Japan scrambled 8 fighter jets as Chinese vessels neared the Diaoyu/Senkakus Islands. The heightened tension comes as the Japanese election nears, and it could have the effect of enhancing the electoral chances of Shintaro Ishihara’s Restoration Party which seeks to revise the anti-militarist clauses in the Japanese constitution. Indeed, there are a number of new parties in the Japanese election (to be held this weekend) that could be characterized as right-wing. Not a good time for a crisis with China.
Globalization leads to a certain degree of homogenization in human culture. The internet has accelerated this trend, particularly in the realm of language. There is a variety of English that is permeating the internet, perhaps leading to the first universal language.
The UN has been debating an international treaty primarily concerned with technical standards for phone calls under the aegis of the International Telecommunications Union. The proposed treaty, however, deals with definitions of communications and government controls over those communications that the US believes interfere with freedom of speech on the internet. Right now, the internet is controlled by a private organization based in the US, and many governments wish to move governance of the internet to a more public, international forum. It doesn’t appear as if this treaty will go very far.
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