Coveting Serbia's Lithium

https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3274031/thousands-protest-lithium-mining-serbia-officials-call-it-coup-plot?module=top_story&pgtype=subsection

This author and many others have been writing for years about the tug-of-war in Serbia. The Atlanticist plan in the 1990's was to break up Serb-dominated Yugoslavia and bring all the pieces into the EU and NATO orbit. This largely succeeded except with Serbia itself which remains outside the bloc and friendly to its historical ally in Moscow.

Manila Throws in with AUKUS Against Beijing

https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/historic-speech-from-philippines-president-makes-veiled-swipe-at-china/news-story/3b5593d7b992f340701d23510d061883

At the end of February 2024, Ferdinand 'BongBong' Marcos spoke before the Australian Parliament. It was an important speech, especially for the East Asian theatre and though described as 'historic' it was hardly covered in the West.

Resistance to AUKUS

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/unions-protest-aukus-nuclear-sub-base-plans-at-port-kembla

This is certainly a story that will not make it into mainstream US media – as the US Establishment doesn't even want such questions raised about the AUKUS alliance. And if the story emerges in other venues you can be certain that operatives and 'commentators' will spin the story and make transform these protestors into 'China stooges' or something along those lines. They might even find a way to blame Putin for it.

Morrison's Fall and a Shake-up in Canberra

https://www.npr.org/2022/05/21/1100533342/australia-scott-morrison-concedes-election

I wanted to comment on this a couple of weeks ago but like many readers I'm getting pretty beat up right now financially and work is consuming a lot of my time. At present a forecast of rain means a loss of income for the day but it gives me some time write and catch up on things.

The Echoes of War in Asia

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/04/10/indonesia-us-war-games/

Even as the War in Ukraine rages on and the eye of the world is focused on the NATO frontier, there are storm clouds forming over Asia and signs that US militarism is preparing to assert itself on the Chinese frontier as well. Far from being passive, the Biden administration has been at the forefront of the re-assertion of the US Empire.

The Liquid Hydrogen Test Run

https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/worlds-first-hydrogen-tanker-ship-test-cargo-australia-japan-2022-01-20/

This experiment is noteworthy because if successful it could be transformative and mark the beginning of a new energy economy. Utilising coal, Australia has produced hydrogen which is then liquefied. It is now being brought to Japan by tanker where it can be used in a variety of industries and applications.

Serbian Orthodoxy and the Politics of the Djokovic Affair

https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/serbian-orthodox-church-profoundly-disappointed-over-djokovic-s-visa-cancellation-asks-for-immediate-repeal-and-written-apology

In times past you wouldn't have found a Western-connected Evangelical group sympathizing with the plight and positions of the Orthodox world and indeed were Djokovic a Russian, the response would have likely been different.

ASEAN and the Russian Navy

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/12/01/russia-asean-naval-drills/

The move by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to hold joint naval drills with Russia is a slap in the face to China but on a far greater level to the United States which has earnestly sought to court these nations since the Obama era. It sends a clear signal that the ASEAN members are not willing to simply bow to the US, nor are they willing to trust Washington to any quantifiable degree. They're going to hedge their bets and keep all options open – which for the US represents a diplomatic defeat.

Canberra, China, and Trade

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beijing's-failed-'trade-war'-against-Canberra-54240.html

There's another way to frame Beijing's turn with regard to Australia and issues of trade. It can be viewed as a failed boycott and in a sense it was. On the other hand, Beijing is watching Canberra cozy up to the United States as exemplified by the recent AUKUS agreement. It's easier for Australia to enter into an anti-Beijing alliance when China is not deeply entangled with its markets. And China's demand for Australian coal is no light thing.

Asia is Marching Toward War

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2021/05/20/japan-must-speed-up-defense-says-minister/

Though it is often presented as a preventative measure, a type of peace through strength, the truth is militarism always results in conflict. And Japan has been rattling the sabre for some time. The Japanese Right is eager to re-arm and re-assert its traditional role in the Asian theatre. They view Japan as a great power on par with Western nations and now 75 years after its defeat in WWII – it's time for Japan to re-assume its place.

Obscuring Western Support for Haftar

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/western-mercenaries-arrived-libya-support-haftar-report-200516160022383.html

This report has obvious connections to the Wagner-Blackwater story run by The Intercept. It only furthers the point I've been making that there are significant sectors within the US that are keen to support Haftar.

These splits between official arms of the US government like the State Department and parallel policies run out of Langley or the Pentagon are not without precedent.

Blackwater and Wagner

https://theintercept.com/2020/04/13/erik-prince-russia-mercenary-wagner-libya-mozambique/

Prince, a hero to many American Evangelicals is an evil figure to some and certainly a living scandal to Christians who root their faith in the New Testament. Regardless of what one thinks of him, he remains an important if controversial figure.

Trump and the Asian Pivot

The US Navy has been doing something unusual, carrier swapping. Usually when one enters the Navy you more or less spend your career either plugged into the Atlantic or Pacific fleets. But due to personnel problems, the need to re-fuel existing craft (that would be nuclear refueling) and in order to keep the active or cutting edge on the Pacific side, the Navy has been in the process of swapping ships and crews between locations like San Diego and Norfolk.

Traditionalist Catholic Responses to the Abuse Scandal: The Case of Pell

http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/calling-cardinal-pells-prosecution-what-it-is-religious-persecution

I found this article both refreshing and audacious at the same time. In our current climate of accusation and Neo-McCarthyism few have been bold enough to stand against the tide and resist the trend of presumed guilt and the abandonment of due process.

But when it comes to the crimes of Rome and its sodomite priesthood I believe that not only are most of the accusations true, we've only seen the tip of the iceberg...

The Context of Taiwan in 2018: A Brief Survey

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/taiwan-s-tsai-urges-world-to-stand-up-to-china-10468236

China has been portrayed as pursuing a policy of aggression in the South China Sea. Is it aggression or is Beijing responding to what they perceive to be aggression on the part of the United States and its Asia-Pacific satrapies?

The Singapore Summit and a Side-Show in Guam

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2018/06/07/Navy-to-start-annual-exercise-Malabar-in-Guam/8941528391096/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=4

This is not getting much coverage in the West but you can be sure it's noteworthy in Asia. The timing says it all.

Another Defector from the US Pivot-to-Asia Strategy

https://in.investing.com/news/economy-news/insight-china's-"silk-road"-push-stirs-resentment-and-protest-in-sri-lanka-90314

Sri Lanka's Sirisena administration which came to power in 2015 appeared to represent a shift away from the pro-Beijing policies of Rajapaksa. But for various reasons this has not proven to be the case.

China, the US, UNCLOS and Australia

The UN Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) represents a classic case of US manipulation and hypocrisy. Washington helped to craft the treaty and has utilised it as a standard by which to judge and even coerce other nations.

But the United States itself refuses to be party to it. The US instead plays by a different set of rules and extends its boundary waters far beyond the claims of any other nation.