China’s Military Buildup Stokes Regional Arms Race

Posted by Matt in March 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Asia, China, China Military, China S Military, Conventional Weapons, Defense Modernization, Global Insights, Military Buildup, Modernization Efforts, Southeast Asian Countries, Southeast Asian Neighbors, Weapons Systems

China’s Southeast Asian neighbors are engaging in a sustained military buildup, with their imports of major conventional weapons systems almost doubling in volume in the five-year period from 2005 to 2009, compared to the 2000-2004 period. Although some of these imports may have replaced obsolete weapons or matched purchases by other Southeast Asian countries, China’s [...]

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Burma: A Nuclear Wannabe, Suspicious Links to North Korea

Posted by Matt in January 29th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Asia, Nuclear, Burma, David Albright, Defectors, Dissident Groups, Extreme Caution, Fuel Cycle Facilities, Ground Photos, Military Dictatorship, Military Regime, Missile Program, North-Korea, Nuclear Reactors, Overhead Imagery, Overseas Suppliers, Paul Brannan, Procurements, Robert Kelley, Scheel, Stricker, Technology Goods, Uranium Mines

New Proliferation Assessments on Burma
Burma: A Nuclear Wannabe, Suspicious Links to North Korea; and High-Tech Procurements to Enigmatic Facilities
by David Albright, Paul Brannan, Robert Kelley, and Andrea Scheel Stricker
For several years, suspicions have swirled about the nuclear intentions of Burma’s secretive military dictatorship. Burma is cooperating with North Korea on possible nuclear procurements and appears [...]

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Davos 2010: Chinese central banker Zhu Min warns of new Asian crisis – Telegraph

Posted by Matt in January 27th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Asia, Financial, Asian Crisis, Asian Financial Crisis, AsianCrisis, Central Banker, Collapse, Currencies, Davos, Emerging Markets, Japanese Yen, Monetary Policy, Mr Zhu, Phenomenon, Telegraph, United States, Yen Carry Trade

This phenomenon called carry trade in the US dollar is a “massive issue today,” said Mr Zhu.
“It’s bigger than the Japanese yen carry trade 12 years ago,” he said.
However, if the United States were to tighten its lax monetary policy, making borrowing more costly, funds could then flow out just [...]

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How the US is attacking Taliban funding | GlobalPost.Com

Posted by Matt in January 21st, 2010 | no comment

Published in Asia, Afghan, Afghanistan, Corruption, Defense Inspector General, Department Of Defense, Department Of Defense Inspector General, Development Contracts, Finance, General Accounting Office, Government Agencies, Reconstruction, State Department, Taliban, United States Government

The United States government is widening its investigation into reports that U.S. aid and development funds in Afghanistan are being diverted to the Taliban, GlobalPost has learned.
A number of U.S. government agencies are investigating corruption related to military and development contracts, including: the Department of Defense Inspector General, the State Department Inspector General; the General [...]

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How the US is attacking Taliban funding | GlobalPost.Com

Posted by Matt in January 21st, 2010 | no comment

Published in Asia, general, Afghan, Afghanistan, Corruption, Defense Inspector General, Department Of Defense, Department Of Defense Inspector General, Development Contracts, Finance, General Accounting Office, Government Agencies, Reconstruction, State Department, Taliban, United States Government

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Rice crisis may loom in Asia — Michael Richardson

Posted by Matt in December 23rd, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, food, Asia, Australia India, Countries, Crop Land, Crop Losses, Decades, food, Global Population, Grain Rice, International Trade, Michael Richardson, One Fifth, Philippines, Price Surge, Rice, Rice Importer, Rice Price, Verge

But Asia may be on the verge of another destabilising rice price surge following big weather-related crop losses in India, the Philippines and Australia.
India, which sustains almost 20 per cent of the global population with 3 per cent of the world’s crop land, is set to become a net rice importer for the first time [...]

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DEBKAfile – As Obama hands Afghanistan commanders new orders, Mullah Omar warns of US defeat

Posted by Matt in November 30th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, Conflict, Afghan, Afghanistan, Allies, Barack Obama, Conflict, Debkafile, Intelligence Sources, Inter Services, Italian Leaders, Karachi, Military Chiefs, Mullah Omar, NATO, Nato Countries, New Strategy, Pakistan, Secret Headquarters, Taliban

As US president Barack Obama informed senior military chiefs in Afghanistan Monday, Nov. 30, they would receive another 30,000 US and 10,000 extra troops from eight NATO countries, Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar tried to get the jump on him by warning that the US and its allies faced defeat.
Obama briefed UK, French, Russian and [...]

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Tension grows between China and India as Asia slips into cold war – Times Online

Posted by Matt in November 11th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, China, India, 33 Years, Asia Online, AsianColdWar, beijing, China, Coastal Command, Cold-War, ColdWar, Direct Response, Hambantota, helicopters, India, Indian Ocean, Maldives, radar, ships, Slips, Sri Lanka, Surveillance Aircraft, Tension, War Times

Now, 33 years later, India is preparing to reopen the base to station surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and possibly ships, to monitor Chinese vessels in the Indian Ocean. Under a deal signed in August, India is also installing radar across the Maldives, linked to its coastal command.
Both countries publicly deny that the move is aimed at [...]

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Russia Now: The mystery of the Taliban’s financial backing in Afghanistan – Telegraph

Posted by Matt in November 4th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, Financial Backing, Intelligence Services, Mystery, NATO, Russia, Sheikhs, Sums Of Money, Taliban, Taliban Afghanistan, Telegraph

I cannot believe that such gigantic sums of money – and the Taliban would not survive even for a day without support from the outside – are untraceable. What have Nato’s intelligence services been doing?
Even if we accept the idea of a Saudi trail, questions still remain. How long will the West, with all its [...]

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Australia, Japan float rival plans for EU-style Asian bloc | csmonitor.com

Posted by Matt in October 25th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, Asia-Pacific, AsiaBloc, Asian Trade, Bangkok Thailand, Currency, Dynamic Economies, East Asian Community, Economic Bloc, Economic Community, Japan, Japanese Prime Minister, Lead, Proposals, Regional Partners, Rival Plans, Security Issues, Southern Thailand, Trade Bloc, Weekend Summit, World Australia, Yukio

Bangkok, Thailand – Regional partners to a Southeast Asian trade bloc have outlined rival proposals for a European-style economic community in Asia, home to the world’s most dynamic economies.
At a weekend summit in southern Thailand, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama talked up the concept of an “East Asian community” with a common currency that would [...]

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