2012: Northeast Asia

  • Secret report details executions of N. Korean officials scapegoated for disastrous policies – December 12
  • New law authorizes China to search, board all foreign vessels in S. China Sea – December 12
  • Memo to UN Security Council: The human rights emergency in N. Korea can no longer be ignored – December 12
  • Russia seeks S. Korean firm to counter China’s advances in the North Pacific – December 6
  • With policies in flux among world powers, N. Korea again threatens to go ballistic – December 6
  • New commander-in-chief Xi wastes no time projecting hard power in Asia-Pacific Theater – December 5
  • Securing the Persian Gulf: After fiscal cliff and ‘pivot’ to Asia, U.S. strategy could change – December 4
  • Australian developer buys 30 percent stake in Israeli gas field – December 4
  • Report: Hamas fired Chinese-made WS-1E rockets into Israel – December 3
  • Report: China, Russia missile tech threatens U.S. interests in Mideast – December 2
  • China seeks military training in Jordan which enjoys close security ties with U.S. – November 30
  • Defector blasts tourists to N. Korea, asks why U.S. failed to stop genocide abroad – November 30
  • Named but not shamed: UN Rights Committee cites abuses in Syria, Iran and N. Korea – November 29
  • N. Korea seen reaping more aid no matter who wins S. Korean presidential race – November 29
  • Blackwater founder seeks Asian investors for S. Sudan defense projects – November 27
  • Hu Jintao heads largest political faction despite setbacks at the 18th Party Congress – November 27
  • China building large amphibious assault ships similar to U.S. Navy’s – November 26
  • Obama’s ‘Asia pivot’, 6-hour Burma layover, causes heartburn in Beijing – November 22
  • When world leaders talk about ‘human rights’ and when they do not – November 22
  • N. Korea increasingly becoming ‘dollarized’ – November 22
  • As Xi takes the helm, a foreign military ‘adventure’ is an attractive option – November 20
  • Pyongyang pampers elites with theme parks while hardships intensify throughout rest of N. Korea – November 15
  • Behind the defeat of two potential liberal Politburo members and Hu Jintao protégés – November 13
  • Jiang still heads Shanghai faction while new leader Xi has only glamorous wife and no network – November 6
  • China charges Turkey recruiting Uighur Muslims to join forces with Syrian rebels – November 1
  • Whither the U.S. Navy? – November 1
  • Kim Jong-Un ‘obliterated’ officer, purges others to escape his father’s shadow – November 1
  • Hu Jintao seen prevailing in PLA power struggle with Xi Jinping and Jiang Zemin – October 30
  • South Korea moves up in Security Council balance-of-power competition – October 28
  • Joint U.S.-Japan election-season exercise scrubbed out of sensitivity to China – October 28
  • N. Korea is selling off gold to China to maintain lifestyles of ruling elites – October 25
  • At confab on North Korea, not a single word about the hundreds of thousands in gulags – October 25
  • Parade of billionaire ‘red capitalists’ coming for CCP’s 18th Party Congress – October 24
  • Israelis sue Bank of China over Hamas attack on Jerusalem high school – October 24
  • China media mocks India after Russia delays delivery of ‘second hand’ carrier – October 23
  • The people be damned: Recalling the odd friendship between ‘Snooky’ Sihanouk and Kim Il-Sung – October 19
  • Kim Jong-Un faces disciplinary crisis following series of military defections over DMZ – October 18
  • The politics of Romney’s non-Asian world view – October 14
  • Chinese firm delivers first in series of new oil tankers to Iran – October 12
  • N. Korean movements signal likely attack in bid to influence South’s presidential election – October 11
  • Island geopolitics: How Japan can both save face and boost alliance with U.S. and S. Korea – October 11
  • Blast from past may block rise of Shanghai Party boss to Politburo Standing Committee – October 10
  • Report: China firm’s computer systems pose espionage threat – October 9
  • Big Bird is a tool for the Democrats, yes, but also for the Chinese regime – October 9
  • China new key foreign player in Africa but with a ‘neo-Colonialist’ aura – October 8
  • Tale of an unforgettable fight and the ‘forgotten war’ – October 7
  • As Syria’s humanitarian crisis worsens, UN — checked by Russia and China — fails to act – October 4
  • Return of purged ‘reformist gang’ rare N. Korean assembly signals change – October 4
  • Ex-President Jiang’s reappearance makes waves as Beijing’s political intrigue heats up – October 2
  • U.S. silent on a dangerous game of chess in the East China Sea – October 2
  • Daughter of a controversial leader runs for president of South Korea – September 30
  • N. Korean eastern ports increasingly coming under control of China – September 26
  • China’s worst-ever anti-foreign protests may be facade covering troubles on the Mainland – September 25
  • Panetta’s troubling invitation to China’s PLA – September 21
  • China’s intensifying showdown with Japan is distracting from its growing internal crisis – September 18
  • Top China general orders troops to prepare for ‘military combat’ with Japan – September 18
  • Rare N. Korean double sessions tied to drastic measures to revive economy – September 18
  • When the going gets tough in the Middle East, the U.S. ‘pivots’ toward a real problem: China – September 17
  • Hu prevails over challenge by disgraced Bo in new Politburo Standing Committee lineup – September 10
  • Clinton sends signal: ’21st Century will be America’s Pacific century’ – September 10
  • N. Korea and Iran sign tech agreement to counter ‘common enemies’ – September 9
  • Polite society and Sun Myung Moon – September 7
  • Kim Jong-Un’s frequent visits to front-line bases makes South anxious – September 6
  • How China is boosting Egypt’s role in the Mideast, amid fading U.S. influence – September 5
  • Beijing orders restraint on anti-Japan protests in the interest of economic common sense – September 4
  • Moscow plays on fears of China in global quest for naval bases – August 31
  • Island ruckus distracts minds in Tokyo, Seoul from more serious concerns – August 31
  • Kim Jong-Un works to shore up military ties after shifting power to party – August 30
  • Beijing exploits Seoul-Tokyo tension in bid to derail U.S. ‘pivot’ to Asia – August 22
  • Nepal bans women under 30 from working in Gulf – August 17
  • ‘Playing God’ with birth rates: The soft underbelly of geopolitics – August 13
  • N. Korea’s new leader expected to announce economic reforms in shift from military supremacy – August 9
  • Latest round of military promotions reflects CCP nervousness about its legitimacy – August 8
  • Reports: Wiretap led to Ri’s ouster in N. Korea; firefight killed 20 – August 2
  • How to explain national performance at the Olympics? – August 2
  • Hu Jintao talks tough on corruption but doesn’t say how he will stop it – August 1
  • From the safety of the West, recalling Stalin’s infinitely dangerous madness – July 30
  • Frenchman turns states evidence in murder mystery involving wife of once-powerful Bo Xilai – July 29
  • China constructing extensive transportation network along N. Korea border – July 26
  • U.S. intel: Iran developing anti-ship missiles with China’s help – July 25
  • With Syria set to implode, Russia and China check UN action – July 25
  • Mickey Mouse and miniskirts: N. Korea’s new young leader instructs nation in ‘global trends’ – July 18
  • There’s a word for Beijing’s new island dispute tactics with Tokyo: Hardball – July 18
  • China economic dragon’s fire turns out to be hot air – July 16
  • N. Korean documentary on Kim Jong-Un’s mother omits her revolutionary sin: She was born in Japan – July 12
  • With 150,000 ‘Arab Spring’-like incidents from Hong Kong to Xinjiang, are CCP’s days numbered? – July 11
  • Clinton: Massive aid from Iran, China and Russia keeping Syria ‘afloat’ – July 9
  • Power struggle gives rise to top Chinese generals, hawkish foreign-policy statements – July 5
  • U.S. signs Asia ‘pivot’ pact with New Zealand despite ban on ships – July 3
  • Israeli military buys cheap gunpowder from China, saves millions – June 29
  • N. Korean defectors report starvation after harvests ‘taken forcibly by the ruling class’ – June 28
  • Diving into the pool system: State media and the free press in S. Korea – June 28
  • ‘Island of peace’ haunted by memories of war – June 22
  • Iran claim: China to send 12 warships to join Russian fleet at major Syria exercise – June 21
  • Beijing weighs ‘Red Line’ in the sea to counter U.S. ‘anti-China containment policy’ – June 20
  • Report: U.S. mum on missile launchers China sent to N. Korea – June 17
  • N. Korea selling off minerals to China in frantic bid for hard currency – June 14
  • ‘Strategic partner’ Putin hailed in Beijing, but not all is well with anti-U.S. ‘alliance’ – June 13
  • N. Korea takes aim, literally, at S. Korean media offices – June 12
  • U.S. satisfied by significant reductions in Turkey’s oil imports from Iran – June 12
  • As Japan’s birthrate drops, pets outnumber children – June 10
  • China issues work visas to 20,000 N. Koreans to legalize rampant border-crossing – June 7
  • Hu Jintao and future President Xi Jinping forge power pact over Bo scandal – June 6
  • S. Korea emerges as key military tech partner for Turkey – June 6
  • Obama administration pushes to ratify Law of Sea treaty to deter China – June 5
  • Report: South Korean president approves major missile buildup – June 3
  • On the town in Okinawa: U.S. Marines have other concerns than local and global politics – June 1
  • Piracy against China ships shows N. Korea’s military units are desperate, on their own – May 31
  • Global censorship report reminds that much of the world is in the dark – May 30
  • Mystery surrounds sudden death of PLA top auditor, from Chengdu – May 27
  • Much more to China than meets the (American) eye – May 27
  • Image campaign casts N. Korea’s young ruler as more outgoing, like Kim Il-Sung – May 25
  • Critic of Bo Xilai expected to win spot on Politburo Standing Committee – May 23
  • Australian firm targets Moroccan coast for energy search – May 22
  • House panel votes to return tactical nukes to S. Korea, West Pacific – May 22
  • Report: Taiwan weighs gamechanger with purchase of U.S. F-35B stealth jetfighters – May 20
  • U.S.-Japan turf battles still fester in Okinawa but now China is a factor – May 20
  • China demonstrating the will to dominate; West losing the will to resist – May 18
  • Risky business: N. Korea making capitalist accommodations to win foreign currency – May 17
  • Chinese media mounts all out propaganda offensive against the Philippines – May 16
  • As West falters, Asia Pacific region emerging as new global economic engine – May 16
  • Report: Rising demand in China to keep oil prices high – May 14
  • Australia’s pro-Obama Gillard government clings to power, reduces defense spending – May 14
  • China completes pipeline that bypasses Strait of Hormuz – May 11
  • Kim Jong-Un exports workers to import cash after spending half annual budget on celebration – May 10
  • The Iranian people are the overlooked victims as Russia and China back a toxic regime – May 9
  • Russian admiral pours cold water on idea of China ‘military alliance’ – May 8
  • Communism muddles along in the Middle Kingdom – May 7
  • Selling priceless freedom, for a modest profit, to the enemy – May 6
  • Nary kiss nor hug for a blind dissident – May 4
  • Seoul food: From mad cows to madder N. Koreans who might kill for any kind of beef – May 4
  • Clinton neglects to mention Chen in China remarks – May 3
  • Kim Jong-Un’s ‘special actions’ commando group targets S. Korea leadership by name – May 3
  • As U.S. allies focus on Pacific, Aussies to exit Afghanistan 1 year early – May 2
  • N. Korea’s propaganda achieves overkill; Lee Myung-Bak, watch your back – April 30
  • Rocket launch failure highlights decision-making vacuum in N. Korea – April 26
  • The Burma Road back to normalcy is long and uncertain – April 25
  • Tensions in Asia-Pacific give rise to multiple war games – April 25
  • Syria sanctions called meaningless as China, Iran provide ‘lifeline’ – April 25
  • China tends to its universally-despised, never-say-die Communist ally – April 24
  • Socialists gone wild, East and West – April 23
  • Signs of trouble for Hu Jintao from the behavior of Bo Xilai’s key allies – April 22
  • Iran says Russia, China were eager to inspect captured U.S. drone – April 20
  • Bo affair inflicts body blow on political careers of ‘Gang of Princelings’ – April 19
  • Missile fizzle: Fitting symbol of a bizarre failure in top-down government – April 18
  • Sucker: Pyongyang hits U.S. with a one-two punch – April 17
  • High stakes at the 5+1 Iran talks: The threat of a ‘big war’ that could involve Russia – April 17
  • Technology, the essential tool of rogue states – April 16
  • Media report said to show Hu Jintao is on the defensive in ongoing PLA power struggle – April 15
  • Going, going, gone, but the party for ‘eternal President’ Kim Il-Sung goes on – April 13
  • Turkey forges strategic, nuclear agreements with China – April 12
  • N. Korea using up half its annual national budget for epochal birthday celebration – April 11
  • West answers N. Korea launch preparations with a barrage of hot air – April 11
  • Beijing uneasy about Burma’s drift toward West, plans ‘dollar diplomacy’ initiative – April 11
  • China implements historic accord with Russia over disputed island – April 10
  • ‘Comrade Leung Chun-ying’, who denies CCP membership, to lead Hong Kong after disputed election – April 9
  • And now proof, if any was needed: All is not well with China and its secretive regime – April 9
  • China, Israel close to establishing strategic ties – April 6
  • S. Korean intel reports ‘massive purges’ by Kim Jong-Un over perceived disloyalty – April 5
  • The U.S. struggle for position on the Eurasian chessboard vs the Iran-Russia-China monolith – April 4
  • Hu adopts hawkish tone, blames U.S. and Japan for Pyongyang’s nuclear brinksmanship – April 4
  • Philippines bends to China on Spratlys; open to joint development – April 3
  • Party puts PLA on high alert during Hu’s absence as coup rumors swirl – March 31
  • N. Korea ‘zigzagging’ on rocket launches called sign Kim Jong-Un lacks full control – March 29
  • Kofi Annan’s Syria deal spares Assad and is backed by China, Russia and Iran – March 29
  • High-level political intrigue fuels rumors in Beijing following ouster of Bo Xilai – March 28
  • N. Korean response to Obama appeal at summit on blocking rocket launch: ‘No’ – March 28
  • S. Korea’s Samsung Engineering wins $1 billion Iraq oil deal – March 26
  • Escape from a loveless prison camp in communist N. Korean hell – March 25
  • Formula for success at critical N. Korean talkfest: Not saying anything significant – March 26
  • Consequences of transferring the world’s best technology to a slave state – March 23
  • U.S. intelligence: Beijing coup rumors include tank sightings – March 22
  • A revitalized Jiang Zemin wants a general in the Politburo Standing Committee – March 20
  • ‘Precious’ satellites, long-range missiles and food aid all in time for Kim Il-Sung’s 100th birthday extravaganza – March 20
  • ‘Paralysis warfare’: China’s cyber focus is to cripple U.S. infrastructure – March 20
  • Dozens of N. Korean orphans hiding in China after fleeing homeland last month – March 16
  • India expands geopolitical footprint to counter China’s strategic threat – March 15
  • Report: China, Russia still arming Sudan for attacks on Darfour – March 14
  • From Stalin to Putin: Moscow maintains uneasy balance of power in Northeast Asia – March 9
  • China’s newest commercial jetliner benefitting from GE joint venture – March 9
  • Kim Jong-Un speeding up generation shift, may have sidelined powerful stepmother – March 8
  • National People’s Congress to focus on growing rich-poor gap in President Hu’s ‘Harmonious Society’ – March 7
  • UAE, South Korea sign $5 billion energy deal – March 6
  • Liquidate the World Bank! – March 5
  • China extending, exploiting political, economic backing it extended to Kim Jong-Un regime – March 2
  • Next president can cope with Putin redux and China’s sinister rise … if his name is not Obama – March 2
  • U.S.-North Korea ‘food for nukes’ deal means little, generates hot air in Seoul – March 1
  • Princelings in distress: Bo Xilai’s downfall, Hong Kong scandal cast cloud over Xi – March 1
  • Sapped by its major ally China, Burma reaches out to the West and Japan – Feb. 29
  • China wins 50-year control of strategic N. Korea port in $3-billion deal – Feb. 28
  • S. Korean intel said to report increased dissident activities in North – Feb. 24
  • China finally feeling heat over its ‘repatriation’ of N. Korean defectors to their doom – Feb. 24
  • Report: China’s arming of Iran poses threat to U.S. Navy in Gulf – Feb. 21
  • S. Korea’s Daewoo wins submarine contract for Indonesia over Turkish-German bid – Feb. 21
  • Top ‘princeling’s U.S. visit clouded by defection try, intel debate over succession – Feb. 19
  • Tale of two brothers: Speaking out costly for older? Silence is golden for the kid – Feb. 17
  • Life is sweet for top Chinese ‘princeling’, set to take power this year – Feb. 16
  • Top priority for Kim Jong-Un: Not the economy, but winning military’s support – Feb. 15
  • Long knives come out as secretive politics breaks into the open before October Congress – Feb. 14
  • Regime security, not national security, is dominant priority in Beijing and Moscow – Feb. 13
  • China’s growing leverage over N. Korea evidenced by sharp spike in 2011 trade – Feb. 12
  • Traumatized by N. Korean ordeal, U.S. activist pleads for ‘international community to protect millions of victims’ – Feb. 12
  • Prominent Chinese mayor on forced vacation after visiting U.S. consulate – Feb. 9
  • Kim Jong-Un urgently needs foreign currency to secure the support of N. Korea’s ruling elite – Feb. 8
  • What reset? What Arab Spring? Veto of Syria resolution reminds world of its Russia-China problem – Feb. 8
  • India gets 1st nuclear sub, guards sea lanes with ‘axis of democracies’ – Feb. 7
  • Beijing strikes hawkish pose in run-up to Xi Jinping’s U.S. tour – Feb. 7
  • Chinese communists influence U.S. policy through ex-military officials – Feb. 7
  • World waits for someone to do something, and then waits some more – Feb. 6
  • As Iran, Syria crises heat up, N. Korean missile exports boom – Feb. 3
  • As Iran, Syria crises heat up, N. Korean missile exports boom – Feb. 3
  • Kim Jong-Un era starts with new landmines on China border and shoot-to-kill orders to stop defections – Feb. 2
  • China’s dictators are not stupid like Stalin and Obama is their ally – Feb. 2
  • New U.S. strategy for China challenged by chairman of Joint Chiefs – Feb. 1
  • Al Qaida kidnaps bus load of Chinese laborers in Egypt – Feb. 1
  • U.S. intel: Syrian regime could survive 2012 with backing from China, Russia, Iran – Feb. 1
  • S. Korean who exposed payoff that led to a Nobel Peace Prize, is granted asylum in U.S. – Jan. 27
  • Iraq signs $1B energy deal with S. Korean firm – Jan. 27
  • Saudis seek new security allies, sign nuclear agreement with China – Jan. 27
  • Number of cell phone users surging in N. Korea, posing threat to regime control – Jan. 26
  • State of the globe nothing to cheer about: UN report warns jobs crisis ignored, downturn looms – Jan. 25
  • Newly re-elected Taiwan president already under pressure to begin reunificiation talks – Jan. 25
  • Never mind the facts: Our love affair with China goes on and on – Jan. 23
  • Kim Jong-Il’s first-born, prodigal son speaking out ‘to survive’ – Jan. 20
  • Birthday documentary attempts to fill in the military blanks on Kim Jong-Un’s resume – Jan. 19
  • China, United Arab Emirates sign energy deals – Jan. 19
  • From a prison state to a dream country, now endangered – Jan. 19
  • High stakes: Obama’s ace, Iranian oil and the 2012 election – Jan. 16
  • Saudis, China sign $10 billion oil refinery agreement – Jan. 16
  • Hu denounces U.S. ‘cultural imperialism,’ calls for ‘forceful measures’ – Jan. 15
  • Taxpayer-backed Cadillac helped fund Chinese Communist propaganda film – Jan. 12
  • Re-thinking war-fighting doctrines after the failure of ‘overwhelming wealth’ – Jan. 11
  • Chinese officials, netizens differ on country’s ‘superpower’ status – Jan. 11
  • Kim Jong-Un’s rush of new titles seen betraying vulnerability to challenges – Jan. 11
  • Amateur hour in year four – Jan. 9
  • The ‘trusting American voter’ and the end of freedom – Jan. 5
  • Eight strategic factors bearing on 2012, the year of ‘Great Power Impotence’ – Jan. 3
  • Fear reigns anew in N. Korea: Purges, punishment for unconvincing mourning loom – Jan. 3
  • In pursuit, globally, of the elusive soft-landing
    – Jan. 2
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