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!
The 6th Summit of the Americas just wrapped up in Cartagena, Colombia…and it could not have been more of a debacle for the United States! President Obama went to this grand meeting of the leaders of all the countries of the Americas (minus Cuba!) in order to rebuild bridges and ties after decades of US apathy towards Latin America. He failed. The status of Cuba, the miserable Drug War in the Americas, and even a US Secret Service scandal involving hookers has perhaps widened the gap between the US and the rest of the hemisphere. No bueno!!!
Keywords: Summit of Americas, US, Latin America, OAS, Organization of American States, Drug War, Cuba, legalization, decriminalization, embargo, Secret Service, Colombia
Big news unfolding on the Arabian Peninsula concerning what is shaping up to be a major power player in Middle Eastern action for the 21st century: the GCC! That’s right, the little known Gulf Cooperation Council just had an official joint meeting with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to discuss how this small band of 6 Arab states will likely become a major arm of power in the region, as the US is selling them butt-loads of arms and even promised a missile defense shield to the group! A much more potent player than the larger and unruly Arab League, this GCC group is the one to watch for possible moves against Iran, or even one of their own in Syria! Find out more about it here!
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
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