Why is the Arctic at the Center of World Politics?

News coverage of the Arctic has been steadily growing in tandem with the rising importance of the region in recent years. The focus of international politics often tends to revolve around energy security within the context of a global scramble for resources to keep individual countries’ economic growth engines humming. In view of the possibilities of the Arctic as a future abundant natural resources supply base for various pivotal countries, especially in Asia, non-Arctic states such as South Korea, Japan, and China join actual Arctic nations in taking a more active part in contemplating Arctic development and theregion’s future. The Arctic Council accepted India, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Italy as observers to the Council in May 2013 even though they all lack territory north of the Arctic Circle.This actually constitutes a welcome development because some circumpolar issues – specifically originating from human activities south of the Arctic Circle – are, indeed, transnational in nature such as climate change and marine shipping. The changing climate in the High North can expose countries further south to hostile climatic trends impacting weather and eventually their food security.

US Lawmakers Try to Block Sharing Missile Defense Data with Russia

Republican US lawmakers are taking steps to bar the United States from sharing classified missile defense technology information with Russia, draft legislation that was amended in the US Congress Wednesday shows.

PLA ‘sinks’ US carrier in DF-21D missile test in Gobi

Regardless of what the PLA says to whitewash or diminish the threat with, these are and will always be a threat to the US military. Since the PLA always gives half-truths, at best, it’s safe to say these are more capable then they are willing to admit. In the future, the PLA military technology will only get more efficient, precise and deadlier — especially since the current US administration is blatantly selling it in any form to them. We are clearly their main enemy and are targeted in any war scenario, what more proof do people need. Either way, in case people wonder how the Chinese could ever successfully take out an entire US Pacific Fleet, this is your answer:

The People’s Liberation Army has successfully sunk a US aircraft carrier, according to a satellite photo provided by Google Earth, reports our sister paper Want Daily — though the strike was a war game, the carrier a mock-up platform and the “sinking” occurred on dry land in a remote part of western China.

Russian Mob Involved In Worldwide Slave Trade, According To US Government Report – OpEd

A recent government report estimates that between 45,000 to 50,000 women and children are brought to the United States every year under false pretenses and are forced to work as prostitutes, abused laborers or servants.

According to analysts with the Government Accountability Office, a major purveyor of these de facto slaves is the Russian organized crime syndicate. Brutal, cunning and ruthless, these 21st Century mobsters present a new threat to US national security, according to law enforcement officials.

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Russian organized crime has come to plague many areas of the globe since the demise of the Soviet Union just more than a decade ago. The transnational character of Russian organized crime, when coupled with its high degree of sophistication and ruthlessness, has attracted the world’s attention and concern to what has become known as a global Russian Mafia. Along with this concern, however, has come a fair amount of misunderstanding and stereotyping with respect to Russian organized crime.

Full article: Russian Mob Involved In Worldwide Slave Trade, According To US Government Report – OpEd (Eurasia Review)