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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 11-Aug-2014
11-Aug-14 World View -- Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

Web Log - August, 2014

11-Aug-14 World View -- Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

Belarus to be the big winner in Russia's food import ban

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

China rebukes John Kerry's South China Sea 'freeze' proposal
Belarus to be the big winner in Russia's food import ban
Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

China rebukes John Kerry's South China Sea 'freeze' proposal

At a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China firmly rejected a proposal by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to "freeze" all activity in the South China Sea. According to the proposal, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and other nations would freeze all activity that raises tension in the South China Sea.

China has been pursuing a "salami slicing strategy" to annex South China Sea territories belonging to other countries. China has annexed several islands and shoals in the South China Sea belonging to Vietnam and the Philippines, and is threatening to annex other territories belonging to Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan.

An unnamed senior U.S. official said ASEAN countries' concern over China's maritime actions was at an "all-time high" based on private conversations, although their public statements were more guarded to avoid antagonizing China.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi blamed the United States for stirring up trouble:

"Someone has been exaggerating or even playing up the so-called tension in the South China Sea. We do not agree with such a practice. We have already found a method to solve this issue between China and Asean countries. The South China Sea has become stabilized now. No other issues have risen recently."

I don't have the vaguest clue what "method" Wang is referring to. Well, actually, I guess it's China's standard method: China tells its neighbor to do as commanded, or face being killed militarily. That stabilizes the situation.

Yi said that China will continue to exercise restraint, but will respond to provocations unequivocally and resolutely. He added that safeguarding its sovereignty over the South China Sea is unshakable.

As usual, John Kerry was in his own dream bubble, and claimed that the ASEAN meeting was a setback for China, because the final statement called for stepped-up talks with China. Kerry said that the communique's language "goes far enough" despite China's rebuff of the freeze proposal. Xinhua and Eleven (Myanmar/Burma) and VOA

Belarus to be the big winner in Russia's food import ban

Last week, Russia retaliated against western sanctions with a sweeping ban on food imports -- meat and poultry, seafood, milk and dairy products including cheese, fruit, vegetables and vegetable oil-based products -- from countries that have imposed their own sanctions on Russia for the annexation of Crimea, including the U.S., European Union, Australia and Norway.

Belarus is planning to help the Russian people. According to a Belarus official: "We can make up for many Western-made food products. We can supply a variety of cheeses. ... we can replace Polish apples and Dutch potatoes, we have them all."

However, Belarus already has a record of reselling European goods to Russia with a Belarusian label, in order to avoid Russian import duties on European goods. This underground activity is expected to expand substantially under the European food import ban. Moscow Times

Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

Security forces, tanks and Shia militia have surged into the streets of Baghdad, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gave a surprise nationally televised speech accusing President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, of attempting a coup to prevent him from running for a third term. Al-Maliki has been under tremendous international pressure to step down, because he's been a divisive figure in his harsh treatment of Sunnis since the withdrawal of American forces in December 2011. Even some of his allies recently have called for him to step down.

The exact reasons why al-Maliki called the troops and security forces into Baghdad are unclear, but the move is being declared as "ominous." At least, the troops are intended to be intimidating, but they may also mean that al-Maliki is going to declare martial law in case he fails. Several days ago, he said that any attempt to form a government without him would open the "gates of hell" in Iraq.

The increasing political chaos in Iraq comes just days after President Obama announced a campaign of air strikes in Iraq, possibly to continue for months, to prevent genocide of tens of thousands of minorities and to aid the Kurdish Peshmerga militias from attacks by ISIS. Obama has vowed that there will be no American "boots on the ground," but a number of analysts on Sunday expressed skepticism that he would be able to keep that promise. Daily Sabah (Istanbul) and CNN and Reuters

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 11-Aug-14 World View -- Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (11-Aug-2014) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 11-Aug-2014 11-Aug-14 World View -- Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

China rebukes John Kerry's South China Sea 'freeze' proposal

Belarus to be the big winner in Russia's food import ban

Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 11-Aug-2014
11-Aug-14 World View -- Iraq's PM al-Maliki orders troops and tanks into Baghdad