This month has seen the continuation of balloon launches by South Korean  anti DPRK activists from the town of  Paju. After a recent launch a balloon that had lost altitude was fired upon by North Korean forces, prompting a return of fire from the South. The huge balloons reported contain not only propaganda, but sometimes chocolate snacks, U.S. $1 bills and USB drives with South Korean entertainment content. Since the latest incident residents are worried about shelling from the North in retaliation. The government says it can not stop the launches, but will intervene if there is violence between pro and anti forces on the ground. So how will North Korea react in the future? Will they simply protest, or will there be a strong reaction, again sending tensions sky high? Please log in and give us your thoughts.

                                                           (Photo: Wikimedia)

In autumn 2014 we can’t turn on the TV without hearing the latest reports of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa and in other parts of the world. The images are frightening, the prognosis for patients seemingly not good. And there is the questions of the possible spread of the disease to other parts of the world like China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. While we are getting a flood of information from the media, are we getting enough information and more importantly, the right information? How worried should we be, and what can we do to prevent the spread of this virus and to protect ourselves. Please log in and give us your thoughts on this question.

                                                 Presidents Reagan and Gorbachov

The official dates of the cold war are from 1947-1991, a period of 44 years. If we follow the metaphor, we could see a period of cooling, freezing and then melting over those four decades. Crisis after crisis unfolded. And solutions were found or emerged. Once again we have the makings a potential cold war, with tensions between China and her neighbors and China and the US brewing. All the makings are there, and yet there seems to be a problem. The map of the middle east is being re-drawn and revolution and war rages. In the “old days” perhaps nations could ignore the political realities unfolding in other parts of the world. But not in the wired 21st century. The English poet John Donne wrote “No man is an island.” And in our times no country is an island politically. Events on the other side of the globe affect us all. So while conditions might seem ripe for another few decades of another cold war, political realities half a world away might force all parties to stop, take a look around and see what common interests they have with those they might confront locally. A new cold war? Has the energy already gone out of it? Log in and give us your thoughts.

On October1, 2014  China will celebrate it’s 65th birthday. 65 years ago, on October 1, 1949  Mao Zedong proclaimed in a resounding voice the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The country had much to celebrate: the end of a bloody civil war, the end of centuries of foreign domination and intervention and the end of the warlords. The following 65 years have seen massive changes and improvements as well as turbulent times. But China has clearly emerged as a world power with vast political and military might, and its own space program. But at 65 China still has many problems. Perhaps the biggest is in its dealings with its minorities. The question is how can China deal with Tibet, Xinjiang and now Hong Kong? How can people’s expectations be matched with the realities of 21st century politics? How can China continue to grow and adapt and be an all-inclusive society providing peace, security and freedom to all of its peoples? A big question for the leaders who will again go to Tiananmen Square on October 1. Log in and post your comments.

                         Captain Scarfield  (Howard Pyle’s Book of Pirates 1921)

It is strange that piracy once almost extinct in the 19th and 20th centuries, has come back to haunt us in the 21st century. Theft, kidnapping and more on the high seas or costal waters is again part of the landscape. The most common instances of piracy are found around Somalia in Africa and the area around the Malacca strait. Twenty countries in Southeast Asia  have joined in an anti-piracy coalition, while others have cooperated to create safe maritime passage around Africa. The question is are the developed nations doing enough? Can piracy or the causes of piracy be eliminated?  Do we need to call piracy a form of terrorism and bring all our resources to bear, or are current efforts enough? Please log in and let us know your opinion on this matter.