China tries to break into the Pacific

 

China has aggressively been trying to break out of the containment ring that has been set around it.  While the US has fashioned the "Quad" (India, Australia,Japan, and the US) and AUKUS (Aussies, Britain, US) alliances, China has tried to reach accommodations with Pacific micronations in what are called "bilateral security and aid packages".  The idea is to build Chinese navy and bases there clearly.  Australia, too busy repressing its own citizens, was caught off guard when the Solomon Islands signed such a deal with Beijing.  After the Chinese tour of ten Pacific islands did not end with an agreement between the small school of Pacific dots and Asia's greatest power (this time), Beijing began sending large flight of fighter jets through Taiwanese airspace.  Most alarming is the large number of Chinese ships WEST of Taiwan.  Exercise or taking up station? 

With Blundering Biden's commitment to Taiwan and his staffs walking back of such comments, you start putting the pieces together and an alarming picture comes into focus.

The new Cold War is not--nor was it ever going to be--in Europe.  It it the Pacific and some of these islands--Solomans, New Guinea, Guadalcanal, Midway, Guam--are places you have heard of before.

Time to get some new maps and start to become familiar with them!

Happy Memorial Day!

 

Tomorrow, China's aggressive Pacific moves...

Finland and Sweden in NATO...forget about China?

 

Finland and Sweden are actively trying to join NATO, abandoning traditional (since 1945 in Finland) neutrality.  They cite a fear of potential Russian aggression.  The problem is that given Russia's underwhelming military performance in Ukraine, it just seems a little premature.  Plus, now this gives Russia a reason to aim nukes at Helsinki and Stockholm. Finland's early bilateral agreement with Britain was probably a good middle route.

Meanwhile, China is basically surrounding Taiwan with ships and planes and there seems some stockpiling of supplies in southeast China right across from what Beijing calls "the renegade province".  The there was the news of the Soloman Islands sighing a basing agreement with China, giving Beijing a stepping stone beyond the First Island Chain.  The Solomans and China say it is not a basing agreement, but we know what that means--its a Chinese base.

Australia was upset, considering the area it sphere of influence.  If they had not been so busy repressing their own citizens, they might have notice the Chinese diplomatic incursion on their front door.

Be on the lookout for the moving of superconductor chip manufacturing to the US. Taiwan leads the world in this field, but if that capacity is moved stateside, it might be over for Taiwan before it even starts.  

Next, Indonesia will start to see a lot of Western and Chinese "aid packages" coming their way and Chinese attempts to attempt to cruise towards Guam and Pearl Harbor without being seen.

If History does not repeat, it certainly rhymes.

Happy May 12!

 

Happy May 12th!

Big holiday and celebration of victory over The Citadel!  

Michelle and I have been running around out in the Arizona desert over the last couple of weeks and it seems really odd to see green after so long!

Shout about Friday the 13th tomorrow and how Finland and China might start a third world war!

The masks are gone!

 

Cheers erupted on airplanes and in the airports as a federal judge overturned the useless mask mandates for planes, trains, and public transportation.  The unelected CDC is upset and maybe there is a challenge coming though it seems that the current administration went out of the way to announce that the TSA would not enforce the non-law mandate.  Obviously, they are trying to claim credit for the announcement even though the illegal decree was their idea in the first place.

The Great Dictator is not all powerful.

The airlines and flight attendants have been begging for the decree to be lifted.  The last 24 hours have been the happiest we have seen on airlines in a very long time!

Don't let them do this again!

Passive resistance can shut it down in 24 hours if Americans find their courage again.

So find it!

Russia off UN Human Rights Council--Canada and Austrailia next?

 

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Moscow was thrown off the UN Human Rights Council.  It only stands to reason that repressive countries like Canada and Australia, trampling peaceful protesters and forcibly deporting their citizens to quarantine camps, would be next. 

The United Nations lost credibility a long time ago, so UN sanction really does not mean much.

This brings us to the question--Why do we have a United Nations?

It might be time for them to relocate to someplace more fitting like Cairo or even Casablanca.  As for the UN Building, that is a lot of office space not generating any revenue for a cash starved US government.

Give the US disregard for the UN, exemplified by multiple overseas American military operations since 2003, I am surprised this question has not bounced around Washington, DC. Our $11 billion has plenty of uses here at home and our trillion dollar budget deficit cannot really handle such hand outs.

The UN is good for humanitarian operations and peacekeeping, so let's not get rid of it completely.

But unless it does what it is supposed to do, let's not make it more than it really is--a glorified debating society.

Happy Anniversary!

One this day in 2007, I gave Michelle her ring in front of Heinz Field!  In 2012, I successfully defended my thesis on Greek hoplite warfare!  Pictured below is the site of both the historic event and the happy couple!