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Category: Geopolitics

April 3, 2006

J Diplomat Kills Himself Over PRC Extortion Attempt

What’s interesting to me about this Japan Times story is that the authorities of both countries appear to have had little interest in keeping matters from getting public and nasty. Espionage is a fact of international relations, but it only tends to become a matter of public acrimony in the presence of inter-governmental hostility. Update: The Yomiuri Shimbun reports that Japan has cut off new loans to China “due to strained relations.”

Categories Asia/China/Diplomacy/Geopolitics/Japan
February 19, 2006

When Power Comes from the Wire of a Modem

The Washington Post has a fascinating look at how the Internet forced the Chinese government to retreat – partially – in its censorship of the journal “Freezing Point” (previous posts here). Why didn’t Beijing simply follow Mao’s old “barrel of a gun” formula this time? Because the Chinese economy must sustain sufficiently high growth to absorb a flood of excess laborers from rural areas to preserve social stability, which places China between the Scylla of rising dissent and the Charibdis...

Categories Censorship/China/Geopolitics/Human Rights/NK Economics/WTF?
February 14, 2006

Ban Makes U.N. Candidacy Official

Ban Ki-Moon, South Korea’s Foreign Minister, chief promoter of appeasement of the North, and occasional provider of adult supervision to Roh Moo-Hyun’s government, is making official what has been known for months: he wants to be U.N. Secretary General. He would succeed Kofi Annan, who presided over the Oil-for-Food scandal, a procurement scandal, sexual abuse scandals, and several partially successful genocides without being driven out of office in shame (as if). Expect the Bush Administration to work quietly, behind the...

Categories An Alliance?/Appeasement/Asia/Geopolitics/Human Rights/Korean Politics/Uncategorized
June 24, 2005

A LESSON FROM ‘TEAM AMERICA’ ON WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE UN

I recently watched “Team America: World Police,” which although was full of needless vulgarity (another point they were trying to make, I think), make some very good, and funny, observations. I do wonder why it take a satirical comedy with dolls to drive home the point about the UN. As a Korea-watcher, this is a classic scene; Kim Jong Il: Hans Brix? Oh no! Oh, herro. Great to see you again, Hans! Hans Blix: Mr. Il, I was supposed to...

Categories Geopolitics/Media Criticism/North Korea
December 31, 1969

America’s Energy Future

Although new oil reserves are routinely discovered in the U.S. and other parts of the world, eventually oil will be almost entirely consumed. And the looming lack of oil is about much more that just transportation (which includes asphalt for roads, by the way), and keeping the lights, heat, and air-conditioning on. Take a look around you ““ see any plastic? Plastics and many other synthetics are manufactured from oil, from the mouse in your hand, to the insulation of...

Categories Geopolitics/NK Economics/Technology/Uncategorized