In Other News…the TPP: Trans-Pacific Partnership
Barack Obama’s new baby: a full on free trade block forming! The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is an Asia-Pacific regional trade agreement currently being negotiated among the United States and eight other partners…and is getting ready to be rolled out at the big APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting this weekend in Honolulu. This move signals the ever-increasingly important economic shift from the Atlantic-centered world to the Pacific, and also can be interpreted as a US strategic move to cement its influence in the Pacific arena…possibly to counter China’s power, and certainly to try to expand US exports to these bustling economies. Who will get on board this TPP train? Let’s find out!
Related Stories:
Premier Says Japan Will Join Pacific Free Trade Talks
Push for Pacific free trade block gains traction
U.S.-China tensions colour APEC meet
Keywords: TPP, Trans-pacific Partnership, APEC, US, Obama, Japan, South Korea, Chile, China, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Peru, Brunei, Malaysia
Asian Axis of Democracy?
So China is on the rise in the world, and China is specifically on the move on the water: assertively and aggressively pushing out its power and influence into the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean in general. Can their power now ever be checked? Is Chinese world domination around the corner? Ah! Mommy! I’m scared! NOT! There appears to be a political /military/ideological team slowly former that certainly will not stop China, but may serve nicely to check its growth and contain its more aggressive policies. The potential Pacific China-checking team? The Asian Axis of Democracy! Let the Avenger clue you in!
Related Stories:
U.S. Says S. China Sea Events ‘Troubling’ After Vietnam Meeting
Beijing Stages South China Sea Military Drills
China blames Vietnam for rising tensions over disputed sea
(*esp pay attention to what Hillary Clinton sez)
'Axis of democracy' flexes its military muscles
Keywords: Asia, Asian Axis of Democracy, China, US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam
China Acquires Aircraft Carrier
Sino-ships ahoy, my plaid friends! As the Spratly spat in the South China Sea continues to swell, a new component to the Chinese sea power equation has been added: China’s first aircraft carrier has been revealed! What is so special about this particular piece of weaponry? How many other countries have them? Why would China want one? What does it mean for the balance of power in the Asia-Pacific region, and perhaps the world? The Avenger will cover all these queries, and elaborate on the why/how/where the Chinese plan to project their aircraft carrier power to.
Related Plaidcasts:
A Tit for Tat: Spratly Island Spat!
Japanese Island Hijinks (part 1)
Japanese Island Hijinks (part 2)
Related Stories:
As China Extends Maritime Reach, Neighbors Grow Uneasy
China admits 'secret' aircraft carrier is nearly ready for launch
Chinese aircraft carrier, a sign of rolling back West's global reach
Keywords: aircraft carrier, South China Sea, Spratly Islands, Senkaku Island, China, Japan, Taiwan, IKEA
A Tit for Tat: Spratly Island Spat!
South China Sea shenanigans are afoot my friends! An aggressive China has been bumping into ships from Vietnam and Philippines on the high seas just south of the mainland…and the shizzle that goes down over the Spratly Islands located therein are going to affect military and strategic policy in the Pacific for decades to come! What’s that? You don’t know jack about the Sprats? Well then, settle in for a few minutes and find out the where, who, and why this little group of rocks that is quickly becoming the focus of an international showdown that may eventually involve China and the US squaring off against each other, along with other Asian nations in in the fray!
Related Stories:
South China Sea Dispute Flares Up
China accuses Vietnam in South China Sea row
Tensions escalate over the South China Sea
Keywords: South China Sea, Spratly Islands, China, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan
Japan Quake Shakes the World
The Plaid Avenger gives a quick assessment of the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11, but also talks about the wider implications to the rest of the planet concerning this already historic event. Due to the unfolding nuclear crisis being caused by 3 damaged nuclear reactors which may turn into an even bigger disaster than the quake, the world is likely to slow or perhaps even abandon the emerging nuclear power industries, which in turn will make for skyrocketing prices of fossil fuels (Note: the price of oil is currently dropping, as Japan’s demand for oil has evaporated in the short term but don’t look for that to last much longer.) In addition, this epic event in Japanese history is likely to be looked back upon as the time that Japan slipped from its economic/political leadership role as an Asian titan, to a more subsidiary player behind China and other rising Asian powers.
Related Stories:
Japan Earthquake Among World's Most Expensive Catastrophes
Death toll rises, stocks plunge, foreigners flee as nuclear crisis escalates
Fears mounting over U.S. nuclear plants
Germany to shut down pre-1980 nuclear plants
Japan gets coal, gas from historic rival Russia
China to continue providing aids to Japan, calling for global nuclear safety cooperation
Keywords: Japan, earthquake, tsunami, nuclear reactor, nuclear energy, oil
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Issue 2: Battle For Burma
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