Not So Perfect Alibi? By Erick San Juan

Different speculations  came out as to why US President Barack Obama did not attend the important summits together with his Asian tour particularly in the ASEAN nations. Some pundits believe that the so-called partial US government shutdown was not the real reason.  And the situation became more suspicious when even US Secretary of State John Kerry also cancelled his visit to the Philippines ‘due to bad weather.’(kuno)

The mere fact that this visit of President Obama and/or Sec. Kerry to the region  particularly to its allies is very crucial to US pivot to Asia, one will wonder – was the sudden change of travel plans of both Obama and Kerry has something to do with China? Is the Chinese pressure so strong that such important plan had to be cancelled?  Just asking because both alibis seemed quite shallow.

As what Manong Ernie Maceda said in his column at the Philippine Star last week– “the cancellation of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Manila because of storm “Santi” shows the low priority that the Philippines has with US officials. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) was open. No flights were cancelled. The storm was coming in from Catanduanes, while the flight path from Brunei is through Mindanao.  Kerry’s visit was supposed to substitute for President Obama’s state visit. It should have gone through at all costs.”

Yes, at all costs, that is why the excuse he gave was not valid at all.

We have to consider also the statement of President BS Aquino at the APEC about the Philippines-US Framework Agreement on Increased Rotational Presence. It was reported that PNoy said the United States (US) should be clear with the words they use concerning the said agreement.

“During negotiations, we always get entangled with all the semantics. Those words that are actually used to convey the thoughts.”

He said the words to be used in the agreement on increased rotational presence should “satisfy both parties needs and wants; and satisfy all or addresses all concerns and anxieties.”

“Their language is geared to support the request for budget when they go to Congress,” the President pointed out. “Their language might be perfect in an American manner of speaking English but might be construed differently through a Filipino.” (Source: Aquino presses careful crafting of US rotational presence deal by Roy Mabasa mb.com 10.9.13)

If PNoy felt this urgency to discuss this executive agreement that entails another pact that will make the country beholden to a perceived master in the offing, it is very clear that our relationship with Uncle Sam is one way. So Manong Ernie is right, we are being given low priority by these US officials.

This is the sad reality I have been saying for so many times now, these so-called agreements/treaties we entered into with Uncle Sam are always for the benefit of their country than ours and in the process we are always shortchanged. When are we going to learn to assert our rights as a sovereign nation?

This is not a simple matter that we just have to ignore and let Washington craft the agreement on their own liking. This is about national security and most of all our sovereignty (what was left of it) is at stake here.

In the four rounds of talks that transpired regarding the access agreement, there are "gaps" in the "critical provisions" that need "more work," according to Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, who heads the Philippine panel.

The military-to-military agreement is expected to boost the defense capability of the AFP amid growing territorial threats, increase the training of its troops, and improve disaster response.

Batino said they have narrowed down the framework agreement to 5 key provisions namely: scope, agreed installations/AFP Facilities, prepositioning of defense equipment, supplies, and materiel, ownership and security. (Source: Bases access: PH, US disagree on 'critical provisions' by Carmela Fonbuena, rappler.com)

Now that the chance for our President and other government officials to tackle the crucial decisions covering the new access agreement was postponed (to who knows when), methinks that this pact is already a done deal on Washington’s side for their Congress to release the budget, and will left us (again) to just accept it with open legs, as usual. So, what else is new? And don’t forget  (as Reuters reported last October 3), also on the cards is the development of Oyster Bay, which lies about 550 km (340 miles) southwest of Manila.

"It will be a mini-Subic," Commodore Joseph Rostum O. Peña, the commander  of the Philippines' western navy, said in the first public comments about converting Oyster Bay into a major naval base.

"A future port here would extend the reach of the navy's two frigates, both former U.S. Coast Guard cutters, over the disputed Spratly Islands, in the southern part of the South China Sea." he said in an interview from his office overlooking the mouth of the bay.

Oyster Bay is about 160 km (100 miles) from the Spratlys.

"In Manila, the leaders must move behind rhetorical blandishments about a new spirit of partnership and start to detail specific actions that will strengthen Philippine defense capabilities," said Patrick Cronin, an Asia-Pacific
security expert at the Center for a New American Security in Washington DC. That includes building a permanent home for the Philippines' two big warships. It also means finding strategic areas where the United States could rotate troops, ships and naval aircraft — all within easy reach of territory claimed by Beijing. Oyster Bay may be the best choice," said Cronin.

After reading this, the access agreement is already a done deal, to hell with the other critical provisions that we wanted to further discuss with Washington.

Need we say more?

Dysfunctional Power by Erick San Juan

Dysfunctional Power by Erick San Juan


The latest superpower dysfunctional spectacular, aka the US shutdown, has forced US President Barack Obama to cancel an entire Asian trip. First, the White House announced Obama was shutting down the Philippines then Malaysia, supposed stars of the "pivoting to Asia". Then it was finally confirmed, he was also shutting down the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Bali on Tuesday and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and East Asia summit next Thursday in Brunei. That leaves Chinese President Xi Jinping to bask, unrivaled, in center stage glow.  (Source: China: We don't do shutdowns by Pepe Escobar, 10/04/13)

President Barack Obama missed the chance of engaging hands-on with the countries in the region in his re-balancing policy which concerns China and in pushing further his “already infamous Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with Malaysia which is actually perceived as a corporate 'racket' that is a great deal for US multinationals but not exactly for Asian interests. TPP is the American answer to China boosting its already massive business ties all over Asia”. (Ibid)

And as for the Philippines, the government and those kowtowing to Uncle Sam’s whims were all disappointed for the cancellation of Obama’s visit. But this does not mean that the greater access agreement to the country’s military bases will not push through because the Pentagon is still very much in tune with its pivot to Asia.

China in the center stage

So, in the absence of Washington’s head, in the end it was left to Xi to stage yet another Southeast Asian triumph. Beijing may offer Kuala Lumpur a wealth of investment without pesky TPP-style interference on how the country runs its state-owned enterprises or how it dispenses government contracts. And on top of it, Xi got a personal shot at trying to get Malaysia on his side in the negotiations about the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea.

President Xi Jinping actually accomplished a lot in the absence of his ‘rival’ in the region and once again used its soft power operation in the process. As what Pepe Escobar cited, Xi became the first foreign leader ever to address the Indonesian parliament in Jakarta. He stressed that Beijing wanted by all means to boost trade with ASEAN to a whopping US$1 trillion by 2020 and establish a regional infrastructure bank.

His message, in a nutshell: China and "certain Southeast Asian countries" must solve their wrangling over territorial sovereignty and maritime rights "peacefully". As in, we will discuss that messy South China Sea situation (he made no direct reference to it in his speech) but don't let that interfere with our doing serious business in trade and investment. Who is ASEAN to say no?

Beijing has already agreed to discuss a legally binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea with ASEAN. A working group met last month in Suzhou. Four of the 10-member ASEAN (but not Indonesia) are involved in the South China Sea dispute - which, predictably enough, is all about unexplored oil and gas wealth. The Philippines will keep accusing Beijing, as it did last month, of violating  for the moment the informal Code of Conduct. Indonesia has volunteered as mediator. It won't be a rose garden, but the fact is China and ASEAN are already talking.

Beijing has scored yet another milestone in its soft power and peaceful rise in the region sans Washington’s leader. Although some pundits say that China now owns America (already?). And that “in the future, China will employ millions of American workers and dominate thousands of small communities all over the United States. Chinese acquisition of U.S. businesses, set a new all-time record last year and it is on pace to shatter that record this year.

The Smithfield Foods acquisition is an example.  Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer and processor in the world. It has facilities in 26 U.S. states and it employs tens of thousands of Americans.  It directly owns  460 farms and has contracts with approximately 2,100 others.  But now a Chinese company has bought it for $ 4.7 billion, and that means that the Chinese will now be the most important employer in dozens of rural communities all over the U. S.

Thanks in part to our massively bloated trade deficit with China, the Chinese have trillions of dollars to spend. They are only just starting to exercise their economic muscle.

It is important to keep in mind that there is often not much of a difference between “the Chinese government” and “Chinese corporations”.  In 2011, 43 percent of all profits in China were produced by companies where the Chinese government had a controlling interest in. 

Last year a Chinese company spent $2.6 billion to purchase AMC entertainment – one of the largest movie theater chains in the United States.  Now that Chinese company controls more movie ticket sales than anyone else in the world. 

But China is not just relying on acquisitions to expand its economic power. “Economic beachheads” are being established all over America. For example, Golden Dragon Precise Copper Tube Group, Inc. recently broke ground on a $100 million plant in Thomasville, Alabama.  Many of the residents of Thomasville, Alabama will be glad to have jobs. It will also become yet another community that will now be heavily dependent on communist China.

And the list goes on and on… When you total up all imports and exports, China is now the number one trading nation on the entire planet. Overall, the U.S. has run a trade deficit with China over the past decade that comes to more than 2.3 trillion dollars. China has more foreign currency reserves than anyone else on the planet. It now has the largest new car market in the entire world. China also produces more than twice as many automobiles as the United States does. After being bailed out by U.S. taxpayers, GM is involved in 11 joint ventures with Chinese companies. China is now the number one gold producer in the world. It also produces more than 90 percent of the global supply of rare earth elements. And China is now the number one supplier of components that are critical to the operation of any national defense system.

Just to sum it all up, while the US does shutdowns, China does business.

This is just part of the big picture. We have to gather our act together and have a reality check that to engage militarily with China is really suicidal. In our local lingo-"KWARTA O KAHON?"

US Supremacy, A Hubris

US Supremacy, A Hubris
 By Erick San Juan

PNAC - Project for the New American Century was a neo-conservative think tank (1997 to 2006) that had strong ties to the American Enterprise Institute. PNAC's web site said it was "established in the spring of 1997" as "a non-profit, educational organization whose goal is to promote American global leadership." PNAC's policy document, "Rebuilding America's Defenses," openly advocated for total global military domination.

The centerpiece of this operation clearly manifests the move to dominate sovereign nations by force through military intervention. And it was carried out successfully after the ‘terrorists attack’ in September 11, 2001. Since then the pattern for regime change has been to help nations to unseat leaders who are anti-democracy. Such countries were categorized as part of the Axis of Evil, Rogue States and Arc of Crisis.

And since 9-11, Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network of terrorists has been conveniently used as the culprit for several acts of terror worldwide. To think even after his so-called capture and death, his terror group al-Qaeda is still very much alive up to this day for obvious reason. I have written a lot about this so-called global war on terror and the resurrected bin Laden to keep the program going, meaning to finance the military-industrial-complex by creating a bogus enemy (bogeyman) thus escalating a strategy of fear, presto an arms race in the process.

What former President George 'Dubya' Bush has started, it has been continued by the present US head –President Barack Obama. But we can see that the netizens worldwide are vigilant and helped in exposing lies, deception (a.k.a. chubibo) and doublespeak of the neo-cons and warmongers from the Bush era and were absorbed by the present US leadership.

The mere fact that Obama’s plan to attack Syria was halted by cooler heads especially at the United Nations Security Council, and as what Dr.Paul Craig Roberts said that the PNAC’s program was defeated when the overthrow of the Syrian government was aborted. For now…

Dr. Roberts believes that from this time on, US and its PNAC – world domination operation is still in place and what the rest of the world should watch out for is another false flag operation in the offing that will justify the use of force to overthrow a sovereign nation’s leader.

According to Alex Jones and Dr. Roberts in its September 24 radio show online, this policy of conquest of the Obama regime is hubristic and is not helping the rest of the American populace in projecting its image as a country espousing democracy.

In the words of Dr. Roberts in his article - Washington’s Tyranny: What is the Real Agenda of Obama’s “War on Terror”?, he wrote : Hubris and arrogance have run away with the “superpower.”  The US stands reviled by the world. At the UN summit on September 23, the president of Brazil denounced the Obama regime for its “breach of international law” revealed by the spy scandal. Bolivian President Evo Morales is filing a lawsuit against the Obama regime for “crimes against humanity.”

When the world looks at Washington, it cannot differentiate Washington from the dictatorships that Washington attributes to other countries. The Washington regime has declared that it is above both law and Constitution and possesses the power to detain citizens indefinitely and to murder them without due process of law.  These powers comprise the necessary and sufficient conditions for dictatorship.”

In the midst of all of this, Uncle Sam has to maintain its soft power operation especially among its allies, for alliance is an important prerequisite in the overstretched war on terror. To check its supremacy, the much talked about pivot to Asia-Pacific region has to be maintained through diplomacy and cooperation and that is why President Obama have to be visible in several meetings and summits among nations in this region.

This October, starting with the APEC meeting, then the ASEAN conference and also the East Asia Summit among others. that the US president should attend in order to justify its commitment to its pivot in the region. And at the same time a reminder that the big brother is very much in the region to 'help' its little brothers so to speak.

Here in the country, the much-talked about Obama visit next week is something to watch out for because I am pretty sure that after this visit, the country will again be Uncle Sam’s military outpost in the region – officially.

Remember, like the hero in classical tragedy, excessive pride and ambition could lead to one’s downfall.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

We have to be vigilant.

Phony Relationship by Erick San Juan

Phony Relationship by Erick San Juan


When former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the East-West center in Hawaii in October 2010, she emphasized three key elements of the US engagement in Asia. The US’s relationship with its allies, their relations with partners across the Asia pacific region and US participation in the region’s multilateral institutions such as the ASEAN, APEC and EAS. (Source: China vs US: Military Conflict in the South China Sea, The World Outline)

Since then, there has been much talk of the mighty Uncle Sam’s return to Asia-Pacific region and even referred to himself (President Barack Obama) as ‘America’s first Pacific President’ without even consulting first his history books of America’s past leaders who deserves the title better.

With so much rhetoric and doublespeak of the real intentions of this pivot to the region, the truth of the matter is, they never left. “They have maintained a forward military, political and economic presence in Asia as well as Europe since the Second World War. In short, they have pursued a political and economic open door policy underpinned by the ability to project force outside their own western hemisphere” (Ibid). And in this case, the classic example of what I am trying to emphasize here is the US military presence in the Philippines.

The mere fact that the strategic location of our country is one of the reasons why Uncle Sam just can’t afford to leave the country as its military outpost. Our leaders did not use this as leverage to gain better treatment as a long-time ally.

We have to gather our act together as a sovereign nation and assert what is rightfully ours. For every concession or treaties that we opt to negotiate so that we will not be left shortchanged in the process.

Access Agreement

That is why in the midst of the crisis in the south, the ongoing talks regarding the framing of the access agreement (executive agreement) between the Philippines and the United States has raised some questions from the progressive group led by Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares. He asked, “Why are the talks being held in the Pentagon and not here in Manila? It is the US government that is asking for a favor so the talks should be held here in Manila. Or is it because they are brow beating Philippine negotiators there in

Washington DC? From all indications, what is happening is not a negotiation but Philippine officials getting instructions from US defense officials on what they want and how to explain it to the wary Filipino people,” he said.

He added that another possible reason why the talks are being held in Washington is that both governments “are afraid of mass actions and mobilizations of nationalist and progressive groups opposed to this new agreement.” He reiterated that all negotiations on increasing the presence of US soldiers in the country should be held in Manila and be open to the public. (Source: Philippine Star online)

Even without this new access agreement, our country is being used by Uncle Sam’s troops in different ‘military exercises’ may it be on air, sea or land annually via the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and its mother treaty, the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). And ,whether we like it or not, these US forces are already ‘visiting’ the country on rotational basis and they have installed three lily-pad bases in the south for these special operation forces. So why the recent denial of the State Department? What else is new? For whom are the military exercises?

Last September 18, PHIBLEX started and will last for three weeks (21 days), I wonder why this year’s RP-US Amphibious Landing Exercise is longer than the previous year by nine days. Suspiciously it will end in October just in time for the visit of US President Barack Obama. Hmmm… Is there something in the offing that they are not telling us?

What could be the real agenda of Uncle Sam in staging military exercises with us (and with its other allies in the region) guise as rebalancing China’s military power in the region. Last August 16, China's defense minister, Gen. Chang Wanquan, arrived in Hawaii for a series of high-level meetings with U.S. military officials which also included the first-ever visit by a major Beijing official to North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)? Gen. Chang

Wanquan also had a meeting with Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of the Pacific Command. Added to this is the joint US-China military exercises in Hawaii that started in September 7.

Some pundits believe that the ongoing US-China relations projected by its military-to-military enhancement is not at all helping the countries in the Asia-Pacific region particularly claimants in the disputed areas in the East and South China Sea. The rumor that Washington and Beijing has literally divided the Pacific amongst themselves is now coming true. As a loyal ally, we have to rethink our relationship with either friend or foe. Simply monitoring is not enough. We have to make decisions that will bring back our dignity as a sovereign state and not just a slave kowtowing to a perceived master.               

Wake up!

Pivot in Asia Part 2

A little over a year now when Russia hosted the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in its Pacific port of Vladivostok.  Back then. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled that Moscow’s interest in Asia is rising as the traditional market for its energy and raw materials—the euro zone—wallows in crisis and stagnation. And After America’s much-ballyhooed “pivot to Asia,” it is now Russia’s turn. (Source: Russia's Pivot to Asia? by Ariel Cohen, Ph.D.)

Why not, given the following statistics Russia can rebalance the two ‘superpowers’ in the Asia-Pacific region – United States and China. To wit: Russia produces more oil and natural gas than anyone else on the planet and because of this Russia is the number two oil exporter in the world and supplies 34 percent of Europe’s natural gas needs.

Since Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia, the Russian economy has grown at a very rapid pace.  The following is from Wikipedia…

Under the presidency of Vladimir Putin Russia’s economy saw the nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) double, climbing from 22nd to 11th largest in the world. The economy made real gains of an average 7% per year (1999: 6.5%, 2000: 10%, 2001: 5.7%, 2002: 4.9%, 2003: 7.3%, 2004: 7.2%, 2005: 6.4%, 2006: 8.2%, 2007: 8.5%, 2008: 5.2%), making it the 6th largest economy in the world in GDP(PPP). In 2007, Russia’s GDP exceeded that of 1990, meaning it has overcome the devastating consequences of the recession in the 1990s.

During Putin’s eight years in office, the industry grew by 75%, investments increased by 125%, and agricultural production and construction increased as well. Real incomes more than doubled and the average salary increased eightfold from $80 to $640. The volume of consumer credit between 2000–2006 increased 45 times, and during that same time period, the middle class grew from 8 million to 55 million, an increase of 7 times. The number of people living below the poverty line also decreased from 30% in 2000 to 14% in 2008.

According to Bloomberg, Russia has added 570 metric tons of gold to their reserves over the past decade.  In the United States, nobody seems to be quite sure how much gold the Federal Reserve actually has left.

And when it comes to military power? Yes, the United States is the most powerful military on the planet, but Russia is reportedly in the second place. But given the following, US and China has to rethink their positions in the field of military hardware and technology - Russia has allegedly introduced a new “near silent” nuclear submarine which is far more quiet than anything the U.S. has.

The Borey Class submarine, dubbed Vladimir Monomakh, has a next generation nuclear reactor, can dive deeper than 1,200 feet, and carries up to 20 nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).

Each of these “Bulava” ICBM’s can carry ten detachable MIRV warheads, what they call “re-entry vehicles,” capable of delivering 150 kiloton yields per warhead.

So, while Obama is gradually reducing its military budget, Vladimir Putin is working hard to modernize Russian nuclear forces. And on top of this, Russian missile forces will hold more than 200 drills during the second half of 2013.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made headlines all over the world when he climbed into the cockpit of Russia’s new “fifth generation” fighter jet and announced that it was far superior to the F-22 Raptor.

And last but not the least, It is estimated that Russia has more spies inside the United States today than it did at any point during the Cold War. (Source: Russia by Michael Snyder, Economic Collapse Blog August 8, 2013)

Now Russia has every right to turn to Asia-Pacific region and neutralize the growing arms race in the midst of brewing tensions in the contested waters in the East and South China Sea.

In the case of the Philippines, it is perceived by pundits that this is the right opportunity to rekindle our ties with Russia in all aspects. The not-so-good image we have been projecting for quite some time now as Uncle Sam’s doormat in this part of the globe should now be put in the past as a bad part in our history.

It is about time that our nation’s leaders must put the best interests of the Filipinos when forging an alliance with another country. History has taught us better and we must learn from past mistakes in order not to repeat it.

Our alliance with the United States has its ups and downs and the fact that we are the inferior nation, the treatment that we got from the big brother was and always be lopsided. Sadly. we allowed this to happen for so many years and our leaders (mostly collaborators) permitted the white masters to shortchanged  us despite the fact that we have been loyal to Uncle Sam all these years.

Like the suggestion in the editorial of the Business Mirror (September 12, 2013), Our friendship with Washington, however, should not prevent us from attempting to deepen our relationship with another world power—Russia—especially since there were attempts at this in the past. In 1813 then-Tsar Alexander I endorsed the idea of establishing relations with Southeast Asian countries in an attempt to secure food and raw materials for the Russian Far East. In 1817 the Russians sent its first diplomatic mission to Manila and established its first consulate here.

In the mid-1970s, at the height of the Cold War, then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos sought to build ties with what was then called the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, fearing that waning American involvement in the Vietnam War would reduce the Philippines’s significance as a US ally. He dispatched his aide-de-camp, then Maj. Jose Almonte, to India, where he was endorsed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. From there, Almonte flew to Moscow to establish diplomatic relations. These ties are now over 35 years old.

Let us not waste our time and resources, this is the right moment of re-establishing our ties with Russia and other nations who could be of help to us. And hopefully be given the proper treatment as long as our leaders will always put the nation’s interests first before their pockets. Remember that we have to show respect to ourselves as a sovereign nation so that other countries will respect us in return.

 "Quid pro quo."

Syriaphobia!

Syriaphobia!
By Erick San Juan

The recent breathtaking decision to attack Syria with or without congressional authorization has left the rest of the world at the edge of their seats like watching a suspense thriller. And at the G20 meeting, US President Barack Obama has stubbornly pressed on the decision to push through with the military attack on Syria amidst the opposition of powerful countries like China and Russia among others.

With these developments, a lot has raised their eyebrows and asked, why the hell did he receive the Nobel Peace Prize for? Just like what he said, he is unworthy of the award, duh? So much for the rhetoric, nations in the Asia-Pacific region where the mighty big brother promised to re-balance its resources in these countries, not just militarily (but also in economic undertakings like the much-hyped Trans-Pacific Partnership program), are now wondering. With the crisis in Syria, how could the Obama balance its act between the two sides of Asia? To think, the much-hyped US pivot to Asia-Pacific has created more tension than finding peaceful resolution to the disputed areas in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea). Asean now should rethink its position with Washington whose hands are already full with crisis after crisis in the Middle East plus some ‘unfinished business.’

Like what Michael Auslin (a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington and columnist at the Wall Street Journal) wrote “while the Administration was claiming a new era in U.S. foreign policy, the ghosts of crises past continue to disturb Mr. Obama's dreams. Renewed violence in Iraq and the complexities of not losing all gains in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2014 were perhaps highest on the list of unfinished business. Yet more concerning were the brewing crises: Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the bloody Syrian civil war.” (Obama Pivots to Syria From Asia, WSJ online)

What will happen now to the US pivot to Asia-Pacific?

Auslin further explained that – “The real world intrusions of failing U.S. diplomacy spell trouble for Mr. Obama's pivot in two crucial ways. First, as the decade-plus of war on terror showed, even a U.S. military with massive war funding needed to pull in troops and materiel from all around the globe. For years, U.S. commanders and senior leaders of Pacific Command had to send sailors and airmen to the Middle East, along with ships and planes. Privately, they would talk about how difficult that made keeping up their own missions after several years.”

And, “second, Mr. Obama is fond of saying that his pivot to Asia is not about containing China; he wants to use it, so he says, to help create better relations with Beijing. Well, the Chinese leadership has been unhappy about the rebalance from the beginning, seeing it precisely as a way to encircle China with new U.S. partnerships. The fact that Mr. Obama is now at odds with China over Syria gives the impression that the Chinese were right all along—China is increasingly at odds with America's strategic goals.”

By focusing much on Syria, obviously Obama has forgotten his so-called commitment to the countries in the region and created another reason to be at odds with both Russia and China.

The Syrian card has pushed the limits of Washington now that his so divided attention are scattered and actually fighting so many fronts. The American foreign policy now in question as how to handle both allies and competitors alike in fulfilling its commitments.

On top of all these, the US military attack in Syria will only show that the Americans never learn from history, the recent past has shown their failures in Iraq and Afghanistan so why repeat the same policy? And the overstretched global war on terror? It is so overstretched that this final pull in the Syrian crisis might be the last, because when it snaps a global war will surely erupts, whether we like it or not.

Obama's War

Obama's War by Erick San Juan


The surprise U-turn of US President Barack Obama in attacking Syria over the weekend should be taken with a grain of salt, why is this so? As I have said before (in my writings and in my daily radio program) that a world war (or a regional conflict) is inevitable because of one, economic and two, to unite the citizenry of both the US and China against a perceived outside enemy to avoid domestic violence. And such war/conflict can be delayed but unfortunately will push through as planned by the ‘chosen few.’

As what was reported from various online sources that President Obama had made a second decision: to seek the approval of Congress before launching any strikes. The president said he had listened to members of Congress who had expressed a desire for their voices to be heard, and that he agreed. Although we have to be wary because “Obama insisted the delay did not have any tactical consequences. His most senior military adviser had told him an attack would be "effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now.” (The Guardian online 9/1/13) Meaning the attack will happen in the near future.

I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here but actually, this foreseeable conflict was analyzed by Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, former treasury assistant secretary in the Reagan administration and former editor of the Wall Street Journal, way back in April 2011 when he was interviewed by James Corbett (corbettreport.com).

The salient points tackled by Dr. Roberts in the said interview was the sealing off of the Mediterranean Sea. Then, by creating the conflict in the countries bordering the sea which include Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and now Syria. Dr. Roberts explained that by sealing off the Mediterranean Sea, access to that region for oil will now be impossible. And the direct casualty to this is China which has several huge investments in Libya and also in some countries in Africa for oil and other natural resources.

Actually, this move against China is not new, the US did the same strategy with Japan in the 1930’s, denying Japan with access to oil then. This time with China, is a masterpiece that could start another world war in the process because China will not take things sitting down. The fact that they have nuclear weapons like Russia, they will protect their sovereignty and their rights to have access to oil for their development.

The middle east countries that borders the Mediterranean Sea have to be taken down (one by one) in order to remove these ‘obstacles’ (in the words of Dr. Roberts) through US military invasion. To complete its geostrategic design that will encircle Russia and then China. This is the design that the oligarchs made several years ago like a grand chessboard that the pieces are now falling in their proper places as they have envisioned to take over sovereign nations and build the American hegemony a.k.a. empire.

But like what James Corbett pointed out in the interview, history has shown how empires collapsed from within. and his question to Dr. Roberts – 'What would be the possibility that the American people can actually take back their government and stop this crazy drive towards nuclear destruction?'  And Dr. Roberts cited the economic condition in the United States and how the American people has suffered from foreclosures, massive unemployment among others. The internal cohesion of the country could collapse and Washington is so used up in trying to deal with the domestic crisis that it can’t keep its focus on its foreign hegemony, that’s the real possibility.

Remember that this interview happened over two years ago. The current Syrian crisis will not make any difference in solving any problems but will actually put the entire world in jeopardy once the attack on Syria will push through. This is not a simple crisis but a possible thermonuclear attack on Syria can lead to a global conflict.

As always, the leaders of this country while very busy trying to cover some mess by sweeping them under the rug of lies and deceit (a.k.a. chubibo) in the Napoles et al pork barrel mess, we are in turn being taken for a ride by Uncle Sam by sending his emissary of bad omen to have access again to their former military bases by using rhetoric that “they have no intention of putting up permanent military bases” here. Translation – they really never left and like what I have written recently, they are using the former operation of Donald Rumsfeld, the ‘lily-pad’ bases coupled with Special Operation Forces plus the unmanned aerial vehicle or popularly known as drones. By granting access to the US military troops and war materiel, we are really looking for trouble and will put the whole archipelago in danger.

Again, while the occupants of the Palace especially the people in his loop are in the panic mode that they might be implicated in the pork barrel scam, nobody is minding the store again. And seriously, we are now a huge magnet attracting our perceived master’s enemies. Our soldiers and our land will be the collateral damage as expected. To our President, wake up before its too late.