We’ve been following the Diaoyou/Senkaku dispute, and Nicholas Kristof has published a careful analysis of the Chinese and Japanese claims to the islands (in fairness, I should point out something that Kristof fails to do: he is married to a woman from China and may be less than completely objective on the issue). As you can see from the essay, territorial claims rest heavily on historical evidence. As such, you should assess such claims knowing that not all the evidence may be being brought to bear–none of us has the ability to know what else might be in other archives.
The anti-US (and, to a lesser degree, anti-French) protests have spread to Pakistan, an important US ally. Relations between the US and Pakistan have been incredibly strained over the last few years, as President Obama has ordered many drone attacks within Pakistani territory in pursuit of fighters from Afghanistan. It is very hard to figure out how US-Pakistani relations can be repaired any time soon, but both sides desperately need each other for their foreign policy goals.
There has been a steady increase in violence along the Egyptian-Israeli border, and yesterday an Israeli soldier was killed in one of the attacks. Increased tensions between Egypt and Israel is the last thing the Middle East needs right now. It doesn’t appear as if the Egyptian government is in any way involved in the activities, but Israel will not accept any situation in which its southern border is unprotected. How Israel can fill that vacuum without violating Egyptian territory remains to be seen.
World Politics News 
Leave a comment