Fortune (August 12)
“As many in the United States and abroad are watching as tensions grow with North Korea, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk issued a warning about artificial intelligence,” urging followers to keep their priorities straight. Musk pointed out that AI was riskier than North Korea and “also warned that artificial intelligence should be regulated the same way anything that could pose a danger to the public is.”
New York Times (June 13)
“Tensions are reaching a dangerous pitch on the Korean Peninsula, testing the leadership of South Korea’s new president, Moon Jae-in…. In effect, Mr. Moon finds himself pincered between two rival powers, China and the United States, while facing an existential threat from the dictator next door.”
Tags: China, Dangerous, Dictator, Existential threat, Korean Peninsula, Leadership, Moon, Rival powers, South Korea, Tensions, U.S.
New York Times (February 3)
“It didn’t take long for tensions to flare between Iran and President Trump, and both sides have to share the blame.”
Washington Post (July 12)
“China is increasingly asserting itself as a great power, and nowhere is its rise more likely to lead to war than in the South China Sea” where tensions have been rising with nations who dispute China’s claims. “These tensions are likely only to increase in the wake of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling Tuesday undermining China’s claims and bolstering those of the Philippines, one of the closest U.S. allies in the region.” We have not escaped from “perilous waters.” In fact, “China is more prepared for a confrontation than Western experts may expect.”
Tags: Allies, China, Claims, Confrontation, Dispute, Perilous, Philippines, South China Sea, Tensions, U.S., War
Bloomberg (October 6)
“Eleven days into the Umbrella Revolution, it’s clear Beijing won’t back down. President Xi Jinping won’t accede to the movement’s universal suffrage proposal or sacrifice Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying to ease tensions.” Unless the students “face reality and plot an endgame,” they risk becoming “irritants” to average Hongkongers. If, however, they can win a few concessions, the students “can demonstrate that they gave Goliath a good fight and achieved something substantial.”
Tags: Beijing, Concessions, Endgame, Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying, Risk, Students, Tensions, Umbrella Revolution, Universal suffrage, Xi Jinping
Washington Post (January 17, 2014)
“Over the past few months, the Middle East has become an even more violent place than usual. Iraq is now once again home to one of the most bloody civil wars in the world, after Syria of course, which is the worst.” There is no quick fix that outsiders can provide. “In fact, the last thing the region needs is more U.S. intervention.” The Middle East’s deep-rooted tension is part of “a sectarian struggle, like those between Catholics and Protestants in Europe in the age of the Reformation. These tensions are rooted in history and politics and will not easily go away.”
Tags: Catholics, Civil war, Europe, History, Intervention, Iraq, Middle East, Politics, Protestants, Reformation, Struggle, Syria, Tensions, U.S., Violence
