Headlines

4 stars or 3, send a winner to head US Forces Japan

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin commented to reporters at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in early June that the Pentagon is considering posting a four-star general to command US Forces Japan (USFJ). A three-star general currently holds the position. A

Crowdfunding weapons as Ukraine soldiers fight, die

In his latest report from the frontlines, Ukrainian-American journalist-activist David Kirichenko shares his efforts to deliver crucial supplies, including high-tech surveillance drones, to Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast and Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He bears witness to the

Green crypto: Gaining acceptance a work in progress

As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact. According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to $4.94 billion by 2030. But the process of mining digital

Not clear Biden or Trump cognitively up for the job

Some Americans are questioning whether elderly people like Joe Biden and Donald Trump are cognitively competent to be president amid reports of the candidates mixing up names while speaking and having trouble recalling details of past personal events. I believe these reports

A revolutionary bridge too far in Myanmar

Myanmar’s dictator Senior General Min Aung Hlaing showcased a major infrastructure project on June 8, opening the Thanlyin Bridge 3 across the Bago River, linking the commercial capital Yangon with the Thilawa Special Economic Zone. Started in 2019 with a 31 billion yen (US$197

Australia’s gas industry hangs by a Japanese thread

Without funding from Japan, many of Australia’s gas projects wouldn’t have gone ahead. Massive public loans from Japanese taxpayers are propping up Australia’s now-enormous fossil gas industry. Japan is also becoming a major gas trader and today exports more gas to other

US-China relations frigid but not a New Cold War

Portraying the United States and China as locked in a “New Cold War” has become something of a cottage industry, providing provocative fodder for think tanks, the foreign policy cognoscenti and the broader commentariat while generating reams of stirring material for books,

US plans ‘Hellscape’ drone swarm in a Taiwan war

The US plans to turn the Taiwan Strait into a “Hellscape” of drone swarms against a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, buying time for US and allied intervention to assist the beleaguered self-governing island in a war scenario. This month, The Washington Post reported that