Well, they did it again! On 2-12-13 North Korea conducted it’s 3rd underground nuclear test….thus pushing it’s ambitious quest for nuclear weapons to the max. In an unintentionally longer rant, the Professor expounds upon 1)Why North Korea did it, 2)the world reaction and 3)Why this test most threatens the status and stability of China over all others. Of course, the US role in all of this is peppered in for halva’ too, as American policy in the Pacific is the one thing that will likely change the most as a result of this nuke test….and the tis part of the problem for China. Cheese-ing China game on!
Keywords: North Korea, nuclear, Kim Jong-Un, test, China, US, South Korea, Japan, missile defense shield, Pacific, security, stability, Cold War, World War
Holy diplomatic thaw! For the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, an Iranian head of state (currently President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) is visiting Egypt; a core of Arab culture and power. And this comes on the heels of the Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi visiting Iran a few months back…the first time that an Egyptian head of state has been to Iran since 1979 as well! Are we seeing the beginnings of an Islamic/theocratic alliance between these states, and thus Iran’s increasing influence spreading to the religiously conservative Muslim Brotherhood? Will Egypt go the way of theocratic Iran? Doubtful. Learn what the Professor makes of this most memorable Mahmoud/Morsi meeting in this podcast! Shoes will be thrown!
While the main stories out of the European Union center on the economic and financial fiasco that the block has been suffering through for years, the Professor actually sees a much bigger issue forming behind the scenes: a true ideological division of the EU, epitomized by the diverging roles of the 3 biggest players in the bunch…the EU-3! France suddenly has a new-found military leadership prowess; the Germans remain the bank and fiscal boss of Europe; and the Brits (who have never had a leadership role in the EU) are seemingly ready to bail out of the union altogether! This is much more than the standard disenchanted disagreements….this smells more like a devolution!
Keywords: EU, European Union, France, Germany, UK, US, Mali, devolution
Well, I totally did the podcast on new Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe two days too early! Radical developments in the assignment of his Cabinet and an announcement of a radically increased defense budget have changed the equation of what direction he will be taking Japan in for the coming year…and that direction is hawkish. Tune in to the Professor’s Godzilla-style rant on the particulars of the Samurai Shinzo shenanigans!
Keywords: Japan, LDP. DJP, defense spending, cabinet, defense budget, Senkaku, Yasukuni, hawkish, US relations, self-defense force, TPP, Godzilla, China, South Korea, India, Australia
Yo, wasabi with the Abe? Japan has a new Prime Minister, but he ain’t new to the job! In an effort to get smart, and get back into the swing of things in the plaid podcasting universe, the Professor is launching a run-down of new Presidents and Prime Ministers across the planet…and will possibly revisit some current leaders not likely to survive the year as well. Today’s top dog topic: Shinzo Abe, new Prime Minister of Japan. See what the Professor thinks are the things to watch for in this second round of Abe rule in the land of the rising sun!
Keywords: Shinzo Abe, Japan, LDP. DJP, economy, stagnant, Yasukuni, hawkish, US relations, self-defense force, TPP, Godzilla, China, South Korea
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