Interesting because of the writer, and the audience she chose for it. Her other pieces in ToI look to be similarly interesting.
[IsraelTimes] Last week's Newsweek cover story was headlined "Exodus: why Europe's Jews are fleeing once again."
Another Guardian news article warned Europe's rise of anti-Semitism is "in worst times since the Nazis."
While Europeans obsess about Israel and accuse her of "genocide" for fighting terrorism against Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and exercising her right to self-defense, they are strangely silent in face of ISIS's genocide and abominations against fellow Christians and non-Moslems in Iraq.
This moral double standard against Israel is perplexing, especially for China with no history of anti-Semitism. Ironically, while the West is turning against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East and frontline against Islamic jihadism, this rising power in the East is marching across the Silk Road to stand with Jerusalem in the war against terror.
Faced with its worst terror attacks in decades in Xinjiang and elsewhere, China, rather than turning to Europe, is seeking Israeli help in counter-terrorism. Chinese netizens and government also increasingly value Israel as a rock of stability in a sea of Islamic upheaval in the Middle East.
In a sense China has much in common with Israel as a victim of double standards in counter-terrorism. When Beijing faced terrorist attacks in Kunming, western media described it as "violence" rather than "terrorism," which angered Chinese netizens on Weibo and Wechat.
And despite increasing demilitarization and ongoing economic woes, Europe nonetheless is applying BDS against Israel, a dynamic economy based on innovation and high technology. By contrast, China recognizes this asset and is quickly investing in Israeli high-tech sector and human capital via joint ventures and research centers, while Jerusalem looks east to China's lucrative export market as the world's second largest economy.
Interestingly, Turkey shares the Israeli assessment of Europe's economic as well as military decline. In the aftermath of EU's Eurozone crisis and defense austerity measures, some mid-level ranks of the Turkish military are also looking east, with a Turkish naval officer referring to European armies as "bonsai armies" and why Turkey is looking eastward because "China is on the way of great power."
Bonsai is a miniature Japanese tree the size of a potted plant.
In November 2011, Christian Molling of the Berlin-based Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politick (SWP) wrote an article assessing how defense budget cuts will produce European bonsai armies over the next five years, with ever shrinking forces and diminishing capabilities. "In Germany, La Belle France, and Great Britannia there will be miniature versions of armiesâ¦these tiny armies will hardly offer serious military power anymore."
Thus Turkey had turned to China for its NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... missile defense system in September.
In addition to corroding economic and military power, Europe's moral standard also seems to be eroding.
Antisemitism is ranked the highest in La Belle France, Belgium and Hungary—especially La Belle France with increasing exodus of French Jews to Israel in fear for their lives. And despite being a permanent member of the UN Security Council and new NATO member since it rejoined in 2009, Gay Paree is also facing erosion of its moral authority among allies with its recent sale of Mistral warships to Putin.
Gay Paree has not only reaped the condemnation of its NATO allies, especially the outrage of Poland and Baltic states, but also incurred the contempt of Japan that has territorial disputes with Russia over the Kuril Islands—or Northern Territories of Kunashir, Iturup, Shikotan and Habomai in Japanese parlance.
In July Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, that Japan was strongly concerned about this plan and its impact on East Asia's security situation.
"'Strong concern', in a sense, means we want them to stop the deal," Onedera told news hounds.
U.S. State Department also expressed its displeasure that "We don't think anyone should be providing arms to Russia", and that delivery of French Mistral amphibious assault ships to Russia would be "completely inappropriate." In fact, Russian Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky said if Russia had Mistral ships in its 2008 invasion of Georgia, it would have taken "40 minutes instead of 26 hours."
In face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and downing of Malaysian flight MH17, French delivery of offensive naval platforms built to support invasions is thus seen as sacrificing fellow NATO democratic allies' security on the altar of commerce with an aggressor.
Thus with Europe's moral compromises, rampant anti-Semitism, BDS movement, economic woes and bonsai armies, Israel and China are turning to each other and forging a new alignment to combat global terrorism. As Chinese ambassador to Israel Gao Yanping penned in a J-post article back in April, bilateral relations are bound to blossom. And as the sun seems to be rising in the East with China enjoying continual blessings and ascendance in global power and prestige, one wonders if this is confirming the Book of Genesis scripture that "I will bless those who bless you [Israel] and I will curse him who curses you."
Dr. Christina Lin is a Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at SAIS-Johns Hopkins University. She is the author of "The New Silk Road: China's Energy Strategy in the Greater Middle East" (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy), and a former director for China policy at the U.S. Department of Defense.
#2
'Bonsai armies'. The graft ridden governance types have come to realize they can take all the money, and not deliver any services, and no one there can stop them.
Puts a whole new spin on the phrase "captured by the system".
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/15/2014 7:52 Comments ||
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#3
ed, aside from the usual graft issues (and European military procurement corruption is generally an order of magnitude less than that of, oh, say, Lebanon's), this is the natural result of the post-Gulf-War "professionalization" of Europe's armies, and the pivot away from conscript armies to volunteer armies. They took the obvious cue from the shattering of Saddam's large conscripted field formations, and started dismantling the "mass" armies which were the mainstay of both the Warsaw Pact and NATO national forces. Unfortunately, professional volunteer armies are amazingly expensive, and they haven't budgeted the sums needed to field more than a skeleton corps or two on average. Many of the smaller countries barely can scrape together more than the equivalent of a single brigade combat team. There isn't a regular army in Europe north of 200k, and most of them can't pull that many together if they called up the reserves.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/15/2014 8:52 Comments ||
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#4
..it's also an effect of generations of American military welfare for first world countries who got to play the socialist give away game with resources that should have otherwise gone to their own national defense. Now with that umbrella starting to disappear, they don't have the will to reallocate resources.
I) I had heard the Chinese were called the jews of asia because they had business and trading communities throughout the region. These wealthy communities were attacked by their poorer neighbors during the Indonesian and Malayian civil wars. the Chinese would be really thick to not at least have a glimmer of understanding about the roots of anti-semitism.
II) Western Armies kick the snot out of other armies because of Western Culture. the armies might be starved of hardware but in general the training and non-coms are gonna be a far better model to emulate than anything the Chinese can produce at this point. Allying with the strong horse is one thing but getting miltiary training/hardware from them is just daft.
#6
the Chinese would be really thick to not at least have a glimmer of understanding about the roots of anti-semitism.
The overseas Chinese, yes.
The Communist Chinese... the guys who helped install and supported the Khmer Rouge during their genocides... they probably understand Naziism too, but not the way you think.
#7
The way I see Chinese attitude to Antisemitism: to them you're either Chinese, or you're a monkey---and they don't really care if you're an Aryan or a Jewish monkey.
#8
The Yazidis repor claim influence from ancient Hinduism, among other - WHERE OH WHERE IS RISING INDIA = AKA FUTURE OWG CO-SUPERPOWER INDIA IN ALL THIS???
#9
As far as European military is concerned, they're moving back towards their preferred pattern, which they basically lost after the Thirty Years War: Mercenaries.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
08/15/2014 19:51 Comments ||
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#10
I would say that saidsame Jews "fleeing Europe" don't trust Euro Democratic-Liberal Socialists includ Commies to protect or defend themselves, let alone Jews.
Prob is there's no guarantee that Globalist Amerika will be any different, i.e to promote + defend the Marxist/Socialist Welfare-Nany Stae MOdel at all costs even iff it means putting everybody in existential danger at the hands of the Soon-to0-be-Nuclear Global Jihad [Islam-based Theo-Socialists]???
Anyhoo, as for CHINA ... ...
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Foreign Policy] CHINA SEES "ISLAMIC STATE" MILITANTS INCHING CLOSER TO HOME: CHINESE MEDIAS LIGHT UP AFTER HONG KONG WEEKLY SAYS "ISLAMIC STATE" AIMS TO EXPAND INTO XINJIANG.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Epoch Times] CHINA DECLARES AUSTRALIA A MILITARY THREAT OVER US PACT.
PLAN RADM. Li Jie.
* SAME > US DIPLOMAT DENIES ALIANCE WILL DRAG AUSTRALIA INTO WAR WID CHINA.
* REALTED WORLD MILITARY FORUM > DARWIN, AUSTRALIA TO BE "SECOND GUAM" US SUPERBASE IN SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AND SE ASIA WID NEW 25-YEAR US-AUSTRALIA SECURITY AGREEMENT. DARWIN UNSAFE FROM RAIN OF CHINESE MISSLES DUE TO BEING 3000-KMS CLOSER TO CHINESE TERRITORY THAN GUAM BASE.
* Also from SAME > DF-41 LR ICBM GIVES CHINA A SECOND-STRIKE CAPABILITY AGZ THE US.
* SAME > EXPERT: CHINA'S PROCUREMENT OF RUSSIAN-MADE S-400 BMD-ADS + DIAOYU-BASING WILL ALLOW CHINA EFFECTIVE COVER AGZ US-ALLIED FIGHTERS, STRIKE AIRCRAFT BASED ON OKINAWA, TAIWAN + SOUTH KOREA.
* MARIANAS VARIETY > "OBAMA OPPOSED BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP ON [Unincorporated = Non-US State] AMERICAN SOIL.
MORE GOOD NEWS FOR RISING CHINA FROM GLOBALIST OBAMA, US EAST ASIA ALLIES + GUAM-WESTPAC NOTSOMUCH.
There are three reactions to Isis among western Muslims - active support on the streets from the excitable young lads, deranged conspiracy theories from Yasmina Haifi i.e. Isis is a Zionist creation
, and utter deafening silence from everybody else. Suppose one of those youthful jihadists returns from Mosul and decides to decapitate a French Jew. Do you think that trio of reactions would be any different?
This is beyond "integration" or "assimilation", and closer to what William Wilberforce, in another context, called "the reformation of manners", and on a scale even he might have balked at. Without that, the numbers will, as in Turkey, prove decisive. Why do nations whose the 'numbers' are different (like the US) join in this mad consensus of appeasement and accommodation of theocratic fascists?
#2
One man, One vote, spells doom for western civ. Demographics rule. I know, I live 45 minutes from the border in Tucson. Question to Rantburgers: is the U.S.A. a Republic or a Democracy?
#4
Whew, good thing the Bammer is on Amerika's side!
Oh wait ... ...
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Daily Caller] VIDEO: EX-FL REPRESENTATIVE ALLEN WEST DECLARES OBAMA AN ISLAMIST, slowly but surely intentionally working to denigrate the security of the USA.
RELATED YAHOO NEWS! > ALLEN WEST DECLARES OBAMA AN ISLAMIST.
* TOPIX > [Hot Air] INTEL OFFICIAL: ISIS SEES CONFLICT WID THE US [ + Europe = JudeoChristianity, Non-Muslim World} AS INEVITABLE.
* WORLD NEWS . [Daily Press] YEMEN AQAP CALLS ON ISLAMISTS TO ATTACK AMERICA AFTER [anti-ISIS]AIRSTRIKES.
Calls on Muslim to give their all in Military, Economic, + Media Jihad = attacks agz the USA.
[The Nation (Pak)] Not that Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... and Tahirul-Qadri have ever called it peaceful, but have you ever seen a 'peaceful' revolution? Most revolutions are violent, if not bloody. States take decades to recover from a real revolution. And the same stands for a functional democracy. Authoritarianism for Pakistain is a not a type of governance, but a style; one that we have seen in democratic governments. And Imran Khan and Qadri are using the same style of ordering around party workers, throwing televised tantrums and rejecting negotiations with a legitimate government. For Imran it's the sort of narcissism that will make him say and do whatever it takes to become Prime Minister, and pronto. Qadri, has an agenda to revive Barelvism in Pakistain and is an ideological mouthpiece, much like a messiah.
What Imran and Qadri have going for them is the creation and ownership of a narrative of revolution. The masses want change, not revolution, but revolution sounds grand, final and irreversible. Imran doesn't seem to be opposed to democratic governance, but he is coming across as contemptuous of any setup in which he is not at the top of the triangle. He has not been able to prove that the rigging he alleges took place, changed the outcome of the election. Even if PTI won its four seats it would still be a minority party. Bravado and swagger can only go so far for Imran Khan. The Azadi March will paralyse the country tomorrow and afterwards whether Imran gets his way or not. The Prime Minister will not resign, of this we can be sure. And Imran does not seem the kind of man who will accept a compromise, despite the threat of facing contempt of court following the High Court order of Wednesday evening. The resulting deadlock will have to mediated, possibly by a third party, and it is anybody's guess who that might be. Should be no surprises there.
This type of upheaval is natural, and people have a right to protest whatever their cause as part of a democratic process. The government as a protector of the people has the duty to ensure that they provide safety for citizens, whether they are PTI or PAT tomorrow. PML-N has fed into the revolution narrative completely and is gracelessly willing to do anything it can to stop the "revolution" as though their heads will be on a spike come August 15th. One hopes the government will show some composure and restraint. As it stands, their moral legitimacy is already teetering on the brink.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Whoops, I thought this would be about something closer to home.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
There are three reactions to Isis among western Muslims - active support on the streets from the excitable young lads, deranged conspiracy theories from Yasmina Haifi 
