Philly.Com (July 27)
After the Democratic National Convention got off to a rough start, the party is reuniting, though tension remains. “Amid enduring dissent, some of the convention’s most successful moments so far have appealed to unity among people—including the kinds of people, like undocumented immigrants and the disabled, who have been targeted by Trump’s divisive rhetoric.”
Tags: Convention, Democrats, Disabled, Dissent, Immigrants, Successful, Tension, Trump, Unity
USA Today (September 24)
27 years after the Montreal Protocol placed restrictions on chlorofluorocarbons, “the ozone layer is beginning to heal and is on track toward full recovery by the middle of the century.” This suggests hope in the fight against global warming. “Collective international action, even at a time of global tensions, can head off environmental catastrophe. And the sooner action is taken, the better, because the atmosphere can take decades to recover.”
Tags: Atmosphere, Catastrophe, Chlorofluorocarbons, Collective action, Environment, Global warming, Montreal Protocol, Ozone, Recovery, Tension
Wall Street Journal (June 1)
At this year’s annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, tensions were on full display. Chinese officers spoke in ways that “only reinforced fears that Beijing is on a collision course with the U.S. They accused the U.S. and Japan of using coercion and acting hegemonically, when everyone else in region says that describes Chinese behavior.”
Tags: Beijing, China, Coercion, Collision course, Japan, Officers, Shangri-La Dialogue, Singapore, Tension, U.S.
Financial Times (December 4, 2013)
“Beijing, in its dispute with Japan, risks repeating the errors of an earlier era that led to war.” Though war is not inevitable, the risk has risen in a manner eerily reminiscent of how Germany set tinder that ultimately ignited, propelling Europe into the First World War. “One wonders why the Chinese leadership thinks asserting sovereignty over a few rocks worth the risk. Yes, China may get away with it this time and the next, and the time after that. But each throw of the dice renews the risks. What gains can justify the possible losses?” With tension and mistrust rising and “for the sake of the longer-term interests of the Chinese people, Mr Xi should think again – and halt.”“Beijing, in its dispute with Japan, risks repeating the errors of an earlier era that led to war.” Though war is not inevitable, the risk has risen in a manner eerily reminiscent of how Germany set tinder that ultimately ignited, propelling Europe into the First World War. “One wonders why the Chinese leadership thinks asserting sovereignty over a few rocks worth the risk. Yes, China may get away with it this time and the next, and the time after that. But each throw of the dice renews the risks. What gains can justify the possible losses?” With tension and mistrust rising and “for the sake of the longer-term interests of the Chinese people, Mr Xi should think again – and halt.”
Tags: ADIZ, Beijing, China, Europe, Gains, Germany, Interests, Japan, Losses, Mistrust, Risks, Sovereignty, Tension, WWI, Xi
The Economist (November 30, 2013)
“Plenty of countries establish zones in which they require aircraft to identify themselves, but they tend not to be over other countries’ territory.” China’s unilateral declaration of an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over Japanese territory has also heightened tension between the U.S. and China. “This face-off marks the most worrying strategic escalation between the two countries since 1996, when China’s then president, Jiang Zemin, ordered a number of exclusion zones for missile tests in the Taiwan Strait, leading America to send two aircraft-carriers there.”
Tags: ADIZ, Aircraft, Aircraft-carriers, China, Escalation, Exclusion zones, Face-off, Jiang Zemin, Missile tests, Taiwan Strait, Tension, Territory, U.S.
Daily Nation (September 23)
As the standoff at Kenya’s Westgate Mall enters the third day, “all round, there is a sense of gloom and doom. Tension is palpable and the citizens are worried about the grotesque drama…. The stand-off and uncertainty are taking a huge toll on the economy as businesses remain closed and many people kept away from work. Worse, the tragedy has sent the wrong message that Kenya is an unsafe destination even when it is clear that terrorism knows no borders.”
Tags: Economy, Kenya, Stand-off, Tension, Terrorism, Tragedy, Uncertainty, Westgate Mall
New York Times (August 26)
In a series of tweets, Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani, “has given reason to hope that he is serious about resolving disputes with the United States and other major powers, most urgently about Iran’s nuclear program.” One such tweet reads, “We don’t want further tension. Both nations need 2 think more abt future & try 2 sit down & find solutions to past issues & rectify things.” While promising, “it would be naïve to assume that the path to ending Iran’s isolation is now clear.”
Tags: Disputes, Hassan Rouhani, Hope, Iran, Isolation, Nuclear program, Solutions, Tension, United States
Time (March 15)
North Korea continues to ratchet up the tension. “In keeping with the dynasty’s tradition of erratic behavior, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to bombard a South Korean island with 5,000 residents, further raising alarms in Seoul and the U.S., which is beefing up its own missile defenses against possible attack from Pyongyang.”
Tags: Attack, Defense, Kim Jong Un, Missiles, North Korea, Seoul, Tension, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (September 25)Wall Street Journal (September 25)
India is “taking steps to protect itself from Chinese encroachment, part of which involves the military. Like China, India too is launching a new aircraft carrier and there’s the danger the two navies will increasingly rub against each other. It’s an open question whether the two nations can manage these tensions and avoid spilling over into armed conflict.”
Economist (June 23)
On July 1, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) turns 90. Despite this milestone, the CCP’s future looks uncertain. “The inevitable slowing in economic growth,” will strain relations between the middle-class and the CCP. Moreover, “tensions between China’s prosperous middle classes and its poor will make it a harder country to govern.” The CCP may feel forced to repress an increasingly restive middle class, further worsening relations. “In other Asian countries a taste for democracy has risen with income; and repression would mean withdrawing freedoms from people used to their liberty gradually increasing.” The CCP is in for a bumpy ride. The next 90 are far from assured.
Tags: CCP, China, Economic growth, Middle class, Tension
