On the global terror front: But the U.S. embassies are open in India and Pakistan

On the global terror front: But the U.S. embassies are open in India and Pakistan

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com NEW DELHI — A bloody ambush on the Indian side of the line of control in the region over which India and Pakistan have been quarreling for decades shows not only the fragility of ceasefires but the inroads of terrorism from the Middle East across South and Southeast […]

‘Island of peace’ haunted by memories of war

‘Island of peace’ haunted by memories of war

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com JEJU – Schoolchildren here sing a mournful song about a gigantic rock about 90 miles southwest of the island where the souls of fishermen lost at sea find their final repose. The rock cannot really be called an outcropping since it’s actually submerged several meters, but South Korea […]

U.S.-Japan turf battles still fester in Okinawa but now China is a factor

U.S.-Japan turf battles still fester in Okinawa but now China is a factor

Special to WorldTribune.com By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com NAHA, Okinawa, Japan — The future of American power in Asia revolves closely around U.S. forces on this island that is home to a full panoply of U.S. air and ground forces well south of the Japanese “mainland.” Most people here would just as soon they go somewhere […]

Russian admiral pours cold water on idea of China ‘military alliance’

Russian admiral pours cold water on idea of China ‘military alliance’

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Week-long Chinese-Russian naval exercises in the Yellow Sea ended April 27 with much official hype but little convincing enthusiasm. That’s because throughout the exercises China desperately tried to convince the world that a solid Sino-Russian military alliance was in the works. The Chinese Defense Ministry called the […]

Vietnam War scars fade as Seoul and Hanoi celebrate economic, nuclear and strategic ties

Vietnam War scars fade as Seoul and Hanoi celebrate economic, nuclear and strategic ties

By Donald Kirk, East-Asia-Intel.com The image of South Korea’s highly conservative, arch-capitalist President Lee Myung-Bak waving happily in a sea of little paper flags featuring a gold star in a red field was just another ceremonial photo for the Seoul media. The picture, Lee smiling as he and Vietnam’s President Truong Tan Sang and wife […]