A Turkish court just sentenced a concert pianist 10 months of jail time for ‘insulting religion.’ Say what? I thought Turkey was a total secular society and well established democracy where such things are unheard of? Indeed! Thus my interest in the story! Is this ruling a sign that Turkey’s ruling AK Party is moving to make the country “more religious”….or is it just an example of a typical conservative issue that occurs in societies the world over? Hmmm…maybe a little of both, but in Turkey’s case the outcome of such a shift will have influence in other Islamic states across the region, and the world.
It finally happened! The months-ago anointed new leaders of China have officially taken the helm of Asia’s super-power state! Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang are the new President and Premiere/Prime Minister, respectively, of China….and will likely maintain that status for the next decade. What are these guys going to do, going to focus on, and what may change in China with the change-out of leaders? The Professor examines some possible policy shifts, but much continuity, with these Chinese chaps, in the physical context of their coming-out to the world party at Boao; an international think-tank forum….yet another sign of the changing times that brings more focus to Asia, and China in particular.
Forgive my bluntness, but this wanna-be demi-god of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un, is making monumentally stupid moves at this point that are going to have repercussions far beyond the current Korean crisis. As he ramps up the insanity and provocations, it is not the USA that is changing its strategy: it may be that South Korea and Japan make moves towards nuclear armament themselves! And who stands to lose the most in an escalated Asian arms race? China, who can’t be too none happy about any of this mess! Dig this Professor pontification on this Korean conundrum….
Keywords: North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, USA, war, provocation, escalation, arms race, nuclear, nuclear weapon, nuclear arms, nuclear energy, enrichment, threat, arms race, Asia
A 21st century power battle has begun, and not many are paying attention to it. No, it’s not a military showdown…it is the amount of economic power that corporations increasingly hold over sovereign states. Back in the day, the states called the shots, but more and more power is being siphoned to multinational corporations and financial houses, at the expense of governments. This run-down of a couple of current events shows two opposite approaches: India just dissed a drug company’s power, while the US simultaneously reinforced a food company’s power. Dig this, and rage along with me!
Well, the rhetoric and the actual action has heated up to a possible point of no return between North Korea and the United Sates and its allies. Will a war occur? Will the Chinese get involved? Will the North Korean leadership become sane? Only time will tell, but that time may be coming soon, as the US has thrown down a gauntlet of sorts by flying B-2 Stealth Bomber exercise missions across the Korean Peninsula as a show of force, and of intent. Why is all of this suddenly getting so hot right this second? Ah! The Professor has 8 different reasons that have collided at this juncture in history to create a perfect storm of a possible war. Not all are obvious, but they are the the well-informed…and that is you!
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