Into every life a little rain must fall – even that of a behemoth superpower. Picture the President of the United States and his masters of the universe - more formally known as the American Cabinet – with Ukraine-driven nuclear umbrellas unfurled against a downpour of unexpected setbacks in foreign policy lately. In the winter of his discontent, Barack Obama must be … [Read more...] about The Winter of Obama’s Discontent
South China Seas
Philippines, China, UNCLOS and the South China Seas
Recently, we hear a growing chorus how the China - Philippines dispute in the South China Seas ought to be settled by binding arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). We already have dealt with some of the political dimensions of this (see, e.g., our South China Seas tag), and I won't rehash them here. But I do want to bring up a couple of … [Read more...] about Philippines, China, UNCLOS and the South China Seas
The Economist and the South China Sea: It is “complex” if I can’t understand it
The Economist is often held prisoner by its own prejudice arising from its whatever-China-does-internationally-is-wrong stance, and a recent article on the South China Sea disputes proves it. Behold the latest offering from intellectual dungeons of the The Economist: "The devil in the deep blue detail". Sadly, but not surprisingly, the newspaper warns against the … [Read more...] about The Economist and the South China Sea: It is “complex” if I can’t understand it
South China Sea, two opposing views from Philipines on the U.S. Asia ‘pivot’
There has been a lot of coverage in the U.S. media lately about America's Asia 'pivot.' In particular, U.S. seems to be taking sides with Vietnam and Philippines in their disputes with China. The U.S. relationships with these two countries are nothing but complex. When the Philippines was colonized by the Spanish, the U.S. took sides with the Philippines to oust Spain. … [Read more...] about South China Sea, two opposing views from Philipines on the U.S. Asia ‘pivot’
South China Sea Coverage, China Daily versus Reuters, Which is more propagandistic?
Following is a side-by-side look at how Reuters and China Daily reported on the South China Sea dispute in context of the U.S.-China relations. Again, you will have to decide which media outlet's article is of higher journalistic standard. One thing to bear in mind is that U.S. media almost always refer to the Chinese media 'government mouthpieces' as if they are propaganda … [Read more...] about South China Sea Coverage, China Daily versus Reuters, Which is more propagandistic?