when she travelled to the 2018 Winter Olympics hosted in Pyeongchang, South Korea, and was generally seen as a prominent, dignified front for North Korea.
She has otherwise garnered a reputation of being strongly by the side of her elder brother. North Korea analyst Robert Collins opines that she regularly makes the decisions on what’s important enough for the attention of Kim Jong Un’s scrutiny.
It wouldn’t be an absolute shock to see her rise to the very top in her country, being from the very same family dynasty that has ruled the North side of Korea with an iron fist since 1948. However, the fact that she is only a young woman of around 30 of age will surely make it difficult for her to take such reins of power in such times when there will be an internal struggle for power.
One cannot rule out even successive military coupes as a possibility. Not to mention, the nuclear missiles and warheads could become a trophy with the lower level militia. However, the ultimate prize is North Korea’s estimated $6 trillion of natural resources within its borders.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-04-30--Paste Of Black Cats Sold As Coronavirus Remedy in Vietnam

It ’ s very bad luck to be a black cat in Vietnam , where the poor animals are being killed and eaten amid rumors their ground-up bodies can treat the coronavirus , animal rights activists said .
The No to Dog Meat charity said the black felines are boiled , skinned and cooked before being turned into paste and sold as medicine to fight COVID-19 , according to South West News Service .
The gruesome and barbaric practice is centered around the city of Hanoi , but the concoction also is being sold online , the news outlet reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mixture being fed to a baby .
Horrific video obtained by the group shows rows of dead cats drying in the sun after being slaughtered , as well as a live cat being boiled .
Charity founder Julia de Cadenet said the footage made her blood curdle .
“ People all over the world are understandably terrified of COVID-19 , but this does not excuse the horrific cruelty that Vietnamese people are inflicting on these poor cats , ” she said .
“ There is no evidence whatsoever that eating cats cures coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this inhumane treatment is a level of cruelty that is unacceptable even for those who eat meat , ” de Cadenet continued .
“ In China , when the virus first broke , rumors flew around that pets could spread the disease .
This led to many people and the authorities rounding up animals and killing them , ” she said .
“ Our human fears about this pandemic should not be used as an excuse to treat defenseless animals who look to us for protection , with utter contempt.
” The campaigner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UN that unsanitary meat production , such as the dog and cat meat trade , could spark a global health crisis .
“ They recognize that live slaughter of animals in markets is particularly unsanitary and that human consumption of wildlife and endangered species must end , ” she said .
“ China recently banned eating wildlife and formally recognized dogs and cats as pets , not food , but more needs to be done throughout Asia , ” de Cadenet added .
“ In Vietnam and Indonesia , the practice of eating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still highly prevalent .
Traders have been promoting ‘ exotic ’ meats as a cure to coronavirus.
” Yaron Steinbuch for the New York Post .
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For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can be accessed from the Archives section .

It’s very bad luck to be a black cat in Vietnam, where the poor animals are being killed and eaten amid rumors their ground-up bodies can treat the coronavirus, animal rights activists said.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
The No to Dog Meat charity said the black felines are boiled, skinned and cooked before being turned into paste and sold as medicine to fight COVID-19, according to South West News Service.
The gruesome and barbaric practice is centered around the city of Hanoi, but the concoction also is being sold online, the news outlet reported.
One stomach-churning image purportedly shows the mixture being fed to a baby.
Horrific video obtained by the group shows rows of dead cats drying in the sun after being slaughtered, as well as a live cat being boiled.
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Charity founder Julia de Cadenet said the footage made her blood curdle.
“People all over the world are understandably terrified of COVID-19, but this does not excuse the horrific cruelty that Vietnamese people are inflicting on these poor cats,” she said.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that eating cats cures coronavirus, and even if there was, this inhumane treatment is a level of cruelty that is unacceptable even for those who eat meat,” de Cadenet continued.
“In China, when the virus first broke, rumors flew around that pets could spread the disease. This led to many people and the authorities rounding up animals and killing them,” she said.
“Our human fears about this pandemic should not be used as an excuse to treat defenseless animals who look to us for protection, with utter contempt.”
The campaigner has warned both the UK and the UN that unsanitary meat production, such as the dog and cat meat trade, could spark a global health crisis.
“They recognize that live slaughter of animals in markets is particularly unsanitary and that human consumption of wildlife and endangered species must end,” she said.
“China recently banned eating wildlife and formally recognized dogs and cats as pets, not food, but more needs to be done throughout Asia,” de Cadenet added.
“In Vietnam and Indonesia, the practice of eating dogs and cats and exotic wildlife is still highly prevalent. Traders have been promoting ‘exotic’ meats as a cure to coronavirus.”
Yaron Steinbuch for the New York Post. Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-05-01--COVID-19 Deaths Certificates Scam Exposed By Funeral Home Directors

Interviews with funeral home directors and their staff throughout New York City questioning the number of deaths officially attributed to the pandemic has exposed a massive COVID-19 deaths certificates scam .
Earlier , a Montana based physician blew the whistle on how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) is exaggerating the COVID-19 death toll by manipulating Coronavirus death certificates .
In late April , a Project Veritas reporter spoke with Michael Lanza , the director of Staten Island ’ s Colonial Funeral Home which brought the entire racket to light .
Project Veritas is a non-profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ O ’ Keefe .
“ To be honest with you , all of the death certificates are writing COVID on it , they ’ re writing COVID on all the death certificates .
Whether they had a positive test or didn ’ t , so I think again this is my personal opinion , I think like the mayor and our city–they ’ re looking for federal funding and the more they put COVID on the death certificate the more they can ask from the federal funds , ” Lanza said .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not add up to him .
Josephine DiMiceli , president of the DiMiceli and Sons , a Queens-based funeral service told a Project Veritas journalist that a Supreme Court justice got involved in one case of a non-COVID-19 death that was listed as a casualty of the pandemic .
The sister of a deceased woman called DiMiceli and told her late sister suffered with Alzheimer ’ s Disease and was not treated for COVID-19 , she said .
“ The sister refused to believe that her sister had COVID-19 and like I said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to me she says well my cousin is you know , Chief Justice of the Supreme Court .
We ’ re gon na get an autopsy , ’ and I said do what you got ta do , you know and she did what she had to do and sure enough I called her and I said to her that the doctor signed the death certificate did the autopsy – no COVID-19 , ” DiMiceli said .
Joseph Antioco , the director of Brooklyn ’ s Schaeffer Funeral Home , told another undercover @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the care of a private physician , the chances were very good their cause of death was going down as COVID-19 .
“ Two weeks ago , I had a 40-year-old man that died in his house , okay ?
They didn ’ t even go to the house , the guy had no underlying causes , no medical conditions , they released him from the house without even going saying he had COVID-19 because he had a fever .
But now , how do you know that ’ s what he had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , now the death certificate showed shows that he had COVID-19 ” .
“ If you don ’ t have a private doctor and you weren ’ t under any medical care , they ’ re automatically putting down on the death certificate COVID-19 , because they don ’ t wan na go–they ’ re so overwhelmed .
They ’ re putting everything as COVID-19 , so they ’ re padding the numbers , ” Antioco said .
Earlier , Dr. Annie Bukacek , MD , a longtime Montana physician with over 30 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death certificates routinely as part of her job blew the whistle on how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) is exaggerating the COVID-19 death toll by manipulating Coronavirus death certificates .
Similar claims have also been made by Senator Dr. Scott Jensen from Minnesota who said Hospitals are getting paid more to list patients as COVID-19 .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

Interviews with funeral home directors and their staff throughout New York City questioning the number of deaths officially attributed to the pandemic has exposed a massive COVID-19 deaths certificates scam. Earlier, a Montana based physician blew the whistle on how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is exaggerating the COVID-19 death toll by manipulating Coronavirus death certificates.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
In late April, a Project Veritas reporter spoke with Michael Lanza, the director of Staten Island’s Colonial Funeral Home which brought the entire racket to light. Project Veritas is a non-profit journalism enterprise established by undercover reporter James O’Keefe.
“To be honest with you, all of the death certificates are writing COVID on it, they’re writing COVID on all the death certificates. Whether they had a positive test or didn’t, so I think again this is my personal opinion, I think like the mayor and our city–they’re looking for federal funding and the more they put COVID on the death certificate the more they can ask from the federal funds,” Lanza said.
The Staten Island funeral director said it did not add up to him.
“I think it’s political, so, I’m going to turn around and say: ‘You know, like, not everybody that we have here that has COVID on the death certificate died of COVID.’ Can I prove that? No, but that is my suspicion.”
Josephine DiMiceli, president of the DiMiceli and Sons, a Queens-based funeral service told a Project Veritas journalist that a Supreme Court justice got involved in one case of a non-COVID-19 death that was listed as a casualty of the pandemic.
The sister of a deceased woman called DiMiceli and told her late sister suffered with Alzheimer’s Disease and was not treated for COVID-19, she said.
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“The sister refused to believe that her sister had COVID-19 and like I said, she was the one that said to me she says well my cousin is you know, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. We’re gonna get an autopsy,’ and I said do what you gotta do, you know and she did what she had to do and sure enough I called her and I said to her that the doctor signed the death certificate did the autopsy – no COVID-19,” DiMiceli said.
Joseph Antioco, the director of Brooklyn’s Schaeffer Funeral Home, told another undercover journalist if the deceased was not under the care of a private physician, the chances were very good their cause of death was going down as COVID-19.
“Two weeks ago, I had a 40-year-old man that died in his house, okay? They didn’t even go to the house, the guy had no underlying causes, no medical conditions, they released him from the house without even going saying he had COVID-19 because he had a fever. But now, how do you know that’s what he had? You don’t. But, now the death certificate showed shows that he had COVID-19”. “If you don’t have a private doctor and you weren’t under any medical care, they’re automatically putting down on the death certificate COVID-19, because they don’t wanna go–they’re so overwhelmed. They’re putting everything as COVID-19, so they’re padding the numbers,” Antioco said.
Earlier, Dr. Annie Bukacek, MD, a longtime Montana physician with over 30 years of experience practicing medicine and signing death certificates routinely as part of her job blew the whistle on how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is exaggerating the COVID-19 death toll by manipulating Coronavirus death certificates. Similar claims have also been made by Senator Dr. Scott Jensen from Minnesota who said Hospitals are getting paid more to list patients as COVID-19.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-05-01--Taiwan Intelligence Chief – Kim Jong Un Is Sick

Taiwan ’ s intelligence chief said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sick — according to accounts from special agents , and information from diplomatic allies and that his country has emergency plans for a potential power struggle if he dies .
During a meeting of the Legislative Yuan on Thursday , the Taiwan ’ s National Security Bureau ( NSB ) director General Chiu Kuo-cheng gave a presentation on the status of the national intelligence work and the international situation amid the Wuhan coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic , as reported by CNA .
Chiu said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from special agents , and information from diplomatic allies , it is possible that China is looking to create a conflict .
However , he emphasized that China ’ s military has always been very conservative and that it currently appears to be wanting to emphasize that it has not been affected by the epidemic .
Kuomintang ( KMT ) legislator Lo Chih-cheng then asked Chiu if there were any contingency plans in the event there was a power vacuum in North Korea after Kim ’ s death .
Chiu responded that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chairman Chiang Chi-chen asked if Chiu could provide more detailed information about the situation in North Korea .
Chiu responded that the NSB has relevant information but can only divulge it behind closed doors because if it were discussed publicly , the source could be compromised .
Chiu also pointed out that according to the findings of the NSB ’ s study of the communist country , no matter how turbulent the political situation may be , there might be a short period of integration and struggle .
As to whether there would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that North Korea is very closed off , with nuclear bombs , missiles , and other armaments .
Chiu said that If there is a “ situation , ” not only Taiwan but also South Korea and Japan would be in the scope of areas affected .
There are unquestionably those who would be looking at Kim Jong Un ’ s vanishing act opportunistically .
However , one must be wary that North Korea without Kim may further destabilize the volatile region in the ensuing power struggle .
One can not rule out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Not to mention , the nuclear missiles and warheads could become a trophy with the lower level militia .
However , the ultimate prize is North Korea ’ s estimated $ 6 trillion of natural resources within its borders .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

Taiwan’s intelligence chief said Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is sick — according to accounts from special agents, and information from diplomatic allies and that his country has emergency plans for a potential power struggle if he dies.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
During a meeting of the Legislative Yuan on Thursday, the Taiwan’s National Security Bureau (NSB) director General Chiu Kuo-cheng gave a presentation on the status of the national intelligence work and the international situation amid the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as reported by CNA.
Chiu said that after reviewing media reports, accounts from special agents, and information from diplomatic allies, it is possible that China is looking to create a conflict. However, he emphasized that China’s military has always been very conservative and that it currently appears to be wanting to emphasize that it has not been affected by the epidemic.
Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Lo Chih-cheng then asked Chiu if there were any contingency plans in the event there was a power vacuum in North Korea after Kim’s death. Chiu responded that the NSB is at the ready.
KMT Chairman Chiang Chi-chen asked if Chiu could provide more detailed information about the situation in North Korea. Chiu responded that the NSB has relevant information but can only divulge it behind closed doors because if it were discussed publicly, the source could be compromised.
Chiu also pointed out that according to the findings of the NSB’s study of the communist country, no matter how turbulent the political situation may be, there might be a short period of integration and struggle. As to whether there would be large-scale military mobilization, he emphasized that North Korea is very closed off, with nuclear bombs, missiles, and other armaments.
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Chiu said that If there is a “situation,” not only Taiwan but also South Korea and Japan would be in the scope of areas affected.
There are unquestionably those who would be looking at Kim Jong Un’s vanishing act opportunistically. However, one must be wary that North Korea without Kim may further destabilize the volatile region in the ensuing power struggle.
One cannot rule out even successive military coupes as a possibility. Not to mention, the nuclear missiles and warheads could become a trophy with the lower level militia. However, the ultimate prize is North Korea’s estimated $6 trillion of natural resources within its borders.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-05-01--COVID-19 Altered The Global Strategic Balance

The COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated the potential of a virus as a weapon of mass destruction .
It has added a new dimension to alter the global strategic balance and triggered another chain of events for global strategic dominance , besides unprecedented human sufferings .
During the First and Second World Wars era , the use of military forces and declaration of war was considered as basic essentiality to call it a World War .
War is defined to be a state in which a nation prosecutes its right by force .
Similarly as per Collins English Dictionary ; World @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all over the world .
During earlier World Wars , the strategic aim was the capture of key territories or surrender of political leadership/will of adversaries .
In the current era , the strategic aim revolves around the economic collapse of the adversary .
Were We already in World War III prior to COVID-19 ?
Considering the destructive capability of major world powers , a declared World War between combat forces may not occur as it will be devastating for all .
The ‘ Force ’ for application potential will be measured in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) of the world powers .
It includes economy , military strength ( including nuclear capability ) , strategic posturing , foreign policy/diplomacy , governance , Human Development Index ( HDI ) , technological capability , knowledge information , geography , natural resources , national will and leadership .
Out of all the components of CNP , economic power is the over-riding component dictating the rest .
The dimensions of war have grown globally from erstwhile conventional wars under nuclear hangover ( barring nuclear strike on Japan ) to the aggressive trade war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Chemical , biological , radiological and nuclear arsenal ) , with political bouts interspersed with few offensive actions involving conventional forces .
The application of economic power had resulted in an intense trade war between the two largest economies – the US and China .
In Indo-Pacific , the conventional and nuclear-armed combat forces of the US and China are continuing strategic posturing , deterrence and messaging to all stakeholders .
China used combat forces to occupy and develop features in the South China Sea .
The recent US-Iran confrontation after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ active use of conventional force and brought both countries close to war .
If all cases of use of conventional forces are linked , then two opposing alliances covering worldwide conflicts appear on the scene , the first one being US-Israel-Saudi Arabia-South Korea-Japan and the other one being China-Russia-North Korea-Iran-Syria , with other countries seem to be doing the strategic balancing .
The space warfare has taken a dangerous turn with each side taking preparatory actions to destroy each other ’ s space assets .
The use of elements like misinformation campaign , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic and crucial military network , perception management , is already in progress .
Diplomatic pressures , economic and technological threats , nuclear blackmailing , proxy wars by nations amount to use of force/CNP to achieve strategic objectives .
The number of casualties suffered in ongoing conflicts surpasses the total casualties and refugees of both the earlier world wars put together .
The global strategic situation has graduated to conflicts , the capture of South China Sea , innumerable deaths and economic destruction ; hence calling it cold war will be an understatement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had every element of a World War , except that the dimension , instruments and modalities have changed , and the war has not been ‘ formally declared ’ ; hence it may not be wrong to call it an ‘ undeclared World War III ’ .
The outbreak of COVID-19 has put humanity to one of the biggest risks of this century .
It exposed the vulnerability of strongest nations , triggered by a possible biological weapon ( accidentally or otherwise ) .
While the global powers were busy strengthening other elements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of any possible biological weapon to the world adding a new dimension in ongoing undeclared World War III .
Wuhan being the initial epicentre , the trends in early 2020 suggested a sheer drop in CNP of China with a combined effect of US-China trade war , failing BRI and COVID-19 .
The last week of March 2020 onwards saw the epicentres of COVID-19 shifting westwards with the US , Europe and UK emerging to be worst affected .
China , having declared victory over the pandemic , was quick to put back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to boost a ‘ COVID-19 economy ’ by creating a ‘ Health Silk Road ’ and re-activating most needed supply chain of medical equipment and medicines , as an attempt to earn maximum profit out of the pandemic , besides attempting to repair its global image .
COVID-19 has exposed some vulnerabilities of US and created huge trust deficit for China globally ; hence the idea of everyone accepting one/two countries as superpowers or global leader may be outdated in future .
The new paradigm will be unlike earlier World Wars , all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because all of them may not agree to common narratives of key players .
And hence , some countries would be at hot war , some in military posturing stage , and some using other dimensions and instruments of war , simultaneously .
A new global order will emerge post-COVID-19 which need not be the US or China-centric .
Next few decades will see the pivot shifting towards the East , which has fastest-growing economies .
It can , therefore , be argued that the battleground for ‘ Undeclared World War III ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already entered in the preparatory phase of it , without recognising/declaring it to be so .
Major General S B Asthana had been an Infantry General with 40 years of defence experience at national and international level .
Courtesy of WIONEWS .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

The COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated the potential of a virus as a weapon of mass destruction. It has added a new dimension to alter the global strategic balance and triggered another chain of events for global strategic dominance, besides unprecedented human sufferings.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
During the First and Second World Wars era, the use of military forces and declaration of war was considered as basic essentiality to call it a World War. War is defined to be a state in which a nation prosecutes its right by force. Similarly as per Collins English Dictionary; World War is a war that involves countries all over the world. During earlier World Wars, the strategic aim was the capture of key territories or surrender of political leadership/will of adversaries. In the current era, the strategic aim revolves around the economic collapse of the adversary.
Were We already in World War III prior to COVID-19?
Considering the destructive capability of major world powers, a declared World War between combat forces may not occur as it will be devastating for all. The ‘Force’ for application potential will be measured in terms of Comprehensive National Power (CNP) of the world powers. It includes economy, military strength (including nuclear capability), strategic posturing, foreign policy/diplomacy, governance, Human Development Index (HDI), technological capability, knowledge information, geography, natural resources, national will and leadership. Out of all the components of CNP, economic power is the over-riding component dictating the rest. The dimensions of war have grown globally from erstwhile conventional wars under nuclear hangover (barring nuclear strike on Japan) to the aggressive trade war, military posturing, arms race (including Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear arsenal), with political bouts interspersed with few offensive actions involving conventional forces.
The application of economic power had resulted in an intense trade war between the two largest economies – the US and China. In Indo-Pacific, the conventional and nuclear-armed combat forces of the US and China are continuing strategic posturing, deterrence and messaging to all stakeholders. China used combat forces to occupy and develop features in the South China Sea. The recent US-Iran confrontation after the killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani saw active use of conventional force and brought both countries close to war. If all cases of use of conventional forces are linked, then two opposing alliances covering worldwide conflicts appear on the scene, the first one being US-Israel-Saudi Arabia-South Korea-Japan and the other one being China-Russia-North Korea-Iran-Syria, with other countries seem to be doing the strategic balancing.
The space warfare has taken a dangerous turn with each side taking preparatory actions to destroy each other’s space assets. The use of elements like misinformation campaign, election meddling, cyberwar, hacking of economic and crucial military network, perception management, is already in progress.
Subscribe to GreatGameIndia
Diplomatic pressures, economic and technological threats, nuclear blackmailing, proxy wars by nations amount to use of force/CNP to achieve strategic objectives.
The number of casualties suffered in ongoing conflicts surpasses the total casualties and refugees of both the earlier world wars put together. The global strategic situation has graduated to conflicts, the capture of South China Sea, innumerable deaths and economic destruction; hence calling it cold war will be an understatement. The global situation even before COVID-19 had every element of a World War, except that the dimension, instruments and modalities have changed, and the war has not been ‘formally declared’; hence it may not be wrong to call it an ‘undeclared World War III’.
COVID-19 altered Global Strategic Balance
The outbreak of COVID-19 has put humanity to one of the biggest risks of this century. It exposed the vulnerability of strongest nations, triggered by a possible biological weapon (accidentally or otherwise). While the global powers were busy strengthening other elements of CNP, it exposed the consequences of any possible biological weapon to the world adding a new dimension in ongoing undeclared World War III. Wuhan being the initial epicentre, the trends in early 2020 suggested a sheer drop in CNP of China with a combined effect of US-China trade war, failing BRI and COVID-19.
The last week of March 2020 onwards saw the epicentres of COVID-19 shifting westwards with the US, Europe and UK emerging to be worst affected. China, having declared victory over the pandemic, was quick to put back its manufacturing sector in place, trying to boost a ‘COVID-19 economy’ by creating a ‘Health Silk Road’ and re-activating most needed supply chain of medical equipment and medicines, as an attempt to earn maximum profit out of the pandemic, besides attempting to repair its global image.
Contours of undeclared World War III post-COVID-19 pandemic
COVID-19 has exposed some vulnerabilities of US and created huge trust deficit for China globally; hence the idea of everyone accepting one/two countries as superpowers or global leader may be outdated in future. The new paradigm will be unlike earlier World Wars, all countries will not be at war, because all of them may not agree to common narratives of key players. And hence, some countries would be at hot war, some in military posturing stage, and some using other dimensions and instruments of war, simultaneously. A new global order will emerge post-COVID-19 which need not be the US or China-centric. Next few decades will see the pivot shifting towards the East, which has fastest-growing economies. It can, therefore, be argued that the battleground for ‘Undeclared World War III’ could be Indo-Pacific, and the world has already entered in the preparatory phase of it, without recognising/declaring it to be so.
Major General S B Asthana had been an Infantry General with 40 years of defence experience at national and international level. Courtesy of WIONEWS. Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-05-01--Kashmir Politician Arrested For Supplying Weapons To Terrorists

A former politician from Kashmir has been arrested for supplying weapons to terrorists by India ’ s National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) .
The arrest was made as part of an investigation into Davinder Singh a senior J & K police officer arrested in January while transporting top militants of the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen .
A former sarpanch , from Shopian in South Kashmir has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency ( NIA ) in a case registered in January , after a J & K police officer Davinder Singh was caught travelling in a car with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the NIA had raided multiple locations in February and Mir ’ s house was one of them , but he was not arrested then .
Tariq Ahmad Mir , a sarpanch ( village chief ) from Wachi in J & K ’ s Shopian district , contested the 2014 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket .
He even shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Srinagar in December 2014 .
Meanwhile , J & K BJP has said the party has nothing to do with those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mir had been expelled two years ago .
Tariq Mir , who was a resident of J & K ’ s Shopian district , had earlier been protected by two police officers despite intelligence agencies warning of possible terror links six months ago .
Police have said his protection was removed last year .
Mir has been arrested in connection with Deputy Superintendent of Police , Davinder Singh whose arrest created a sensation as he was found in the company of Naveed Shah , a former police constable and one of the ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ K .
Shah was behind the killing of 11 truck drivers , non-local labourers and apple traders in south Kashmir after the removal of special status for Kashmir – the abrogation of Article 370 .
A day before Davinder Singh ’ s arrest he had been posted at Srinagar International Airport to receive 15 foreign diplomats , including the United States envoy , when they arrived for a two-day visit in January .
After his arrest multiple raids were conducted at his home and other hideouts and large caches of arms and ammunition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over why transporting of terrorists to Delhi ahead of Republic Day .
Davinder Singh was mired in controversy earlier after reports that it was he who sent Afzal Guru to Delhi and arranged logistics for Pakistani terrorists ’ attack on parliament .
Although Mir may not directly be involved in Davinder Singh ’ s case , he played an important role in providing weapons to several terrorist groups active in Kashmir Valley including the Hizbul .
Shopian has been a center of controversy during the 2019 Pulwama attack as well .
A curious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pulwama terror attack broke out .
This was the resurrection of a fake terror attack in Shopian by local politicians and peddled by Indian media – an attack that never took place .
On the night of the Pulwama attack , Sameed Kakroo , Jammu Bureau chief of Greater Kashmir , tweeted a screenshot of a press release statement issued by J & K BJP Media Cell .
This press release was the first instance to put out such news .
Three hours later the same was broadcast by Indian national media .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ district himself called out the “ fake news ” , forcing the news media outlets to admit the “ mistake ” and issue a clarification .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates .
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the @ @ @

A former politician from Kashmir has been arrested for supplying weapons to terrorists by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA). The arrest was made as part of an investigation into Davinder Singh a senior J&K police officer arrested in January while transporting top militants of the terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
NIA arrests former Shopian Sarpanch
A former sarpanch, from Shopian in South Kashmir has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case registered in January, after a J&K police officer Davinder Singh was caught travelling in a car with a Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
The suspect, Tariq Ahmad Mir, 36, was arrested by the NIA on Wednesday. An official said his name cropped up during the interrogation of Naveed Mushtaq Shah, the Hizbul Mujahideen militant. Shah reportedly told interrogators that Mir was involved in providing weapons to other terrorist groups.
An official said the NIA had raided multiple locations in February and Mir’s house was one of them, but he was not arrested then.
“Mir is an arms conduit, he was arrested and produced in court which granted six day custody. Further interrogation is on,” a senior NIA official said.
Tariq Ahmad Mir
Tariq Ahmad Mir, a sarpanch (village chief) from Wachi in J&K’s Shopian district, contested the 2014 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket. He even shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in Srinagar in December 2014.
Meanwhile, J&K BJP has said the party has nothing to do with those involved in anti-national activities and Tariq Ahmad Mir had been expelled two years ago.
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“Panchayat elections (in December 2018) were held on non-party basis. We expelled him from the party in October 2018,” Altaf Thakur, a BJP spokesperson, said, adding, “We don’t know how he managed party ticket for Assembly elections in 2014,” reported NDTV.
Tariq Mir, who was a resident of J&K’s Shopian district, had earlier been protected by two police officers despite intelligence agencies warning of possible terror links six months ago. Police have said his protection was removed last year.
“Intelligence agencies had warned that he was hand-in-glove with terrorists and is up to serious mischief,” a police officer said.
J&K DSP Davinder Singh case
Mir has been arrested in connection with Deputy Superintendent of Police, Davinder Singh whose arrest created a sensation as he was found in the company of Naveed Shah, a former police constable and one of the ‘most wanted terrorists’ in J&K. Shah was behind the killing of 11 truck drivers, non-local labourers and apple traders in south Kashmir after the removal of special status for Kashmir – the abrogation of Article 370.
A day before Davinder Singh’s arrest he had been posted at Srinagar International Airport to receive 15 foreign diplomats, including the United States envoy, when they arrived for a two-day visit in January.
After his arrest multiple raids were conducted at his home and other hideouts and large caches of arms and ammunition were recovered. Questions were also raised over why transporting of terrorists to Delhi ahead of Republic Day.
Davinder Singh was mired in controversy earlier after reports that it was he who sent Afzal Guru to Delhi and arranged logistics for Pakistani terrorists’ attack on parliament.
Although Mir may not directly be involved in Davinder Singh’s case, he played an important role in providing weapons to several terrorist groups active in Kashmir Valley including the Hizbul.
Pulwama Attack 2019
Shopian has been a center of controversy during the 2019 Pulwama attack as well. A curious thing happened soon after news about the Pulwama terror attack broke out. This was the resurrection of a fake terror attack in Shopian by local politicians and peddled by Indian media – an attack that never took place.
On the night of the Pulwama attack, Sameed Kakroo, Jammu Bureau chief of Greater Kashmir, tweeted a screenshot of a press release statement issued by J&K BJP Media Cell.
While the entire nations mourns the martyrdom of #CRPF soldiers in Awantipora, the former deputy CM @KavinderGupta from @BJP4JnK condoles “death of CRPF soldiers in a police post of Shopian”. Wow. Incompetency at its peak. @OmarAbdullah @MehboobaMufti @INCIndia @jkpdp pic.twitter.com/pr3IumU77t — Sameed Kakroo (@sameedkakroo) February 14, 2019
This press release was the first instance to put out such news. Three hours later the same was broadcast by Indian national media. A senior police official of the Shopian district himself called out the “fake news”, forcing the news media outlets to admit the “mistake” and issue a clarification.
https://twitter.com/Sandeep_IPS_JKP/status/1096081295384272898
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.


greatgameindia--2020-05-02--1994 Surat Plague – A Forgotten Case Of Bioterrorism

The plague outbreak in the western Indian city of Surat in 1994 has been mired in controversy just as COVID-19 .
The origin of the outbreak is still a mystery .
Indian defense establishment believes the 1994 Surat Plague is a case of bioterrorism .
Numerous media outlets at the time reported the involvement of American Center of Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
It was suspected that the germ with an extra protein ring was developed by a CDC lab in Almaty , Kazakhstan .
In the middle of September , 1994 , at a time of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health ( DMCH ) for Surat city received an important report .
A patient had died seemingly due to pneumonic plague .
56 people died in the following two weeks in Surat and Beed in an outbreak that is remembered for the panic it caused .
Close to a half of the city of 1.2 million people fled Surat for fear of the plague and of being quarantined .
At the time , medical authorities were unable to isolate and culture the bacterium , Yersinia pestis .
Even though the Indian Council of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pneumonic plague a year later , suspicion lingered as to the origins and the nature of the disease .
Satnam Singh , former Programme Director at the World Health Organisation ( WHO ) office in Delhi , brought forth various reports of it not being the plague – by an expert committee appointed by the Gujarat government in 1995 and another by a committee under the chairmanship of N.R .
Mehta , retired professor of community medicine in Surat Medical College .
A paper published in the U.S. Journal of Public Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists that “ there is not even a single convincing evidence of plague either in Surat or Beed ” were also mentioned .
Numerous publication at the time had reported on the investigations of the Surat and Beed dengue at the time .
Indian scientists were worried that there was a connection between a research on new germs and germ detectors at the U.S. CDC lab in Atlanta to the extra protein ring found in the Surat germ – which could only have been inserted artificially .
Reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaked out from a biowar lab in Wuhan , the New Delhi Bureau Chief of The Week , R. Prasannan wrote : Coincidentally , the same history seem to playing out with regards to Coronavirus as well .
Indian scientists discovered 4 HIV ( AIDS ) insertions in the spike protein of Coronavirus .
The study concluded that it is unlikely for a virus to have acquired such unique insertions naturally in a short duration of time .
Although , the research was quickly shot down by vested interests the Nobel Prize winning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus Luc Montagnier himself has confirmed the study .
There were also reports regarding the plague outbreak in Surat suspecting that the germ was developed by a CDC lab in Almaty , Kazakhstan .
Recently , the US Embassy in Kiev was caught in the center of a brewing political scandal regarding its biolab .
In March , Iranian doctors penned a letter to the leaders of Afghanistan , Georgia , Iraq , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan to destroy all US biololabs in their countries , claiming that the coronavirus pandemic may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of biological warfare .
The CDC has quite a history of mishaps being kept confidential .
From a Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) request in 2015 , USA TODAY obtained heavily redacted documents of laboratory incidents at the CDC labs in United States .
Any incident involving a deadly pathogen such as anthrax , ebola , plague or avian virus , were partly or fully redacted .
Incidents included failure of safety equipment , multiple exposures to viruses & bacteria and losing a box of deadly and highly regulated influenza specimens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ publication had revealed that the CDC was among a group of biolab operators that had the worst regulatory histories in the United States .
Infact , in early March , this year the CDC lab in Atlanta while manufacturing coronavirus testing kits was itself caught to be contaminated by Coronavirus .
On top of it , CDC officials tried to cover it up , prompting an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ( HHS ) .
In a 2001 article , Colonel Anantasubramanian Nagendra , Head of Microbiology at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued a clarion call for India to “ wake up ” to the possibility of biological warfare attacks on her population .
For too long and too often , bioterrorist attacks were being passed over as natural disease outbreaks or outbreaks of unknown origin , or classified as emerging infectious diseases .
National Institute of Communicable Diseases ( NICD ) Director , Dr Kamal Datta laid out his case that “ suspicious ” outbreaks ( as shown below ) in India ’ s recent history were being glossed over and that these “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be entirely disregarded .
Molecular characterization studies on the dengue-2 virus samples were done by the NICD and by AIIMS and samples from 1996 and 1965 were compared .
The results indicate that the 1996 sample was more virulent and mutated 30 times over , but there was barely a 10 % divergence .
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage .
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided .
Join us on WhatsApp for more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ journal on Geopolitics and International Relations .
Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance .
Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section .

The plague outbreak in the western Indian city of Surat in 1994 has been mired in controversy just as COVID-19. The origin of the outbreak is still a mystery. Indian defense establishment believes the 1994 Surat Plague is a case of bioterrorism. Numerous media outlets at the time reported the involvement of American Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was suspected that the germ with an extra protein ring was developed by a CDC lab in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Must Watch: Would you live on 3D Printed Mars for a year for $60,000?
1994 Surat Plague
In the middle of September, 1994, at a time of heavy downpour the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of Health (DMCH) for Surat city received an important report. A patient had died seemingly due to pneumonic plague. 56 people died in the following two weeks in Surat and Beed in an outbreak that is remembered for the panic it caused. Close to a half of the city of 1.2 million people fled Surat for fear of the plague and of being quarantined.
At the time, medical authorities were unable to isolate and culture the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. Even though the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) declared it a pneumonic plague a year later, suspicion lingered as to the origins and the nature of the disease.
Controversy over the Origin
Satnam Singh, former Programme Director at the World Health Organisation (WHO) office in Delhi, brought forth various reports of it not being the plague – by an expert committee appointed by the Gujarat government in 1995 and another by a committee under the chairmanship of N.R. Mehta, retired professor of community medicine in Surat Medical College.
A paper published in the U.S. Journal of Public Health Policy in 1997 and a declaration by the Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists that “there is not even a single convincing evidence of plague either in Surat or Beed” were also mentioned.
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Role of US CDC
Numerous publication at the time had reported on the investigations of the Surat and Beed dengue at the time. Indian scientists were worried that there was a connection between a research on new germs and germ detectors at the U.S. CDC lab in Atlanta to the extra protein ring found in the Surat germ – which could only have been inserted artificially.
Reporting on the controversy over whether novel coronavirus leaked out from a biowar lab in Wuhan, the New Delhi Bureau Chief of The Week, R. Prasannan wrote:
During the 1994 plague outbreak in Surat and Beed, it was found that the germs had an extra protein ring which could only have been inserted artificially. Indian scientists had raised concerns about a US biowar experiment having gone awry. THE WEEK had carried reports giving details of germ war research being carried on in labs under the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta and about a newly developed germ detector being tested. The US embassy had denied the allegations.
Coincidentally, the same history seem to playing out with regards to Coronavirus as well. Indian scientists discovered 4 HIV (AIDS) insertions in the spike protein of Coronavirus. The study concluded that it is unlikely for a virus to have acquired such unique insertions naturally in a short duration of time. Although, the research was quickly shot down by vested interests the Nobel Prize winning French virologist and the discoverer of HIV virus Luc Montagnier himself has confirmed the study.
In major development Luc Montagnier, a Nobel Prize winning French virologist has confirmed results of study conducted by Indian scientists concluding that COVID-19 was engineered with HIV (AIDS) like insertions as published by @GreatGameIndia in February.https://t.co/s7ydUhbXJo — GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) April 19, 2020
There were also reports regarding the plague outbreak in Surat suspecting that the germ was developed by a CDC lab in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Recently, the US Embassy in Kiev was caught in the center of a brewing political scandal regarding its biolab.
In March, Iranian doctors penned a letter to the leaders of Afghanistan, Georgia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan to destroy all US biololabs in their countries, claiming that the coronavirus pandemic may have been spread deliberately as a form of biological warfare.
The CDC has quite a history of mishaps being kept confidential. From a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in 2015, USA TODAY obtained heavily redacted documents of laboratory incidents at the CDC labs in United States. Any incident involving a deadly pathogen such as anthrax, ebola, plague or avian virus, were partly or fully redacted. Incidents included failure of safety equipment, multiple exposures to viruses & bacteria and losing a box of deadly and highly regulated influenza specimens.
In a most shocking development, several countries have reported that testing kits, protective equipment and medical devices sent to them to combat COVID-19 were itself found to be contaminated with #Coronavirus. So WHO is contaminating test kits?https://t.co/YXfi5q3jP6 — GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) April 21, 2020
A 2016 investigation by the same publication had revealed that the CDC was among a group of biolab operators that had the worst regulatory histories in the United States. Infact, in early March, this year the CDC lab in Atlanta while manufacturing coronavirus testing kits was itself caught to be contaminated by Coronavirus. On top of it, CDC officials tried to cover it up, prompting an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Threat of Bioterrorism
In a 2001 article, Colonel Anantasubramanian Nagendra, Head of Microbiology at the Armed Forces Medical College in Pune issued a clarion call for India to “wake up” to the possibility of biological warfare attacks on her population. For too long and too often, bioterrorist attacks were being passed over as natural disease outbreaks or outbreaks of unknown origin, or classified as emerging infectious diseases.
National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) Director, Dr Kamal Datta laid out his case that “suspicious” outbreaks (as shown below) in India’s recent history were being glossed over and that these “newsmen’s hypotheses,” not be entirely disregarded.
1965 – outbreak of scrub typhus in North East India during the Indo-Pakistan war
1994 – outbreak of pneumonic plague in Surat and Beed, Gujarat
1996 – outbreak of dengue in Delhi (10,252 cases, 423 deaths) “dengue-2”
2001 – outbreak of unidentified encephalitis in Siliguri, Eastern India (66 cases, 45 deaths)
Molecular characterization studies on the dengue-2 virus samples were done by the NICD and by AIIMS and samples from 1996 and 1965 were compared. The results indicate that the 1996 sample was more virulent and mutated 30 times over, but there was barely a 10% divergence.
EXCLUSIVE#Coronavirus Bioweapon Thread How China Stole Coronavirus From Canada And Weaponized Ithttps://t.co/tc7W2DrmAA — GreatGameIndia (@GreatGameIndia) January 27, 2020
The Director suspected external influences, saying,
“We never had such a major episode like the 1996 dengue haemorrhagic fever outbreak from any part of the country with so many cases at one particular point in time. Has it come from outside India?”
For latest updates on the outbreak check out our Coronavirus Coverage.
Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.
GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.