The wave of opposition in Russia, Eypt and Syria are all calling for the power of the status quo to be removed. In Burma, with Aung San Suu Chi, they are building institutions to replace it. One type is revolution of the negative; the other of the positive.

China’s navy should speed up its development and prepare for warfare, President Hu Jintao has said. He told military personnel they should “make extended preparations for warfare”. China is locked in territorial disputes with several other nations in the South China Sea. Political tension is also growing with the US, which is seeking to boost its presence in the region

The Third World War — A Future History

Times of India:-  Against the backdrop of China’s increasing assertiveness in East Asia, India, the US and Japan will hold their first trilateral meeting Dec 19 in the US capital to discuss “a range of Asia Pacific regional issues” among the three leading “Pacific democracies.” …. The three sides have made it clear that the trilateral dialogue is not directed against China, but Beijing has been uneasy with such an exercise and has tended to see such a move as a ganging up of democracies to encircle its rising influence in the region.
The Third World War — A Future History

In the late 19th Century George Cadbury anguished over slavery in the cocoa plantations. A hundred years later they were threatening  those trying to expose it — including sovereign governments. They denied it existed and even now keep saying they are going to investigate it.  Back then, the humanitarian concern was such that Britain boycotted cocoa beans from Portuguese San Tome and Principe. Today,  the prospect of a boycott results in lectures about the need for the free market and how it will harm families that rely on cocoa farming to provide them a subsistence living.

Global food giant Nestle says it has taken a major step to end child labour on cocoa farms supplying its factories. The firm, one of the world’s largest chocolate producers, says it is going to work with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) on tackling the problem. The FLA is set to examine Nestle’s cocoa supply chains in Ivory Coast in January, the firm said in a statement. Critics ask why it has taken Nestle so long to act if it knew children were involved in its cocoa production.

The irony of Egypt  — the military wants elections; the democracy activists do not.

Following on Greece and Italy’s choice of unelected technocrats to lead government, Egypt has done the same bringing in a etchnocrat to replace a politician and prime minister. One of the first reactions — the EU has officially welcomed Italy back to the top table.

President Obama’s announcement to shift America’s foreign policy focus from the Middle East to the Pacific, came with plans to deploy US marines to Australia. 

Writing in the FT, editor Lionel Barber says:-  However the tripwire defence in Australia is dressed up, it is aimed squarely at China……Historians will look back and ask whether America’s re-engagement in the Pacific in November 2011 marked the moment when tensions with China, the superpower in waiting, escalated irreversibly.

The Third World War — A Future History

President Obama has reaffirmed that the Asia-Pacific region is now a “top priority” of US security policy. He told the Australian wparliament thatspending cuts would not affect the Asia-Pacific and that the US ‘is here to stay’   His comments are seen as a challenge to China, which is striving to be the main power in the region.

The Third World War — A Future History

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn’t put it down, October 24, 2011