For hundreds of years, people have debated whether syphilis came from the Americas or whether it, along with a number of closely related diseases, had a much longer history in Europe. Because the first undisputed outbreak was recorded in 1495, shortly after Columbus’s return, circumstantial evidence suggests an origin on the western shores of the [...]

read more....

Russia, Mr Sherr says, “will, by political and intelligence means, exploit disarray, ineptitude and division. It will, through pressure, partnership and bribery, seek to control the entire value chain in energy supply, transport and distribution. It will, by means of hard and soft power, seek to transform the former Soviet Union into a ‘zone of [...]

read more....

Three signs of the times, all reflecting a different aspect of the bluster and Soviet nostalgia that have become some of the most alarming aspects of the Putin regime.
1. The first is an announcement by Russia’s Defense Ministry that for the first time since 1990, army tanks and nuclear missiles will be part of [...]

read more....

Taking part in U.S. plans for a missile defense system in Eastern Europe may improve trans-Atlantic relations and help NATO overcome its identity crisis, says a German military expert.
The year 2008 will see many decisions, not only in the United States. It’s also a year in which NATO is expected to decide the future of [...]

read more....

There was, however, a second reason for America’s anger over the Chinese test. America is space’s pre-eminent military power. Or, more exactly, given that America has held back from putting weapons in space, it has used space to preserve and extend the pre-eminent military power it enjoys on earth. By using a missile to blow [...]

read more....

Modern American warfare relies on satellites. They make America powerful but also vulnerable, particularly in light of China’s new celestial assertiveness
If Napoleon’s armies marched on their stomachs, American ones march on bandwidth. Smaller Western allies struggle to keep up. Much of this electronic data is transmitted by satellites, most of them unprotected commercial systems. The [...]

read more....

Contemporary Russia is remarkably similar to post-World war I Germany. Both countries emerged from imperial collapse and regime change and experienced massive economic hardship and political chaos. Their populations felt humiliated and their imperial identities were battered, and they responded by blaming their enemies, former colonies, disloyal minorities — and democracy. Both countries turned to [...]

read more....

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to push this week for the construction of a web of pipelines that would cement Europe’s dependence on Russia’s energy supplies.
The Kremlin has proposed making this former Soviet satellite [Bulgaria] a gateway for a major new natural gas pipeline, called South Stream, which could branch off in several directions, [...]

read more....

Furthermore the public statements and actions of Iranian political and religious leaders make their pursuit of nuclear weapons a threat both within the region and, potentially, directly to us. Iran already actively sponsors terrorism and is constantly working to destabilize Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan. It has also called for the destruction of Israel. The consequences [...]

read more....

In a wider context, China’s soft power seems integral to what may be a campaign to revive the Middle Kingdom, the China of yesteryear that dominated Asia. Chinese armies won’t march across international borders but rather Beijing seeks to acquire such political, economic and diplomatic clout that major decisions in every Asian capital will require [...]

read more....

A European diplomat says the consensus is that a site in the Mideast nation bombed by Israel was part of an atomic program.
Western governments have concluded that Syria and North Korea were collaborating on a nuclear weapons program at a mysterious site in the Syrian desert that was bombed by Israel last year, a senior [...]

read more....

The Ministry of Defence of Russia has decided to revive the Soviet tradition of involving military armoured vehicles and missiles in the annual parade dedicated to the victory over Nazi Germany. On 9 May 2008 the Victory Parade will take place in Red Square with participation of not only tanks, but also the newest missile [...]

read more....

Oleg Kozlovsky has needled the Kremlin for two years, heading up an opposition youth movement, helping organize rallies against President Vladimir Putin and criticizing the regime in a Russian-language blog he puts out. Now Russian authorities have finally found a way to silence him.
They drafted him.
Kozlovsky is legally exempt from conscription and has the documents [...]

read more....

A not well-known fact shows Europe’s determination vis-a-vis Iran: the European Union has gone further than the two United Nations Security Council resolutions against Iran actually require. It has sanctioned additional entities and banned some additional transactions.
For instance, Dutch universities and research centers have been told by authorities to be very careful in accepting Iranian [...]

read more....

Chinese sub, Kitty Hawk in standoff
The Daily Yomiuri, Japan - 19 hours ago
… when the United States dispatched two aircraft carriers to the tense waters where China conducted a series of missile tests, the report said. …
Chinese Navy Confronted USS Kitty Hawk NewsMax.com
all 8 news articles »

read more....

The Hebrew YNet news Web site quoted unnamed defence officials as saying the test had been “dramatic”.
Israel Radio said the missile tested was capable of carrying an “unconventional payload”. It quoted unidentified foreign reports as saying Israel was developing the Jericho III long-range surface-to-surface missile.
Read More…
Israel test-fires ballistic missile after Iran warning
AFP - 7 minutes [...]

read more....

China and India are indisputably two powerful Asian nations and with both aspiring to attain global power status. This in itself carries the seeds of future competitive rivalries if not adversarial and conflictual potential. The latter element gets reinforced when it is taken into view the fact that China and India share an [...]

read more....