Looks like they want to expand out into the Pacific. I wonder what Minister Hamada and the rest of the Japanese government thought of that… Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Anyone follow the North Korean negotiating fiasco? The North Koreans, like the guy swinging a chair in the cafeteria on his first day in jail, do some crazy shit, and we say, “Hey, hey, hey, easy, easy. Let’s negotiate! Here’s … Continue reading →
I was going to write something about the Chinese naval provocations, but my comrades have covered it all pretty well. If you hit the China or foreign-policy tag, you should find more than a few post about China’s destabilizing, hegemonic … Continue reading →
China seems to have developed a tradition in which she welcomes a new US president by trying to provoke a military incident with the United States. The first President Bush had to address the June 1989 Tiananmen massacre, which severely … Continue reading →
“Passivity is fatal to us. Our goal is to make the enemy passive.” — Chairman Mao ‘Puter expects to see a lot more of this for the duration of the Obama Administration. China is currently making great strides toward Mao’s … Continue reading →
Your Volgi is having trouble rousing himself to write about the Obama Administration‘s apparent, asinine gambit of writing to the Russian government and offering to remove the missile-defense systems we’ve worked so hard to get installed in Poland and the … Continue reading →
This is, in theory, technically feasible for the Russians and Chinese, but I’m not sure this isn’t just a probe to see what we’ll say and do (or won’t). Clearly, though, the Russians are feeling a lot more emboldened in … Continue reading →
Confucius saw that headline in the Financial Times today and remarked to a bystander, “If the economic crisis goes on—and protectionism starts seriously affecting foreign trade—this is the kind of thing where the Mandate of Heaven gets withdrawn and tens … Continue reading →
From the Weekly Standard. A total lack of a North Korea policy. Neglect of the navy in the face of a Chinese build-up. (Aircraft carriers are pure force-projection platforms—there’s nothing defensive about them.) One does worry about relative foreign-policy tyros … Continue reading →
A commenter (dag, E.K.!) e-mails that we are too hard on President Obama and have whitewashed the enormities and foibles of President Bush. Our position: we started this blog after all the Bush controversies were long settled into obsessive partisan … Continue reading →
Stuart Koehl & Martin Feldstein. Sorry for the light posting. Your Volgi is beat and running around like a madman due to various family obligations. But you need to read these items. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that … Continue reading →
…Mark Helprin fires off another jeremiad on America’s neglect of her own defenses and her political class’s incompetence in prosecuting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Great magazine this week. For your delectation: Ethan Gutmann’s cover story on the Chinese organ-harvesting complex will give you nightmares. No one lacerates the French like the French. Great piece on Saakashvili’s visit to Paris. Former Colleague of a Gormogon … Continue reading →
Continuing with our prolific music theme, ‘Puter was at Sunday Mass, and the congregation sang O Christ the Great Foundation, a fairly standard hymn. However, the congregation actually got through all four verses because the procession was excruciatingly slow. ‘Puter … Continue reading →
China and Taiwan getting along well. Let’s hope this continues. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Hamas. Iran. Russia. China is on the clock! Mary, patroness of the United States, ora pro nobis. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Someone send some generals and diplomats to Tokyo ASAP, please?! Will America abandon long-term ally Japan? Unfortunately, Washington’s most important alliance in Asia is in jeopardy. “Many Japanese analysts and commentators have worried that the United States is losing interest … Continue reading →
Gordon Chang relates that RAND says the Chinese are very close to absolute air superiority in a potential Taiwan invasion. This is very bad news on a number of fronts. First, peace in East Asia has generally been stable due … Continue reading →
…but sick, says Stuart Koehl. Worth reading for a clear-eyed view of Russia’s military capabilities. It’s worth noting, though, that Russia still significantly overmatches any of its neighbors save China.* *And they’re not dumb enough to invade Finland again. As … Continue reading →
So, yeah, I forgot to blog about North Korea’s negotiating its way off our terror-sponsoring list. Too depressing, I guess. Anyway, just so your Monday is no happier than ours (as Redskins fans), here’s John Bolton telling you why it’s … Continue reading →
Well, we tried to check the Soviets in Angola, Cuba, Central America, and Southeast Asia. So it’s not so odd to have to run into China in Africa. (This incidentally is why Darfur is an insoluble problem, short of an … Continue reading →
The arms sales were great, but not enough. (As Peter Pham also noted.) Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →It has chosen us as an enemy because we impede its potential dominance of East Asia, compete for resources, and are the world’s leading economy. And our government and academics have been extremely hesitant to recognize this. Mostly because there’s … Continue reading →
Peter Pham reminds us. Confucius, Œc. Vol.Don’t ask impertinent questions like that jackass Adept Lu. 3.14.242.153
Continue reading →Well done, Bush Administration! Arms to Taiwan! The Bush administration on Friday notified Congress of the proposed sale, which includes Patriot missiles, Apache helicopters, submarine-launched Harpoon missiles, Javelin anti-tank missiles and spare parts for F-16 fighter jets. Whew. At last. … Continue reading →
Read all about this disgrace. Why, after all the assistance we’ve given to Iraq over the past five years, was the first major Iraqi oil deal signed with China and not with an American or even a western company? The … Continue reading →
God, this is going to give the Volgi an effing stroke. Gordon Chang here reports and explicates the perfidy, pusillanimity, and vileness of the President and foreign-policy establishment’s going out of their way to screw Taiwan over at the implicit … Continue reading →
As my mother used to say. U.S. passivity continues to embolden Russia. (And Iran, and maybe China.) Good post by Abe Greenwald: A strange and counterproductive psychology continues to prevent the U.S. from taking bold action against Russia’s move to … Continue reading →
Here. As I think I’ve argued somewhere (oh yeah, here, though sketchily), the West has a fair number of cards to play against a revanchist, expansion-minded Russia. NATO membership is one. If it’s as transparently a bluff as Fukuyama says, … Continue reading →
Ordinarily, the Volgi can go on for days about Japan’s insufficient historical reckoning with its crimes during World War Two. (Austria, please pick up the white courtesy phone.) Consequently, he generally enjoys when the Chinese shame the Japanese into some … Continue reading →
Your Œcumenical Volgi has been trying to go easy on the foreign policy, as he knows that Russia’s invasion of Georgia has driven him mad and he’s gone a bit berserk in hijacking this fun little blog. However, if you … Continue reading →
Because, says veteran China watcher Gordon Chang here, the most likely result of China’s Olympic succès d’estime is going to lead to a more draconian police state at home, deep-freeze any reform ideas, and put the PRC’s post-2006 aggressive foreign … Continue reading →
What has the Volgi been telling you? Does it sound better à la française? The current crisis in the Caucasus does not mark the return of the Cold War, nor is it likely to mark the start of open warfare … Continue reading →
Confucius (that’s what 孔夫子 means) the Œcumenical Volgi assumes you’ve heard about Wu Tien-yüan and Wang Hsiu-ying, the two elderly women (79 & 77) from who were sentenced to a year of “reeducation through labor” because they asked for permission … Continue reading →
Well, a few more days have passed since GorT’s last Olympic update and it’s time for some more mocking. First, kudos to the folks over at Stryde Hax hacking around the ‘net to find out the truth at the bottom … Continue reading →
Wow, is Notorious OEV on a tear this afternoon. Who can argue with his Olympic Opening Ceremony take down? ‘Puter’s only got one small addition to make to OEV’s list of fascisti mascots: Hello Kitty. I offer the following proof … Continue reading →
Abe Greenwald finds proof of the origins of China’s cool, creepy, inhuman Opening Ceremony aesthetic. So they hired Albert Speer’s son to do the architecture (just a coincidence, I’m sure), and aspired to Kim Il-Sung’s parade drill. It’s amazing their … Continue reading →
Like Peter Pham at NRO’s Tank, the Œcumenical Volgi has long had an eye on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, stemming from his long interest in Central Asian affairs (which interest led to one of the most painful incidents in his … Continue reading →
Very possibly. From “The Return of Authoritarian Great Powers,” by Azar Gat in Foreign Affairs. (Via Shmuel Rosner at Contentions). Capitalism’s ascendancy appears to be deeply entrenched, but the current predominance of democracy could be far less secure. … the … Continue reading →
Read ’em in full. Melik Kaylan: Having overestimated the power of the Soviet Union in its last years, we have consistently underestimated the ambitions of Russia since. Already, a great deal has been said about the implications of Russia’s invasion … Continue reading →
Ok, the Œcumenical Volgi is among the world’s biggest fans of the The Mummy, Stephen Sommers’ excellently pitched action-horror-comedy. It’s feather light, immensely likable, and perfect popcorn-wolfing fun. The Volgi liked The Mummy so much that he was in the … Continue reading →
