With the successful visit of Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang to India, from 2nd to 4th March, 2018, the relationship between the two countries are expected to mount to another level. The main agenda of the visit was a discussion on the possibilities of trade and defense collaboration and exchange. This was Quang’s first visit to India as President. He landed in the country with 18 delegates, including Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Deputy PM, ministers for trade and industry, and ministers of planning and investment.
Earlier in Jan, Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen XuanPhuc, visited India on Republic day, to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. The visit also marked the manifestation of a landmark Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) in port development and civil nuclear cooperation, which speaks volumes about how much Hanoi values defense partnership with India.
In view of China’s destructive posturing in the South China Sea, both Vietnam and India have recognized maritime security as one of the foremost areas in which they should unite. Three major agreements were signed that including nuclear cooperation and enhancement of trade and agricultural research. A MoU on cooperation between GCNEP and VINATOM was also discussed. The main purpose of the MoU is to support the technical cooperation of atomic energy.
South China Sea is a major crisis with abilities to swift a major conflict. While China entitles this part of the ocean space in its zone, there are several other claimants in the region who claims certain parts of the Sea falling in their zones. Although India is not directly involved in the matter, it is more concerned about China’s attempt to control this ocean space as trillion dollars of trade pass through the ocean every year. India has also its own economic stake as it has joined Vietnam on its invitation for joint exploration of oil and gas reserves off the coast of Vietnam in the South China Sea. After the discussion, Quang welcomed Indian businesses to expand their oil and gas exploitation and exploration activities on land and in the inland shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone of Vietnam”.
Though no agreement was signed in the field of defence cooperation, both are expected to continue to work on fulfilling India’s $100 million Credit Line commitment to Vietnam, some of which has been used for procuring Offshore Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), while talks continue on Akash Surface to Air Missile systems (SR-SAMS) and Dhruv advanced light helicopters. Vietnam has also from time to time expressed its desire to purchase BrahMos supersonic missiles from India. Both Modi and Quang also agreed to enhance exploring the possibility of co-production and opportunities in transfer of technology in defence manufacturing. Military-to-military cooperation between the services is also going on. The two countries also agreed to strengthen relations in different sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, textiles and petroleum.
The two countries also signed a MoU on economic and trade cooperation aimed at establishing a framework for enhancing economic and trade promotion.In terms of trade, both are striving to bring bilateral trade to $15 billion by 2020. In the fiscal 2016-17, bilateral trade stood at $6.24 billion, an increase of 40 per cent from the previous year. From his side, Quang underlined his country’s commitment to creating favourable conditions for businesses in areas ranging from information technology to infrastructure. In a joint statement issued, both sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Sub-Commission on Trade in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi in 2018 at the earliest. The joint statement stated: “In order to realize potential to both increase the volume of trade and diversify its composition, they (Modi and Quang) requested the relevant ministries and agencies on both sides to explore substantive and practical measures to achieve the trade target of USD 15 billion by 2020 including but not limited to utilising established mechanisms, strengthening exchanges of trade delegations, business-to-business contacts, regular organisation of trade fairs and events”. Both sides urged leaders of business and industry of both countries to explore new trade and investment opportunities in identified priority areas of cooperation.
A work plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam was also signed between the two countries. The purpose of this work plan is to promote cooperation in the transfer of technology and exchange of visits of technical experts in the field of agriculture. India requested Vietnam to consider signing the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance to strengthen cooperation in the renewable energy space. Vietnam agreed to examine.
When Modi visited Vietnam in 2016, the “strategic partnership” was elevated to a “special strategic partnership”. Quang committed to further deepen this partnership. In 2016, Modi had announced a grant of $5 million for the construction of an Army Software Park at the Telecommunications University in NhaTrang. A Line of Credit of $100 million is already being used for eight off-shore patrol vessels to Vietnam. The armies of the two countries conducted joint military exercise in February for the first time. Vietnam also buys defence equipment for its navy and air force. Also, though Vietnam has shown an interest in buying the Brahmos supersonic missile from India, not much headway been made. Negotiations on terms and conditions are under way.
The fact that a business delegation of 65 businessmen from 34 Vietnamese companies visited India with Quang and had interaction with prominent Indian businessmen shows that Vietnam is keen to deepen economic and business ties with India. As regards the composition of trade, while Vietnam exports a lot of manufacturing products such as mobile phones, machineries and computers, India’s export basket to the Vietnamese market includes machineries, textile materials, sea food and medicines. Despite the enthusiasm shown by both sides, the trade volume has not reached the expected level.
India continues to be among Vietnam’s top ten largest trading partners. Though overall bilateral trade volume is below the desired level, it has increased 16 per cent per annum on average in the past decade and this is an achievement. Many major Indian firms have established and expanded their footprints in Vietnam. The growth trajectory cannot be overlooked. What also cannot be overlooked is the fact that India has given priority to Vietnam in development cooperation and education and training and focused on areas such as science and technology, information and communication.
Investments from India in Vietnam are still very low. India ranks 28th among the 126 countries and territories investing in Vietnam in 2017 with 168 projects and total registered capital of $756 million. Many major Indian corporations, including Tata group, ONGC and Essar, have sound business in Vietnam. Vietnam expects more investments from India, so that the target of $15 billion in bilateral trade by 2020 can be realised. India’s strength in renewable energy, manufacturing, IT, infrastructure, could be attractive for Vietnam. Both need to strengthen bilateral and regional connectivity as well as infrastructural connectivity such as air links, roads and maritime links, and digital connectivity. Under Modi’s Act East thrust, these areas are the preferred projects and shall contribute to a win-win situation when energies of both sides are unleashed. Quang’s visit should be viewed from this perspective.
Writer: Rajaram Panda
Courtesy: The Pioneer
During the raucous rally of supporters in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, America’s President, Donald Trump, told that his new tariffs were related to save the steel industry and advised them to send a Republican to the House so he can keep delivering those kinds of results. The president gave his preference to Republican Rick Saccone in the final days of the competitive election outside Pittsburg that could resonate nationally ahead of the November interim elections. Hitting peak campaign mode for himself, he revitalized many of his 2016 riffs and even unveiled his 2020 planned slogan, “Keep America Great!”
“We can’t say ‘Make American Great Again’ because I already did that,” Trump said in Moon Township, a Pittsburgh suburb, adding: “Our new slogan when we start running in — can you believe it, two years from now? — is going to be ‘Keep American Great, exclamation point.”
It turns out that Trump actually had hit upon the “Keep America Great” slogan long ago, having told The Washington Post in January 2017 that he had instructed his lawyer to trademark the phrase with and without an exclamation point.
“The task for all of us, for everyone here tonight is to make sure that this great American comeback continues full speed ahead. We are doing things that are amazing,” Trump said as he campaigned for a Republican locked in a stiff contest with a Democrat in a special Congressional election on Tuesday. “The world is watching. Get out on Tuesday and vote like crazy,” he told the crowd.
Trump made it a point to tout his controversial decision to slap 25 per cent on imported steel – something that was set to resonate in Pittsburgh – once the centre of America’s steel industry and still carries the title “The Steel City”, despite plants having closed down in recent decades in the face of acute competition from cheaper foreign steel.
“Steel is back. Aluminium is back,” he claimed, predicting that a lot of steel mills would now reopen because of his tariffs push to keep cheaper imports at bay.
Ditching his prepared address, Trump attacked his three predecessors – Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton – for their failure to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue. “They all had their shot and all they did was nothing,” he said and claimed that it was because of his own maximum pressure campaign that Kim Jong Un has now sought a meeting with him and he has accepted the invitation.
Back to his familiar campaign mode, Trump also lashed out yet again at the liberal mainstream media and a host of Democrats, notably House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman Maxine Walters and Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is thought to be among a host of Democrats considering a presidential run in 2020.
“I look forward, I really do, I look forward to 2020 because I want to see how far left the person is going to be that we’re going to run against,” Trump said. Bringing up Oprah Winfrey, he urged the media celebrity to throw her hat into the ring, saying he would “love” to campaign against her. “I would love to beat Oprah. I know her weakness. I know her weakness … I would love it. That would be a painful experience for her,” he remarked.
Writer: S Rajagopalan
Courtesy: The Pioneer
Political crisis In Maldives has deepened ever since President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency in the country for 15 days starting February 2 after the ruling of the Supreme Court to reinstate the 12 rebelled MPs and release political prisoners. While the Chief Justice and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom have been arrested, Yameen is trying to consolidate his dictatorial regime. To justify his brazen act, he accused the top court 01 acting hastily and said, “I declared the state of emergency because there was no way to hold these justices accountable.”
But, the ongoing political chaos is not a surprising development. In fact, the things were moving in this direction since 2012, when the first democratically elected President, Mohamed Nasheed was ousted. With the election of Yameen as President in 2013, things turned worse as he launched a crackdown on civil liberties. Later, Nasheed was illegally sentenced to 13 years on charges of terrorism in 2015. Moreover, in the last five years, Yameen has abrogated a serious of democratic reforms, imprisoning or forcing into exile nearly nearly every politician who opposes him. This became evident when Vice President Ahmed Adeeb was arrested on unsubstantiated charges of plotting the attack on Yameen.
However,the recent order of the apex court posed a serious threat to the stability of the Yameen regime, given the fact that with the 12 legislature getting back their seats, the Opposition would gain a majority in the 85-member Parliament. Since the top court ordered the release of Nasheed, Yameen was left to face a tough competition in the next general election, which is due later this year. These factors, along with enhanced ties with China and Saudi Arabia, emboldened Yameen to impose emergency In the country to acquire unlimited power to protect his regime. The ongoing political unrest has caught international attention, with Opposition leaders of Maldives requesting the international community to restore democracy. In particular, Nasheed, who is in exile in Sri Lanka, has requested India to send an envoy, backed by its military, to release the judges and political prisoners.
India is also closely watching the developments in Maldives, especially when relations between the two countries have remained very sticky since 2012 when President Mohammed Waheed Hassan cancelled the contract signed with GMR, an Indian company. Though India hosted President Yameen three times till 2016 and he also lauded the Modi Government’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy, Male has not taken any concrete step to improvise with New Delhi. Instead, Yameen has shown interests in strengthening ties with China. This can be gauged from the fact that while an unprecedented rise in the number of Chinese travelers to Maldives has been recorded, Yameen has already endorsed China’s Maritime Silk Road, which is the part of the One Belt One Road.The two countries also signed the Free Trade Agreement in December 2017. It is also believed that the new law passed by Maldives, allowing absolute foreign ownership of land on the conditions that interested parties mold make a minimum investment of one billion dollar and reclaim 70 per cent land from the sea, will greatly benefit China in expanding its foothold in the Indian Ocean. India’s concern is that China, with its strategic ally Pakistan, could use the Maldives as a strategic choke point for India if push came to shove. The threat from Pakistan- backed fundamentalists is no less threatening. Rapid inroads of Wahhabi Islam are taking place in Maldives and the growth of terror modules in that country have generated concerns among the Indian strategic community. Therefore, internal stability is not important just to Maldives, but also to the International community, and most of all, to India. Even now, while Yameen has announced to send envoys to friendly countries: Chika, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, he did not find it fit to consult India, underscoring Yameen’s hatred against New Delhi.Maldives has emerged as one of the most important neighbors of India in geo-strategic and economic terms. It is situated in a mid-way between Strait of Malacca and Suez,which are the world’s busiest trade routes and thousands of cargo pass through these trade routes. At the same time. as Kerala and Lakshadweep are in close proximity to the Maldivian islands, there are always India’s concerns about the possible use of Maldives’ territory against it. These concerns get importance in the light of the fact that the November 2008 cross-border terrorist attack in Mumbai was made possible from across the sea. Maldives also occupies a special place in lndia’s foreign policy priority because of increasing cases of piracy in the Indian Ocean near Somalia and Strait of Malacca, which has made the position of Maldives very important for establishing Naval bases for security in the Indian Ocean.
It was in this context that the Indian Government issued a strong statement saying, ‘We are disturbed by the declaration of a state of Emergency in the Maldives following the refusal 01 the Government to abide by the unanimous ruling of the full-bench of the Supreme Court on February 1, and also by the suspension of Constitutional Rights of the people of Maldives. However, it is equally true that New Delhi may not like to take hard steps against Yameen because it will further enhance ties between China and Maldives. We also do not know how the Government in Male, after a regime change. will behave with regard to Indian interests. Thus, the Modi Government has taken the right decision to put pressure on Yameen through diplomatic channels to revoke the state of emergency. Now, it has to be seen in a testing time like this how India manages to keep China at a distance, reinforcing its position of an ultimate security provider in the South Asia region.
{Sumit Kumar Jha: The writer is an ICSSR doctoral fellow, UGC Centre for S. Asia Studies, Pondicherry University)
President Donald Trump has ruled out talks with the Taliban and vowed to “finish what we have to finish” in Afghanistan, following the wave of deadly terrorist attacks in recent days, killing over 130 people and wounding hundreds more.
“They’re killing people left and right,” Trump said at a meeting with UN Security Council members at the White House on Monday. “Innocent people are being killed left and right …. bombing, killing all over Afghanistan:’ So we don’t to talk with the Taliban.”
“So we don’t want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time, but it’s going to be a long time,” Trump commented, declaring: “We’re going to finish what we have to finish. What nobody else has been able to finish, we’re going to be able to do if’
The total number of American troops in Afghanistan is expected to grow to about 15,000 in coming months, with some 4,000 of them sent to the war-torn country under President Trumps watch.
Prior to the recent wave of attacks, Washington had entertained hopes of a negotiated political settlement to the persisting Afghan crisis.
Several attempts in the past to hold peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have failed. The most prominent effort was in 2013, when the Taliban opened an office in Qatar for the talks, but the Taliban’s move to hoist its flag derailed the negotiations.
At his luncheon meeting with representatives from the 15-member Security Council, including ambassadors to the US from China, France, Russia and Britain, Trump also discussed other security challenges, including the North Korean nuclear challenge.
“We will discuss our cooperation on a range of security challenges, including the denuking of North Korea, very importantly; countering [ran’s destabilization activities in the Middle East; ending the Syrian conflict; and confronting terrorism,”Trump said in remarks ahead of the meeting.
The recent turn of events in Saudi Arabia have been nothing short of a Hollywood thriller with Family, King, Princes, neighbouring countries and missile attacks all thrown into the mix for good measure. Eighty-year-old King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, in a political liquidation, rounded up 11 princes of the royal House of Saud, along with various Ministers and officials in what was marketed as an “anti-corruption” initiative in which prominent royal members were arrested and “jailed” in Riyadh’s notoriously luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel. This included globally influential names such as billionaire investor Alwaleed Bin Talaal, who has close ties with various American industrialists and owns five per cent of social media site Twitter. Over the span of 72 hrs starting November 3, a purge was underway, ballistic missiles were fired towards the Saudi capital Riyadh from Yemen, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned (on television) from his post from Saudi Arabia, accusing Iran of medaling in internal Arab affairs before disappearing from public eye, Yemen’s incumbent President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who also took up refuge there months ago, was reported to be under ‘house arrest’ (Saudis released pictures of a meeting with Hadi in attempts to refute such rumors). Two other princes were reportedly killed, one in a curiously timed helicopter crash near Yemen and another, rumored to have been shot while resisting an ‘attempted arrest’. This tragedy-ridden Shakespearean theatre makes King Salman the conductor of a never seen before ‘tripurge’, orchestrating political changes in his own country, Lebanon and Yemen simultaneously.
Understanding the politics of the Saudi monarchy is no easy task, with over 9,000 members in the royal family, Saudi politics is a never ending series of internal turmoil and power struggles.
However, most analysts agree that the recent events are King Salman’s strategy to clear way for the 32-years old heir apparent, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. It is believed King Salman has already started the process of aiding Prince Salman to the throne, his son from his third spouse, transferring power by the end of 2018. The start of the said process was highlighted by social reforms with Saudi Arabia agreeing to allow women to drive, a long standing issue of contention. It has also allowed women to attend sports events at stadium. These changes come on the back of waiting for the accession of a young King, who will preside over a very-young and globally well-connected Saudi population on the cusp of a post oil economic and social order, and a corrupt royal system against which sentiments had been latently bubbling for a long time.
The challenges for the Saudi monarchy in the decades to come are plenty. Currently, the Saudi youth have it relatively easy, with various social schemes keeping them occupied, thanks to the petro-dollars, however, Riyadh has (finally) decided to move beyond its dependence on a singular mode of finance and approach models, such as those embraced by its neighbours, specifically Dubai.
This would require relaxed norms and a better global positioning to attract foreign investments, foregoing its rigid and suffocating rules that curtail freedom and basic human rights for its citizens, specifically women. The announcement of Saudi Aramco, the country’s national oil company, which at a point few years ago was worth more than India’s GDP, going partially public to raise money came as a surprise to many. However, it implanted the narrative of slow but drastic changes taking place in the kingdom, both politically and socially. This is highlighted by examples such as the steadily increasing domestic oil consumption in the country, thanks to domestic population growth. A robust and rich domestic economy is critical for Riyadh, both to keep a check on its young population and till a certain degree secure the House of Saud’s own future.
Geo-politically, the Saudis are continuing to make attempts to rein in the growing Iranian influence in the region, something that Prince Salman, the world’s youngest Defense Minister, has reiterated during the purge in an effort to stamp his own authority. Saudi concerns in regional West Asian dynamics have heightened over the past few months with Iranian influence growing at a rapid pace. The question around Syria and future of the said conflict has now been pretty much decided, with President Bashar al-Assad expected to stay, with the help of the Russians and Iranians. Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah-backed militias are today already prevailing interest groups in large parts of Syria, with Tehran also wielding significant power in Iraqi and Lebanese politics along with running a indirect war in Yemen. The recent failed Kurdish referendum also saw Iran’s influence shine through over contentions between Baghdad and Erbil regarding the control of Kirkuk after its liberation from ISIS, while the Saudi Qatar diplomatic standoff pushed Doha to increase its engagements with Iran as well.
Despite collusion of regional interests, the exact reasons and future outcomes of this purge remain unclear. The narrative of an anti-corruption drive remains strong, but also begs the question whether this is the start of greater transparency in Saudi Arabian affairs or greater turmoil. Riyadh is banking on US President Donald Trump to back it to the hilt, specifically against Iran, on the pretext of which its regional overtures could be marketed as legitimate political tinkering to an often- naive new White House. How this purge plays out in reality, is anyone’s guess at the moment.
Courtesy The Pioneer ( The writer is an Associate Fellow with the Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ivanka Trump, US President Donald Trump’s daughter and presidential adviser, attended a gala dinner at the Falaknuma Palace last week. The dinner was hosted by the Union government as part of the ongo- ing Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017.
Famous for its huge Nizamera table which can seat 101 guests at a time, the palace-turned-plush hotel is one the key landmarks of the city.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was among those present for the dinner. A separate dinner was arranged for around 1,500 delegates of the GES on the lawns of the palace.
Modi, on his day-long visit to the city today, inaugurated the first phase of the Hyderabad Metro Rail at Miyapur station here, and the GES at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre.
A senior police official said a five tier security has been provided to Ivanka.
Telangana DGP M Mahendar Reddy had said earlier that a total of 10,400 security personnel drawn from various wings have been deployed as part of security arrangements for the summit.
It includes personnel from Traffic Police, Central Armed Reserve, Telangana State Special Police, Intelligence Security Wing, commandos of Grey- hounds anti Naxal force and the elite OCTOPUS antiterror force.
More than 2,000 police personnel have been deployed around the Falaknuma Palace, the official said, adding the police conducted a door-to-door search at 3,500 houses in surrounding areas and sanitised the areas in the run- up to the summit.
JINPING EMERGES AS CHINA’S MOST POWERFUL LEADER SINCE MAO
In October 18, Beijing organised a week-long 19th National Congress of Communist Party of China, an event that the world is following closely. The summit — being attended by 2,287 party members from various provinces — is important as it will select its new brand of leadership, agendas and goals for the next five years and ahead.
Moreover, the 19th National Congress is a significant political event for Chinese President Xi Jinping himself. Since assuming power in 2012, he has envisioned a “national rejuvenation” programme for China under the theme of “Chinese dream”. This is attached to two major centenary goals: To make China moderately prosperous society by 2020, a year before centenary celebration of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and to aim to establish a prosperous and powerful nation by 2049 to commemorate the centenary year of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
These goals have been planned to be fulfilled with a number of reform programmes and the highlights are: Reforms in the army, fight to root out corruption from political, military and public spheres, and poverty eradication.
Xi in his October 18 speech at the Congress highlighted that in the last five years China has made drastic progress through these reforms. It aims to lift total 98 million people from poverty trap in eight years, which shall be a remark- able feat. In addition, China has worked towards right-sizing of military and its modernization. The country’s fight against corruption has seen prominent military and political bigwigs falling from the grace. Progress in reforms in the last five years under Xi’s leadership has been promising, however the road ahead is fraught with daunting internal and external challenges, primarily concerning the economic slowdown, the promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), North Korean crisis, etc.
Politically, the 19th National Congress will entail selection of around 200 full members and 100 alternate members, finalization of 25-member Politburo Committee and seven-member Politburo Standing Committee and lastly the members of the anti-corruption watchdog CCDI, currently being headed by Xi’s loyalist Wang Qishan.
In 1980, President Deng Xiaoping had put in place the concept of collective leadership to prevent or guard re- turn to arbitrary abuses of Mao’s final decades (the cultural revolution). Similarly, the Article 79 of the party constitution restricts tenures of President and Premier to 10 years, however there are no restrictions on general secretary of the CPC and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC). There has been an unofficial but consistent rule called “seven up, eight down” according to which if a Politburo Standing Committee member is 68 or older at the time of a party Congress, he must retire, but if he is 67 or younger, he may still enter the committee.
In the current situation, five of the seven PSC members are about to complete 68 years of age. However, the speculation is rife that the “seven up, eight down” rule will be violated to allow Wang Qishan, head of the CCDI, to stay put beyond the retirement age. As per certain analysts, this could be indicative of President Xi’s intention to retain power beyond 2022.
President Xi has amassed much control and his predominance is clearly established in the Chinese political spectrum. He is now regarded as the most powerful leader in decades after Mao. He has taken charge of most of the portfolios and ruling through the leading small groups and has placed his key aides at various nerve centers.
The communique of the sixth plenum of the 8th Congress clearly insists that the principles of collective leadership must always be followed and should not be violated by any organisation or individual under any circumstances or any reasons.
Such statements accentuate the hypothesis above. As regard the chain of succession is concerned, the concept of patronage underscores in China’s Communist Party. The senior party members identify promising stars/ protégés and nurture them for higher dispensations. This ensures loyalty in the lineage. As per certain political analysts, 23 politburo members are of the fifth generation (1953 born like President Xi), and there is speculation that President Xi may block their advancement to the Politburo Standing Committee, while promoting own sixth generation protégés or loyalists to fill the politburo, thereby creating conditions to extend the tenure beyond the 20th Congress, in the absence of qualified members.
It may be pertinent to mention that the erstwhile Soviet Union too faced similar conditions of slowing economy and systemic corruption in political, military and military spheres, which lead to its final collapse. President Xi, out of concern or fears, has perhaps taken actions to guard China against such situations.
All these assumptions and conjectures will be put to rest by the end of the 19th National Congress, which would have selected the members of the politburo committee, Politburo Standing Committee and members of the Central Military Commission.
Speculation, however, is mounting rapidly in favor of President Xi that he may be nominated as the general secretary of the CPC and chairman of the CMC for life-term to steer the nation towards achieving the momentous centenary goals.
BY Gaurav Misra | in Oped
Another terror attack jolted Europe and it was London again, not long after the incident in Catalonia, Barcelona. Western Europe has been an easy target for terror mongers in the past few years with a spate of scattered incidents being reported. And, if some sources are to be believed India is under the radar of the ISIS too while the terror group has openly con- fessed its desire to target Europe.This has bred a feeling of uncertainty in Europe and has instilled fear among citizens and governments. While, it is not hard to trace the roots of such acts of violence the sporadic nature makes it hard to predict and prevent them.
International powerhouses like The United States of America with their constant meddling in other nation’s affairs for oil or for geopolitical gains have brought down stable regimes and have set in motion the wheel of unrest and chaos particularly in west Asia. A commingling of ideological and cultural differences, politics and largely the fear of alienation has contributed to the rise of groups like ISIS, which have bombed trains, public spaces, structures all around the world. Talking of the ISIS particularly, how the volatile state of affairs has ravaged Syria, Iraq and neighboring areas and how actively people across continents have joined forces paints a grim picture with dangerous undertones. Tracing the journey from the past one can logically attribute volatility in Middle-East and West Asia to politics of isolation and extraneous intrusion by western countries specifically the United States of America. The refugee crisis is a grave example of the looming instability in these areas. There have also been reports and stark evidences of funding for terror groups coming from trade with nations in the middle-east and the role of diverse factors in its growth like oil trade in the black market.
Influencing young men and women into joining these groups isn’t difficult as the feeling of not being a part of the existing society gives birth to vengeance. Many conspiracy theories and rumors have indicated that the birth of ISIS and its actions are in fact a western ploy to fulfill selfish interests. Lately, there has been a sustained and concerted effort to weed out Islamic State from Syria and Iraq which has helped take back large swathes of land from ISIS’s control. The estimated strength of ISIS is now close to just a few thousand people and limited to smaller areas. However, concerns have been raised about a scattered effort by Islamic State personnel due to its gradual disintegration courtesy of the intensive group effort by international players. While, there has been an influx of people from different countries, Indian Muslims have been responsible and have vociferously voiced their anguish against the indoctrination and heady radicalization that has divided the world. As claimed by the Indian
Government, there have been negligible recruitment’s from India by the ISIS and India has largely remained safe from ISIS’s clutches. India has the second largest Muslim population and has been able to maintain harmony which indicates that terrorism is not about any specific community, religion, ethnic background, etc. and does not stem from that.
It is a paradox that while claims of being connected to everyone on the globe by the 5th degree are made, there is increasing isolation on the lines of religion, culture, race, ethnicity, etc. Divisive ideas are cultivated in impressionable minds through radicalization and the promise of a great future gives a sense of purpose to live in an unaccommodating world. There is evidently a pattern of isolation, violence, counter violence and consequent instability behind terrorism. Eliminating terrorism altogether seems like a long shot, rather a fancy dream; in spite of, sufficient ground gained by pushing ISIS back or be it by declaring Pakistan a safe haven for terror groups or any other positive step for that matter. Counter violence is only a superficial response to an age old problem, the causes of which lie deep down and so do the solutions. Governments along with the UN and other stakeholders need to come together for a sustained dialogue with an empathetic resolve to build inclusive societies focussing on achieving the sustainable development goals. As dialogue and conversations have long been the basis of any process that aims to resolve problems and build peaceful societies.
Providing safe havens to refugees who are victims of terrorism can be a great step towards inclusive development and a manifestation of humanitarian concern. Isolating ourselves from the problem which has deep roots and complexities surrounding it can further foment the crisis that looms large in forms of cross border disputes, radicalized groups demanding a caliphate, or statehood nationhood movements.
– By Deana Uppal
When seeking to place an attack like the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing into context, it is helpful to classify the actors responsible, if possible. Such a classification can help us understand how an attack fits into the analytical narrative of what is happening and what is likely to come. These classifications will consider such factors as ideology, state sponsorship and perhaps most important, the kind of operative involved.
In a case where we are dealing with an apparent jihadist operative, before we can classify him or her we must first have a clear taxonomy of the jihadist movement. At Stratify, we generally consider the jihadist movement to be divided into three basic elements: the AL Qaeda core organization, the regional jihadist franchises, such alas Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and grass roots operatives who are radicalized, inspired and perhaps equipped by the other two tiers but who are not members of either.
Within the three tier jihadist movement there exist two distinct types of operatives. One of these is the professional terrorist operative, a person who is a member of the AL Qaeda core or of one of the regional franchises. These individuals swear loyalty to the leader and then follow orders from the organization’s hierarchy. Second, there are amateur operatives who never join a group and whose actions are not guided by the specific orders of a hierarchical group. They follow a bottom-up or grassroots organizational model rather than a hierarchical or top-down approach.
There is a great deal of variety among professional terrorists, especially if we break them down according to the functions they perform within an organization, roles including that of planners, finance and logistics specialists, couriers, surveillance operatives, bomb makers, etcetera. There is also a great deal of variety within the ranks of grassroots operatives, although it is broken down more by their interaction with formal groups rather than their function. At one end of the grassroots spectrum are the lone wolf operatives, or phantom cells.
These are individuals or small groups who become radicalized by jihadist ideology, but who do not have any contact with the organization. In theory, the lone wolf/phantom cell model is very secure from an operational security standpoint, but as we’ve discussed, it takes a very disciplined and driven individual to be a true lone wolf or phantom cell leader, and consequently, we see very few of them.
At the other end of the grassroots spectrum are individuals who have had close interaction with a jihadist group but who never actually joined the organization. Many of them have even attended militant training camps, but they didn’t become part of the hierarchical group to the point of swearing an oath of allegiance to the group’s leaders and taking orders from the organization. They are not funded and directed by the group.
Indeed, al Qaeda trained tens of thousands of men in its training camps in Afghanistan, Sudan and Pakistan but very few of the men they trained actually ended up joining al Qaeda. Most of the men the group instructed received basic military training in things like using small arms, hand-to-hand combat and basic fire and maneuver. Only the very best from those basic combat training courses were selected to receive advanced training in terrorist tradecraft techniques, such as bomb- making, surveillance, clandestine communications and document forgery. But even of the students who received advanced training in terrorist trade- craft, only a few were ever invited to join the al Qaeda core, which remained a relatively small vanguard organization.
Many of the men who received basic training traveled to fight jihad in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya or returned home to join insurgent or militant groups. Others would eventually end up joining al Qaeda franchise groups in places like Yemen, Iraq, Libya and Algeria. Still others received some basic training but then returned home and never really put their new skills into practice.
Most grassroots jihadists fall along a continuum that stretches between the lone wolf and someone who received advanced terrorist training but never joined al Qaeda or another formal militant group.
Whether the two men suspected of carrying out the April 15 Boston Marathon attack knowingly followed al Qaeda’s blueprint for simple attacks by grassroots actors, their actions were fairly consistent with what we have come to expect from such operatives. Certainly based upon what we have seen of this case so far, the Tsarnaev brothers did not appear to possess sophisticated terrorist trade craft.
For example, regarding the bombs employed in the attack and during the police chase, everything we have seen still points to very simple devices, such as pipe bombs and pressure cooker devices. From a bomb making trade craft standpoint, we have yet to see anything that could not be fabricated by reading Inspire magazine, spending a little bit of time on YouTube and conducting some experimentation. As a comparison, consider the far larger and more complex improvised explosive device Anders Behring Breivik, the Oslo bomber, constructed. We know from Breivik’s detailed journal that he was a self taught bomb maker using directions he obtained on the Internet. He was also a lone wolf. And yet he was able to construct a very large improvised explosive device.? Also, although the Tsarnaev brothers did not hold up a convenience store as initially reported, they did conduct an express kidnapping that caused them to have extended contact with their victim while they visited automatic teller machines. They told the victim that they were the bombers and then allowed the victim to live. Such behavior is hardly typical of professional terrorist operatives.
Grassroots Theory As it has become more difficult for professional terrorists to travel to the United States and the West in general, it has become more difficult for jihadist organizations to conduct attacks in these places. Indeed, this difficulty prompted groups like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to attempt to attack the United States by dispatching an operative with an underwear bomb and to use printer cartridge bombs to attack cargo aircraft. In response to this difficulty, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula began to adopt the grassroots into their operational doctrine. They first began promoting this approach in 2009 in their Arabic-language magazine Sada al-Malahim. The al Qaeda core organization embraced this approach in May 2010 in an English-language video featuring Adam Gadahn.
In July 2010, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula launched an English language magazine called Inspire dedicated to radicalizing and equipping grassroots jihadists. Despite the losses that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has experienced on the battlefield, it has continued to devote a great deal of its limited resources toward propagating this concept. It has continued to publish Inspire even after the magazine’s founder and editor, Samir Khan, was killed in an American missile strike in Yemen.
The grassroots strategy was perhaps most clearly articulated in the third edition of Inspire magazine, which was published in November 2010 following the failed October 29, 2010, printer bomb operation. In a letter from the editor in which Khan explained what he referred to as “Operation Hemorrhage,” he wrote:
“However, to bring down America we do not need to strike big. In such an environment of security phobia that is sweeping America, it is more feasible to stage smaller attacks that involve fewer players and less time to launch and thus we may circumvent the security barriers America has worked so hard to erect. This strategy of attacking the enemy with smaller, but more frequent operations is what some may refer to the strategy of a thousand cuts. The aim is to bleed the enemy to death.”
In Adam Gadahn’s May 2010 message entitled “A Call to Arms,” Gadahn counsels lone wolf jihadists to follow a three pronged target selection process. They should choose a target with which they are well acquainted, a target that is feasible to hit and a target that, when struck, will have a major impact. The Tsarnaev brothers did all three in Boston.Implications
Yet despite this clearly articulated theory, it has proved very difficult for jihadist ideologues to convince grassroots operatives to conduct simple attacks using readily available items like in the “build a bomb in the kitchen of your mom” approach, which they have advocated for so long.
This is because most grassroots jihadists have sought to conduct huge, spectacular attacks attacks that are outside of their capabilities. This has meant that they have had to search for help to conduct their plans. And that search for help has resulted in their arrest, just as Adam Gadahn warned they would be in his May 2010 message.
There were many plots disrupted in 2012 in which grassroots operatives tried to act beyond their capabilities. These include:
But the carnage and terrorist theater caused by the Boston attack have shown how following the simple attack model can be highly effective. This will certainly be pointed out in future editions of Inspire magazine, and grassroots operatives will be urged to follow the model established by the Tsarnaev brothers. Unlike operatives like Faisal Shahzad who attempted to go big themselves and failed, the brothers followed the blueprint for a simple attack and the model worked.
It is quite possible that the success of the Boston bombing will help jihadist ideologues finally convince grassroots operatives to get past their grandiose plans and begin to follow the simple attack model in earnest. If this happens, it will obviously have a big impact on law enforcement and intelligence officials who have developed very effective programs of identifying grassroots operatives and drawing them into sting operations. They will now have to adjust their operations.
While these grassroots actors do not have the capability of professional terrorist operatives and do not pose as severe a threat, they pose a much broader, amorphous threat. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies generally do not deal well with ambiguity.
There are simply too many soft targets to protect and some of these simple attacks will inevitably succeed. This means that this low-level broad threat will persist and perhaps even intensify in the immediate future.
As we’ve previously discussed, the best defense against the grassroots threat are grassroots defenders. These include the police and alert citizens who report suspicious activity — like people testing bomb designs a frequent occurrence before actual bomb attacks. The slogan “If you see something, say something,” has been mocked as overly simplistic, but it is nonetheless a necessity in an environment where the broad, ambiguous threat of grassroots terrorism far outstrips the ability of the authorities to see everything. Taking a proactive approach to personal and collective security also beats the alternative of living in terror and apprehensively waiting for the next simple attack.
It is also very important for people to maintain the proper perspective on terrorism. Like car crashes and cancer and natural disasters, terrorism is part of the human condition. People should take prudent, measured actions to prepare for such contingencies and avoid becoming victims (vicarious or other- wise). It is the resilience of the population and its perseverance that will ultimately determine how much a terrorist attack is allowed to terrorize. By separating terror from terrorism, citizens can deny the practitioners of terror the ability to magnify their reach and power.
(Vice President of Analysis)
Narendra Modi visit to China for BRICS Summit has been a astounding success from an Indian prospective. It is surely a victory for Indian diplomacy that have scripted outstanding victory to include terror in the joint declaration of BRICS SUMMIT 2017. An end to DokaLa standoff saved Xi Jinping from an embarrassing face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The resolution will have offered relief to the BRICS organizers too, as there was hardly any logic in talking peace and cooperation among the grouping when two of its key constituents are engaged in a military face-off. Both Xi and Modi have set the stage for talks on peace and cooperation by agreeing to move past DokaLa and work on the larger BRICS agenda on cooperation. But all is still far from well.
For India and China, the next point of contention is developing, perhaps not in the form of a military conflict, but something that has all the making of a grand start to a prolonged diplomatic standoff India’s approach to the China Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC) and One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. China has bet big on CPEC, which it wants to use as a tool to assert significant political and economic influence on Pakistani soil and achieve its long-term goal of regional dominance operating from that base. CPEC is also integral to the OBOR initiative anchored by China.
It wants to grow as a world leader with its economic power and military might. For both CPEC and OBOR, India’s co-operation will be crucial for China since no power in Asia can ignore Asia’s third largest economy.
But, China may have a tough time in taking India into confidence since the CPEC corridor passes through the contentious part of Kashmir, which is occupied by Pakistan and claimed by India. India has the backing of others. For instance, Sri Lanka has spoken in favor of India on this issue saying it is difficult for India to accept the CPEC since it passes through the ‘heart of Indian interests’. China would have further risked the fate of CPEC and OBOR if it escalated tensions, as India can create hurdles in the path of OBOR. It was one of the major economic reasons it had to put an end to the DokaLa conflict as pointed out earlier.
In a recent report, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (ESCAP), the UN’s regional development arm, had warned that the CPEC running through Pakistan occupied Kashmir could create tensions with India and lead to ‘further political instability’ in the region. India has so far distanced itself from the OBOR initiative on account of this reason. It did not send a delegation to attend the OBOR meet convened by China early this year. This point of contention is likely to escalate further.
Just recently, army chief General Bipin Rawat had said that the CPEC passing through PoK challenges India’s sovereignty. “It is doing so by increasing defense and economic partnerships in the neighborhood, especially in Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) challenges India’s sovereignty,” Rawat had said. China, on the other hand, has maintained that CPEC has no direct links to Kashmir, a claim India has not agreed to. There are good reasons for China to bat for CPEC. China has invested at least $50 billion so far in the CPEC, and has also promised further investments.
Besides, it also plans to deeply influence the Pakistan region with its power and culture, establishing “a full system of monitoring and surveillance … built in cities from Peshawar to Karachi, with 24 hour video recordings on roads and busy marketplaces for law and order. A national fibre optic backbone will be built for the country not only for internet traffic, but also terrestrial distribution of broadcast TV, which will cooperate with Chinese media in the ‘dissemination of Chinese culture’.” All this will eventually make Pakistan nothing short of a Chinese colony and a surveillance base, which is a threat to India.
The 2017 BRICS Summit may not have much to offer beyond the usual rhetoric and general statements on promise of member cooperation. Particularly for India and China, although the DokaLa problem is off for now, the damage inflicted by the standoff on bilateral trade and economic relations will linger on for a while. Even if Modi and Xi move past the DokaLa episode and shake hands in front of cameras, the CPEC issue will loom over the meet.
The Brics grouping on Monday bracketed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed with global terror groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda, marking a significant diplomatic win in India’s efforts to counter cross border terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Michael Temer and South African President Jacob Zuma condemned terror attacks worldwide and said those “committing, organizing or supporting” such acts must be held accountable.
This is the first time anti-India groups such as LeT and JeM have been named in a Brics declaration though the five-country grouping has denounced terror in the past. In the run-up to the summit in Xiamen, China’s foreign ministry had even suggested the counter terror efforts of its “iron brother”
ally Pakistan would not be an appropriate topic for discussion.
The 43-page Xiamen declaration, with 17 references to terrorism, made it clear that India had been able to convince others in the grouping about the threat posed by Pakistan-based organisations as the document also contained references to groups such as the Haqqani Network, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement and Pakistani Taliban that have targeted Afghanistan and China.
“We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in Brics countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms…,” said the declaration released after the plenary session of the 9th Brics summit. “We…express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, Al-Qaida and its affiliates including Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Haqqani Network, Laskar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizb-ut-Tahrir,” it said.
The document did not specify which region it was referring to but added: “We reaffirm that those responsible for committing, organizing or supporting terrorist acts must be held accountable.” Monday’s statement was a marked departure from earlier Brics statements the declaration issued after last year’s summit in Goa referred to terrorism several times but only named one group, the Islamic State.
Report filed by Prakhar Misra, inputs from mainstream media.
The two aggressive leaders of USA and North Korea have brought the entire world on its knees.
Donald Trump narrative of & fury and Kim statement of hitting US by ICBM have resulted in escalation of tensions in entire world. Japan and South Korea are living in constant fear of missile attack but unfortunately China is proceeding with its stale strategy of promoting rouge states namely North Korea and Pakistan by supporting them with funds, technology, business collaboration and nuclear technology transfer resulting in making the world a deadly place to live in. KIM Jongun may have hidden a secret message to the United States in his blustering boast that he is now ready to lob missiles at Guam. But can President Trump understand it?
Recently North Korean media stat- ed Kim had been briefed by his Missile Command on completed plans to test launch missiles and ‘bracket’ the US Pacific territory of Guam. But Kim stated he would watch the “foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees” a little more before deciding whether to give an order for the missile test. The US has stat- ed any missiles lobbed toward Guam would be seen as a deeply provocative act. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the United States would “take out” any such missile and declared such a launch could lead to war.
Kim’s comments, however, come with an almost hidden tone of moderation. He appears to hold out the offer to defuse the growing crisis if the United States made a conciliatory gesture. “The US Imperialists caught the noose around their necks due to their reckless military confrontation racket … (but) he would watch a little more the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees spending a hard time of every minute of their miserable lot,” the Pyongyang statement reads.
But the question is whether or not everybody who needs to understand that understands that. “The problem is that Kim Jonun is largely the same personality type as Trump both are paranoid, narcissistic and have huge egos,” Dr Hohnen says. “We’ve never really had leaders like that on both sides before.
“The unknown factor in this is not Kim, its Trump. Kim Jongun is acting as we expect him to behave.” “We’ve actually been expecting something like this,” she says. “Today’s quite an important day in North Korea (celebrations marking the liberation of Korea at the end of World War II). The North Koreans usually do something in terms of military development to coincide with such events.”
DIPLOMATIC CRISIS
Officials have told US media that satellites have observed DPRK mobile missile launcher movement, indicating an intermediate-ballistic missile may be being prepared as part of North Korea’s holiday celebrations. The move comes as the United States and South Korea plan to start annual defensive military drills that the North asserts are a severe provocation and a possible preparation for invasion. But South Kora’s Yonhap News Agency says President Moon told a gathering he will prevent war in Korea “at all costs”.
No US military action on the troubled peninsula was possible without Seoul’s consent, he said. US President Donald Trump, who today returned to his residence in New York for the first time since becoming President in January, has phoned regional leaders including Japan’s Shinzo Abe.
“We agreed that Japan, the U.S. and South Korea will coordinate closely, co- operating with Russia, China and other members of the international community to, above all else, prevent North Korea from launching missiles,” Mr Abe said about the call with President Trump. US Secretary of Defense James Mattis warned any further escalation could rapidly lead to war: “Yes that means for a lot of young troops they’re going to be in a wartime situation.”
President Kim Jongun being presented with plans to launch ballistic missiles towards the US territory of Guam. The map in front of him details the flight path of a missile over southern Japan, while the photo on the back wall shows Guam’s Andersen Air Force Base.
‘DELIGHTFUL HISTORIC MOMENT’
Pyongyang’s state media has this morning reported President Kim Jongun as “praising” his Strategic Force for drawing up a “careful” plan for a “power demonstration” to “envelop” Guam in fire. “The nuclear force of the DPRK is strong in its guts and no one can guess its muscle as the flight trajectory of medium-to-long ballistic rocket Hwasong 12, firing data and the correct hitting-point are made public at home and abroad.”
This North Korean supplied image purports to show Kim Jongun being briefed at the KPA Strategic Force HQ on plans to launch ballistic missiles to- wards the US territory of Guam.
INTERNATIONAL CONCERN
The European Union’s foreign policy chief has called for “peaceful, not military” means to resolve the Korean peninsula crisis, urging Pyongyang to avoid any “further provocative action” that could stoke tensions. “At such a critical juncture, the European Union supports diplomatic work with our partners aimed at the deescalation of the situation and achieving the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearize of the Korean Peninsula through peaceful, not military, means,” Federica Mogherini said in a statement.
The statement was issued after a meeting of a key EU panel which agreed the bloc would reach out to North and South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan. “There is an urgent need for a deescalation of tensions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Mogherini said. “(…) We there fore call on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from any further provocative action that can only increase regional and global tensions.”
USA is building strategic level of co- ordination with another world power namely India to play an active role in taming rouge states like North Korea and Pakistan. So far, India has followed normal diplomatic language of restrain but the ambitious leadership of Narendra Modi is likely to take more active role in the global affairs to push for permanent t UN Security Council seat.
DUBIOUS ROLE OF CHINA
People Republic of China is gradually perceived to be the villain of the new world. China have build satellite rouge states namely North Korea and Pakistan, funded and armed them with clandestine nuclear weapon technology to serve its power balance in the new world order. Pakistan is pitted against India by China to curb India’s global emergence and North Korea is pitted against South Korea to check USA knocking its border. In the process, two rouge states with failed governance have ensured that world is no longer a safe place. There is highly likely that nukes may land up in wrong hands namely jihadi’s or terror groups that can extensively damage the humanity in any part of the world.
The unfair trade practices by PRC and reckless low cost manufacturing, dumping cheap goods in the global market have damaged many economies in the world. IPR violation and clone design are standard practice in China that has hurt many thriving multinational companies globally.
Recently US President has ordered probe against China for IPR violation. The world must unite against the Chinese unfair trade practices to secure sovereign right of many industrial nations.
America is preparing military options in case sanctions fail, says most senior US general
Joint Chief of Staffs chairman says US ready to use ‘full range’ of military capabilities to defend itself against Pyongyang. The Independent US South Korean army soldiers walk by a mock Scud-B missile of North Korea AP America is preparing military options in case sanctions imposed on North Korea fail, the most senior general in the US armed forces has warned. Joseph Dunford said a “full range” of contingency plans had been drawn up in case diplomatic and economic sanctions did not deter Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman told South Korean President Moon Jaein of the preparations during a 50-minute meeting on Monday, according to a US military spokesman. It comes amid heightened tensions over fears Pyongyang is close to achieving its goal of putting mainland US within range of a nuclear weapon.
The two nations exchanged military threats last week, with North Korea warning it has developed a plan to strike the US Pacific territory of Guam. Donald Trump said military solutions to the crisis were “locked and loaded”, days after vowing to unleash “fire and fury” if Pyongyang continued to threaten the US.
Mr Dunford is visiting Seoul to discuss the rising tensions in the region with President Moon Jaein and Defense Minister Song Young-moo ahead of major joint US-South Korean military drills scheduled for later this month. “He conveyed America’s readiness to use the full range of military capabilities to defend our allies and the US homeland,” said US military spokes- man Darryn James. Mr Dunford, who will also meet with leaders in Japan and China, “stressed that North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programmers threaten the entire global community,” the spokesman added. Mr Dunford had earlier told reporters he aimed to “sense what the temperature is in the region” and discuss military options in the event the “diplomatic and economic pressurization campaign” fails. “We’re all looking to get out of this situation without a war,” he added. Mr Moon separately called for a peaceful solution to the nuclear stand-off, urging that “there must not be another war on the Korean Peninsula”. It comes as senior US officials attempted to provide assurances with that conflict with North Korea not imminent.
The American military is ready with a plan to strike North Korean missile sites in a preemptive attack if Donald Trump decides to do so. The plan involves flying a B-1B heavy bomber from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam ac- companies by satellites, drones, higher jets, and aerial refueling warplanes. Training for the mission has been on- going, and there have been 11 practice runs for a similar mission since May when the training was accelerated.
“Of the military options … [President Trump] could consider, this would be one of the two or three that would at least have the possibility of not escalating the situation,” retired Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told NBC.There are six B-1B bombers positioned in Guam, about 2,100 miles by air to North Korea. The bombers have been heavily used in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and have been updated since then.
The news of the potential operations comes as the relationship between the US and North Korea has become very strained. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Mr Trump have engaged in a heated back and forth of threats. Recently, Mr Trump promised “fire and fury” if Mr Kim didn’t stop threatening the United States. In response, Mr Kim’s government signaled they were considering an attack on Guam if Mr Trump didn’t cool his tough talk. Both countries appear to be more than willing to push the other further and further with the threats, however, in spite of assurance from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has said that Americans have no reason to worry about an impending war.
US administration has finally realized that China is the base of North Korea and Pakistan problem. It is China that has clandestinely exported nuclear weapon technology to North Korea and Pakistan and at the same time, they have invested heavily in respective countries to keep the economy rolling ahead despite sanctions and international curbs. The world has realized that China is the backbone of unofficial terror and their irresponsible actions can lead to a major nuclear proliferation that is extremely dangerous to the civil societies globally. It is high time that the global community must put pressure on China to mend its way or get out of the new world order.
– OE News Bureau
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