https://www.scmp.com/rss/322036/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com When asked why it is not possible to deter North Korea, a military midget compared to Stalin’s Soviet Union and Mao’s China, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson responded: “The difference is that with the past behaviour of North Korea, it is clear to us that they would not just use the possession of nuclear weapons as a deterrent. This would become a commercial activity for them.” In fact, Pyongyang’s past behaviour proves no such thing. Selling conventional weapons is not the same as marketing... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127776/why-all-us-hot-air-nuclear-north-korea-counterproductive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2127776/why-all-us-hot-air-nuclear-north-korea-counterproductive?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jan 2018 06:30:00 +0000 North Korea’s Kim Jong-un continues his confrontational course. After Pyongyang conducted its fifth nuclear test last month, US defence secretary Ashton Carter declared it to be a “direct challenge to the entire international community”. But this is complete hooey, to use a technical term. It’s about time for the “international community” to stop acting as if there really is an international community. Even more, it’s fair to assume that Kim isn’t much concerned about what the “international... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2024588/end-north-koreas-nuclear-push-we-must-first-understand-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2024588/end-north-koreas-nuclear-push-we-must-first-understand-its?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2016 06:20:05 +0000 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is threatening a “reckoning” with China over the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Military misadventure by Manila could drag the US and its other allies into a catastrophic conflict over Filipino interests of minimal importance to America. ‘It will be bloody’: Duterte’s warning to China if it attacks the Philippines in festering sea dispute China is at odds with many of its neighbours over control of islands and waters throughout East Asia. Among the bitterest... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2017579/us-military-should-play-no-part-dutertes-bloody-reckoning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2017579/us-military-should-play-no-part-dutertes-bloody-reckoning?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Sep 2016 04:39:35 +0000 History weighs heavily on East Asia. To Washington’s enduring frustration, its two most important democratic allies, Japan and South Korea, have been at odds for decades. The divergence has grown especially sharp over the past couple of years, during which ties between South Korea and China have warmed while those between Tokyo and Beijing have sharply deteriorated, driven by the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. Moreover, South Korea had its own territorial contretemps with Tokyo. READ... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1900613/long-overdue-comfort-women-agreement-between-japan-and-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1900613/long-overdue-comfort-women-agreement-between-japan-and-south?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jan 2016 05:58:03 +0000 History was supposed to have ended. Alas, rather than celebrating the triumph of democratic capitalism, the world appears to be dividing between generally liberal Western-oriented states and a gaggle of authoritarian systems united only in their disdain for individual freedom and dignity. It is not just democratic politics and free markets that are under attack. A new study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found increasing restrictions on religious liberty between 2006 and 2009. The... https://www.scmp.com/article/979498/dim-view-religion-less-enlightened-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/979498/dim-view-religion-less-enlightened-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 It took the greatest military alliance in history five months to push the Libyan rebels across the finish line. Western politicians are claiming victory, but no one knows what comes next. Libya was yet another unnecessary war of choice. Allied leaders could point to no discernible security interest. Muammar Gaddafi was an unpleasant dictator, but until March he had been feted by the West for abandoning his nuclear programme and combating Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, ousting his regime has... https://www.scmp.com/article/978318/price-ousting-gaddafi-too-high?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/978318/price-ousting-gaddafi-too-high?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000 The Obama administration wants Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to go - finally. Washington thinks Yemen should replace its dictator, yet it supports the dictator who rules next-door Saudi Arabia. Do American officials really believe anyone pays the slightest attention to their ever-changing opinions about who should rule where? The Obama administration's political pirouettes during the 'Arab spring' have been breathtaking. As protests rose in Egypt, Washington supported Egyptian dictator... https://www.scmp.com/article/976920/us-needs-learn-virtue-doing-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/976920/us-needs-learn-virtue-doing-nothing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:00:00 +0000