Chinese torture

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Europe, China, Chinese Torture, Contempt, Cue, Decline, Defence Spending, Economic Development, European Union, Freedoms, Hegemon, Olympic Summer, Peaceful World, Rulers, Ties, Two New Publications

The European Union may find dealing with the Middle Kingdom trickier than it expects
IN THIS Olympic summer, expect to hear a lot about the century of China’s rise and America’s decline. That sounds like good news for the European Union, and all who dream of a “multipolar” order in which European wealth counts as much [...]

Building BRICs of growth

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Brazil, China, India, Russia, Abundant Natural Resources, Bric Countries, Brics, Decade, Disposable Income, Economist, Economy, Electricity, Emerging Economies, Excavators, Gdps, Half Of The World, Infrastructure Investment, Investment Boom, Investment Ratio, Oil Crisis, Railways, Rapid Growth, Russia Crisis, Russia Economy, Russia S Economy, Telecommunications, Trillion

Record spending on infrastructure will help to sustain rapid growth in emerging economies
THE biggest investment boom in history is under way. Over half of the world’s infrastructure investment is now taking place in emerging economies, where sales of excavators have risen more than fivefold since 2000. In total, emerging economies are likely to spend an [...]

Oil to hit $400 a barrel by 2018

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in China, Oil, 1990s, Admiral, Caucasus, China, Chinese Economy, Countries, Energy Efficiency, Energy Prices, Gdp, High Quality, India, Nationalisation, Oil Fields, Oil Prices, Productivity, Quality Infrastructure, Russia, Three Times, Venezuela, World Gdp

“The big story is productivity in China,” he asserts, noting it is an incredible 9%, or three times the level of productivity in the US during its 1990s peak. Admiral Owens attributes this to the country’s high-quality infrastructure. It will allow the Chinese economy to soon become the second-largest in the world, with a GDP [...]

Analysis: An undetectable route to Iran

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Iran, Israel, Airspace, Bomb, Defense Missile, Enemy Fire, Fighter Jets, Fly, iaf, Imagine, Iran Air, iraq, Israel, Jordan, Missile Systems, Northern Israel, Nuclear Facilities, Radar Stations

Imagine this: Ten fighter jets take off from a base in northern Israel, fly over Jordan, Iraq and into Iran to bomb air-defense missile systems, radar stations and nuclear facilities. They then leave Iranian airspace safely without sustaining any enemy fire.
Sounds implausible? If the IAF has its way, the possibility will become realistic in the [...]

Russia Attempts to Revive Its Military

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Russia, Army, Attempt, Chief Of Staff, Dmitri Medvedev, Military Chief, moscow, New President, Russia, Russian Military

Russia’s new President Dmitri Medvedev recently sacked his military chief of staff. The move has been seen as an attempt to impose reform on the once-feared Russian military. Moscow says its army is rebounding, but experts say the reality is far different.
Read More…

China’s ballistic missile base near Taiwan

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Military, Missiles, Army Air Force, Ballistic Missile, Capability, China Taiwan, Deployment, Kilometers, Missile Base, People S Liberation Army, Satellite Photos, Ssm, Striking Range, Tactical Missiles, Taiwan Photos, Taiwan Satellite, Underground Targets, Variants, Warheads

Satellite photos of the Leping Ballistic Missile Base in China’s southeastern province of Jiangxi show that this is a key site for the deployment of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s DF-15A campaign tactical missiles. The direct distance from the base to Taiwan is 700 kilometers (435 miles).
It is apparent that the striking range of [...]

Hizbullah’s power play

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in Middle East, War, algeria, Civil War, Company Commander, Concise Description, David Galula, Fatah, Fln, French Experience, French Marines, Guidance, Hamas, hezbollah, Hizbullah, Indochina, Insurgency In Iraq, Lebanon, Lieutenant Colonel, Power Play, Revolutionary Movements, Revolutionary Theory, Theory And Practice

Understanding why Hizbullah refused to take over Lebanon is key not only for understanding Hizbullah but also for understanding Hamas, Fatah and the insurgency in Iraq.
A compelling answer to this question is found in David Galula’s classic work, Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice. Galula, who died in 1967, was a lieutenant colonel in the French [...]

South Korea plans farm development in Sudan to aid starving North Koreans

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Koreas, Aides, Cooperation, Farmland, Food Aid, Food Crisis, Grain Storage Facilities, Lee Myung-Bak, North Koreans, North-Korea, Omar El Bashir, President Lee, South Korean President, South-Korea, Sudan, Sudanese President

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak hopes to develop farmland in Sudan as part of efforts to secure offshore grain resources to help North Korea cope with its worsening food crisis.
Meeting with visiting Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir, Lee discussed the proposed cooperation, which includes building grain storage facilities, Lee’s aides said.
Read More…

Doomsday Vault Protects World’s Seeds on “60 Minutes”

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Off-Topic, 60 Minutes, Agricultural Production, Arctic Mountain, Centuries, climate change, Contingencies, Diversity, Doomsday Vault, Doors, Global Level, global warming, Man Made Disaster, Map, Multicultural Diversity, Norway, Seeds, Signs, Spitsbergen, Vault Doors, Worst Case Scenarios, Zoom

Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened its doors on February 26, 2008 to the world.
This ‘Doomsday Vault’ is part of an effort to protect the planet’s diminishing biodiversity.
The facility was dug deep into the frozen rock of an Arctic mountain on Spitsbergen, one of 3 Arpichelago Islands in Norway. Any seeds stored here will be secure [...]

Can you build a ’safe’ cluster bomb?

Posted by Matt in June 5th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, U.S., Battlefield, Bomblets, Cluster Bomb, Cluster Bombs, Dublin, Fuses, Guidance Systems, Hitting The Ground, Remnants, Self Destruct, Target, Targets, Weapon Works

Indeed, some cluster bombs now include guidance systems to ensure they arrive closer to their targets, and fuses that make bomblets self-destruct if they have not exploded after hitting the ground. This is in line with one “fix” permitted by the Dublin treaty, which is that bomblets should either “detect and engage a single target” [...]