The latest month’s wackiness in the world of international relations, politics, and brinkmanship.
China’s State Media Blame U.S. for Near Collision of Warships: I start to wonder how far and how fast China is willing to ratchet up tensions over the Senkaku’s? It seems that China is not unwilling to provoke an incident. What happens if they pull something like this in the future and the US retaliates by sinking a Chinese ship, maybe even their beloved waste of a carrier? Never mind that this whole incident is akin to Hitler blaming Poland for WWII.
India-US row over arrest of diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York escalates: though this piece is not strictly military it begs the question of what the US thinks it is accomplishing in the realm of international relations. The Obama administration and State Department seem to have a positive talent for making enemies of friends and making enemies hold the US in even more contempt than had hitherto been the case. From the “reset” with Russia, bowing to the Saudi king, Benghazi, to weakness against Iran American foreign policy has been one set of disasters and mistakes after another under the current president. One thing is certain, the next president can just about only make things better.
Saudi Arabia warns it will act against West’s policy in Middle East: It has only taken Saudi 3 years to realize that Saudi and Western intentions in Syria are not the same? I am actually surprised that they figured it out this early. Then again, I fully expect Saudi financed arms to end up disproportionately in the hands of Muslim extremist groups as well. I also expect Saudi to express dismay at such thoughts but continue to buy arms anyway.
Russian city hit by suicide bombing for second straight day: I will not be surprised in the slightest is Chechen rebels make more than one attempt to attack the olympics. Expect more attacks as the games approach as terrorists try to scare off people and teams from the games.
Al-Qaeda-linked force captures Fallujah amid rise in violence in Iraq: Further proof that the US accomplished exactly nothing besides killing Saddam Hussein with the 2003 invasion. Modern geopolitics is wonderful.
U.S. troops prevented from helping even as al Qaeda overruns Iraqi cities: Kerry says war no longer belongs to Americans: Of course, what would anyone expect to hear from the waste of oxygen that Kerry is? This is the guy that dishonored himself and his comrades from his own war after all.
General: Strategic Military Satellites Vulnerable to Attack in Future Space War: Does anyone seriously think that space assets won;t be the first thing destroyed in any future war between reasonably developed countries. If the US dos not have plans to knock down opponent’s satellites in the case of conflict then we have some pretty big morons running our nation’s defenses.
Security alert in southern Russia as bodies found in bomb-rigged cars: Anybody willing to take bets on some kind of terrorist attack at the Winter Olympics next month? I am not. Russia’s Muslim terrorists are even more rabid than those elsewhere. Remember, it was Caucasian Muslims that perpetrated the Beslan attack in 2004 that killed 380 and the Moscow Theater Siege that in 2002 in which 133 hostages were killed.
The misuse of American might, and the price it pays: One the best analysis pieces I have read about the failure of American strategy in Iraq in a good long while. Well worth reading.