Forget Angry Birds, we got some serious Angry Asians! Major animosity is breaking out between China and Japan right now….over a bunch of rocks! Say what? That’s right: the Senkaku aka Diaoyu Islands just north of Taiwan have become a flash point of possible open conflict between the Asian economic titans, although the islands themselves probably aren’t worth two shakes of salt. Listen as the Professor explains the current actions between the irate island hoppers, the history of how it came to this, and the bigger repercussions to the Pacific region, and the world.
North Korea has been historically, and categorically, totally bat-shit crazy for decades…a small, starving nation led by megalomaniacs bent on creating an isolated, Marxist utopia based on misinformation and fear. Their main country goals have been to swell the ranks of their military and to create a nuclear weapon in order to be taken seriously by the outside world, at the expense of actually having any sort of real economy that provides jobs and food for their people. But it appears that possibly they are turning the corner on this insane, and totally unsustainable, approach here as of late, as their new leader Kim Jong-Un is changing the tone of the country, and of his leadership style as well! He is way more open to the public eye than his insane daddy ever was, and suddenly the country itself is opening to outside trade and influence! Crazy stuff! But will it continue, and will it be enough to truly open the ‘Hermit Kingdom’ for good?
Keywords: North Korea, China, Uncle Chang Song-thaek, Yong Nam, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Disney
Is a new ‘Chinese Containment Policy’ underway? It sure looks like it to the Plaid Avenger and friends! As the USA continues to focus more time, attention, money, and military into Asia as a whole, SouthEast Asia in particular looks to be the region that is gaining the most-est in terms of US love. Visits from top US officials, investment from top US companies, and strategic US military ties are all being formed at a break-neck speed across the ASEAN block…all of which serve to bolster US influence in the region while simultaneously side-lining China’s aggressive attempts to do the same thing! The battle for Pacific primacy on!
Keywords: Chinese Containment, ASEAN, US, China, South China Sea, Vietnam, Burma, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Japan, South China Sea, military, economics, GE
Sacré bleu et un skunk de pew! The center-left Socialist Party of France has now swept into power and controls the entire government…both the Presidency and the entire Parliament are center-left, which means they have a mandate from the people, and the political power, to create all kinds of new policies to deal with the current European economic meltdown. This is setting up an ideological showdown between left and right about the role of government and how to fix the economy…a showdown not just in France, but in Europe as a whole. Oh, and that in turn will affect the whole planet! Is a resurgence of socialist forces worldwide underway? We shall see, based mostly on how the French fare with their leftist leanings…
From Shangri-la to Washington, DC, America has got a fever for the flava’ of Asian alliances! US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was showing the love to Singapore, VIetnam, and India last week while talking defense strategies in the Asia ‘hood, and elaborating more about the US forces shift to the Asia-Pacific realm. Now Hillary Clinton is hosting an Indian delegation here in the US to further woo the South Asian power into inceased integration and cooperation with the Americans on a variety of other issues. These moves reflect the changing nature of US initiatives, changing US alliances, and also are indicative of how important India is becoming to future US policy on that side of the planet.
Keywords: US, Shangri-La, Singapore, Vietnam, Cam Rahn Bay, India, US-India strategic dialogue, SCO, China, Afghanistan, Asia-Pacific, Pacific, Indian Ocean, military
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