This is worth a thought from the small Kyrgystan news agency 24kg  by Boris Dzhunusov:-  

Democracy is often called a system, at which governments hold elections and, in case of its defeat, give power to winners. In our country, elections used to be held always with one result – the winner was exceptionally the power itself. Therefore, we should not exclude that in the nearest future the winner in the elections in Kyrgyzstan will be a ruling party.  Democracies can be stable only at a definite level of economic development. When the country is populated by poor citizens, it should be understood that a voting bulletin is not a saving remedy.  In theory, democracy deserves admiration, but its hasty introduction outside western world often entails bigger poverty, bloodshed and death.

Click here: Democracy Kills                      Click here: Democracy Kills

North Korea has just carried out a missile test and the US President Jim West has to decide how to respond:- 

‘All right,’ West said thoughtfully. ‘So who are North Korea’s friends? Because Hitler had plenty.’

      ‘China and Russia – if you don’t count the rogue states,’ said Secretary of State Newman. ‘They’ll back us, but it may have a cost.  On the surface, neither will sacrifice their relationship with us in order to save North Korea. But go a bit beneath that, and they will try to exact unacceptable concessions.’

Click here: The Third World War — A Future History                       Click here: The Third World War — A Future History

North Korea warns of nuclear ’sacred war’, saying it will use its “nuclear deterrent” in response to joint US-South Korean military exercises this weekend.

In a hot war confrontation how many allies might North Korea really have? 

 Click here: The Third World War — A Future History

The US and South Korea’s plans to hold joint military exercises pose a major danger to the region, Pyongyang says. Some 20 ships and submarines and 100 aircraft are to take place in four days of manoeuvres in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) from Sunday.

Sanctions and war games — what next?

Click here: The Third World War — A Future History

In August 1990, the United States linked a UN vote on Iraq sanctions to aid packages to  poorer countries who were temporary members of  the Security Council – such as Ethiopia, Zaire and Yemen.   Yemen voted against the resolution and three days later found that the US had cancelled its entire aid programme to the country. The Yemeni ambassador to the UN was told: “That will be the most expensive ‘no’ vote you ever cast.” 

But expensive to whom? Twent years on, Yemen is seen as one of the biggest sanctuaries for Al Qaeda terrorism. 

A brilliant review by Andrew Cockburn in the London Review of Books on Joy Gordon’s Invisible War: The United States and Iraq Sanctions

Click here: Democracy Kills

China and Taiwan have signed a historic trade pact, seen as the most significant agreement since civil war split the two governments 60 years ago.

Not long ago the China-Taiwan story was about missiles and invasions.  It’s amazing what trade can do

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The US warns that North Korea may be preparing for another missile test.

 

Click here: The Third World War — A Future History

Britain already has the most video cameras per head of population among Western democracies, now the Sunday Times reports that a network of ‘intelligent’ listening devices that can monitor conversations and detect threatening language are being deployed for the first time in a city centre — Coventry.   I story I wrote about three years ago in From Our Own Correspondent Click here: Big Brother is watching us all

Click here: Democracy Kills

China has been cutting deals in debt-ridden Greece in what’s being seen as a relentless pursuit of global influence. The European Council on Foreign Relations has recently warned that Chinese behaviour poses a ‘huge test’ for Europe — a view shared by many in the United States. 

Click here: Democracy Kills

A prairie fire is an issue that begins at the grass roots and spreads quickly to face down those in power. Three that come to mind are in 2006 when Dubai Ports World bought P & O that happened to own ports in the the United States and led to a scare that Muslims were running American ports; when the American public backed the invasion of Iraq because Saddam Hussein was linked to the 9/11 attacks; and now we have BP.  Let’s see what happens there.

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Click here: Democracy Kills