In his address on Tuesday , Obama argued that a failure to do something about Syria‘s chemical weapons would embolden Iran. That argument is superficially compelling and politically appealing. It also happens to be wrong. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
Tag: diplomacy
Obama Vs. Putin: The Great Debate
Anyone who ever worried that Barack Obama might not be Made in the USA should take comfort from his quintessentially American response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to give temporary asylum to Edward Snowden: pouting. Read Here – Reuters
China’s Xi Focuses On Central Asia
All four Central Asian republics are enjoying major economic cooperation deals with China. From the longest gas pipeline in the world, from Turkmenistan to China, to infrastructure deals with Kazakhstan, China’s investments in the region are boosting bilateral ties with all its regional partners. Read Here – Global Times
On Cyber Threat, It’s Same, Same
The issue is whether such accusations of Chinese cyber intrusions, which Beijing considers unsubstantiated, are disingenuous because of charges the United States also has conducted cyber activities of its own, such as Stuxnet. Read Here – The Diplomat
China Vs. United States In Australia
How should Australia position itself between its traditional ally, the United States, and its major trading partner, China, as their strategic rivalry grows? New Prime Minister Tony Abott’s got to figure that out. Read Here – Foreign Affairs
Is Global Dominance A Thing Of The Past?
As the U.S. government debates what to do about Syrian chemical weapons use—and the stated aim threads the needle between nothing at all and a strike that would markedly affect the course of the civil war—it’s a good time to reflect on the declining utility of overwhelming global military dominance. The good news is that […]
And How Does China View Itself?
China is not an empire, and it rejects the deep-rooted imperial thinking in forging diplomatic relations. China was humiliated and bullied for a century, which made the country much more eager for equality than its Western counterparts. Read Here – Global Times
Like It Or Not, China Investing Big Time Overseas
China’s outbound FDI rose 17.6 percent year-on-year in 2012 to a record high of $87.8 billion, according to the 2012 Statistical Bulletin of China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment, which was released by the Ministry of Commerce, the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Read Here – China.org.cn
The Nuclear Dilemma
The U.S. is looking beyond its shores, including at the Westinghouse deal with India, to revive an industry that is not doing as well as its supporters project it to. Read Here – The Hindu
The Poison Chalice
The reason that U.S. President Barack Obama passed the buck on authorizing a military strike on Syria to Congress is not because getting congressional approval is the constitutional thing to do. It always has been, although presidents have regularly denied it. Rather, Obama passed the buck to Congress because it was the only way out […]