Tag: military exercises

Armenia is pivoting to the West + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Twitter/X

Link

This claim that Azerbaijan is establishing itself under the autocractic influence of Russia explains most of the perception managing narrative presented via the media lately.

Armenia is pivoting to the West, it’s time for Europe to step up

Related:

‘Armenia is pivoting to the West. It’s time for Europe to step up’

For the past year, I have been working with and advising the Armenian government on their efforts to strengthen their democracy and promote peace in the South Caucasus. This is something I believe deeply in. That is why I launched the independent Friends of Armenia Network – a high-level group that includes former prime ministers, European commissioners, ministers, and sitting parliamentarians. In a report published on March 27, we proposed a detailed approach that the European Union should take to help make Armenia’s Western, democratic trajectory irreversible.

– Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Rasmussen Global: Anders Fogh Rasmussen launches high-level group to support democratic Armenia

Rasmussen’s Report: Deepening EU-Armenia relations: More Europe in Armenia

“Friends of Armenia” turned out to be crooks, schemers and chumps

Russia MFA: Friends of Armenia Network report objective is to tear Armenia from Russia, EAEU

USAID: U.S. Enhances Support For Armenia At The U.S.-EU High-Level Meeting

2002: Divided They Conquer: Armenian Ethnic Lobbies in the United States (Most are still active) – H/T: Penny2

Brazil: Haiti and Latin American Imperialists

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Full video

Related:

Brazil reinforces border with Venezuela, Guyana with armored vehicles

Guyana, Brazil expand strategic military cooperation

Growing US Military Presence in Brazil

Why Lula Is Silent on Haiti

From 2004 to 2017, Brazil led the military component of the United Nations-backed peacekeeping mission to Haiti known as MINUSTAH. Since the U.N. Security Council authorized a new mission to Haiti last October, however, Brasília has been shy about supporting the operation. Brazil has offered to train Haitian police forces, but it has declined multiple requests from both the United States and United Nations to provide forces or financing for a new mission.

Manila escalates South China Sea row as it continues trick of ‘playing victim’ + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
Full video

Manila escalates South China Sea row as it continues trick of ‘playing victim’

According to experts, Marcos’ tough words serve domestic political purposes when he needs to shift Filipinos’ discontent over his administration’s performance on livelihood and the economy, and are also a response to the “support” from countries outside the region, including the US. 

…

“The US is the biggest external disturbance to peace and stability in the South China Sea,” Ding said, “without instigation from US, it is more likely that China and the Philippines would manage their differences through negotiation and consultation.”

Related:

The facts and truth about Ren’ai Jiao

Read More »

PH: Compared To China, US Trade, Investment Offers Laughable + More

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)1 Comment

Compared To China, US Trade, Investment Offers Laughable

On the other hand, the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) donations of China alone that are reality– Chico River Irrigation Pump, Davao Bucana Bridge, Estrella-Pantaleon and Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, the ongoing Kaliwa Dam Project that would provide 600/mld (million liters per day) to drying Metro-Manila and hundreds other projects– already count billions of dollars, not to mention private investments like DITO Telecoms’ $ 3.9 billion investment in our telecom sector.

Related:

Read More »

Lighting Up the Gray Zone: The Philippines-Taiwan Counter-Coercion Toolkit

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Perry World House’s Thomas Shattuck and Robin Garcia are out with an important new white paper which recommends the public release of visual information to counter China’s coercive activities, using the Philippines and Taiwan as examples. As the champions of “assertive transparency”, SeaLight enthusiastically welcomes this timely new scholarship!

Lighting Up the Gray Zone: The Philippines-Taiwan Counter-Coercion Toolkit

Perry World House is at the University of Pennsylvania, another university funded by the US government. I’ve updated my Project Myoushu document, to reflect the following:

The origin of Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation. It’s sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, an organization within the Department of Navy. I saw it over at the Asian Century Journal, yesterday.

From a previous post.

Related:

Documents

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties & US, Philippines to expand strategic port

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties & US, Philippines to expand strategic port

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Japan, U.S. and Philippines to discuss stronger military ties

The three foreign ministers will discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the wake of increasing collisions in the South China Sea between ships from the Philippines and China.

…

They agreed to work toward signing a Reciprocal Access Agreement that would make it easier for members of the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military to engage in joint training exercises by simplifying procedures to obtain visas and bring weapons and ammunition into each other’s countries.

Japan will also provide funds for the Philippines to acquire a coastal surveillance radar system.

Related:

US, Philippines to expand strategic port

Read More »

Is the Philippines becoming a US ‘proxy’ against Beijing in the South China Sea?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Is the Philippines becoming a US ‘proxy’ against Beijing in the South China Sea?

‘The ants that get trampled on’

Not everyone agrees with drawing closer to the US, however, and they warn about the Philippines turning into a “proxy” for American interests. The president’s own sister Imee, a senator, told ANC Digital earlier this month that “China will always be our neighbour, we have no fight with them, let’s not get dragged into a fight that’s not our own.”

Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy, director of the pro-China Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute, wrote in the Manila Times on February 10 that “agreements such as the EDCA, the VFA and the Mutual Defence Treaty have not only cemented the US military presence and influence in the Philippines but also, most importantly, exemplified the Philippines’ dependence on the US in the military and defence sector.”

Teresita Ang See, former president of the Philippine Association for Chinese Studies and currently part of its advisory council, told This Week in Asia: “Filipinos in general condemn China’s action. But many also understand that China’s assertiveness is in response to US, Japanese and Australian provocations and increasing military presence in the Philippines.”

She warned that “we are fighting a proxy war between the US and China and in the end we will be the ants that get trampled upon”.

H/T: Johnsonwkchoi

Related:

Responding to the Catholic Bishops

Philippines counts the cost of tough South China Sea stance against Beijing