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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2012
18-Mar-12 World View -- Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Web Log - March, 2012

18-Mar-12 World View -- Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Vietnam accuses China of violating its sovereignty in Paracel Islands

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com.

Venezuela's Chavez returns home after cancer surgery
Pakistan's president Zardari seeks to restore ties with U.S.
China expresses disapproval of North Korea's satellite launch plan
Vietnam accuses China of violating its sovereignty in Paracel Islands
Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Venezuela's Chavez returns home after cancer surgery

Hugo Chávez in Cuba last week

Hugo Chávez in Cuba last week

Rumors are spreading that Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez is more seriously ill than he's admitting, because of government refusals to provide details about his condition, as he returns from three weeks in Cuba for cancer surgery to remove an inch-long lesion that had appeared on the site where he’d had a baseball-sized tumor removed in June. Chávez faces a reelection campaign for an October 7 presidential election. Polls show Chávez ahead of his main opponent, Henrique Capriles, who opposes Chávez's expropriations and confiscations of private property. Miami Herald

Pakistan's president Zardari seeks to restore ties with U.S.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan is seeking to restore ties with the U.S., during his fifth "state of the union" address to Pakistan's parliament. "Pakistan-U.S. relations are multidimensional and important” and they should be based on mutual respect. Pakistan wants to "engage meaningfully with the U.S." he said. A parliamentary committee on national defense is reviewing Pakistan’s ties with the U.S. after American helicopters attacked two Pakistani border posts on Nov. 26, killing 24 soldiers. In protest, Pakistan closed its border to the resupply of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and suspended much military and intelligence cooperation. The results of the review should be available within a couple of weeks. Zardari's speech was met with catcalls by the opposition. Bloomberg

China expresses disapproval of North Korea's satellite launch plan

It's rare for China to express public disapproval of its ally North Korea, so it's surprising that China is expressing "concern" over North Korea's announcement that it will launch a satellite in April, using a long-range rocket. North Korea claims that it's a peaceful use, but analysts note that the same rocket could be used to carry a nuclear weapon to Europe or the United States. North Korea's announcement came just two weeks after they agreed to halt their nuclear development, in exchange for food aid. It's quite possible that the food aid will now be canceled or delayed. Xinhua

Vietnam accuses China of violating its sovereignty in Paracel Islands

South China Sea, with blue line added to show region claimed by China as part of its sovereign territory

South China Sea, with blue line added to show region claimed by China as part of its sovereign territory

Tensions continue to grow between Vietnam and China over China's claim to complete sovereignty over the entire South China Sea region. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry says in a statement Friday that a Chinese oil company has recently opened bidding for oil exploration near the Paracel islands, while earlier this month China conducted live firing exercises near the island and planned to expand tourism there. The statement quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi as saying Chinese actions “seriously violate Vietnam’s sovereignty ... and international laws.” AP

Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Russia's reasons for refusing in the United Nations Security Council to permit any resolutions criticizing the violence by Syria's president Bashar al-Assad against his own people are complex. Russia has been struggling to gain influence in the Mideast for decades, and now Syria is its last Arab ally. Syria is also a heavy purchaser of Russian arms, and Syria hosts Russia's only remaining Mediterranean naval port, at Tartus. But there are also deeper reasons in Saudi Arabia's decades-old struggle against the Soviet Union and Russia as the "evil empire." Russia's troubled relationship with Saudi Arabia has a lot to do with its own internal challenges, mainly the remaining Muslim population under central Russian control in the Caucasus. The fundamental conflict was within the Soviet Union itself, which was telling people, including Muslims, to free themselves from the chains of religion, leading to repressions of Muslims, forcing many of them to migrate to the Hijaz, the western region of Saudi Arabia. Daily News (Egypt)

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 18-Mar-12 World View -- Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (18-Mar-2012) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2012 18-Mar-12 World View -- Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

Venezuela's Chavez returns home after cancer surgery

Pakistan's president Zardari seeks to restore ties with U.S.

China expresses disapproval of North Korea's satellite launch plan

Vietnam accuses China of violating its sovereignty in Paracel Islands

Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Mar-2012
18-Mar-12 World View -- Syria violence becomes a proxy war between Russia and Saudi Arabia