China Reform Monitor: No. 1008
CMC reigns in lavish receptions for PLA;
Taiwan citizens may be eligible for official posts on mainland
CMC reigns in lavish receptions for PLA;
Taiwan citizens may be eligible for official posts on mainland
Buried deep in the report of the Accountability Review Board convened by outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to examine the tragic events that took place this fall in Benghazi, Libya is the answer to why the U.S. ambassador was there in the first place. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who lost his life in Benghazi, was there "to open an American Corner at a local school and to reconnect with local contacts." Apparently, a friendly local Libyan was opening a school to teach English with an "American Corner" as part of that effort. The ambassador thought it so important that he wanted to participate personally in its opening. It is, thus, not an exaggeration to say that Ambassador Stephens died in the pursuit of "public diplomacy."
Afghan Taliban loses senior leader;
Pakistan Taliban offers truce;
Myanmar pounds Kachin rebels
Reflections On Missile Defense And Challenges For The Future
The Middle East Missile Environment
Missile Defense Requirements Of The Asia Pivot
Ballistic Missile Defense Through Russian Eyes
Preserving Missile Defense Amid Fiscal Austerity
New Development Zones in Gansu, Guangdong;
Lawyers demand financial disclosures from Party leaders
Opposition leader faces new charges;
Russian adoption ban unanimously approved
In late October, speaking at the Intrepid Museum in New York, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta delivered a stark warning. The United States, Panetta said, could soon face a mass disruption event of catastrophic proportions, a "cyber Pearl Harbor" of sorts.
UN eyes further weapons controls;
Boeing develops EMP missile;
NATO defense Turkey...;
...Upsetting Syria's stalwarts
Beijing and Shanghai adopt visa-free transit policies;
Washington irks Beijing with Tibet criticism
Opposition activists mark the first anniversary of anti-Putin protests;
The Duma approves an adoption ban for the U.S.
A brave face from Tehran...for now;
Iran's naval ambitions;
A home grown Youtube  
North Korea's successful use last week of a long-range rocket to launch a satellite into orbit has catapulted the Asian rogue state back into the international spotlight. It also has brought back the global danger posed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea into sharp focus.
Details of China’
s Afghan investments come to light;
China’
s mining projects in Burma receive scrutiny
The Obama White House is notoriously insular, a quality reflected in its selection process for secretary of state. So far as the country knows, the only two persons that have been seriously considered to be foreign minister of the most important country on earth are Washington insiders who actively campaigned for the job. The qualities desirable—even necessary—to serve the United States well at State have scarcely been mentioned in the controversy over U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice or in the expectation that Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry will be the next secretary.
Razzvozhayev to remain in prison;
Kremlin implicated in death of former Russian secret agent
Beijing court targets “
black jails”
for local petitioners;
China’
s minority provinces suffer higher poverty rates
Money laundering and terrorism financing are global problems that transcend national boundaries, and launderers and terrorists are constantly adapting their techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in the financial system to disguise the movement of funds.
UN Calls for Israel to Joint NPT, Allow Inspectors;
Syria Mixing Chemical Weapons, Drawing U.S. Warning...;
...While Syrian Mouthpiece Defects to United States
Since the start of the year, the Obama administration has executed a very public pivot to Asia in its foreign policy and defense planning. The shift is more than simply rhetorical; in both doctrinal and practical terms, Washington is increasingly looking to the Asia-Pacific as its new arena of geopolitical focus.
Putin’
s health still suspect;
Landmark growth for Russia’
s population levels
Gulf states focus on THAAD;
What's next for Israel after Iron Dome;
New battlefield laser in the works;
Pyongyang helps Damascus to arm...;
...while China aids North Korea's missile gains
China grants new powers to arrest foreigners in South China Sea;
More self-immolations in Tibet
Indian Air Chief Visits Burma;
Sri Lanka Skirting Sanctions on Iran;
Turkey Wants Pak to Buy Choppers
Kremlin targets “
foreign agents”
in the media;
Magnitsky whistleblower dies in London
Corruption in China’
s education system highlighted;
New map in Chinese passport angers Asia
CPC backtracks on Xinjiang dress code regs;
Taiwan develops own “
carrier-killer”
missile  
The swift and near-simultaneous arrests late last month of 11 individuals allegedly preparing to bomb U.S. and other Western targets throughout Java, Indonesia's most populated island, should serve as a wake-up call to Asia's national security establishment, lawmakers and leaders. The foiled plot would have been just the latest in a flurry of terrorist activity by members of Islamist organizations, all of which are registered and legally sanctioned by the Indonesian government.
US, France Partner to Confront Islamists in Mali;
Israel, Hamas Sign Ceasefire;
Middle East Nuclear Talks Cancelled
NGOs fight back against “
foreign agent”
law;
Officials rule out Razvozzhaev investigation
Massive uranium deposit found in Inner Mongolia;
UN condemns China for suppression in Tibet
There's a tried-and-true rule in politics that, when there's trouble at home, it's time to look abroad. The Iranian regime is proving to be no exception to this axiom; as its economic fortunes have dimmed as a result of widening Western sanctions, the Iranian regime has ramped up its interference throughout the Middle East.
Russia’
s economic growth slows;
U.S. House of Reps passes Magnitsky Act
Skilled Chinese fleeing to West in droves;
Taiwan implicates senior officers in sensitive leaks to mainland
South Korea Rethinks Missile Restrictions;
The New Threat to Taiwanese Security: Apple's IOS6;
How China Sees the Asian Sheild
Beijing offering rewards to target Tibetan protesters;
Moscow refuses to take sides in Sino-Japan island dispute
Russia Modernizing Kyrgyz, Tajik Defenses;
Israel, Hamas Turtle Towards War...;
...As Israel's Northern Front Heats Up
An Energy Lifeline for Syria...;
...and an Iranian Hand in Yemen's Unrest?;
Still More Fiscal Belt Tightening
The United States, like most of the industrialized world, is currently engaged in a race to develop viable, non-Chinese sources of the rare earth elements that are so critical to modern technologies. And we better move fast, or we will lose that race.
India Mulling China-Focused Mountain Strike Corps;
Indian Regional Diplomacy Embraces Pakistan;
Pakistani Arms Fair Sees China, Turkey Compete for Sales
“I am with the Uprising of Women in the Arab World,” says a sign that Marwa (from Tunisia) holds in front of her, “because women’s sexuality is considered as a [sic] Taboo, while Sexism, Pedophilia, and Rape are seen as commonsense.”
Foreign policy seemed to go on hiatus during the U.S. presidential election. Economic issues dominated the race, and Americans waited to see which candidate's vision would prevail. But the world kept turning, and in President Barack Obama's second term he will face a number of legacy issues from his previous four years and several emerging strategic challenges.
Putin fires Defense Minister;
U.S. Congress to vote on normalized trade relations bill
Chief Judge, Army Chief Clash in Pakistan;
Canadian PM in India to Push Trade;
Karzai: No Peace With the Haqqanis
Saudi Arabian Judges Fight Against King Abdullah's Reforms;
U.S., Libya Forming Commando Force to Root Out Jihadists;
Bahrain Cracks Down, Revokes Citizenship of 31 People
Beijing trying to put a lid on massive capital outflows;
China to set up 11 drone bases along coast
You might not be familiar with Sergei Magnitsky, the 37-year-old Russian lawyer who died of medical complications while languishing in a Moscow prison back in 2009. You should be — Magnitsky’s case is worth knowing, both because of what it says about the nature of the Russian state and because it could soon prompt a substantial shake-up in U.S.-Russian relations.
Kyrgyz Uranium Dumps Threaten Region's Water Supply;
Syrian Rebels Buying Weapons from Assad Regime;
Turkey Does Not Want to Talk With Syria