ASEAN and U.S.: As predicted by this blog, the Obama Administration is moving to create a comprehensive political-economic rapprochement with East and Southeast Asia. The economic arm of this policy direction will branch off of the existing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). So far, the TTP includes a free-trade agreements (FTA) with Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, which was concluded in 2005, but Washington hopes to expand Australia, Peru, South Korea, and Vietnam in the near term. Long term, the idea is to incorporate most of Southeast and East Asia. The U.S. does not want to see a line drawn down the middle of the Pacific with China in a leading roll opposite the U.S., similar to the situation between the U.S. and the EU, with the U.S. outside the bloc.
The U.S., China, and Japan are already promoting divergent overlapping frameworks for an Asian-Pacific Community. What is clear is that many Southeast Asian nations wish for a stronger U.S. presence in the region to balance China, something that Japan cannot do alone.
Michael Turton has an interesting post concerning objections to free trade agreements with China, most of it is concerning Taiwan, but he also outlines some grassroots issues in various Southeast Asian states, as well as the outcome of the “Early Harvest” program in Thailand. Warning: Turton is quite anti-China, to put it lightly.
Philippines: More than 70 people have been arrested since the national ban on firearms went into effect. To enforce the ban, there have been 3500 checkpoints set up around the country. The measure will not only apply to civilians but also off-duty military personnel, police officers, and private security. There are an estimated one million unlicensed firearms in the nation. The ban will last for five months, as part of an effort to stem the culture of organized political violence, which recently culminated in the November’s Election Massacre.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
