No democracy without political union

Moderates have to recognise that the European Union is built in a way that has allowed France and Germany to put Greece into difficulty in order to protect their own interests, argues Italian economist Luigi Zingales in Il Sole 24 Ore. Failing to do so leaves the truth to radicals like Syriza, because “in its claims against Europe, Syriza is right. Europe has mistreated Greece and it did so because Germany and France have protected their interests at Greece’s expense.”

China needs more carriers to secure Indian Ocean routes: PLA hawk

China must continue to develop aircraft carriers to maintain the security of its Indian Ocean routes, says People’s Liberation Army hawk Yin Zhuo.

The 69-year-old rear admiral made the comments Monday, a day before the commencement of the annial “two sessions” of the National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing.

China’s Military Is about to Go Global

Although a great article, the author seems to whitewash the intentions behind China’s global military expansion as if it won’t be a threat. It seems to be strangely forgotten how the United States started going global: Protecting its economic and political interests. Though it’s gone wayward the last few years, the U.S. had well-intended interests and goals in mind whereas the Chinese don’t and never did. You can tell by looking at its own domestic affairs and how it handles them — the crackdown on the current civil unrest in Hong Kong or its infamous Tiananmen Square murder. However, you can decide for yourself who would be better in leading the world.

 

 

The burgeoning need to protect commercial assets and Chinese nationals abroad will inevitably lead Beijing to develop new military capabilities and take on missions further afield.

THE CHINESE armed forces are on the move—but to where? For over a decade, academics, policy wonks and government officials have been engaged in a relentless debate about Beijing’s military capabilities and intentions. To some, China is an expansionist country akin to Wilhelmine Germany. Others argue that while China’s assertive behavior in its regional island disputes is disconcerting, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is completely focused on domestic stability and therefore lacks global ambition.

This debate about current Chinese capabilities and intentions is widespread, fervent—and beside the point. While the Chinese leadership would prefer to stay focused on internal development and regional issues, facts on the ground will increasingly compel the CCP to develop some global operational capabilities. Specifically, the burgeoning need to protect commercial assets and Chinese nationals abroad will lead the country to develop some global power-projection capabilities, regardless of its current plans. Even though the Chinese leadership will embark on this path with very limited goals in mind, Chinese thinking on how and when to use force could change once its strategy, doctrine and capabilities evolve to incorporate these new roles.

Armed Caspian becomes dangerous

At the end of September – early October, Russia and Iran will carry out joint military drills in the Caspian Sea to train maritime security-enforcement operations. Iranian military attaché to Moscow Col. Suleiman Adeli said: “Iran and Russia want Caspian states to maintain maritime security without interference of foreign states. They consider presence of foreigners a source of tensions and conflict.”

When they mention “foreign interference”, they usually keep the US in mind. Although, it is not only the US that has political, military-strategic and economic interests in the region. The EU and China have own palates. The reason why Caspian states arm themselves is terrorism, extremism, separatism and expansionism of the West. These are the new threats of the Caspian Sea. The US strategy in the Middle East remains a sensitive issue for the Caspian Sea, but the steps made in the Middle East to disrupt the balance of power by pressing on Syria may cause problems for all Caspian and Trans-Caucasus states.

Europeans, comply or else…

Following the European Commission decision to tax imports of Chinese solar panels, Beijing has decided to launch a probe on European wine imports. And if the 27 do not get the message, other retaliatory measures will follow, warns the Chinese official newspaper.

China’s decision to launch an anti-dumping and anti-subsidy probe into wine imports from the European Union signals the country will safeguard its major economic interests – and it has ample cards in hand to do so.

Russian warships head to Syria in show of power

Russia has been a close ally of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad and has strategic and economic interests in the country.

The Defense Ministry said the landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin are en route to the region from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Two other big landing ships, the Saratov and the Azov, are scheduled to join them by the end of February.