Where is the political courage of yesteryear?

Are We Back to Nuclear Brinkmanship for Good?

In his speech last week, Sullivan said the world was at an “inflection point” that demanded “new strategies for achieving the same goal we’ve held since the Cold War: Reduce the risk of nuclear conflict.” Instead, we seem to be inching inexorably back toward a time when, as Kennedy commented 60 years ago, any “two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, [can] decide to bring an end to civilization.”

*Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Ms. Cat’s Chronicles.

NATO to expand Asia-Pacific presence by opening office in Japan + What can China do about it?

Last week, news emerged that NATO intends to open a liaison office in Tokyo, Japan next year. The office would be NATO’s first in the Asia-Pacific region and represents the increasing role of the organisation in preparation for a US-led war against China. Both Tokyo and NATO have confirmed the plans.

NATO to expand Asia-Pacific presence by opening office in Japan

Related:

What can China do against NATO’s foray into Asia?

So what can China do to respond to this attempt at ‘alliance encirclement’ against it? First, it can strengthen its ties with Russia and aim to create a deeper balance of power in the Asia-Pacific. Secondly, it can revitalize old alliances and strengthen its ties with North Korea as a military partner. After all, the DPRK is still obligated by the 1961 treaty of mutual assistance to come to China’s aid in a war and can be used to contain Japan and South Korea. Thirdly, it can look to build new military partnerships with regional countries who feel similarly threatened by US expansionism; for example, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. While the rest of ASEAN are likely to stay neutral, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam (excluding the US-aligned Philippines), China should work to improve its relationships with these countries in order to prevent the US from trying to ‘force’ them to choose.

Desperate for a ‘win’ in Europe, USA mulls merging Ukraine with Poland

Ukronazis subsumed into a new superstate with Poland (and maybe Lithuania, too)? What could possibly go wrong? Some US policymakers may be fantasising about a new east European superstate under their control, but even the most rigorous rewriting of the history books will have difficulty convincing Poles to forget about the genocide they suffered at the hands of Stepan Bandera and his SS partners-in-crime during WW2.

Desperate for a ‘win’ in Europe, USA mulls merging Ukraine with Poland

The Tragedy of US Diplomacy Pushing for War, But Never Peace

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

In a brilliant op-ed published in the New York Times, the Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi explained how China, with help from Iraq, was able to mediate and resolve the deeply-rooted conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whereas the United States was in no position to do so after siding with the Saudi kingdom against Iran for decades. The title of Parsi’s article, “The U.S. Is Not an Indispensable Peacemaker,” refers to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s use of the term “indispensable nation” to describe the U.S. role in the post-Cold War world.

The Tragedy of US Diplomacy Pushing for War, But Never Peace