A confluence of regional and international factors makes the 18th summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this weekend in Qingdao an event of special interest. The summit has an added meaning insofar as for the first time the two newly inducted member states India and Pakistan will be taking their place at the high…
President Trump is stepping up his attack on Iran. He’s now planning the long-game for maximum pressure. The news that Trump quietly asked Saudi Arabia to ramp up output by 1 million barrels a day is the key. From the analysis at Oilprice.com: Saudi Arabia and some of its close Arab allies in the Gulf,…
Ahead of the crucial Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Qingdao this coming weekend, three other recent events have offered clues on how the new world order is coming about. The Astana Economic Forum in Kazakhstan centered on how mega-partnerships are changing world trade. Participants included the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)…
US Defense Secretary James Mattis, who earned the nickname “Mad Dog” while serving in the Marine Corps, jetted off to the 2018 International Institute of Strategic Studies’ (IISS) annual Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore armed with threats against China and North Korea. Ironically, Mattis’s military machismo occurred prior to the June 12 summit in Singapore…
US Pacific Command (PACOM) is now the Pentagon’s Indo-Pacific Command, reflecting “connectivity between the Indian and Pacific oceans,” according to war secretary James Mattis. US strategy remains unchanged, seeking Indo-Pacific and global dominance, wanting pro-Western puppet regimes replacing all challengers to its imperial aims. China in the Pacific, Russia in Eurasia, and Iran in the…
Among the key participants in the new global “post-Cold War” game there are signs of turmoil, which became visible one and a half years ago with the emergence of Trump administration’s policy course under its overarching slogan “hit those robbing our nation with tariffs on imports”. And the label “thieves” does not only encompass the…
