China needs to stop its Provocative Campaign in the East and South China Sea

Over the last couple of months there has been increasing tensions in the East China Sea between China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, along with  other countries in the region. The main issues are the growing rise of China as the new top dog in the region and a long standing dispute over a group of islands called Senkaku/Diaoyu which belong to Japan, but are claimed by a handful of other countries including China. Although the current crisis is over a tiny group of uninhabited islands that lay on top of gas and oil deposits, the main issue of concern not just to the region but also the international community is the rising power of China, who are on a campaign to flex its military and economic muscle.

The most recent example of China’s military and diplomatic flexing has been in the last few months, when they installed a Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the disputed islands, and which overlaps Japan’s own ADIZ. This action by China requires all commercial and military aircraft to identify themselves with Chinese authorities when passing through this zone, but the US, Japan and other countries have rejected these requests and have conducted military flights in the area. Not much has been mentioned in recent weeks concerning the ADZ, and no reports of incidents over the matter.

Apart from the ADZ issue, the US and China navy ships have come close to colliding with each other in the South China Sea, near another group of disputed islands. Both countries have released statements blaming the other for the near miss, with the US saying that the Chinese ship was being aggressive towards their vessel which was in international water and the Chinese stating that the US ship was harassing the new Chinese aircraft carrier, as it was carrying out exercises. 

 On the matter of the dispute in the East China Sea, my understanding is that the Senkaku islands are a sovereign territory of Japan, as they were owned by a Japanese family for many centuries, and have recently been transferred to the Japanese state. I am not a lawyer, but one would think that international law would under this argument grant full sovereignty to Japan. Except no international organisation or country wants to deliberate on sovereignty rights, so this issue will drag on into the future.

The US has been dragged into the crisis, though quite willingly on the side of Japan, as they are allies, and also they want to keep a check on China’s new aggressive stance in the region. The US since the end of the second world war have been the main military force protecting its own national interests and its allies in the region, but since the rising economic and military power of China over the last couple of decades, the US has seen its status as the regions and even the worlds only superpower decline. China at the present acknowledge this change in the status que and have been taking advantage of a weaker US role in Asia and the rest of the world, but continuing in a campaign  of  provocative action against its neighbors will not advance stability in the region or win international support.

The Republic of Congo is slowly gaining Peace and Stability

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, a landlocked country in central Africa is slowly gaining peace, after various civil conflicts over the last few decades. In the last couple of days the government of Congo signed a peace agreement with the M23 rebel group, after their defeat by government and United Nations forces in November. This agreement has formally disbanded the M23 as an armed force.

The M23 is just one of 30 or more different armed groups in Congo, but have been the most active in recent years. The M23 are mostly ethnic Tutsis, the same as the government in Rwanda, who have been accused of funding and supporting the group.

The issue in Congo is its large deposits of natural resources and over 200 different ethnic groups competing for power and claim to the countries riches. What has materialized since the countries independence from Belgium in the 1960’s has been numerous corrupt governments, warlords and outside interference that has led to armed conflict. Although most of the fighting ceased in the early 2000’s, there are still large numbers of groups fighting against the government and each other. Also fleeing Hutus from the 1994 Rwandan genocide have added to the problems in the Congo.  

The UN has deployed around 20,000peacekeepers since the late 1990’s in an effort to bring peace to the war torn country, but with so many different groups and interferences from outside, the task has been difficult, although there has been some successful achievements,and the latest peace agreement been one of them.

Although there are still many problems for the Congolese to deal with, including trying to bring long term peace, fighting corruption and bring about equality and development, the country has the potential to gain future peace and stability. The first elected government for over four decades in 2008 and the continuing presence of  a large UN deployment, which have been given a new mandate to use force to protect civilians, the long term goals could be achieved if the status que remains the same and further peace agreements can be signed between the government and other armed groups.

Breaking news: Nelson Mandela Dead

After years of illness, Nelson Mandela has passed away in his family home surrounded by family.

President Jacob Zuma has said in a press conference:"Our nation has lost its great son"

The world has lost a great man.

Read further on BBC: South Africa's Nelson Mandela Dies | BBC News

Mandela was a great leader of not just the black population in South Africa, but also other oppressed peoples around the world. His ability to keep faith and dignity in the face of extreme torment and repression was the strength that he upheld for many decades and will be honoured for centuries to come. The ability to look beyond hatred and revenge for decades of suffering of his fellow people under Apartheid, showed what a inspirational leader and person that Mandela was. Hopefully his legacy will keep inspiring people to stand up for their own freedoms and justice, through peace and love, rather then war and violence. Good bye and Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela.

The Agreement over Iran’s Nuclear Program is a Good Place to Start

Last week Iran signed a deal with the international community, which will see them halt some of their nuclear program for six months, in return for over $7 billion of sanction relief. The plan is that this short term agreement will lead to a more permanent deal over Iran’s nuclear program. For more then three years, western powers have placed sanction on Iran, as they suspected that the program was for building nuclear grade weapons and not for peaceful means, as been stated by Iran’s officials. 

This deal, although not perfect has allowed for a more open dialogue in a long standing stalemate between Iran and the international community. The agreement also will allow more inspections on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during this six month period. Hopefully if Iran does keep its word, which I think they will, the country and its people will benefit greatly from increased investment and status in the world.

Since the signing of the agreement last week, many politicians in both Israel and the United States have been skeptical of such a deal, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said, “Today the world has become a much more dangerous place, because the most dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world.” And US Republicans and some Democrats are concerned that the deal has not remove Iran’s nuclear capacity.

I understand the concerns of what has been labeled a soft agreement by many, but in reality, the deal is better then further stalemate. In the end, nothing would be able to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability, other then military force, which in light of the current situation in Syria and other parts of the region, a military option would be unwise. Even President Obama seemed reluctant to go down that path. So a deal although soft in content, will hopefully lead to more future transparency by Iran on the issue of their nuclear program, and with such a big step for the conservative Clerics to agree to this deal in the first place, the signs seem good for a more permanent deal that will satisfy both Iran’s ambitions and the international communities concerns. And you never know this may bring better relations between the US and Iran.