logo
'How Epaminondas beat Spartans': Elon Musk cites Greek history; launches 'America Party' to fight 'uniparty system'

'How Epaminondas beat Spartans': Elon Musk cites Greek history; launches 'America Party' to fight 'uniparty system'

Time of India06-07-2025
Elon Musk
Elon Musk
has announced the formation of 'The America Party', in a move aimed at disrupting what he calls America's 'uniparty' political system, drawing philosophical inspiration from ancient Greek history.
Taking to X, Musk invoked the legacy of Epaminondas, the Greek general credited with ending Spartan dominance at the Battle of Leuctra.
He said the new party will apply "extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield" to shatter the current political status quo.
Musk also suggested at the party timeline when he would run for elections. Replying to X user who asked Musk about his election plans, to which he responded, 'Next year'.
Musk's announcement came on Saturday, just a day after President Donald Trump signed his "big, beautiful" tax-cut and spending bill into law which Musk openly criticized.
A day earlier, during the July 4 Independence Day celebrations, Musk had signaled his intentions on The America Party by posting a poll on X, asking: "Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!"
Musk came out strongly against the legislation, denouncing it as "debt slavery" and accusing Republican lawmakers of betraying their promises of fiscal cut.
The clash quickly escalated, with Trump hitting back by threatening to pull federal funding from Musk's companies and even hinting at the possibility of deportation.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

India, UK sign trade deal; unveil Vision '35 for next decade of ties
India, UK sign trade deal; unveil Vision '35 for next decade of ties

Hindustan Times

time39 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

India, UK sign trade deal; unveil Vision '35 for next decade of ties

India and the UK on Thursday inked a free trade agreement (FTA) that is expected to increase trade by £25.5 billion ($34 billion) in the long run and unveiled the India-UK Vision 2035 to reinvigorate their partnership over the next decade at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer. India, UK sign trade deal; unveil Vision '35 for next decade of ties The UK was the first stop in a two-nation tour by Modi, which will also take him to the Maldives to be the guest of honour at the Indian Ocean archipelago's Independence Day celebrations on July 26. Modi said enhancing economic cooperation and strengthening efforts aimed at peace and stability in the Indian Ocean will be the focus of his tour. Starmer hosted Modi at Chequers, the country residence of the British prime minister located 50 km northwest of London, to sign the trade deal, which promises to boost growth across both economies and unlock thousands of jobs, and the leaders unveiled their vision for a reinvigorated partnership over the next decade. The India-UK Vision 2035, a renewed version of the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, is aimed at taking relations to new heights in a 'time of rapid global change', the British side said in a readout. The trade deal and the new vision document come against the backdrop of the churn caused by the trade policies of the Donald Trump administration in the US. The trade deal, described as the UK's most economically significant bilateral trade deal since exiting the European Union (EU), will significantly improve market access for businesses in both countries, leading to cheaper products and services for consumers, the readout said. The India-UK Vision 2035 will 'go beyond trade, with reinvigorated mutual commitment to drive prosperity and innovation, deepen defence cooperation through a new Defence Industrial roadmap, work together to secure our borders, tackle climate change and nurture educational connections', the readout said. Under the reinvigorated partnership, India and the UK will strengthen cooperation in tackling corruption, serious fraud, organised crime, and irregular migration through enhanced intelligence-sharing and operational collaboration. A year after India and the UK finalised the Technology Security Initiative (TSI), Modi and Starmer committed to 'strengthen national security by harnessing frontier technologies and shaping the technologies of tomorrow'. The FTA is expected to increase two-way trade from the current level of almost $58 billion by $34 billion in the long run. India will get tariff elimination on 99% of its tariff lines under the deal, covering nearly 100% of trade value. The UK will get reduced tariffs on 90% of British tariff lines, including the cutting of levies on whisky, automobiles, lamb and medical devices. Labour-intensive sectors such as Indian textiles and apparel will get a competitive advantage against countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. Under the Double Contribution Convention, there will be an exemption for employers of Indian workers from paying social security contributions in the UK for three years, making it significantly easier to send workers on posting to Britain. The finalisation of the FTA was announced by Modi and Starmer on May 6. Since then, the two sides have engaged in the legal scrubbing of the deal. Starmer said: 'Our landmark trade deal with India is a major win for Britain. It will create thousands of British jobs across the UK, unlock new opportunities for businesses and drive growth in every corner of the country, delivering on our Plan for Change.' UK trade secretary Jonathan Reynolds, who signed the trade deal with his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal, said almost £6 billion in new investments and export wins announced on Thursday shows the strength of the partnership with India. Indian consumers are expected to benefit from improved access to British products ranging from soft drinks and cosmetics to cars and medical devices as average tariffs will drop from 15% to 3%. The UK currently imports £11 billion in goods from India and liberalised tariffs on Indian goods will make it easier and cheaper for British consumers and businesses to buy Indian products, the readout said. Twenty-six British companies have announced new business in India. Airbus and Rolls-Royce will soon begin delivering Airbus aircraft, with more than half powered by Rolls-Royce engines, to Indian airlines as part of around £5 million worth of contracts.

Maldives outreach: Advantage India
Maldives outreach: Advantage India

Deccan Herald

timean hour ago

  • Deccan Herald

Maldives outreach: Advantage India

In the fierce geostrategic tussle between India and China for influence in the Maldives, New Delhi seems to have the upper hand in Malé, for now. Else, New Delhi would not have planned the state visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago to participate in its Independence Day celebrations on July has been invited as a 'guest of honour' by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu after some initial hostility and turbulence in bilateral ties. It will mark Modi's first visit to the neighbouring country in six years, the last one being in June 2019 when an India-leaning government under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was in place. He will be the first head of government to be hosted by Muizzu, who took over in November visit's symbolic significance is noteworthy. To the world at large, it will signal that New Delhi, and not Beijing, remains the archipelago's preferred development partner. Muizzu, in turn, will be able to convey to his domestic audience that he's an able administrator who can deliver outcomes and draw benefits from his country's biggest renewed outreach to the Muizzu government indicates a growing confidence that the Maldives, a key maritime neighbour, will remain mindful of its strategic interests. Battling strong competition from China in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), New Delhi has faced a tough diplomatic challenge to ensure it does not cede strategic space to Beijing. Like many of India's neighbours, the Maldives has joined China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a vital component of its Maritime Silk Road ambitions. Leaders of IOR island nations have become adept at playing the two Asian giants against one another to leverage benefits, further queering the pitch for alignment with the Quad nations – the US, Australia, and Japan – in the wider Indo-Pacific is part of its strategy to counter Beijing's expanding footprint in the IOR and beyond. India has even recast its earlier doctrine of Vision Sagar (Security and Growth for All) in the Global South as Vision Mahasagar (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) to widen its ambit of and visit serves as a marked indicator of this shifting tide in India's favour. There is an unmissable irony in Muizzu's invite, given that he rode to power fuelling anti-India sentiments. This campaign culminated in Muizzu forcing India to pull out its 80 military personnel in the archipelago, within a few months of becoming President. However, a little over a year later, bilateral relations are on the mend, with Modi's impending visit signalling the final reset. Muizzu was in India twice last year – for the Modi 3.0 government's inauguration and a bilateral visit. While the closeness witnessed during Ibu Solih's tenure may not be there, India has little cause for complaint. Despite Muizzu's perceived pro-China leanings, Beijing hasn't been able to make a comeback in the archipelago as was expected during his Maldives could not secure the anticipated financial assistance from China, its largest external creditor, and some Islamic countries. Consequently, Muizzu had to turn to India to navigate a debilitating economic crisis. Muizzu has also been seeking investments to promote his country as a business and financial hub. Even if this does happen, it will take time to now, the Maldives is under debt distress. Under the risk of defaulting on its external debt repayments, Muizzu's anti-India sentiments have given way to pragmatism and realpolitik as he now has to deliver results in his economically beleaguered has played its cards skilfully. It initially stepped in to assist the Solih government after the Maldives reeled under a dire economic situation during the pandemic, with its tourism-dependent economy taking a huge hit. Then, it decided to continue with its financial assistance to the Muizzu government despite initial bilateral tensions, which has helped the Maldives avoid a default on its external debt the Maldivian economy is not yet out of the woods. Muizzu still has to find ways to service an external debt of $1 billion in 2026. While India has helped out through currency swaps and rolling over of treasury bills worth $100 million, China has held back in the fear that other debt-distressed countries might also seek similar this seemingly positive outlook for New Delhi, it cannot afford to slacken its outreach to Malé. China is keenly waiting in the wings to usurp India's strategic space. India has to ensure that the Muizzu government can be relied upon to be a loyal friend in the long run..(The writer is a senior journalist)

As PM begins two-day UK visit today, sealing trade deal on agenda
As PM begins two-day UK visit today, sealing trade deal on agenda

Hindustan Times

time2 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

As PM begins two-day UK visit today, sealing trade deal on agenda

Bolstering economic and security cooperation will be a common thread linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visits to Britain and the Maldives beginning on Wednesday, with the formal signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) set to be the highlight of the trip to the UK. PM Narendra Modi meets his British counterpart Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Canada last month. (PTI) Modi will first travel to the UK during July 23-24 for meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III, and then to the Maldives during July 25-26 to be the guest of honour at the Indian Ocean archipelago's Independence Day celebrations. Both visits are opportunities to strengthen ties in a wide range of areas, especially trade, investment, defence and security, foreign secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing on Tuesday. Starmer is expected to host Modi at Chequers, the country residence of the British prime minister located 50 km northwest of London, people familiar with the matter said. The commerce ministers of the two sides – Piyush Goyal and Jonathan Reynolds – are expected to sign the FTA that was finalised on May 6, the people said on condition of anonymity. The FTA is expected to increase two-way trade from the current level of almost $58 billion by $34 billion in the long run, according to a fact sheet from the UK. India will get tariff elimination on 99% of its tariff lines under the deal, covering nearly 100% of trade value. The UK will get reduced tariffs on 90% of British tariff lines, including the cutting of levies on whisky, automobiles, lamb and medical devices. Labour-intensive sectors such as Indian textiles and apparel will get a competitive advantage against countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam. Under the Double Contribution Convention, there will be an exemption for employers of Indian workers from paying social security contributions in the UK for three years, making it significantly easier to send workers on posting to Britain. Misri said that since the FTA was announced by Modi and Starmer on May 6, the two sides have engaged in the legal scrubbing of the deal. 'Last-minute work on that is continuing,' he said. The UK is the sixth largest investor in India, with cumulative investments of $36 billion. India's investments in the UK are close to $20 billion, and some 1,000 Indian companies operating in Britain provide employment to almost 100,000 people and have cumulative revenues of $91 billion. Technology, research, innovation and education have emerged as other key pillars of India-UK cooperation and the prime ministers will review cooperation in these fields, Misri said. The India-UK Technology Security Initiative, finalised last year, has driven collaboration in telecom, critical minerals, AI, biotechnology, semiconductors and quantum computing. Following the University of Southampton opening a campus in Gurugram last week, thus becoming the first foreign varsity to set up a campus under India's new education policy, several other British institutions are considering establishing campuses in the country. The British side perceives the FTA, finalised three years after negotiations began in January 2022, as part of a wider political reset and building on the bilateral road map 2030. The British side also expects the trade deal to lead to a wider relationship of trust between the two sides and to drive collaboration in key areas such as defence, especially with India set to spend a significant amount on its armed forces in the coming years. The British side is understood to have put in place extensive security arrangements to avert any attempt by pro-Khalistan elements to disrupt the visit or organise protests, including the sensitisation of security agencies to Indian concerns. Both sides are keen to avoid a repeat of an incident in March, when a pro-Khalistan protester breached the security of external affairs minister S Jaishankar in London and got close to his vehicle. Misri told the briefing that the presence of Khalistani extremists in the UK should be a matter of concern to the British side as such elements impact 'social cohesion and social order' in that country. Modi will travel from the UK to the Maldives, where he will be the first foreign head of government to be hosted by President Mohamed Muizzu. Modi's presence as guest of honour at the Maldivian Independence Day celebrations will mark a significant turnaround in bilateral ties that turned frosty because of the policies of Muizzu, who came to power on the back of an 'India Out' campaign in late 2023. Misri attributed the turnaround in ties to India's working hard on the relationship. 'There will always be events that will impact or try to intrude on the relationship. But I think this is testimony to the kind of attention that has been paid to the relationship, including attention at the highest levels…We've continued to work at it, and I think the result is there for you to see,' he said. The Maldives is a 'very important partner' in India's Neighborhood First policy MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) vision, Misri said. 'We have always been the first on hand to respond to the needs of Maldives in times whenever it has faced has been a robust political relationship…bolstered by regular visits at high levels,' he said. The joint vision for a comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership adopted during Muizzu's visit to India last October 2024 has become the 'guiding framework' for ties, and India is one of the largest trade partners of the Maldives, with two-way trade worth almost $500 million. Both sides are engaged in discussions for an FTA and an investment treaty and new areas of cooperation include renewable energy and fisheries. India is executing several development projects in the Maldives through a mix of concessional lines of credit and buyer's credit facilities, with the flagship project being the Greater Malé Connectivity Project, which will connect four islands. Misri said the Maldives has almost completely drawn a currency swap arrangement for $400 million provided as emergency financial assistance and is set to draw upon another currency swap arrangement of ₹30 billion. The State Bank of India has also continued to re-subscribe to Maldives treasury bills. The two sides also have robust defence and security cooperation, including naval exercises, and India continues to assist the Maldives by training its defence personnel. 'We've been helping the Maldives enhance its capacity for EEZ surveillance and maritime domain awareness through the provision of ships and assets,' he said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store