Brian Berletic, December 15, 2025
Renewed fighting along the Thai–Cambodian border in December highlights how local disputes in Southeast Asia are increasingly shaped by broader great-power strategies aimed at constraining China’s rise.
Thai-Cambodian Conflict Threatens Asian Stability by Design (archived)
Tag: Belt and Road Initiative
‘Make Europe Great Again’ and more from a longer version of the National Security Strategy
From Brexit to Bannon’s failed Movement, the through‑line has always been fragmentation: dismantling the European Union into smaller, more pliable states that Washington could manage one‑by‑one. Where Bannon faltered, Heritage has stepped in — not only with slogans, but with policy machinery designed to export Trump’s nationalist agenda across the Atlantic.
‘Make Europe Great Again’ and more from a longer version of the National Security Strategy
Read More »Nigeria as a Battleground for U.S.–China Influence?
The following quotes are from an article I’m currently working on for Venezuela.
Sir Walter Raleigh, a leading figure in early English colonization, once declared, “For whosoever commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself.“
Read More »CSIS’ Ryan Berg’s 2025 statement before the House Homeland Security Committee Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security warned that Chinese port projects in adversarial states could offer a “permissive environment” for future PLA Navy operations.
Washington’s “Second Coming” to Asia: Militants, Ports, and Pressure Points

President Trump’s renewed focus on regaining the Bagram Air Base and developing Pakistan’s Pasni Port signals Washington’s attempt to reassert strategic influence in a region increasingly dominated by China, Russia, and Iran.
Pakistan’s Pasni Port, located in Balochistan province, sits at the crossroads of strategic infrastructure and insurgent resistance. The Western-backed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), active in the region, has long targeted Chinese-financed projects. The BLA maintains ties with both the Pakistan Taliban and ISIS-K—a faction recently linked to recruiting Uygur militants. Separately, U.S. support for Uygur militants predates this trend, with allegations tracing back to the 1970s/1980s. Rep. Perry has claimed that ISIS-K received backing from USAID, adding another layer to the region’s militant entanglements.
This only deepens my suspicion that recapturing Bagram Air Base could serve as a launchpad—not merely for tactical leverage, but to stir Uygur militant resistance against Beijing or pressure China with a second front in the event of a future Pacific conflict.
Sources:
BLA: U.S. Proxies in Balochistan document
ISIS-K & Uygur militants: ISIS has its sights set on a new potential ally—Uyghur jihadi groups
CIA & Uygur militants: US & TERRORISM IN XINJIANG
Uygur militants: *Xinjiang*
USAID & ISIS-K: Rep. Perry reveals what some of us already knew about USAID
Bagram Air Base: Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?
ISIS has its sights set on a new potential ally—Uyghur jihadi groups
The Balkans are heating up: two anti-Serb military alliances have formed . In response, Serbia has united with Hungary.
Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?
Political West’s “Divide And Rule” Strategy of Destabilizing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the most ambitious infrastructure and economic integration project ever devised, linking over 140 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. Much unlike the political West, Beijing is trying to project power through economic means, a starkly different approach to that of the most aggressive power pole in human history.
Political West’s “Divide And Rule” Strategy of Destabilizing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) (archived)
Global Power Play: The Untold Story of Iran, The Dollar, & The BRICS Challenge
Board Games and Bottlenecks
Battling for Dominance: Board Games and Bottlenecks
Originally titled, Board Games and Bottlenecks
by Tina Antonis


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