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Hague: ‘No Plan’ For Military Action In Iran

January 26, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

The UK is “not planning” to take military action in Iran, Foreign Secretary William Hague has told MPs.

Mr Hague was answering an urgent question on 24 January 2012, tabled by Conservative Robert Halfon, who wanted to know what action was being taken against the country over its nuclear ambitions.

On Monday, the European Union agreed sanctions banning all new oil contracts with Iran and freezing the assets of Iran’s central bank in the EU.

The foreign secretary said the EU’s “unprecedented” measures would put pressure on Iran to enter talks about its uranium enrichment programme. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People ·

US, Filipino Forces Plan Drills Near Disputed Area

January 21, 2012 by ·

U.S. and Philippine marines plan to hold combat drills at an oil rig in the South China Sea to bolster the defense of such sensitive facilities in a bold move that may provoke protests from China, which claims waters in or near the location.

Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the Philippine military’s Western Command, said Thursday the exercises will be held in March or April off western Palawan province and should not alarm China because these will be done within Philippine territorial waters.

The drills involve U.S. Marines training their Philippine counterparts in defending and retaking oil and gas rigs captured by security threats like terrorists, Sabban said, adding military organizers from both sides did not contemplate on China as an imaginary target when they planned the drills. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People, Policy ·

How China Is Advancing Its Military Reach

January 20, 2012 by ·

As the US shifts its focus to Asia, Alexander Neill, head of the Asia Security Programme at the Royal United Services Institute, sets out the Chinese military advances challenging the regional balance.

At the Pentagon recently, US President Barack Obama announced deep cuts to the US military and set out a shift in attention towards the Asia-Pacific region, in a thinly-veiled message to China.

Despite a narrative of peaceful intent, China’s leaders have struggled to reassure the US over the direction of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Both countries admit that their military dialogue falls well behind other aspects of the relationship. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People, Technologies ·

Anti-Putin Protests Draw Tens Of Thousands

December 26, 2011 by ·

Tens of thousands of Russians jammed a Moscow avenue Saturday to demand free elections and an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule, in the largest show of public outrage since the protests 20 years ago that brought down the Soviet Union. Gone was the political apathy of recent years as many shouted “We are the Power!”

The demonstration, bigger and better organized than a similar one two weeks ago, and smaller rallies across the country encouraged opposition leaders hoping to sustain a protest movement ignited by a fraud-tainted parliamentary election on Dec. 4.

The enthusiasm also cheered Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader who closed down the Soviet Union on Dec. 25, 1991. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People, Politics ·

Needs For Senior Living

December 22, 2011 by ·

The first of the Baby Boomers began reaching age 65 this year.

By 2030, the number of people 65 and older will comprise 20 percent, or about 71 million people, of the U.S. population, according to research conducted by Prudential in 2010.

Over the last several years, boomers have proven their resilience and strength in continuing to work full- or part- time jobs, although for many it’s a necessity. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health Care, People, Research & Study ·

A Turning Point In North Korea?

December 20, 2011 by ·

Kim Jong-il’s death may begin a fresh period of confrontation with Seoul if Pyongyang’s new leader attempts to demonstrate his authority

To be honest, nobody knows for sure what may happen in North Korea following the sudden death of Kim Jong-il. A key part of the mercurial dictator’s legacy is the dysfunctional secrecy that envelops the country like a dark funeral shroud. In equal measure, Kim threatened, and felt threatened by, the outside world. His personal insecurity translated into a national policy of paranoia.

The first, pressing consideration for western countries, principally the US, which effectively guarantees South Korea’s defence, will be whether Kim’s designated heir and successor, his third son, Kim Jong-un, is able to assert and entrench his authority. State media yesterday purposefully thrust Kim to the forefront of the nationwide mourning ceremonies, making clear that like his father and grandfather before him, he is the new “dear leader”. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, People, Political ·

What Does Russia Really Think About Vladimir Putin?

December 18, 2011 by ·

He was a mousy-haired, somewhat balding bureaucrat with a sinister but uninspiring KGB past, a reticence in public that made him appear slightly uncomfortable in his own skin, and an immediately forgettable face.

The fifth man in quick succession to be shoehorned into the job by an ageing, drunk president with a single-figure approval rating, there seemed every reason to dismiss Russia’s newly appointed prime minister as another stop-gap measure. But the grey blur that Russians saw being interviewed for the first time on television in August 1999, most of them for the first time, would become one of the most important statesmen in their country’s history. His demeanour would transition from awkward catatonia to the man who always has a wisecrack ready; from a greyish technocrat to a charismatic superman. It’s a truism of modern politics that “you either have it or you don’t”. Vladimir Putin is the man who somehow managed to grow into it. [Read more...]

Filed Under: People, Politics ·