Kashmir is on the boil again. Unrest has been on the rise for months now. The involvement of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence can be safely assumed, but less than in previous flare-ups, if clashes along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir are used as an indicator. In any event, the ability of outsiders to make trouble …
Alliances and No First Use
by | 2016-07-05 | 25 Comments
The Bill Clinton Administration made a questionable call to expand NATO after the Cold War ended. The George W. Bush Administration made matters far worse by expanding NATO up to Russia’s border in the Baltics and pushing club membership further east, lobbying to include even Ukraine and Georgia. The action/reaction syndrome then kicked in – …
Club Membership
by | 2016-06-26 | 3 Comments
India tried hard to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group with strong backing from the Obama Administration. It was a bridge too far. There was no consensus at the NSG meeting in Seoul to accept India’s candidacy, which was muddied by China’s advancement of Pakistan’s cause. No country besides China (with the possible exception of Turkey) …
Kwangmyonsong Debris
by | 2016-06-21 | 1 Comment
Last week, a piece of debris from North Korea’s Kwangmyongsong rocket washed up in Japan. Images of the debris show it is the smaller half of the fairing that covers the satellite during launch. The larger half was recovered in February. Given that the fairing fell, the object floated all the way to Yurihama, Japan …
