Tag: Qasem Soleimani

TGIF: “America First” Need Not Be Antiwar

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Today’s Trump-inspired “America First” faction cannot be counted on to be consistently noninterventionist and antiwar. That it may lean that way because its chief rival faction is so enthusiastic about foreign adventurism is hardly a firm assurance that it will remain antiwar in the future.

TGIF: “America First” Need Not Be Antiwar

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

Did a Chinese Lab-Leak Kill Twenty Million People?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Did a Chinese Lab-Leak Kill Twenty Million People?

Related:

Did the Military World Games Spread COVID-19?

Coronavirus may have been spreading since Wuhan Military Games last October

The impact of the World Military Games on the COVID-19 pandemic

There is a correlation between the number of individuals who travelled to the event and the number of COVID-19 cases in the country to which they returned. Whether this explains the rapid spread of the pandemic or not is not known definitively. However, this study shows a mathematical model to predict the number of COVID-19 cases in a country as a result of each infected individual travelling to that country.

Coronavirus

Notes from Wikipedia:

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HUGE. In China-Brokered Deal, Iran and Saudi Arabia Restore Diplomatic Ties

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

HUGE. In China-Brokered Deal, Iran and Saudi Arabia Restore Diplomatic Ties

Regime change for Saudi, or maybe some US-backed terrorist attacks?!

Related:

China brokers Iran-Saudi detente, raising eyebrows in Washington

Though blunting China’s influence in the Middle East and other parts of the world remains a priority for the Biden administration, it is of “two minds” about the latest agreement, said Jon Alterman, a Middle East scholar at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“It wants the Saudis to take increasing responsibility for their own security,” he said, “but it does not want Saudi Arabia freelancing and undermining U.S. security strategies.”

Why China’s belt and road plan is facing threat of jihadist terrorism

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Why China’s belt and road plan is facing threat of jihadist terrorism

Afghanistan and China share a 74km-long border along the mountainous Wakhan Corridor. At Beijing’s insistence, the Taliban relocated TIP militants from Badakhshan province, near the border, to other areas last year. However, some TIP elements are believed to have rebuilt their bases in Badakhshan.

Isis-K’s anti-China rhetoric may also be intended to attract Uygur militants to its fold. The more the Taliban regime curtail TIP activities, the greater the chances of Uygur militants gravitating towards Isis-K. According to a United Nations Security Council report, Isis-K has reached out to disgruntled fighters from other terrorist groups, and as many as 50 Uygur militants have joined it.

Notes for self:

  • ISIS-K, likely supported by the US, is actively recruiting members from groups like TIP, ETIM, and Uygur extremists to target China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
  • According to the Jamestown Foundation, a hawkish think tank, the Voice of Khorasan Magazine is produced by the al-Azaim Foundation for Media Production.
  • It’s noteworthy that ISIS-K adopted a name reminiscent of Voice of America, a US-funded media outlet, which raises questions about potential symbolic connections.