Dr ali ahmad
Voter (50+ posts)
Dr Ali Ahmad
London/17/02/17
...................................
That major powers having nuclear warheads pointed at one another is unfortunate because it takes one mistake to trigger a nuclear war and this is a war most of us would not survive. A precedent is , in not too distant history, the nuclear halocaust of Nagasaki and Heroshima. The consequences of using nuclear energy in the wrong way are very catatrophic to both our species and the Earth itself.
The ever growing hostility among nations and their dividing into two camps, being led by the USA and China could possibly lead to a conflict, the aftermaths of which seem to be highly catastrophic. It sounds quite scary to think about the destruction that a possible global conflict, World War III (WWIII) between the United States and its allies in the West, and Russia and its allies in the East would bring.
Although it is too soon to guess what effect Donald Trump's presidency will have on these trends, early signs suggest that the new administration is more likely to hasten the USA towards crisis than retard or reverse these trends.
Donald Trump has caused a strong feeling of annoyance in Beijing with combative comments on trade practises and China's military build up in the South China Sea.There are apprehensions that the area is turning into a flashpoint, with potentially drastic global consequences.
The dispute on the South China Sea has severely damaged Sino-America relations. After the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Chinas nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea, and its land reclamation activities on islets are invalid and unlawful, the United States has been preparing to sail in the area under a so-called Freedom of Navigation principle (FON).
The United States provocation under the pretext of FON has caused anger in Beijing, which has since vowed to take all necessary measures available to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea, declaring that it had the right to set up an air defense zone on the sea. China has also since been positioning and testing its nuclear weapons, and planning military drills on its waters with Russia. Even the United States has confirmed that China has tested an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, which is capable of striking everywhere in the world within half an hour.
China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines have competing territorial and jurisdictional claims, mainly over rights to exploit the region's extensive reserves of oil and gas. Freedom of navigation in the region is also a contentious issue, especially between the United States and China over the right of U.S. military vessels to operate in China's two-hundred-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These tensions are shapingand being shaped byrising apprehensions about the growth of China's military power. China has embarked on a substantial modernization of its maritime paramilitary forces as well as naval capabilities to enforce its sovereignty and jurisdiction claims by force if necessary.
There are two main conceivable contingencies that threaten U.S. interests and could potentially prompt the United States to use force, ultimately leading to a nuclear war.
The most likely contingency is a clash arising from U.S. military operations within China's EEZ , provoking an armed Chinese response. The United States claims that nothing in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or state practice negates the right of military forces of all nations to conduct military activities in EEZs without coastal state notice or consent.
China insists that reconnaissance activities undertaken without prior notification and without permission of the coastal state violate Chinese domestic and international law. A miscalculation or misunderstanding could then lead to a deadly exchange of fire, leading to further military escalation and precipitating a major political crisis. Rising U.S.-China mistrust and intensifying bilateral strategic competition would likely make managing such a crisis more difficult.
A second contingency involves conflict between China and the Philippines over natural gas deposits, especially in the disputed area of Reed Bank, located eighty nautical miles from Palawan. Oil survey ships operating in Reed Bank under contract have increasingly been harassed by Chinese vessels. Reportedly, the United Kingdom-based Forum Energy plans to start drilling for gas in Reed Bank soon, which could provoke an aggressive Chinese response. Forum Energy is only one of fifteen exploration contracts that Philippines intends to offer over the next few years for offshore exploration near Palawan Island.
London/17/02/17
...................................
That major powers having nuclear warheads pointed at one another is unfortunate because it takes one mistake to trigger a nuclear war and this is a war most of us would not survive. A precedent is , in not too distant history, the nuclear halocaust of Nagasaki and Heroshima. The consequences of using nuclear energy in the wrong way are very catatrophic to both our species and the Earth itself.
The ever growing hostility among nations and their dividing into two camps, being led by the USA and China could possibly lead to a conflict, the aftermaths of which seem to be highly catastrophic. It sounds quite scary to think about the destruction that a possible global conflict, World War III (WWIII) between the United States and its allies in the West, and Russia and its allies in the East would bring.
Although it is too soon to guess what effect Donald Trump's presidency will have on these trends, early signs suggest that the new administration is more likely to hasten the USA towards crisis than retard or reverse these trends.
Donald Trump has caused a strong feeling of annoyance in Beijing with combative comments on trade practises and China's military build up in the South China Sea.There are apprehensions that the area is turning into a flashpoint, with potentially drastic global consequences.
The dispute on the South China Sea has severely damaged Sino-America relations. After the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that Chinas nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea, and its land reclamation activities on islets are invalid and unlawful, the United States has been preparing to sail in the area under a so-called Freedom of Navigation principle (FON).
The United States provocation under the pretext of FON has caused anger in Beijing, which has since vowed to take all necessary measures available to protect its sovereignty over the South China Sea, declaring that it had the right to set up an air defense zone on the sea. China has also since been positioning and testing its nuclear weapons, and planning military drills on its waters with Russia. Even the United States has confirmed that China has tested an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, which is capable of striking everywhere in the world within half an hour.
China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines have competing territorial and jurisdictional claims, mainly over rights to exploit the region's extensive reserves of oil and gas. Freedom of navigation in the region is also a contentious issue, especially between the United States and China over the right of U.S. military vessels to operate in China's two-hundred-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). These tensions are shapingand being shaped byrising apprehensions about the growth of China's military power. China has embarked on a substantial modernization of its maritime paramilitary forces as well as naval capabilities to enforce its sovereignty and jurisdiction claims by force if necessary.
There are two main conceivable contingencies that threaten U.S. interests and could potentially prompt the United States to use force, ultimately leading to a nuclear war.
The most likely contingency is a clash arising from U.S. military operations within China's EEZ , provoking an armed Chinese response. The United States claims that nothing in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) or state practice negates the right of military forces of all nations to conduct military activities in EEZs without coastal state notice or consent.
China insists that reconnaissance activities undertaken without prior notification and without permission of the coastal state violate Chinese domestic and international law. A miscalculation or misunderstanding could then lead to a deadly exchange of fire, leading to further military escalation and precipitating a major political crisis. Rising U.S.-China mistrust and intensifying bilateral strategic competition would likely make managing such a crisis more difficult.
A second contingency involves conflict between China and the Philippines over natural gas deposits, especially in the disputed area of Reed Bank, located eighty nautical miles from Palawan. Oil survey ships operating in Reed Bank under contract have increasingly been harassed by Chinese vessels. Reportedly, the United Kingdom-based Forum Energy plans to start drilling for gas in Reed Bank soon, which could provoke an aggressive Chinese response. Forum Energy is only one of fifteen exploration contracts that Philippines intends to offer over the next few years for offshore exploration near Palawan Island.
Last edited by a moderator:
