Weapons seizure hits North Korea hard

Posted by Matt in December 21st, 2009 | no comment

Published in Koreas, American Officials, Arms Sales, Asia News, Asia Times, Blow, Cargo Plane, Indonesia, Mystery, North-Korea, northkorea, Philippines, seizure, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, weapons

The detention in Thailand of a cargo plane transporting weapons and the arrest of its crew remain shrouded in mystery. The destination of the weapons and identity of their buyers is uncertain. American officials and analysts believe, however, that the intervention dealt a blow to North Korea’s arms sales.
Asia Times Online :: Southeast Asia news [...]

The New Mercantilism

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2009 | no comment

Published in China, Economy, American Exports, Argentina, Brazil, Distortions, Emerging Market Economies, European Union, Export Subsidies, Fiscal Stimulus, Government Procurement, India, Indonesia, International Trade, Licensing Requirements, Mercantilism, Mexican Trucks, New Mercantilism, Pledge, Retaliation, Russia, summit, Tariffs

The “new mercantilism” takes many forms. Despite their pledge at the first G-20 summit last fall, most of its members have erected new distortions to international trade. A number of major emerging-market economies (including Brazil, India and Russia) have raised tariffs. Argentina and Indonesia have imposed new licensing requirements on imports. The European Union and [...]

Bali: Masterpiece of the Gods

Posted by Matt in February 12th, 2009 | no comment

Published in Asia, general, Artistic Expression, Bali, Balinese Dances, Balinese Life, Day Of Silence, Enchanting Island, Exotic Dance, Haunting Music, Heaven On Earth, Hindu Epics, Hindu New Year, Indonesia, Indonesian Archipelago, Lesser Sunda Islands, Monkey Dance, Mysterious Rituals, Nyepi, Orchestra Music, Percussion Orchestra, Rice Terraces, Sophisticated Art, Spectacular Mountains, Topeng

Travel to Bali, a tiny enchanting island in the Indonesian archipelago that many revere as Heaven on Earth. Born of fiery volcanic eruptions, this isolated paradise is made up of two thousand square miles of spectacular mountains, enticing beaches and flourishing rice terraces. This distant land is home to an extraordinary culture where [...]

Pew Survey: What the World Thinks of the US

Posted by Matt in June 17th, 2008 | no comment

Published in general, Democracies, Dislike, Egypt, Favorable Light, Fun Facts, Historical Context, Indonesia, Muslim Nations, Pakistan, Percentages, Pew Report, President Bush, Russians, Scope, Survey, Turkey, Turks, United States

As full of fun facts as the Pew Report is, however, it has a fairly limited scope. Lots of numbers and percentages are bandied about but with very little historical context or explanation. Why, for example, do Russians prefer powerful leaders over straight-up democracies? Why do Tanzanians like President Bush so much? Oh, and why [...]

United States uncertain why China is boosting its high tech weapons arsenal.

Posted by Matt in May 31st, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in China, Military, Adm, Adm Mike Mullen, arsenal, Asia, Capabilities, Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs, Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, Chiefs Of Staff, Chinese China, Cnn, Communist China, Confrontation, Espionage, High Technology, Indonesia, Joint Chiefs Of Staff, Lou Dobbs, Military Secrets, Opponents, Professional Interest, Strategic Intent, Taiwan China, Trade Dollars, weapons

Is it really that hard to figure out? China is boosting it high tech weapons arsenal in order to take on America. China understands that at some point there will be confrontation between the countries. Most likely it will be over Taiwan. China is positioning itself to defeat America or at least prevent America for [...]

Emerging Threats: Indonesian-U.S. bird flu sharing

Posted by Matt in April 23rd, 2008 | no comment

Published in Disease, Bird Flu, Indonesia, Jakarta, WTO

A row involving Indonesia, the United States and the World Health Organization over the sharing of bird flu virus samples is jeopardizing the global early warning system for a potential influenza pandemic and putting lives at risk, say experts and officials.
The row centers on the issue of profits made by multinational pharmaceutical companies from vaccines [...]

The Age of Nonpolarity

Posted by Matt in April 16th, 2008 | no comment

Published in China, Russia, U.S., general, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Nigeria, Oceania, Pakistan, Power, Saudi-Arabia, South Africa, South-Korea, Venezuela, World

The principal characteristic of twenty-first-century international relations is turning out to be nonpolarity: a world dominated not by one or two or even several states but rather by dozens of actors possessing and exercising various kinds of power. This represents a tectonic shift from the past.
The twentieth century started out distinctly multipolar. But after almost [...]

Indonesia â€“ Russia opens the Pacific Front

Posted by Matt in September 17th, 2007 | no comment

Published in Asia, Russia, Asia, Indonesia, Pacific_Front, Russia

As Sun Tsu said:
“Whoever occupies the battleground first and awaits the enemy will be at ease; whoever occupies the battleground afterward and must race to the conflict will be fatigued. Thus one who excels at warfare compels men and is not compelled by other men.”
“Thus the highest realization of warfare is to attack the enemy’s [...]

Indonesia looks to a nuclear future

Posted by Matt in May 14th, 2007 | no comment

Published in Asia, Nuclear, Asia, Indonesia, Nuclear

JAKARTA – Indonesia is moving ahead with controversial plans to build its first nuclear power plant, which if completed on schedule in 2017 would put the country in Southeast Asia’s nuclear-energy vanguard.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year announced that the government planned to start building the 4,000-megawatt plant by 2010. Construction tenders for the US$1.6 [...]

Futuristic Novel Explores Possibility of World War III

Posted by Matt in November 10th, 2006 | no comment

Published in U.S., War, China, Distant Future, Dragon, Four Continents, Futuristic Novel, Indonesia, Islamic Sects, Jan 24, Massive Attack, Next Decade, North-Korea, Operation Dragon, Orchestrate, Russia, Turkey, United States, World Changes, World Coalition, World War Iii

Set in the not-so-distant future, Jaden’s novel focuses on what could happen in the next decade. On Jan. 24, 2012, the world changes forever. After a massive attack on Iranian nuclear/chemical facilities in October 2006 and the bombing of Turkey’s military in December, the leaders of China orchestrate a secret world coalition against the United [...]