Asia

Dissolution of the nuclear agreement may not go over well in Pyongyang.

Oceania and Eastasia? New Cold War, this Time against both Russia and China?

( Tomdispatch.com ) | – – Think of it as the most momentous military planning on Earth right now. Who’s even paying attention, given the eternal changing of the guard at the White House, as well as the latest in tweets, sexual revelations, and investigations of every sort? And yet it increasingly looks as if, […]

China

Wind & Solar Rising: Has world disillusionment with Nuclear Power reached China?

contributors

The Qinshan nuclear power plant in Zhejiang province (Image: baike) By Feng Hao | (China Dialogue) | – – Slowing demand for electricity and competition from renewables have halted new reactor approvals, writes Feng Hao Globally, the outlook for new, large nuclear reactors is gloomy, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook. […]

China

China met Carbon Intensity Goals 3 Years Early, but it Isn’t Nearly Enough

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – I am not a fundamentalist in any other area of life. But I am a carbon dioxide fundamentalist. Well, you can add methane and some other gases. The point is that CO2 emissions is the only issue that matters in speaking of climate change. It is […]

China

Could China oil Exchange & Green Energy pull the plug on the Dollar?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – Kate Duguid at Reuters reports the alarm at UBS that China’s new oil futures exchange will hurt the standing of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. That development in turn would start the reverse snowball down the hill, with the dollar falling against other currencies, […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan: How a Shrine Bombing in Kabul tells us Trump’s Surge won’t Succeed

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – This year, the merriment of Now-Ruz in Kabul was marred by a suicide bombing that killed at least 33 persons and wounded 68, according to the Afghani Ministry of Health. The perpetrator was allegedly a member of ISIL (which really needs another name, since it isn’t […]

Afghanistan

Despite Trump Surge, Taliban Attack Afghan Army Post, Killing 18 Soldiers

contributors

TeleSur | – – A bomb attack also took place in the capital Kabul killing at least one person. Islamic State group in Afghanistan claimed responsibility. Taliban militants have attacked an Afghan army post and killed 18 government soldiers, the defense ministry said Saturday, while a suicide bomber in the capital killed one person and […]

Buddhism

Buddhist Burma Bulldozing Muslim Rohingya Villages: Satellite Photos

contributors

TeleSur | – – Human rights groups that fear the Burmese government is destroying crime scenes before any credible investigation takes place. Satellite imagery shows at least 28 Rohingya villages have been leveled between December and February. However, reports produced by some human rights groups place the figure at 55. Myanmar’s military, aided by Buddhist […]

Afghanistan

Did the Pentagon’s War on Drugs Confound Counter-Terrorism?

contributors

By Nick Turse | (Tomdispatch.com) | – – 2017 was a year of investigations for U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). There was the investigation of the two-star commander of U.S. Army Africa who allegedly sent racy texts to an enlisted man’s wife. There was the investigation into the alleged killing of a Special Forces soldier by […]