2013-03-08 By Richard Weitz In the past decade, Sino-African relations have increased in importance. Recent trends point to Chinese involvement in three areas of interest: economic policy, diplomacy, and military cooperation. Beijing’s policies with reference to sub-Saharan Africa reflect clear goals: 1) expanding export markets (to Africa’s growing middle class) 2) …
2013-03-07 by Richard Weitz In the past decade, the PLA has increasingly participated in multilateral peacekeeping operations in Africa. Since 2000—when China deployed fewer than 100 peacekeepers—there has been nearly a twenty-fold increase in troops-on-the-ground. In recent years, China has provided more troops, police, and observer teams to UN peacekeeping…
2013-02-26 By Richard Weitz According to newly released data by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the weapons and military service sales of the largest companies (the SIPRI Top 100) amounted to $410 billion in 2011, a 5 percent fall in constant dollars from the previous year. SIPRI calculates that…
2013-02-26 by Richard Weitz At a press briefing on Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called for calm and that all parties avoid taking action that could worsen the situation on the Korean Peninsula following the Feb 12 nuclear test of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). He said…
2013-02-23 America Praises the Work of the French Army By Laure Mandeville, Le Figaro Washington Correspondent Published in French in Le Figaro, February 23, 2013. Translated by Second Line of Defense. Admiration, anxiety and relief. Those are the prevailing sentiments in Washington as Americans watch the French operation in Mali. The…
2013-02-22 The latest report from the IAEA makes it clear that Iran continues building out its nuclear capabilities. When one adds to this the synergy between North Korea and Iran in delivery systems, it is hardly another happy moment in the Middle East and beyond. Among the major comments made…
2013-02-19 When the brutal Tsunami hit Japan in 2011, the devastation was significant. The threat from leakage of the nuclear plants was ever-present. The challenge of restoring Japan in the face of significant damage was a daunting one. Earlier we have looked at the challenge of shaping resilient organizations and the…
2013-02-18 Colombia has battled the FARC for a considerable period of time. The FARC operate in the jungles of Columbia and operate in the East and Southeast of the country. The armed forces' participation in counternarcotics operations associated with the FARC is aimed at penetrating one of the areas of…
