iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The US troops finally left Iraq: 23 years of American war to remove Saddam Huseein has killed 300,000 Iraqis directly & another 160,00 indirectly, injured 250,000 Iraqis, displaced 9.2 million (still 1 million displaced) & the US lost 4,600 of its soldiers & spent $1.89 Trillion.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Trump’s dangerous calculation may be that Mohammed bin Salman will be forced into Israel’s lap. But, it is a hazardous project; Washington cannot control all the consequences of such pressure. #mypiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/clou...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I spoke to @hammadsarfraz of @etribune about Trump’s threat to annihilate Iran in his UN speech, the UN’s silence, and the dangerous normalisation of military threats. tribune.com.pk/story/263157...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Why Iran doesn't trust Trump? Why Iran only, no one trusts Trump? At this time, Iran has all the advantages in its favor. My interview with @ashutosh83B for @SatyaHindi www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF7W...

Midterm चुनाव के बाद ट्रंप का बड़ा कदम? Iran's Secret Deal To Trump | Satya Hindi

YouTube video by Satya Hindi सत्य हिन्दी

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

The Houthis’ advance around Bab el-Mandeb and attacks on Saudi Arabia are becoming part of the wider US-Iran confrontation. Yet Trump is standing back as a key US ally absorbs the consequences. Is Trump gambling that Saudi vulnerability will push MBS toward Israeli security cooperation? #MyPiece

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Today, on the International Day of Peace, we at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research spoke about why investing in peace matters more than ever. Peace requires investment - in diplomacy, mediation, international institutions, development, human rights, & education.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Out of Sweden’s 7.78 million eligible others in 2026, about 1.33 million eligible voters were born outside Sweden. Far Right blames these voters for losing the election this year. If true, Sweden should be thankful to these foreign born voters to keep Sweden with Swedish values!

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Modi's warming to China without reciprocity, rediscovering Iran after years of courting Israel look less like strategy than simply changing direction whenever the geopolitical winds change. #mypiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/wher...

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

One silver lining in Sweden’s election: for the 1st time, the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have seen their vote share fall, dropping from 2nd to 3rd largest party in Parliament, from 20.54% in 2022 to 17.6% in 2026. True to form, they call those who didn’t vote for them “mentally handicapped”!

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

After speaking to Al Arabiya TV about the rise of the far right in Sweden, I went to vote in the Swedish general election. I voted for the party I dislike the least. In a democracy, you rarely find a perfect party or candidate, so sometimes you have to vote to keep the worst one out.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Iran is the new Power Center in the Middle East - Modi was forced to risk his 'relationship' with Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian became the Star of the BRICS show in New Delhi. My interview (in Hindi) with @khanumarfa www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOQi...

Iran President का हाथ थामे मोदी: Israel का साथ देने का पछतावा साफ़ दिखा! Ashok Swain | Arfa Khanum

YouTube video by Arfa Khanum Sherwani

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Africa has not suddenly become larger. The UN vote simply recognizes how large it has always been. The Mercator map turns a 16th-century navigation tool into a distorted picture of our world. It is time to put the world back in proportion. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/its-...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

25 years ago, on 9/11 Osama bin Laden's terrorists killed nearly 3000 people in the US. In the post 9/11 war violence, between 2001-2023, the US killed at least 940,000 people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Trump’s “America First” is becoming America Alone - eroding US credibility, accelerating multipolarity, and clearing the path toward a more China-centered global order. My interview with @hammadsarfraz.bsky.social for The Express Tribune. tribune.com.pk/story/262790...

tribune.com.pk

The era of new alliances | The Express Tribune

The SCO offers a glimpse of an emerging international system that Washington is helping shape but may no longer lead

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

The Court of Arbitration in The Hague's ruling in support of Pakistan on the Indus Water Treaty dispute, and India’s categorical refusal to accept it, have now converted a self-defeating decision of Modi into a serious diplomatic blunder. #mypiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/mod...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

"Nepal should not be left to pay for a climate crisis it did little to create or for regional non-cooperation over which it has limited influence," I told why the international community, particularly China, India and the US must pay to Nepal. www.dw.com/en/nepal-flo...

dw.com

Nepal flood disaster puts climate justice under spotlight

The devastating Himalayan glacial floods have raised broader questions about who should bear the costs and responsibility for the impacts of climate-related disasters.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Ethiopia plans to build three more dams on the upstream of the Nile River, after building the largest dam GERD. There are reports of a new crisis, but I tell 'The New Arab', how these dams could create incentives for cooperation between Egypt & Ethiopia. www.newarab.com/analysis/nil...

newarab.com

From the Nile to the Red Sea, can Egypt and Ethiopia ever agree?

As Ethiopia expands GERD ambitions with new dams, Egypt has weaponised Red Sea access. Is there any hope for talks to resolve the standoff on the Nile?

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Modi’s Indus blunder goes beyond Pakistan: it strengthens China’s hand on Brahmaputra & deepens Bangladesh’s mistrust over the Ganges. Rejecting the arbitration ruling compounds the damage. Nationalist theatre at home, strategic self-harm abroad. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/mod...

Modi’s Indus brinkmanship is another diplomatic blunder

India’s rejection of the international court ruling on the 1960 water treaty hands China a dangerous precedent

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

My remarks on India's refusal to accept the Dispute Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague's ruling on Indus Water Treaty dispute!

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Modi had promised to show 'RED EYES" to China. Instead, China enters India’s territory, backs Pakistan militarily & expands its influence across South Asia. India’s neighborhood is shrinking while its dependence on Beijing grows. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/indi...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

In a Panel at the Stockholm World Water Week, discussing conflicts and cooperation over Green Water, with Henk Ovink, Executive Director Global Commission on the Economics of Water, & others. 25 August 2026 Organized by ICWC.

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

On 25 August 2026, I signed an MoU on water research cooperation between Uppsala University’s Department of Peace and Conflict Research & TIIAME National Research University, Tashkent. Honoured by the presence of Uzbekistan Ambassador & Dy Head of the Presidential Administration.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

India’s upstream position on the Indus River system gives it important but limited leverage over Pakistan. Withholding flow and flood-warning data or manipulating reservoir operations can create uncertainty and pressure. My comments to @NikkeiAsia asia.nikkei.com/economy/natu...

asia.nikkei.com

India's hydropower push raises natural disaster fears in Kashmir

Seven dam projects ongoing as locals face repeated cloudbursts, floods and landslides

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Amnesty has traced 2,596 arms consignments from India to Israel, including artillery shells, drone warheads and machine gun parts. I write the complicity behind the Modi Netanyahu axis. www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/made...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Israel is losing America. Gallup now finds more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis, while Pew says 60% view Israel unfavorably. Netanyahu’s wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran have achieved what once seemed unthinkable: putting Israel’s most vital alliance at risk. #MyPiece

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Iran’s powerful resistance has not only divided Washington & Tel Aviv but also elevated Tehran into a hero for the Global South, & challenged decades of US military intervention by exposing the limits of military coercion. My interview with ON News: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PEU...

📃Iran’s Resistance Exposed the Limits of US Power | Ashok Swain

YouTube video by رسانه تصویری آن

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Saudi Arabia understands what Washington and Tel Aviv ignore: military destruction cannot deliver regime change in Iran. Riyadh’s restraint protects its security, economy and political future. India should learn from it. #MyPiece National Herald, 9 August 2026

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Modi needs to apologize to India’s youth for destroying their future, using pellet guns against them, and subjecting protesting students to sexual assault by his police forces; his boast that he has “forgiven” them is nothing but a cruel joke. #MyPiece National Herald, 9 Aug 26.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

“Young people want a fair chance to build a life, but they also want to be heard and treated as political actors capable of shaping the future, rather than as a population expected simply to obey and wait.” My comments to Truthdig www.truthdig.com/articles/hig...

truthdig.com

High Effort, No Reward: From Delhi to Seoul, Youth Have Had Enough

Promised that studying hard would lead to stable jobs, Indian and Asian students instead face high suicide rates and exam leaks. In Delhi, students protested for 36 days and won — or did they?

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Modi says he “forgives” young protesters who abused him. But forgiveness offered while his supporters file police complaints, dox women and issue rape and death threats. I write on free speech, selective outrage and political hypocrisy in todays' India. www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/what...

What’s with PM Modi’s ‘forgiveness’ charade?

In a democracy, protesters don’t owe the prime minister deference, writes Ashok Swain

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The cruel inequality of this Iran war is clear - decisions made in Washington and Tel Aviv are being felt in markets and at kitchen tables thousands of kilometers away - My interview with @hammadsarfraz.bsky.social for the Express Tribune. tribune.com.pk/story/262158...

tribune.com.pk

The conflict with Iran won’t stay in Iran | The Express Tribune

Ripple effects of the war can be felt beyond the region and more in some of the vulnerable parts of the world

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

While Netanyahu met Trump behind closed doors, Israeli soldiers and settlers stormed West Bank towns. Trump wants calm where war threatens his election. Netanyahu wants violence in the West Bank where domination may rescue his election. #MyPiece National Herald, 2 August 2026.

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

GERD, the largest dam in Africa, is a reality. Egypt needs to accept this reality and should work together with Ethiopia and Sudan for equatable use of the Blue Nile water. Spoke to ENA: www.ena.et/web/eng/w/en...

ena.et

Egypt’s Losing Game over the GERD Has Never Been About Hydro-Technical Engineering

By Getnet. S Menegesha July 23, 2026 (ENA) Egyptian politicians have repeated the same familiar refrain for years that Ethiopia is acting unilaterally o...

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Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

The Youth Movement of India has already weakened the Modi regime and will affect its electoral prospects in the coming UP election. I tell to Belgian newspaper, Le Soir. www.lesoir.be/761862/artic...

lesoir.be

Inde : le gouvernement affaibli après la victoire des « cafards »

Les « cafards » ont fait plier le Premier ministre indien, Narendra Modi. Une victoire de la rue inédite, mais aux conséquences politiques encore incertaines.

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Sudanese Army closing in to recapture el Obeid from the RSF. Another genocide by the RSF is likely as we had seen last year in el Fasher. World is silent about the massive humanitarian crisis in Sudan - 40,000 dead & 14 million displaced. Jost spoke to TRT World about it.

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Indian Education Minister Forced To Resign After Gen-Z Mass Protests

Criticism of Modi was used to be treated in India as if you are criticizing Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammad. But, not any more. Spoke to Times Radio of London about the significance of Gen Z protests in India. youtu.be/SrgWqbnaU44?... via @YouTube

youtu.be

YouTube video by Times News

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Reposted by Ashok Swain

article-14.com @article-14.com · 23/07/2026

“I just want to go home & see my mother” After the #Modi govt withheld his X account in India in July 2023, it cancelled the OCI status of Ashok Swain in 2024, leaving him unable to visit his ailing mother More: article-14.com/post/3-hours...

article-14.com

3 Hours To Disappear: How The Modi Govt Made Online Censorship Faster, Easier & Harder To Challenge

A journalist's video of a student allegedly beaten by police during a protest. A creator's post questioning AI data centres. Satire, criticism of the Modi government, news organisations and academics:...

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Modi’s old playbook is failing. These protesters can't easily be branded Pakistanis or Khalistanis. Many come from families at the heart of the BJP’s Hindu support base. Satire and memes have broken the fear barrier. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/yout...

Previous movements challenged Modi from constituencies he could portray as outsiders. This one has brought the challenge home

The youth against Modi

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Spoke to Times Radio in London about the youth revolt against Modi - and how India’s Gen Z, through satire and memes, has brought the self-proclaimed “non-biological” leader back down to earth.

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Iran War is expanding from Hormuz to Red Sea to Caspian Sea. Trump has asked his army to take a pause as there is a shortfall of interceptors. The US should find ways to stop Trump waging this war, as it is becoming another Vietnam. #MyPiece www.nationalheraldindia.com/opinion/can-...

Can America restrain its own president?

America does have mechanisms to stop its president. What it lacks is the political courage to go down that route

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Trump has restarted a war the US cannot win militarily and politically. Iran is more prepared, the conflict is spreading, and every strike deepens resistance while draining American power. The real question is whether Congress has the courage to stop its own president. #MyPiece

Ashok Swain @ashoswai.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Spoke to DW News about the ongoing youth protests in India and why, for the first time, Modi seems to have been cornered. He cannot brand these protesters as Pakistanis or Khalistanis, as most come from his own Hindutva base. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GoB...