By Daniel Nardini
No matter how Americans may be thoroughly involved with the politics close to home, some issues both halfway around the world and right next to the United States may cause destabilization for the United States as well. Let me first start with South Korea. In an unprecedented move by the South Korean government, the South Korean military lodged a protest against joint U.S.-Japanese military maneuvers in the Yellow Sea. This normally does not happen among the three allies in Northeast Asia (Japan, South Korea and the United States), and what is equally disconcerting is that the South Korean government did not criticize Chinese and Russian military maneuvers earlier near South Korea’s air defense security zone. There is, in my personal view, a reason why South Korea turned a cold shoulder towards the United States and Japan but not against China and Russia. U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be favoring Japan in diplomatic relations over South Korea. Japan is now controlled by a right wing government that Trump favors. On the other hand, South Korea is being controlled by a left wing government that Trump seems to not have an entirely good opinion of. This has one important consequence for both Japan and South Korea. There is a territory dispute between Japan and South Korea. Three small islets are now occupied by South Korea called Dokto by the South Koreans and Takeshima by the Japanese. The Japanese also want them. I remembered how the claims by both countries nearly started a war between them in the 1990’s. South Korea fears the United States might favor Japan’s claim over the islets. Hence, why the South Korean protest. So it makes me ask the question if this military alliance could fracture?
What is happening in Mexico could cause the country to destabilize and make Mexico a place too dangerous for anyone to go near and the violence could spill over into the United States. Here is something to think about; all of the trade routes of the raw resources, the ports of entry in Mexico for these materials, the networks going throughout all of Mexico and into the United States, and sadly the demand for the illicit drugs flowing from all this into the United States have not changed. Knocking off the top criminal in the hierarchy will not change any of this. The only real way to stop any of this is to kill the demand in the United States, but so far it seems the U.S. government has no real interest in stopping this on the U.S. side. Worse, what about the guns and other weapons going from the United States into Mexico illegally that the drug cartels use to kill Mexicans and members of the Mexican armed forces? What is the U.S. government doing about this? The drug cartels would not be anywhere near as dangerous if the U.S. government stopped the flow of firearms and other weaponry into Mexico. This has been in fact a problem for close to 50 years. Why is the American side not talking about this? No matter which cartel ends up controlling everything, as long as the weaponry and smuggling routes remain virtually untouched then the illicit drug trade will remain a real danger for Mexico and the United States. Whoever seizes it will use it to make untold profits at the cost of lives in both Mexico and the United States. Since the latest drug cartel kingpin was killed on February 22nd, at least 73 people have died in Mexico from resulting violence by the drug cartels, and no one knows how many more will die or where the violence will go. There is even talk about cancelling the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, over the surge in violence.
The point of diplomacy is to be able to handle the delicate balance of friends and allies, neighbors and the internal issues they have. Well, thanks to this U.S. administration……………….we have none. It seems that favoritism and heavy-handed tactics are the most favored tools in the U.S. government these days. None of this will work in the end, and it will simply alienate the United States from its friends, neighbors and allies as it is doing now. Worse, it may destabilize America’s neighbors like Mexico and even Cuba. But then, I am beginning to realize that when a certain head of state may have dementia and sociopath tendencies, the world is becoming a more dangerous and unstable place. Heaven help America’s friends, allies and neighbors!
South Korea Alienated, Mexico on Fire?
By Daniel Nardini
What is happening in Mexico could cause the country to destabilize and make Mexico a place too dangerous for anyone to go near and the violence could spill over into the United States. Here is something to think about; all of the trade routes of the raw resources, the ports of entry in Mexico for these materials, the networks going throughout all of Mexico and into the United States, and sadly the demand for the illicit drugs flowing from all this into the United States have not changed. Knocking off the top criminal in the hierarchy will not change any of this. The only real way to stop any of this is to kill the demand in the United States, but so far it seems the U.S. government has no real interest in stopping this on the U.S. side. Worse, what about the guns and other weapons going from the United States into Mexico illegally that the drug cartels use to kill Mexicans and members of the Mexican armed forces? What is the U.S. government doing about this? The drug cartels would not be anywhere near as dangerous if the U.S. government stopped the flow of firearms and other weaponry into Mexico. This has been in fact a problem for close to 50 years. Why is the American side not talking about this? No matter which cartel ends up controlling everything, as long as the weaponry and smuggling routes remain virtually untouched then the illicit drug trade will remain a real danger for Mexico and the United States. Whoever seizes it will use it to make untold profits at the cost of lives in both Mexico and the United States. Since the latest drug cartel kingpin was killed on February 22nd, at least 73 people have died in Mexico from resulting violence by the drug cartels, and no one knows how many more will die or where the violence will go. There is even talk about cancelling the World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, over the surge in violence.
The point of diplomacy is to be able to handle the delicate balance of friends and allies, neighbors and the internal issues they have. Well, thanks to this U.S. administration……………….we have none. It seems that favoritism and heavy-handed tactics are the most favored tools in the U.S. government these days. None of this will work in the end, and it will simply alienate the United States from its friends, neighbors and allies as it is doing now. Worse, it may destabilize America’s neighbors like Mexico and even Cuba. But then, I am beginning to realize that when a certain head of state may have dementia and sociopath tendencies, the world is becoming a more dangerous and unstable place. Heaven help America’s friends, allies and neighbors!