Some call this group the "Red Taliban." Seems to be a pretty good name to me. First report is from DAWN. You will then find links to some other articles related to this nasty affair.
Maoists kill 75 police in central India attack
DAWN. RAIPUR: Maoist rebels killed at least 75 police by setting off explosives and firing from hilltops around dense forest in central India on Tuesday, in one of the worst attacks by the insurgents in years.
The ambush by more than 700 Maoist fighters in Chhattisgarh state highlights the strong rebel presence in large swathes of India, especially remote rural areas left out of the booming economy.
Recent attacks on police have raised questions over how well prepared security forces are to tackle the Maoists, especially during a counter-offensive by security forces this year.
“Something has gone very wrong,” Indian Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said.
“They seem to have walked into a camp or a trap.”
Police said the Maoist rebels, who control several areas rich in mineral resources, had retreated into the forest in the Dantewada district of the Bastar region, home to government-owned iron ore miner NMDC Ltd, the largest in India.
Tuesday’s attack left mining operations unaffected, but mining officials were rattled.
“There is an absolute panic,” S.P. Himanshu Kumar, the deputy general manager of NDMC, frequently attacked by Maoists.
Reinforcements trying to collect the bodies came under fire by the Maoists who had surrounded the area. Two Indian Air Force helicopters were used in a rescue operation.
“This is a big disaster and it shows the paramilitary forces are obviously not trained to tackle the Maoists’ rebellion and they don’t seem to have enough intelligence,”
said retired Major General Ravi Arora, editor of Indian Military Review.
Maoists regularly attack rail lines and factories, hurting business potentially worth billions of dollars in mineral-rich and often remote regions. They extort more than $300 million from companies every year, the government says.
“The growing activities of Maoists in Bastar in Chhattisgarh are threatening iron ore mining,” said Ashok Surana, head of a leading industrial body, Mini Steel Plant Association.
“The iron ore miners fear that the authorities might end up ceding control of Bastar’s ore reserves in five years if the dominance of the area by the insurgents is not checked urgently.”
Taken by surprise
The Congress-led government has been accused of failing to deal with the insurgents, and the security issue could be important in several state elections over the next two years.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoists as the gravest threat to India’s internal security, and voiced his “shock” at Tuesday’s attack.
The rebels carried out more than 1,000 attacks last year, killing more than 600 people.
The rebels number between 6,000 and 8,000 hardcore fighters in nearly a third of India’s 630 districts. While they have made few inroads into cities, they have spread into rural pockets in 20 of 28 states.
Tuesday’s attack echoed a similar ambush in February, when Maoists caught police off guard in a daylight attack in the state of West Bengal, killing at least two dozen police.
On Sunday, rebels triggered a landmine blast that killed 10 police in the mineral-rich eastern state of Orissa.
Maoists have stepped up attacks in response to an offensive that began late last year in several states, which officials say has for the first time weakened the decades-old movement.
The government has offered peace talks to the Maoists on condition the rebels abjure violence. The Maoists say they want the government offensive to stop first.
Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and landless labourers and are trying to expand their influence in east, central and southern India.
Thousands have been killed in the insurgency since the late 1960s.
For more information about the Maosists continue here and here.
China has problems of it's own with the Uighurs
Hat tip: Holer Awakens
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label China. Show all posts
China is a driving force behind Iranian nukes.
Labels:
China,
Chinese energy consumption.,
Iran,
Sudan
China now has greater power than ever before. Veto power at the worst 'peace' institution in the world, the United Nations.(do not get me started as I may never shut up!) Growing economic power to purchase all they oil China needs is another major driving force that many skip over. Purchasing power built on our debt to the Chinese. The power to buy from
whatever country they want. Aint' life just great? Editorial is written by Michael Danby, a member of the from Australian parliment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Blame China for Iran's Nukes
Michael Danby
Wall Street Journal
A third cause often gets overlooked: If there is a war, a large part of the responsibility will rest with Beijing. China has assumed the status of a great power, including a veto at the U.N. Security Council. But instead of becoming a responsible member of the community of leading states, acting jointly with other powers to avert the prospect of wars, China is using its new-found power in ways that make war more likely.
China's military and diplomatic power have increased enormously over the past 20 years. But unlike the world's other leading powers, China is a poor country economically and a dictatorship politically. After decades of rapid growth, China's per capita GDP is still only $6,500–less than Ecuador or Angola, and only 14% of per capita GDP in the United States.
China's approach to Iran can be explained by the political situation at home: The Chinese people have come to expect constantly rising standards of living, and this the greatest weakness of the Chinese Communist regime. The Chinese people will tolerate the communists' monopoly of power only so long as their living standards keep rising.
The weak link in this system is China's inadequate energy sources. Even with coal, nuclear power and its huge hydro-electricity schemes, China is short of energy, and its dependence on imports is growing. Australia, as a major exporter of coal and natural gas, has been one of the major beneficiaries. But China's greatest need is for oil, and this Australia cannot supply.
China can buy all the oil it wants on the international market, but the communist leaders don't want China's prosperity—and their own hold on power—to be dependent on a free market they don't trust. They want control and certainty. They see the way to get these things is through deals with selected oil-exporting countries, preferably ones which are at political odds with western powers, so that their need for friends and protectors is greater. Continue reading
Hat tip: China Confidential
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703382904575058641316152822.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
whatever country they want. Aint' life just great? Editorial is written by Michael Danby, a member of the from Australian parliment.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Blame China for Iran's Nukes
Michael Danby
Wall Street Journal
A third cause often gets overlooked: If there is a war, a large part of the responsibility will rest with Beijing. China has assumed the status of a great power, including a veto at the U.N. Security Council. But instead of becoming a responsible member of the community of leading states, acting jointly with other powers to avert the prospect of wars, China is using its new-found power in ways that make war more likely.
China's military and diplomatic power have increased enormously over the past 20 years. But unlike the world's other leading powers, China is a poor country economically and a dictatorship politically. After decades of rapid growth, China's per capita GDP is still only $6,500–less than Ecuador or Angola, and only 14% of per capita GDP in the United States.
China's approach to Iran can be explained by the political situation at home: The Chinese people have come to expect constantly rising standards of living, and this the greatest weakness of the Chinese Communist regime. The Chinese people will tolerate the communists' monopoly of power only so long as their living standards keep rising.
Nothing needs to be added here
The weak link in this system is China's inadequate energy sources. Even with coal, nuclear power and its huge hydro-electricity schemes, China is short of energy, and its dependence on imports is growing. Australia, as a major exporter of coal and natural gas, has been one of the major beneficiaries. But China's greatest need is for oil, and this Australia cannot supply.
China can buy all the oil it wants on the international market, but the communist leaders don't want China's prosperity—and their own hold on power—to be dependent on a free market they don't trust. They want control and certainty. They see the way to get these things is through deals with selected oil-exporting countries, preferably ones which are at political odds with western powers, so that their need for friends and protectors is greater. Continue reading
Hat tip: China Confidential
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703382904575058641316152822.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines
Barack Obama's top ten list. Of course it is apologies he should make. What else could it be?
Labels:
Barack Obama,
China,
Clinton and Obama,
Eastern Europe.,
Iran
There have been many top ten lists in regard to Barack Obama, his administration and the horrible job they have done in just the first year of what will turn out to be a nasty and backwards four year term. This one comes courtesy of Nile Gardiner, who writes for an english paper. I have read some of his other opinions and he is quite good. I am not always in agreement with his positions but then none of use ever agree with anyone 100% of the time, correct? This is a long post but I think you will find it accurate and truthful. There are so many events, stupid things Obama and his friends have done or said it is almost impossible to
narrow it down to just ten.
__________________________________________________________________________
Telegraph.co.uk
Nile Gardiner
The Top 10 Apologies Barack Obama should make to the world
The first year of Barack Obama’s presidency was marked by a series of embarrassing and groveling apologies for his country on the world stage. From his apology to the French for America’s supposed “arrogance”, to his massive mea culpa before the Muslim world in Egypt, President Obama succeeded in elevating national humiliation into an art form.
In his second year, I would strongly encourage the president to stop apologising for his country, and project more pride in his great nation’s past. The United States, together with Great Britain, have done more to advance the cause of liberty and freedom on the world stage than any other nations in history. From defeating the menace of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Empire, to liberating tens of millions of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US and UK have consistently been at the forefront of the defence of the free world in the face of tyranny.
If President Obama does feel the urge to show contrition on the world stage in 2010, he should apologise not for his country but for his administration’s shoddy treatment of its allies as well as political dissidents fighting for freedom across the world. He has also shown extraordinary indifference towards the victims of Communist rule in Europe, as well as the hundreds of thousands who perished in Darfur at the hands of the Sudanese regime. While every dictatorship on earth, from Iran to Venezuela to Sudan has been earmarked for engagement by the Obama White House, some of America’s closest friends and supporters have been shunned, humiliated or left out in the cold.
So here is a list of apologies that Barack Obama should make on behalf of his own administration, for undermining America’s traditional alliances, treating America’s friends with contempt, and refusing to side with the victims of totalitarian regimes.
1. Apology to the British people
Barack Obama’s treatment of America’s closest ally has been little short of appalling. It started off badly when he threw a bust of Churchill out of the Oval Office within days of coming to power, and went downhill from there. He humiliated the British Prime Minister during his visit to Washington last March, treating him like the leader of a Third World country, and sent him packing with a gift of 25 DVDs. Obama has little interest in the Special Relationship, and cannot even bring himself to acknowledge the sacrifice of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an exceedingly rude and ignorant senior State Department official put it - “There’s nothing special about Britain. You’re just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn’t expect special treatment.”
2. Apology to allies in Eastern and Central Europe
The Obama administration’s cowardly decision to appease Moscow by pulling out of an agreement to install missile interceptors and radars in Poland and the Czech Republic was an appalling betrayal of key US allies who had faced up to intense intimidation from Russia. As I wrote at the time, “the impending cancellation of Third Site is a shameful abandonment of America’s friends in eastern and central Europe, and a slap in the face for those who actually believed a key agreement with Washington was worth the paper it was written on.”
3. Apology to Iranian Dissidents
Barack Obama’s appeasement of the brutal Iranian regime in the name of “engagement” has not only emboldened Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs, but has also undercut the millions of Iranians who have bravely protested against the Islamist theocracy. President Obama has remained largely silent in the face of the brutal beating, rape, torture and murder of thousands of political dissidents since Ahmadinejad was fraudulently re-elected last year. Obama’s refusal to take a strong stand for fear of offending the Iranian regime is a disgrace, and a damning indictment of his world leadership.
4. Apology to the victims of Communism
Barack Obama made Berlin a central stage of his presidential election campaign when he addressed an adoring crowd of hundreds of thousands of Germans in July 2008. However in November 2009, President Obama could not be bothered to fly to Berlin to attend the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when even the Russian president showed up. Hillary Clinton stood in for the commander-in-chief and delivered an underwhelming speech that was more about Obama than American leadership in the Cold War. The White House decision to snub the Berlin ceremony was an insult to the memory of the tens of millions who perished at the hands of Communism in Europe. It demonstrated a callous disregard for human suffering and a refusal to acknowledge the huge role played by Ronald Reagan and the American people in bringing down the Iron Curtain. It also displayed what can only de described as an arrogant disdain for the transatlantic alliance.
5. Apology to the victims of the Sudan genocide
The Obama administration’s decision to engage with the brutal regime in Khartoum led by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, was both shocking and morally sickening. Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Major General J. Scott Gration summed up the new US strategy when he ludicrously declared: “We’ve got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries — they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement.” This sent an appalling signal to would be genocidal regimes across the world that even they can be rehabilitated after murdering hundreds of thousands of people. Although it has received relatively little attention, the White House’s offer to lift sanctions against Sudan in exchange for “concrete steps in a new direction”, was one of the worst decisions made by Barack Obama since he took office.
6. Apology to the people of Honduras
It is still difficult to fathom the reasoning behind the White House’s incredible decision to side with Marxist despot Manuel Zelaya after he was removed by the Honduran Congress with the backing of the country’s Supreme Court. The Obama administration immediately condemned the fully constitutional actions of pro-American legislators who acted against a power-hungry figure determined to stay in power beyond his fixed term of office. Bizarrely, the White House aligned itself with the likes of America-hating tyrants like Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega against pro-democracy forces who love the United States.
7. Apology to the Israeli people
Barack Obama has shown less enthusiasm for backing Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, than any president since Jimmy Carter. His speech before a Muslim audience in Cairo in June set the tone for his approach towards Israel when he controversially drew parallels between the plight of the Palestinians and the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and used the word “occupation” describing Palestinian refugee camps. Obama’s weakness in the face of the Iranian nuclear threat has also caused widespread concern, and has significantly increased the likelihood that Israel will have to defend itself against Iran.
8. Apology to pro-democracy forces in Venezuela
Barack Obama’s handshake with Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas last April set the tone for a new, more amicable US relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief ally in Latin America. It was a move that hugely undercut the democracy movement in Venezuela, and the millions of Venezuelans who are clamouring for freedom. Washington’s silence over widespread human rights violations by the Chavez regime is yet another blight on the Obama administration’s reputation. The president’s decision to reach out to Chavez was also a dangerously naive gesture that offered a veneer of legitimacy to one of the world’s biggest state sponsors of international terror, with close ties to Iran, Syria and Sudan.
9. Apology to the Dalai Lama
As The Telegraph reported last October, Barack Obama was the first US president to refuse to meet the Dalai Lama since the Tibetan spiritual leader first started visiting Washington nearly 20 years ago. This, despite the fact that he had been welcomed to the United States no less than 10 times, and had been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award. The White House decision was taken in order not to offend Beijing ahead of a November summit with Hu Jintao. There is now speculation Obama has changed his mind and will meet with the Dalai Lama later this month, despite strong Chinese opposition. A perfect opportunity then for an apology to one of the great symbols of freedom on the world stage.
10. Apology to Chinese dissidents
Freedom in China has been given short thrift by the Obama administration, which has attached less importance to human rights across the world than any American government in modern times. The position of the Obama team was put bluntly by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she was questioned about Chinese state oppression in a press roundtable in South Korea last February: “but our pressing on those issues can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis. We have to have a dialogue that leads to an understanding and cooperation on each of these.” Not exactly a message of US support for thousands of Chinese pro-democracy activists who regularly face imprisonment, beatings and torture.
Read here for more and comments from the english readers
Hat tip to Lawryn's Linxs : The Clipped
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100024844/the-top-10-apologies-barack-obama-should-make-to-the-world/
Thanks to Obama cartoons for letting me swipe a couple of 'toons to use here
narrow it down to just ten.
__________________________________________________________________________
Telegraph.co.uk
Nile Gardiner
The Top 10 Apologies Barack Obama should make to the world
The first year of Barack Obama’s presidency was marked by a series of embarrassing and groveling apologies for his country on the world stage. From his apology to the French for America’s supposed “arrogance”, to his massive mea culpa before the Muslim world in Egypt, President Obama succeeded in elevating national humiliation into an art form.
In his second year, I would strongly encourage the president to stop apologising for his country, and project more pride in his great nation’s past. The United States, together with Great Britain, have done more to advance the cause of liberty and freedom on the world stage than any other nations in history. From defeating the menace of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Empire, to liberating tens of millions of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US and UK have consistently been at the forefront of the defence of the free world in the face of tyranny.
If President Obama does feel the urge to show contrition on the world stage in 2010, he should apologise not for his country but for his administration’s shoddy treatment of its allies as well as political dissidents fighting for freedom across the world. He has also shown extraordinary indifference towards the victims of Communist rule in Europe, as well as the hundreds of thousands who perished in Darfur at the hands of the Sudanese regime. While every dictatorship on earth, from Iran to Venezuela to Sudan has been earmarked for engagement by the Obama White House, some of America’s closest friends and supporters have been shunned, humiliated or left out in the cold.
So here is a list of apologies that Barack Obama should make on behalf of his own administration, for undermining America’s traditional alliances, treating America’s friends with contempt, and refusing to side with the victims of totalitarian regimes.
1. Apology to the British people
Barack Obama’s treatment of America’s closest ally has been little short of appalling. It started off badly when he threw a bust of Churchill out of the Oval Office within days of coming to power, and went downhill from there. He humiliated the British Prime Minister during his visit to Washington last March, treating him like the leader of a Third World country, and sent him packing with a gift of 25 DVDs. Obama has little interest in the Special Relationship, and cannot even bring himself to acknowledge the sacrifice of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. As an exceedingly rude and ignorant senior State Department official put it - “There’s nothing special about Britain. You’re just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn’t expect special treatment.”
2. Apology to allies in Eastern and Central Europe
The Obama administration’s cowardly decision to appease Moscow by pulling out of an agreement to install missile interceptors and radars in Poland and the Czech Republic was an appalling betrayal of key US allies who had faced up to intense intimidation from Russia. As I wrote at the time, “the impending cancellation of Third Site is a shameful abandonment of America’s friends in eastern and central Europe, and a slap in the face for those who actually believed a key agreement with Washington was worth the paper it was written on.”
3. Apology to Iranian Dissidents
Barack Obama’s appeasement of the brutal Iranian regime in the name of “engagement” has not only emboldened Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs, but has also undercut the millions of Iranians who have bravely protested against the Islamist theocracy. President Obama has remained largely silent in the face of the brutal beating, rape, torture and murder of thousands of political dissidents since Ahmadinejad was fraudulently re-elected last year. Obama’s refusal to take a strong stand for fear of offending the Iranian regime is a disgrace, and a damning indictment of his world leadership.
4. Apology to the victims of Communism
Barack Obama made Berlin a central stage of his presidential election campaign when he addressed an adoring crowd of hundreds of thousands of Germans in July 2008. However in November 2009, President Obama could not be bothered to fly to Berlin to attend the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, when even the Russian president showed up. Hillary Clinton stood in for the commander-in-chief and delivered an underwhelming speech that was more about Obama than American leadership in the Cold War. The White House decision to snub the Berlin ceremony was an insult to the memory of the tens of millions who perished at the hands of Communism in Europe. It demonstrated a callous disregard for human suffering and a refusal to acknowledge the huge role played by Ronald Reagan and the American people in bringing down the Iron Curtain. It also displayed what can only de described as an arrogant disdain for the transatlantic alliance.
5. Apology to the victims of the Sudan genocide
The Obama administration’s decision to engage with the brutal regime in Khartoum led by Omar Hassan al-Bashir, was both shocking and morally sickening. Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, retired Air Force Major General J. Scott Gration summed up the new US strategy when he ludicrously declared: “We’ve got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries — they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement.” This sent an appalling signal to would be genocidal regimes across the world that even they can be rehabilitated after murdering hundreds of thousands of people. Although it has received relatively little attention, the White House’s offer to lift sanctions against Sudan in exchange for “concrete steps in a new direction”, was one of the worst decisions made by Barack Obama since he took office.
6. Apology to the people of Honduras
It is still difficult to fathom the reasoning behind the White House’s incredible decision to side with Marxist despot Manuel Zelaya after he was removed by the Honduran Congress with the backing of the country’s Supreme Court. The Obama administration immediately condemned the fully constitutional actions of pro-American legislators who acted against a power-hungry figure determined to stay in power beyond his fixed term of office. Bizarrely, the White House aligned itself with the likes of America-hating tyrants like Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega against pro-democracy forces who love the United States.
7. Apology to the Israeli people
Barack Obama has shown less enthusiasm for backing Israel, America’s closest ally in the Middle East, than any president since Jimmy Carter. His speech before a Muslim audience in Cairo in June set the tone for his approach towards Israel when he controversially drew parallels between the plight of the Palestinians and the Jewish people during the Holocaust, and used the word “occupation” describing Palestinian refugee camps. Obama’s weakness in the face of the Iranian nuclear threat has also caused widespread concern, and has significantly increased the likelihood that Israel will have to defend itself against Iran.
8. Apology to pro-democracy forces in Venezuela
Barack Obama’s handshake with Hugo Chavez at the Summit of the Americas last April set the tone for a new, more amicable US relationship with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s chief ally in Latin America. It was a move that hugely undercut the democracy movement in Venezuela, and the millions of Venezuelans who are clamouring for freedom. Washington’s silence over widespread human rights violations by the Chavez regime is yet another blight on the Obama administration’s reputation. The president’s decision to reach out to Chavez was also a dangerously naive gesture that offered a veneer of legitimacy to one of the world’s biggest state sponsors of international terror, with close ties to Iran, Syria and Sudan.
9. Apology to the Dalai Lama
As The Telegraph reported last October, Barack Obama was the first US president to refuse to meet the Dalai Lama since the Tibetan spiritual leader first started visiting Washington nearly 20 years ago. This, despite the fact that he had been welcomed to the United States no less than 10 times, and had been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award. The White House decision was taken in order not to offend Beijing ahead of a November summit with Hu Jintao. There is now speculation Obama has changed his mind and will meet with the Dalai Lama later this month, despite strong Chinese opposition. A perfect opportunity then for an apology to one of the great symbols of freedom on the world stage.
10. Apology to Chinese dissidents
Freedom in China has been given short thrift by the Obama administration, which has attached less importance to human rights across the world than any American government in modern times. The position of the Obama team was put bluntly by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, when she was questioned about Chinese state oppression in a press roundtable in South Korea last February: “but our pressing on those issues can’t interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis, and the security crisis. We have to have a dialogue that leads to an understanding and cooperation on each of these.” Not exactly a message of US support for thousands of Chinese pro-democracy activists who regularly face imprisonment, beatings and torture.
Read here for more and comments from the english readers
Hat tip to Lawryn's Linxs : The Clipped
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100024844/the-top-10-apologies-barack-obama-should-make-to-the-world/
Thanks to Obama cartoons for letting me swipe a couple of 'toons to use here
China rising while Obama and friends play patsy with China.
Labels:
Barack Obama,
China,
markets
As the scales of power continue to tilt in China's favor, Obama and his administration are playing into the hands of the Chinese.
The Balance of Power Shifts Toward China
Steve McCann, American Thinker: An unreported (in the once mainstream media) disclosure by China has taken the international financial world by shock and surprise. China declared that its foreign exchange reserves had increased to $2.4 Trillion in 2009, a gain of $453 Billion in one year. It is estimated that the reserves will rise by an equal amount in 2010.
The significance of this astounding statistic cannot be underestimated. By comparison the total foreign exchange reserves of the European Union (27 countries) was $648 Billion in 2009. China's one year increase alone was higher than the total reserves of all but one nation, Japan ($1.074 Trillion). (United States: $84.4 Billion)
Meanwhile in the United States, there is an administration and Congress in place pursuing economic and spending policies which go hand-in-glove with the long term plans of the Chinese. It is either deliberate or done out of ignorance, as the Chinese are unabashed in making their intentions public. Continue reading
The Balance of Power Shifts Toward China
Steve McCann, American Thinker: An unreported (in the once mainstream media) disclosure by China has taken the international financial world by shock and surprise. China declared that its foreign exchange reserves had increased to $2.4 Trillion in 2009, a gain of $453 Billion in one year. It is estimated that the reserves will rise by an equal amount in 2010.
The significance of this astounding statistic cannot be underestimated. By comparison the total foreign exchange reserves of the European Union (27 countries) was $648 Billion in 2009. China's one year increase alone was higher than the total reserves of all but one nation, Japan ($1.074 Trillion). (United States: $84.4 Billion)
Meanwhile in the United States, there is an administration and Congress in place pursuing economic and spending policies which go hand-in-glove with the long term plans of the Chinese. It is either deliberate or done out of ignorance, as the Chinese are unabashed in making their intentions public. Continue reading
As the United States disarms, our enemies are getting stronger. Cold war hangover.
Labels:
China,
Russia,
US Military. Missle defense
Whether Obama accepts our position in the world or not does really not matter. The questions posed in this article are core to the survival and continued postion of the United States as the #1 nuclear power in the world. As Obama pursues scaling back, the downgrading of our ability to attack and defend our enemies and allies is approaching critical mass. Russia and China are accelearting their efforts as we go in the opposite direction. The White House is not "overly concerned." Well, I am very concerned and you should be to.
Stagnation Threatens U.S. Arms Superiority
By Ilan Berman
Defense News
Published: 4 January 2010
A funny thing happened in the skies over Norway last month. On Dec. 10, as U.S. President Barack Obama geared up to deliver his acceptance speech before the Nobel Prize Committee in Oslo, spectators outdoors were treated to a spectacular display of spiraling light. The cause was not a UFO, as some contended, but a failed test of the Bulava, Russia's newest sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missile.
The episode was a telling reminder of the shifting strategic balance between Washington and the rest of the world. To understand the significance, one need look no further than Russia's military modernization program. That initiative, launched in the early days of Vladimir Putin's presidency, has charted major gains over the past decade under the watchful eye of Putin (now prime minister) and his handpicked protégé, President Dmitry Medvedev.
And while the effort is certainly not perfect, as the latest failure of the Bulava underscores, Russia can now boast upgrades to every leg of its strategic triad (submarines, bombers and ballistic missiles). In addition, Russia has made progress on advanced technologies related to missile countermeasures, hypersonic glide vehicles and electro-magnetic pulse - all systems designed to defeat U.S. defenses.
Nor is Russia alone. Over the past two decades, China has embarked upon a massive, multispectrum military modernization. The most immediate goal is to increase China's ability to dominate Taiwan in the event of a conflict, but the threat posed by this effort extends far beyond the Asia-Pacific.
Continue reading
Hat tip American Thinker
Stagnation Threatens U.S. Arms Superiority
By Ilan Berman
Defense News
Published: 4 January 2010
A funny thing happened in the skies over Norway last month. On Dec. 10, as U.S. President Barack Obama geared up to deliver his acceptance speech before the Nobel Prize Committee in Oslo, spectators outdoors were treated to a spectacular display of spiraling light. The cause was not a UFO, as some contended, but a failed test of the Bulava, Russia's newest sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missile.
The episode was a telling reminder of the shifting strategic balance between Washington and the rest of the world. To understand the significance, one need look no further than Russia's military modernization program. That initiative, launched in the early days of Vladimir Putin's presidency, has charted major gains over the past decade under the watchful eye of Putin (now prime minister) and his handpicked protégé, President Dmitry Medvedev.
And while the effort is certainly not perfect, as the latest failure of the Bulava underscores, Russia can now boast upgrades to every leg of its strategic triad (submarines, bombers and ballistic missiles). In addition, Russia has made progress on advanced technologies related to missile countermeasures, hypersonic glide vehicles and electro-magnetic pulse - all systems designed to defeat U.S. defenses.
Nor is Russia alone. Over the past two decades, China has embarked upon a massive, multispectrum military modernization. The most immediate goal is to increase China's ability to dominate Taiwan in the event of a conflict, but the threat posed by this effort extends far beyond the Asia-Pacific.
Continue reading
Hat tip American Thinker
China is way in front of the bumbling U.S. when it comes to building high speed rail.
Labels:
Amtrak,
China,
High speed rail
I have traveled by train since I was
3 years old. A once efficient, cost
effective way to travel with your
family was lost years ago. We will
always travel by train first, even
using Amtrak, as that is all we have.
The Obama administration could
create a vast number of new jobs by
commiting to high speed rail service
and making badly needed upgrades to
Amtrak. This is one of the few places I
think the government can and should
invest into heavily. If Amtrak got just
25% of the subsidies given to the airline
industry and highways it would be a
much different story.
Instead Obama and company continue
to throw away money on entitlements
and special favors to 'specials' states.
Do we want to be headed here?
Or into the future with train travel?
Is China’s investment in high-speed rail moving too fast? Cleantech Group
Tip of the mug to China Confidential.
Is China’s investment in high-speed rail moving too fast?
December 22, 2009
The Chinese Ministry of Railways moves forward on it energy saving investment in transportation, but experts are questioning if it’s the right use of funds.
China is investing $292.9 billion in a nationwide high-speed, energy efficient rail network for passengers that some are questioning could be too big of an investment that’s moving ahead too quickly, The International Herald Tribune reported in tomorrow’s edition.
What’s going to suffer in the meantime?
Michael Pettis, former head of emerging markets with Bear Stearns, questioned whether the time savings from the new system was worth the cost, and suggested upgrades to China’s health care system could be delayed as its government stays centered on public works.
The rail network is expected to be expanded by one third, to 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) by 2020.
In September, Berlin, Germany-based Bombardier Transportation said its Chinese joint venture was chosen by the Chinese Ministry of Railways to supply 80 high-speed trains, which incorporate energy efficient technology, to China’s high-speed rail network. Bombardier is expected to take a share of the RMB 27.4 billion ($4 billion) project that’s valued at RMB 13.5 billion ($2 billion) (see Bombardier wins $2B contract for high-speed trains in China).
Germany's Siemens and its Chinese partners were also awarded a $1.08 billion order earlier this year for 100 trains as part of the system.
Another potential problem one economic expert pointed out in the article is that most Chinese passengers may not be willing to pay the premium ticket fare to ride on the fast, energy efficient trains.
However, the Chinese Ministry of Railways claimed a two-track bullet system is more economical because it can transport 160 million passengers annually, compared to 80 million on a four-lane highway.
Read the article »
3 years old. A once efficient, cost
effective way to travel with your
family was lost years ago. We will
always travel by train first, even
using Amtrak, as that is all we have.
The Obama administration could
create a vast number of new jobs by
commiting to high speed rail service
and making badly needed upgrades to
Amtrak. This is one of the few places I
think the government can and should
invest into heavily. If Amtrak got just
25% of the subsidies given to the airline
industry and highways it would be a
much different story.
Instead Obama and company continue
to throw away money on entitlements
and special favors to 'specials' states.
Do we want to be headed here?
Is China’s investment in high-speed rail moving too fast? Cleantech Group
Tip of the mug to China Confidential.
Is China’s investment in high-speed rail moving too fast?
December 22, 2009
The Chinese Ministry of Railways moves forward on it energy saving investment in transportation, but experts are questioning if it’s the right use of funds.
China is investing $292.9 billion in a nationwide high-speed, energy efficient rail network for passengers that some are questioning could be too big of an investment that’s moving ahead too quickly, The International Herald Tribune reported in tomorrow’s edition.
What’s going to suffer in the meantime?
Michael Pettis, former head of emerging markets with Bear Stearns, questioned whether the time savings from the new system was worth the cost, and suggested upgrades to China’s health care system could be delayed as its government stays centered on public works.
The rail network is expected to be expanded by one third, to 16,000 kilometers (10,000 miles) by 2020.
In September, Berlin, Germany-based Bombardier Transportation said its Chinese joint venture was chosen by the Chinese Ministry of Railways to supply 80 high-speed trains, which incorporate energy efficient technology, to China’s high-speed rail network. Bombardier is expected to take a share of the RMB 27.4 billion ($4 billion) project that’s valued at RMB 13.5 billion ($2 billion) (see Bombardier wins $2B contract for high-speed trains in China).
Germany's Siemens and its Chinese partners were also awarded a $1.08 billion order earlier this year for 100 trains as part of the system.
Another potential problem one economic expert pointed out in the article is that most Chinese passengers may not be willing to pay the premium ticket fare to ride on the fast, energy efficient trains.
However, the Chinese Ministry of Railways claimed a two-track bullet system is more economical because it can transport 160 million passengers annually, compared to 80 million on a four-lane highway.
Read the article »
Obama snubs the Dali Lama to appease China.
Labels:
China,
Dali Lama. Obama,
Tibet
Barack Obama cancels meeting with Dalai Lama 'to keep China happy' - Telegraph
Appeasement has worked so well for Obama
and the Muslim world. Why not see if the
Chinese suck it up like Islam and the Muslims
have? Way to go BHO. Please, spare us who
love this country and start waering a brown
paper bag over your head.
Appeasement has worked so well for Obama
and the Muslim world. Why not see if the
Chinese suck it up like Islam and the Muslims
have? Way to go BHO. Please, spare us who
love this country and start waering a brown
paper bag over your head.
North Korea 'talks' will go nowhere, just like Obama.
Labels:
China,
North Korea,
Nuclear weapons,
Obama
China will stand by the NorKos and nothing will
change except violent extremists get the green light.
Obama and the other powers will twiddle and twaddle
about, doing nothing.
China vows to stand by North Korea Reuters
Hat tip China Confidential
change except violent extremists get the green light.
Obama and the other powers will twiddle and twaddle
about, doing nothing.
China vows to stand by North Korea Reuters
Hat tip China Confidential
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