Xi’s answer to America’s strategic shift to Asia: Closer ties with Moscow

Xi’s answer to America’s strategic shift to Asia: Closer ties with Moscow

Special to WorldTribune.com By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com General Secretary and Commander-in-chief Xi Jinping is set to continue the “pro-Russian” policy of his predecessor, Hu Jintao, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership becomes more nervous than ever over Washington’s perceived “anti-China containment policy.” While meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev in Beijing on […]

Terror crisis in Mali, desecration in Timbuktu and the suppression of millions: World shrugs

Terror crisis in Mali, desecration in Timbuktu and the suppression of millions: World shrugs

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Regions of a vast landlocked country, remote but strategic, has fallen under the control of Al Qaida terrorists and fundamentalist forces. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled a regime which persecutes women, imposes stringent Sharia law, and desecrates and destroys ancient towns and even mosques. The outside world […]

‘Almost noiseless’ 3rd Russian nuclear-powered sub begins sea trials

‘Almost noiseless’ 3rd Russian nuclear-powered sub begins sea trials

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com Russia’s third Borei-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), the Vladimir Monomakh, recently began sea trials from the northern shipbuilding town of Severodvinsk. The official RIA Novosti news agency called the Vladimir Monomakh “super-modern, powerful and almost noiseless.” The Borei-class SSBN is Russia’s first post-Soviet designed nuclear submarine. […]

Remembering Vaclav Havel who inspired freedom fighters from E. Europe to N. Korea, China

Remembering Vaclav Havel who inspired freedom fighters from E. Europe to N. Korea, China

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — One year ago the renowned author, playwright, and former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel died at age 75. In tribute to this extraordinary European Renaissance Man, I’m reissuing my column in the spirit of memory and the season. “Havel’s career as literary figure, intellectual and a political […]

Europe gets the prize: Sixty years of peace, if not prosperity

Europe gets the prize: Sixty years of peace, if not prosperity

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The European Union, the concert of 27 countries ranging from the Bay of Biscay to the Baltics and the Balkans has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. Some may smile, others may smirk, and many, when they think about it for a second time, may say […]

Where’s Vladimir? Kremlin spokesmen vague on Putin’s health

Where’s Vladimir? Kremlin spokesmen vague on Putin’s health

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Miles Yu, Geostrategy-Direct.com The Kremlin is adamant that rumors about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ill health are only rumors. But Putin has not been meeting his scheduled events over the past couple of months. In early November, Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin suffered from some illness. He denied […]

Welcome to Soviet America! (Was my 1975 1-act play prophetic?)

Welcome to Soviet America! (Was my 1975 1-act play prophetic?)

Lev Navrozov “Lev, this is Julie. Do you remember me?” The voice on the phone sounded familiar. She went on: “Almost forty years ago, I believe the year was 1975, I went to see your play ‘Welcome to Soviet America!’ at Carnegie Hall. It was a one-actor play, in which you played all the roles, […]

Recalling how Britain responded to the London Blitz: 42,600 civilians died

Recalling how Britain responded to the London Blitz: 42,600 civilians died

Special to WorldTribune.com By Ed Koch I was struck by an article which appeared in The New York Times on Nov. 19 reporting on the position of the British government on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Almost everyone acknowledges that the Hamas government in Gaza started the war, except for their Muslim supporters […]

Venezuela gains seat on UN Human Rights Council: ‘Neither the U.S. nor the EU said a word’

Venezuela gains seat on UN Human Rights Council: ‘Neither the U.S. nor the EU said a word’

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — First, the good news. The United States has been re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council along with Germany and Ireland. So too have been South Korea and Japan. Now fasten your seat belts for the rest of the eighteen new selections to the 47 member Geneva-based Council which […]

Israel’s successful Sudan air strike delivered a pointed message to Iran

Israel’s successful Sudan air strike delivered a pointed message to Iran

Special to WorldTribune.com Global Information System Israel’s precision air strike on Oct. 24, against the Yarmouk weapons production facility in the suburbs of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, was — apart from destroying a facility which provided rockets and missiles to Hamas to use against Israel — clearly intended to send a direct message to the […]