American Politics and the World… Post #140: The Diplomacy of Donald J. Trump 27 Dec 201627 Feb 2017 Oblivious to Tradition and Good Sense Those of us who appreciate the unconventional have to have second thoughts after watching Donald J. Trump in action. All the more so when…
American Politics and the World… Post #126: How Trump Deals 16 Aug 201627 Feb 2017 The revelation from a New York Times investigation that Donald Trump’s chief campaign adviser, Paul Manafort, was on the take with the former pro-Russian Ukraine president should come as no…
BLOG… Post #122: China’s Bad Day in Court 13 Jul 201627 Feb 2017 As had been widely expected, the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled on July 12 in favor of the Philippines’…
BLOG… Post #119 – Too Close for Comfort: The Dangerous US-China Maritime Dispute 11 Jun 201627 Feb 2017 The Background Two recent close encounters between US spy planes and Chinese jets spell trouble for relations between Washington and Beijing. The first occurred over the South China Sea…
BLOG… Post #111: China–Broken Rice Bowls, Stifled Voices 23 Mar 201627 Feb 2017 Amidst the economic downturn in China, two developments that are not “in the human interest” stand out: rising unemployment among workers in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and repression of criticism of…
American Politics and the World… Post #110: Trump and China 15 Mar 201627 Feb 2017 Donald Trump says he “knows” China. He “likes” China, in fact “loves” China. And so long as the Chinese do exactly as he wants, he’ll continue loving China. And that’s…
BLOG… Post #100: China in Paris 7 Dec 201527 Feb 2017 Xi Jinping is a lucky man: He got to spend a few days in Paris, at the UN Conference on Climate Change, while his fellow Beijingers suffered under some of…
BLOG… Post #98: Reality Check on China 13 Nov 201527 Feb 2017 Will the real China please stand up? In the US media, most stories about China raise questions that amount to threat-mongering. How can China’s “aggressiveness” in the South China Sea…
BLOG… Post #80: The Looming US-China Crisis in the South China Sea 10 Jun 201527 Feb 2017 The long-running, multi-party dispute over control of islets in the South China Sea (SCS) is worsening both in rhetoric and provocative activity. (For background, see my posts #23 and 41.)…
BLOG… Post #69 – Crime and Punishment in China: The Underside of Reforms 8 Mar 201527 Feb 2017 China’s supreme leader, Xi Jinping, is vigorously carrying out a campaign against corruption. The targets have been high-ranking party and military officials, past and present; province and other local officials;…
BLOG… Post #60 – China’s Triangle Diplomacy 26 Dec 201427 Feb 2017 Back in the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, the “strategic triangle” with the Soviet Union and China was the great game. The idea was to play off the…
BLOG… Post #58 – The Abe-Xi Mini-Summit: A Positive Moment 14 Dec 201427 Feb 2017 The Chinese have a diplomatic tradition of “drawing from strength to offset weakness” (qu chang bu duan). The tradition was on display recently when China’s President Xi Jinping met with…
BLOG… Post #48 – Hong Kong on the Brink 5 Oct 201427 Feb 2017 The tense situation in Hong Kong is at a critical juncture. The protesters have made plain that they are there to stay, though their numbers are dwindling. They are demanding…
BLOG… Post #41 – The US-China Tangle Over the South China Sea 21 Aug 201427 Feb 2017 The best way to describe the latest round of U.S.-China dispute over the South China Sea (SCS) is “déjà vu all over again.” (See post #23 for background.) The setting…
BLOG… Post #35 – Mr. Xi Goes to Seoul 17 Jul 201427 Feb 2017 China and Korea watchers jumped to attention when it was announced that Xi Jinping would visit South Korea from July 3-4, rather than visit North Korea first. Although the trip…
BLOG… Post #23 – Trouble at Sea: China Confronts Its Neighbors Over Sovereignty and Resources 26 May 201427 Feb 2017 Trouble is again brewing in the South China Sea (SCS), where six nations compete for control over tiny atolls—the Paracel and Spratly Islands—that probably sit atop important gas and oil…
BLOG… Post #19 – China on the Mind: Obama’s Asia Trip 5 May 201427 Feb 2017 In post #17 I analyzed the Japan portion of President Obama's Asia trip. Following is a fuller assessment of the entire trip. Obama arrived in an Asia torn by grief. …
BLOG… Post #17 – Obama in Japan: A Missed Opportunity for Conflict Prevention 25 Apr 201427 Feb 2017 Most impartial observers of the China-Japan imbroglio over tiny islands claimed by both in the East China Sea—known in Japan as Senkaku and in China as Diaoyu—believe it has reached…
BLOG… Post #6 China Threat? The Military Side of US-China Relations 11 Mar 201427 Feb 2017 Looking back over the history of the US-USSR Cold War competition, two aspects stand out: first, the USSR’s inability to catch up with the US in strategic weapons capability; second,…
In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov 