BEIJING: China’s military, under an increased spotlight after a successful anti-satellite strike, has denied it is engaged in an arms race or is a threat to other countries, a state-run newspaper reported on Friday.
“We do not conceal our intention to build a strong and modern defense. We also tell the world candidly that the Chinese [...]

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Pressure from Capitol Hill has derailed Pentagon plans to refit nuclear-tipped Trident missiles with conventional warheads, which will force the U.S. military to seek more expensive ways to perform the prompt global strike (PGS) mission.
Lawmakers worry that placing conventional warheads on the Tridents could spawn confusion – and potentially global chaos – if other nations [...]

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By destroying a satellite, China has taken a small but critical step toward ending the US’ global dominance.
Although the US will remain the globe’s military No. 1 for decades, it must begin to contemplate a world in which it no longer stands alone.
The anti-satellite test was not the first jolt felt in Washington. Last October [...]

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Moscow 16:37:21.Russian President Vladimir Putin told a press conference for Russian and foreign journalists today that Russia’s response to the US setting up ballistic defense system in Europe would be unpredicted and highly effective. He explained that Russian experts doubted the fact that the US National Missile Defense System (NMDS) being deployed in Poland and [...]

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India and Russia are working jointly to explore possibilities of developing a more advanced weapon system than BrahMos — probably a Hypersonic Cruise Missile, BrahMos Aerospace CEO and Managing Director A Sivathanu Pillai said today.
Talking to reporters here, Pillai said, “Now we are the leaders in supersonic missile system with the successful development of Brahmos [...]

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MOSCOW: Even as the United States intensified its efforts to isolate Iran, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia would consider OPEC- like cooperation with Iran on sales of natural gas. He stopped short of endorsing price fixing, however, saying he was concerned only with ensuring stable supplies for consuming nations.
Putin reiterated Russia’s opposition to [...]

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Although America’s nuclear umbrella for Japan dates back to the end of World war II, the United States has not limited nuclear guarantees to historic allies. In order to convince Ukraine to disgorge the nuclear weapons that remained on its territory after the break-up of the Soviet Union, Washington reportedly provided Kiev with some security [...]

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Although you wouldn’t know it listening the bellicose rhetoric of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s leadership has the jitters. While the President this week stayed on message, proclaiming that “our nation is swiftly on track to becoming a superpower,” anxiety over the possibility of a military confrontation with the U.S. in Iraq and further damage to [...]

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Attacks on British Jews soared to record levels last year in the wake of Israel’s war against Hizbullah in Lebanon, according to a report published yesterday.
There were 594 anti-semitic incidents in 2006, and more than a fifth took place during the war in July and August. More than 100 incidents made direct reference to Israel [...]

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Tokyo, Jan. 19 (CNA) The U.S. and Japanese militaries are scheduled to conduct joint exercises Jan. 29 to Feb. 8 to practice dealing with any crises that might break out on the Korean Peninsula or in the Taiwan Strait, Japan’s Defense Agency reported Thursday.
The joint drills are aimed at thrashing [...]

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Washington, Feb. 1 (CNA) Chinese provocations against Taiwan could result in an extended disruption to the world’s chip supply chain, particularly as Taiwan is set to become the world’s leading manufacturer of DRAM chips in 2007, U.S.-Taiwan Business Council President Rupert Hammond-Chambers said Wednesday.
Hammond-Chambers said the recent destruction of a [...]

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By Rodger Baker
http:///www.stratfor.com
The year 2007 is an important one for China’s leadership. At the
National People’s Congress (NPC) session in March, the government
is likely to enact legislation equalizing the status of private
property with state property and addressing the imbalance in tax
rates between foreign and domestic businesses — both moves
designed to encourage domestic Chinese entrepreneurship. In the
fall, [...]

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How will global politics evolve from the US’ seemingly slipping hegemony? Some observers believe that geopolitics is evolving into a system with three great powers - the US, China and the EU - over the next several decades, with Japan and India playing secondary roles.
While relations between these countries will vary according to specific issues, [...]

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srael will be facing a possible threat to its vital space-based assets within the coming decade for which it has to start preparing immediately, Israel Air Force chief Maj.-Gen. Elazar Shkedy told the second Ilan Ramon Annual International Space Conference in Herzliya Wednesday.
His comments came in light of China’s destruction on January 11 of one [...]

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General Garayev revealed that the authors of the doctrine differed over whether to address military threats exclusively or to incorporate a broader range of international threats emanating from political, economic, and technological factors. The general clearly favors the second approach, insisting that “military and non-military threats should be viewed as an integral whole.” Perhaps for [...]

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MOSCOW, February 1 (Itar-Tass) — Russia will counter challenges to its national security, such as the creation of elements of a US anti-ballistic missile system in the territory of Russia’s neighbors in the West - with “highly effective and asymmetric responses,” President Vladimir Putin told the annual news conference for foreign and Russian mass [...]

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MOSCOW, Jan. 31 — The Russian government on Wednesday tentatively approved two laws that would sharply restrict foreign ownership of oil and natural gas fields, putting in writing a growing practice in this country.
One law bans foreign majority ownership of companies in the aerospace, military and nuclear power industries, while stating that all others should [...]

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PARIS, Jan. 31 — President Jacques Chirac said this week that if Iran had one or two nuclear weapons, it would not pose a big danger, and that if Iran were to launch a nuclear weapon against a country like Israel, it would lead to the immediate destruction of Tehran.
President Jacques Chirac being interviewed Monday [...]

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