Thread by @gauravsabnis

A month ago when it seemed covid was no longer a threat to India but vaccines were scarce

Centrists: See Trump was so smart to monopolize all the supplies & do OWS. Smart businessman!
Me: He didn't want to do ANYTHING. This was others around him. Read newyorker.com/magazine/2021/…

India gets a second surge. Bhakts try to deflect by blaming US for the very policies praised.

Same centrists: Biden-Harris are being so selfish and cruel! Open up export restrictions!
Me: Give em a couple of days. They're busy with US pandemic.
Same centrists: No, tweet needed😠

When about 48 hours later, as is a reasonable time for a president who works from the oval office not his TV room and twitter, US announces the help it can.

Centrists & Bhakts: Too little too late
Me: Wha...How...NOTHING in US policy impacted indian second surge! NOTHING!

What could have been just done by
1. Jaishankar calling Blinken and making this request, then releasing a transcript of the call to the media about why it's important to loosen export restrictions.
2. Blinken, Klain and team sitting together figuring out what can be done soon.

3. Help announced, as much as possible. Policy changes too, whatever possible and deemed useful.
4. Everybody else keeps focusing on helping covid hit and keeping the Modi government working at least somewhat.

Instead this choonawalla tweet and everyone was like

This colossal counter productive collective twitter tantrum India threw was, as we say in bombay, ate drank nothing, broke glass ₹0.75.

Tactically, this was IT Cell's biggest win because this time, they also got many progressives worked up and involved in the distraction. Cos there was something legit that needed to be changed in US policies. But that in no way would've saved those in the hospital TODAY.

It was already an ongoing policy discussion within the US White House well before the tantrum for weeks about raw material exports and unused AZ vaccines and patent laws. It's not like Biden admin was like "nah, won't play".

thehill.com/policy/healthc…

This whole thing reminded me of how, after every terrorist attack from lashkar/jaish in India in the oughties, a big chunk of indian bloggers would get upset "why isn't US going after Dawood who is sitting in Karachi?"
While bristling at the slightest comment by US on kashmir 🙄

Desi twitter angrily crashed an ongoing policy debate within the US Democratic ecosystem on how to help the world more by opening up things and screamed at them to do it all instantly. Cool plan.