On “US defence secretary warns China not to ‘underestimate’ US military power”
The stupidity of the Chinese political leadership in publicly humiliating Japan has allowed its American opponents to strengthen various anti-Chinese alliances in the region. North Korea’s shelling of Southern soldiers and civilians has similarly aided the American elites in this alliance building.
As a result and to prevent a two-front threat, the Chinese leadership will make every attempt to strengthen their political and economic relations with Russia. They will also try to build new bridges to the EU and for the same reason. This has begun this already with the purchase (or promise of such purchase) of Euro debt. However the military strategic balance is currently overwhelmingly against China (their new fifth generation jet fighter looks like a copy of an experimental Mig ). And the political balance looks no better. The new American confidence is a direct result of the China’s precipitate and incompetent power play.
Chris
Ireland
11 January 2011
On “Wave of garment-worker suicides in Indian ‘boom’ town”
My heart aches every time I think of Tirupur’s labor’s condition while the Government is boasting its earning foreign currency. I talked to Tirupur friends who are working for garments about changing the situation but they don’t even recognize the term “sweat shop”.
I think we need to create awareness about working with dignity through out the countries where sweatshops are commonplace.
I have already forwarded this article to my Tirupur friends. This injustice should be fought with nonviolent means and should bring light and happiness to the people who are economically oppressed.
With regards
Muthu
India
11 January 2011
On “Obama proposes increased defense spending”
I’m interested in where the money is coming from as the country has debts of $14 trillion.
David G
11 January 2011
On “‘Land of Hope and bloody Glory, eh?’: Pete Postlethwaite (1946-2011)”
Editors,
Pete Postlethwaite must deplore (!) the omission from an otherwise thoughtful obituary of the film Waterland, one of Postlethwaite’s very finest roles. (“Just goes to show, just goes to show...”) It also has, for my money, Jeremy Irons’ finest performance; a terrific score (Carter Burwell); two of the best young/old casting choices I’ve seen (Grant
Warnock as the young Irons; Lena Headey as the young Sinead Cusack); an excellent Sinead Cusack; is not only one of the better adaptations of a superb book you’re likely to see (author: Graham Swift); but, on top of all that, is a rare example of where a significant alteration from the text actually works, if not improves the story: changing Tom Crick’s (Irons’) classroom from London to Pittsburgh, of all places. (Alas, Ethan Hawke is only so-so.)
CW
10 January 2011
On “Sudan: A tale of blood and oil in Africa”
Thanks, comrade. Liked the perspective very much. Especially the way it exposes how the hostile capitalist powers perpetuate their own lies in the popular media. But, I have a doubt regarding how big numerically working class is in a country which is constantly erupted with civil wars, and how favorable the objective conditions are for a class struggle to erupt.
Regards,
Sathish S
India
11 January 2011
On Azerbaijan
I am very surprised that there has not been a single article about Azerbaijan over the past few months or year for that matter. There has been plenty of news over the past year regarding Azerbaijan. Robert Gates and Hilary Clinton were in Azerbaijan in mid-2010. Aliyev met with Obama in September. Tensions were also very high with Armenia during the summer over Nagorno-Karabakh. There were plenty of Wikileaks cables
about Azerbaijan and the corruption in that country.
Obama recently appointed a new ambassador to Azerbaijan. That is big news because there has not been an American ambassador to Azerbaijan for over a year. I think it certainly would be relevant for the WSWS to be writing about Azerbaijan this month. EU officials will be traveling to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan this month in an attempt to secure gas for the Nabucco pipeline.
It is important for readers to know where Azerbaijan fits in at the moment in the geopolitical great game. Azerbaijan-American relations have certainly cooled and have been strained at times over the past few years. One could attribute this to Ilham Aliyev’s business dealings with the Russian gas giant Gazprom over the past few years. Ilham Aliyev has also been very frusterated in what he perceives as the United States neglecting the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh and as a result has increasingly turned to Russia over the years in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
JB
11 January 2011