World View: Egypt in Crisis After Two Days of Violent Clashes

With almost 40 people killed in two days, Egypt's president Mohamed Morsi was forced to cancel a scheduled trip to Ethiopia and meet with top generals to discuss the violence. 27 Jan 2013

World View: China Threatens to Cut Off Aid to North Korea

China does not want North Korea to run that nuclear weapon test. The youthful North Korean president Kim Jong-un will look extremely weak if he now doesn't run the test. If he does, Xi has apparently backed himself into a corner, and presumably will be forced to reduce China's assistance. This doesn't mean that all assistance, particularly food aid, will be cut off, but presumably some significant component of the assistance will be affected. 26 Jan 2013

World View: China Urges Restraint after North Korea Nuclear Threat

China voted in favor of the U.N. Security Council resolution censuring North Korea for the long-range missile test, indicating that China is increasingly willing to criticize its client. China's Foreign Ministry called for calm and restraint from all concerned parties. 25 Jan 2013

World View: Egypt Scientists Find Polio in Cairo Years After Eradicating Virus

Pakistan's vaccination program has been opposed by the Taliban, who claim that it's a secret American plan to sterilize Pakistanis, to prevent the births of more Muslim children. This opposition has increased since the U.S. administration, in the process of bragging about having killed Osama bin Laden, revealed that a phony vaccination program was used to help establish the identity of bin Laden. 24 Jan 2013

World View: China Warns Australia Not to Side with America in War

Senior Colonel Liu Mingfu of China's National Defence University has raised the specter of a nuclear war, and warned Australia not to side with America and Japan. Liu is not an official spokesman for China, but his views are approved. 22 Jan 2013

World View: Coordinated Suicide Attack in Kabul, Afghanistan

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for an 8-hour assault, with suicide bombings and gunfire from automatic rifles, on the the headquarters of the Kabul traffic police in Afghanistan. This was the second major attack in Kabul in less than a week. Last week, six suicide bombers attack the National Directorate of Security, killing two guards. 22 Jan 2013

World View: Discussion of China's Directive to 'Get Ready for War'

My recent article "China's directive to the People's Liberation Army: Get Ready for War" was posted in several places and drew hundreds of questions and comments. In this article, I'm going to provide some responses. 21 Jan 2013

World View: Algeria Ends Four-Day Terrorist Siege with No-Mercy Assault

Algerian troops ended the four-day siege by Islamist terrorists at a natural gas complex in the Sahara with a no-mercy, no-negotiation assault that killed the seven remaining foreign hostages, along with all the remaining hostage takers. 20 Jan 2013

World View: China Prepares the People's Liberation Army for War

Flush with pride and confidence, senior officers in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) are using increasingly hawkish and nationalistic rhetoric when discussing issues related to Japan or the United States. Some of these officers call for "short, sharp wars" to assert China's sovereignty, or to "strike first," "prepare for conflict," or "kill a chicken to scare the monkeys." 19 Jan 2013

World View: Did France Kick Hornet's Nest with Mali Intervention?

The problem is that, as in the case of the Israeli attack on Hizbollah, the initial dream of an easy victory has already been dashed, and the prospect of a long war is looming. As several commentators have suggested, France may have kicked a hornet's nest. This follows increasing unrest throughout the region, with the "Arab Spring" and the military action in Libya causing numerous decades-old governments to collapse. 18 Jan 2013