9000 US Marines are about to say “so long!” to Okinawa, Japan…from a much-contested US military base that has been a source of friction between these two allies for decades. In this podcast, the Professor sets the Okinawa stage of background for this saga, and more importantly discusses where these 9000 US Marines are likely to be going to—which is signaling a significant shift in priorities for the US military here in the 21st century. So, goodbye Japan, and hello US allies in the South China Sea!
Keywords: Okinawa, Japan, US, military, Marines, Futenma, airbase, Pacific, Asia, Guam, Hawaii, South Korea, South China Sea, Australia, Philippines, WW2, China, Indonesia, Vietnam
Sometimes the news can be good news! The historic April 1st election in Burma that saw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy win 43/45 parliamentary seats is being hailed as the first free and fair elections for 50 years! And it has caused a flurry of international activity from the US, the UK, the EU, Japan, and the world. Check out all the awesome details of the whirlwind of change in just the last 20 days! Viva democracy! Viva Aung San Suu Kyi!
Knock out the nukes! Well, at least the nuke weapons and random nuke materials floating around the planet! That is the new mission of the recently founded Nuclear Security Summit, which just convened it second meeting in Seoul, South Korea. Over 50 leaders of the world’s most powerful states got together to discuss how to make the world more secure from the threat of nuclear terrorism. Listen as the Professor rants about the structure of the NPT, the role of the IAEA, and what/why/how this Nuclear Security Summit will be playing into the future of nuclear nuances around the globe.
Keywords: Nuclear Security Summit, NPT, Nuclear Proliferation Treaty, IAEA, International Atomic Energy Agency, US, George Schultz, Russia, P5, South Korea, North Korea, Iran, nuclear material, plutonium, uranium, medical isotopes, terrorism
In tune with the Leap Year calendar, the North Korean leadership has a moment of sanity about every four years, and today is the day for both these events to unfold! How so? Kim Jong-Un’s North Korea has just brokered a deal with the US to have a moratorium on their nuclear program and to allow in IAEA inspectors, in exchange for food. This deal may or may not amount to anything given the psychotic history of the Hermit Kingdom, but the Professor points out several things that are of interest nonetheless, including: a possible new strategy for the Un-Kim regime; the re-start of the 6-Party; and how this move puts pressure on Iran. Leap it up!
Keywords: North Korea, US, China, nuclear, moratorium, starvation, food aid, 6-Party Talks, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Iran
Although not widely reported or known about, the awesome archipelago known as the Philippines has been battling Islamic extremists and terrorists on their southern flank for a decade, and has been covertly assisted in this mission by their staunch ally the US. This week, a strike against camps in the remote island of Jolo resulted in the deaths of some top dudes from Abu Sayyef and Jemaah Islamiyah, and possibly involved the use of drones. Dig the Professor rant about the dudes and drones and the Philippines right here!
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