Friday 29th of November 2024
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scomo is an idiot...

As this idiotic, servile venture proceeds, Australian territory, sites and facilities will become every more attractive for assault in the fulness of time.

If further clues were needed as to why AUKUS, the security pact comprising the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, was created, the latest announcement on weapons would have given the game away.  Australia, just as it became real estate to park British nuclear weapons experiments, is now looking promising as a site for hypersonic missile testing, development, and manufacture.

In a joint statement from US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, a commitment was made “to commence new trilateral cooperation on hypersonics and counter-hypersonics, and electronic warfare capabilities, as well as to expand information sharing and to deepen cooperation on defence innovation.”

To this can be added February efforts of officials from all three countries to, according to the ABC, scour Australia for sites best suited for the nascent nuclear-powered submarine program that seems all but pie in the sky. To date, the country has no infrastructure to speak of in this field, no skills that merit mention for the development of any such fleet, and a lack of clarity as to when the vessels might make it to sea. Nor is there any clear sign what model of submarine – UK or US – will be preferred.

Last October, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, did his bit to stir the pot of paranoia by suggesting that Beijing had stolen ahead with their hypersonic capabilities. He took particular interest in a test of a “hypersonic weapon system” described as a “very significant event” and one of deep concern.

Russia has also staked its claim to fame in the hypersonic race. The Russian military claims that its Avangard system, which entered into service in December 2019, is capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound with dizzying manoeuvrability. Last month, Moscow announced that its new Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic missile was used to target a Ukrainian fuel depot in Kostiantynivka near the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv.

Citizens have not been asked, let alone consulted, about this dotty plan to feed another arms race. Democracy is treated as a cranky relative who only figures in passing. In a rather sleazy way, the hypersonic missile venture is being marketed to the Australian public as a wonderful opportunity to show independence, not subservience.

The Morrison government, and various officials, are publicly very appreciative of the latest developments, showing empires past and present what it takes to be a real wallah. Instead of feeling a sense of shame (are we always doomed to merely serve the drinks?), there was merriment that Australia could be oh so useful to the power projects of others.

Hoping that no one would notice, an emphasis on danger has been made. The Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce justifies the acceleration of the hypersonic weapons program by claiming that Australia faces an “existential threat” from them. It would only take “about 14 minutes” for such devices to reach Australia, “so we have to make sure that we are right at the top of our game.”

Presumably, this means doing everything to make Australia attractive, in an existentially doomed way, to other powers in the region. China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun has already warned against the provocation of such military arrangements. “As the Chinese saying goes: if you do not like it, do not impose it against others.”

The Morrison government is trying to leave the impression that this will eventually realise the dream of self-sufficiency, a notion repeatedly fed by such think tanks as the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. It describes this as “a major step in delivering a $1 billion Sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise, officially announcing strategic partners Raytheon Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia.” The Prime Minister also sees such weapons as part of a broader Australia “strategic vision” dealing with long-range strike capabilities.

This is all an eye-poking contradiction in terms, given the role played by US weapons-making giants. But the Defence Minister Peter Dutton tries to be reassuring about Australia’s chances of being weaned off the teat of empire. “We know we need to work closely with our partners to bolster our self-reliance and this is another major step in delivering that sovereign capability here in Australia.”

Dutton eyes must be going starry at this point. “This is an incredibly complex undertaking that will see this new manufacturing capability built from the ground up.” Irritating references follow. To make the point that some genuine effort will be made by Australians, the Minister speaks of the hypersonic weapons venture as being “a whole-of-nation endeavour.” Unspecified “opportunities” for Australian companies and workers are mentioned across a number of areas: manufacturing, maintenance, infrastructure, research and development and test and evaluation. Presumably someone needs to make the tea and coffee.

As this idiotic, servile venture proceeds, Australian territory, sites and facilities will become every more attractive for assault in the fulness of time. That may well be quite a way off and, judging by any military ventures in Australia of this kind, we can hope that this will be more a case of decades rather than years.

 

 

READ MORE:

https://johnmenadue.com/aukus-in-the-hypersonic-missile-wonderland/

 

ScoMo is the idiot that we may deserve for being stupid....

 

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the unipolar architecture problem…..

In his opening speech at the 2022 Boao Forum for Asia annual conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a Global Security Initiative to stop the Second Cold War submerging the world.

Before an audience of Asian personalities, he stressed that the main problem is not the situation in Ukraine, but the unipolar architecture of the world. He therefore made a plea for a new organization of international relations based on mutual respect as enshrined in the “Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence” (laid down by Jawaharlal Nehru of India and Zhou Enlai of the People’s Republic of China in 1952-54, which feature in the preamble to the Chinese Constitution) and the “Ten Principles of the Bandung Conference” of 1955).

Drawing on an ancient Chinese philosopher, he remarked that “Stability brings a country prosperity while instability leads a country to poverty”. He then underlined that they must together strive to preserve peace in Asia and strengthen their solidarity around the 2020 Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership. Finally, referring to the win-win principle of the ancient Chinese emperors, the Chinese president invited the participants to develop the political unity of the Asian continent while respecting the diversity of all its nations. ‎ As well, he encouraged ASEAN nations, of which China is not a part, to strengthen their political unity and protect their neutrality.

 

READ MORE:

https://www.voltairenet.org/article216614.html

 

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SEE ALSO: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/43171

 

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US cause problems…..

President Xi Jinping's speech calling on countries around the world to work together to tackle global governance challenges was hailed by international experts as timely and for offering calm and stability at a turbulent time in global politics.

While delivering a keynote speech via video at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2022 on Thursday, Xi likened countries around the world to "passengers aboard the same ship who share the same destiny", noting that "for the ship to navigate the storm and sail toward a bright future, all passengers must pull together".

He also proposed a Global Security Initiative, calling on the international community to reject a Cold War mentality, oppose unilateralism and say no to group politics and bloc confrontation.

Erik Solheim, former United Nations under-secretary-general and former executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said that Xi "rightly warned about a Cold War mentality and underlined that only together can we create a shared future".

He added that Xi very appropriately called for a common platform to bring peace and lower global tensions, and called for respect for national sovereignty while avoiding unilateral action.

"His speech should help find a way toward peace in Ukraine. Even when the West and most developing nations have different perspectives, common ground should be found in the call for an immediate cease-fire, restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty and respect for legitimate Russian security concerns," he said.

Sourabh Gupta, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Institute for China-America Studies, said that Xi gave a timely speech that was calm and stabilizing during a very turbulent and destabilized time in international politics.

Gupta was impressed by the Global Security Initiative that Xi proposed, which is related to the principles that underlie the UN Charter as well as the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

"At a time when Western advanced countries are toying with the (very bad) idea of expelling or distancing Russia from international groupings such as the G20, the message correctly was that international society must come together as a group and resolve matters internally rather than forming in-groups, out-groups and excluded parties," he said.

Gupta added that he was impressed with Xi's statement that "when Asia fares well, the whole world benefits", and hence it was essential for Asia to shoulder the responsibility to serve as an anchor for world peace, he added.

Dicky Budiman, an epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said he strongly agreed with Xi that global collaboration is required when it comes to dealing with global health threats or problems, and appreciated when Xi emphasized the importance of global health security.

As Asia has a large population and a huge economy, Budiman said the continent should play a key role in ensuring global health security.

"I agree with making Asia an anchor for world peace and the lead in the global community to make the world more resilient. This is an important step not only for Asia itself but also for humanity," said Budiman.

Gerald Mbanda, a Rwandan researcher and publisher on China and Africa, said that Xi's remarks on the integration of the international community and how acts to remove any single part will cause serious problems to its operation are all the more important today amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis.

He said that the call by the United States and NATO for sanctions and isolation of Russia is causing problems for the whole world with the disruption of the supply chain for essential commodities, leading to inflation and increased prices.

Yosuke Tsuyuguchi, a professor at the Department of Economics at Teikyo University in Tokyo, said China, which has a large presence in the world in terms of trade and diplomacy, has a clear and stable policy on post-COVID-19 development.

"It is of great significance and will give a certain guideline as well as a sense of stability to the entire world. In this regard, the Chinese top leader's philosophy on promoting the development of the world is very important and worth attention," Tsuyuguchi said.

Wang Xu in Tokyo, and Liu Hongjie and Chen Yingqun in Beijing contributed to this story.

 

 

READ MORE:

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202204/23/WS62633949a310fd2b29e58c6f.html

 

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COMPARE THIS WITH THE US EMPIRE HUBRIS: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/43171

 

 

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