’The past year has been one of uncertain transitions and hectic crisis-management diplomacy’ said IISS CEO Dr John Chipman, launching Strategic Survey 2012: The Annual Review of World Affairs on 13 September 2012. The year to mid-2012 was dominated by transitions. Changes … Continue reading
Dennis: I like that Mr. Watt did bring a good spin to the 9/12 there. We’ve got to have more of that. I like that. Maybe he might want to talk about this more later, too. In light of your … Continue reading
[Francis Galton, letter to the Editor of The Times, June 5 1873.] Note that this letter is commonly dated incorrectly as June 6 1873. A rejoinder to Galton’s letter, by one Gilbert Malcolm Sproat, is also included. Africa For The … Continue reading
In May 2009, a wealthy 20-year-old was drag racing through the city streets of Hangzhou, China, when his Mitsubishi struck and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The car was traveling so fast that the victim—a 25-year-old telecom engineer of … Continue reading
The Russian government intends to restore the military-technical support of their ships at the former military base in Cam Ranh (Vietnam), Lourdes (Cuba) and the Seychelles. So far, this is not about plans for a military presence, but rather the … Continue reading
The Philippines has summoned Cambodia’s ambassador over comments linked to Manila’s territorial row with Beijing. Hos Sereythonh was asked to explain remarks accusing the Philippines and Vietnam of playing “dirty politics” over the issue of Asean and the South China … Continue reading
Shipbuilding and shipping capacity in China surged as the country’s demand for raw materials escalated in tandem with breakneck economic growth and investment in infrastructure. China has 20 ports that can handle more than 100 million tonnes of cargo and … Continue reading
IN RECENT years China’s leaders have become increasingly concerned that the public’s awareness of the growing wealth gap could lead to social instability. In Beijing, displays of gratuitous overcompensation are a daily reminder that some people, in keeping with a … Continue reading
Chinese authorities confirmed Thursday that a woman was forced to abort seven months into her pregnancy, several days after her plight came to light when images of her baby’s corpse were posted online. Rights groups have blamed authorities in north … Continue reading
(Financial Times) — China has emerged as one of the fastest-growing sources of international buyers for US real estate — in what some see as a sign that China’s rich are increasingly seeking to take their money out of the … Continue reading
Just because you were once the most powerful nation on earth does not mean that you will always be the most powerful nation on earth. Every single year, hundreds of billions of dollars leaves the United States and goes to … Continue reading
As a prelude to a broader analysis of China’s GDP, and the accuracy of its official GDP figures, I want to start by examining the national real estate statistics for the first four months of 2012. This discussion feeds into … Continue reading