04-09-2017, 10:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-10-2017, 07:40 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 10-Apr-17 World View -- US aircraft carrier strike force heads for Korean peninsula
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Egypt in 3-month state of emergency after Coptic church bombings
****
![[Image: g170409c.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170409c.jpg)
Church bombing in Tanta, Egypt, on Sunday
Coordinated bombing attacks on two different Coptic Orthodox Christian
churches in two different cities in Egypt killed at least 45 people
and injured over 100. Both churches were crowded with worshippers at
the Palm Sunday service.
Palm Sunday falls each year one week before Easter, which this year
occurs on April 16 for both Western and Orthodox Christians. Palm
Sunday is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking
the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
The Sinai terror group called Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM - Ansar
Jerusalem - Champions of Jerusalem) took credit for the both bombings.
The group changed its name to Al Wilayat Sinai (Province of Sinai)
when it changed its allegiance in 2015 from al-Qaeda to the so-called
Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh).
ABM has taken credit for the December 11, 2016, bombing of the St
Peter and St Paul chapel adjoining Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox
Cathedral in Cairo, killing 29, and promised to attack more Christian
targets. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population.
Egypt’s President Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi declared a state of
emergency in Egypt for three months. The measure allows authorities
to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes. Human
rights organizations have expressed concern that the state of
emergency will permit al-Sisi to take on additional dictatorial
powers, and will abuse those powers. The dictator Hosni Mubarak
imposed a similar state of emergency for 20 years, before being ousted
in 2011 by the "Arab Spring." Al Ahram (Cairo) and BBC and
Al Jazeera
Related Articles
****
**** US aircraft carrier strike force heads for Korean peninsula
****
![[Image: g170409b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g170409b.jpg)
Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike force in March (AFP)
The US Pacific Command announced on Saturday that the USS Carl Vinson
aircraft carrier strike force has left Singapore and is headed for the
Korean peninsula. It was diverted from previous plans for carrier
exercises and port visits in Australia.
This action takes on special significance because it appears to be
similar to the action taken last week in the Mediterranean Sea just
before the US Navy launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack
targets in Syria, following the Syrian regime's use of Sarin gas, a
forbidden WMD (weapon of mass destruction).
North Korea has been testing ballistic missile systems and nuclear
weapons, a WMD forbidden to North Korea by UN Security Council
resolutions. Experts warn that North Korea is getting closer to
deploying a nuclear-tipped rocket capable of reaching the United
States mainland, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.
Thus there is speculation, completely unconfirmed, that President
Donald Trump might order a missile strike on North Korea's ballistic
missile and nuclear weapons development facilities, in order to at
least delay further development. According to one military analyst:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"It's a well-timed move. We obviously don't have the
> ability to strike their nuclear facilities, they are buried deep
> underground, but we can go after the missiles themselves while
> they are fueling. It's a signal to the North Koreans that we will,
> for the time being, have the ability to attack those
> facilities."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
The Carl Vinson Strike Group has massive striking power and has the
capability to intercept ballistic missiles. The group includes the
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), embarked
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG
112), and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain
(CG 57).
President Trump has been pressuring China to try to force North Korea
to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile development program, and
has recently said that "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we
will."
When Trump met last week with China's president Xi Jinping, North
Korea was a major topic of discussion between the two leaders, but
reports indicate that that no agreement was reached on how to end the
threat from North Korea.
Instead, there was nothing but posturing and impossible demands.
Trump demands that China prevent North Korea's further missile and
nuclear development. China has agreed to implement the sanctions
demanded by the UN Security Council, and most recently says that it
has stopped importing coal from North Korea. However, there are some
reports that North Korea is looking for other markets in which to sell
its coal, and Russia may be one of them. At any rate, there really is
nothing realistic that China can do, short of military action, to stop
North Korea's missile and nuclear development.
China demands that the US agree to a "dual suspension" on the Korean
peninsula, cancelling its joint military drills with South Korea in
return for a moratorium on North Korean testing, and then promising to
negotiate a peace treaty with North Korea. The US has repeatedly been
duped by North Korea when entering such agreements, and there is no
chance that Trump will allow the US to be duped again. So China's
demands are also completely unrealistic.
So this brings us to the obvious question: Why is the Carl Vinson
strike group heading for the Korean peninsula, and what has it been
ordered to do when it gets there? Is it just going to sit there and
wait for something to happen, and leave in a few weeks having
accomplished nothing, allowing North Korea to continue developing
nuclear-tipped rockets capable of hitting the US mainland? Or is some
military action planned, with the intention of fulfilling Trump's
promise, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will"?
One way or another, we'll probably have an answer within a few days.
Navy Times and News Corp (Australia) and BBC and South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Related Articles
****
**** South Korean anxiety over North Korea and anger at China grow over THAAD deployment
****
The US has begun deployment in South Korea of the Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) an advanced anti-missile system that can
blast incoming missiles out of the sky.
The stated purpose of the deployment would be to protect South Korea
from a North Korean ballistic missile attack. However, China has
expressed increasing fury because the system has advanced radar
capabilities that would provide early warning for a Chinese missile
attack on the United States.
China's fury has taken the form of economic sanctions. China has
banned tour groups from visiting China, has removed popular South
Korean TV dramas from the internet, and has forced the closure of 75
South Korean Lotte stores in China, resulting in $179 million in
losses.
A web site reader living in Seoul has written to me to describe the
devastating impact of the actions by China and North Korea:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"China's economic boycott of Korea over THAAD has hit
> the country like a ton bricks. I went to the flagship Lotte
> department store today, and it was practically empty. I have
> friends who own their own businesses, and they tell me they are
> facing bankruptcy because of the loss of Chinese customers. The
> thing is, Koreans, by and large, hate the Chinese. This embargo is
> only heightening the hatred. I think this embargo has finally
> woken people up to the fact that China is an existential threat to
> Korea. ...
>
> Tonight, for the first time in my life, Koreans told me they were
> afraid that war was imminent. I have lived in Asia (on and off)
> since the 1970s, and I have never heard a Korean say anything like
> that. Tonight, someone in my office told me that she was scheduled
> to to visit America in May, but that she was afraid a war would
> break out before she had a chance to leave. Leaving the office
> tonight, a co-worker told me she was scared. I was stunned. This
> can't bode well.
>
> If this is the end, oh well. I just hope I die instantly. I'm
> worried I won't be killed in the first artillery barrage. As
> densely packed as Seoul is, the death toll, the carnage, will be
> beyond belief. ...
>
> I can't believe how much the mood here has flipped. The word
> 'changed' would be inappropriate. Things are different now. I feel
> sick."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
I guess we can all hope that if we have to die that we die instantly.
This is an appropriate time to repeat what I've written many times in
the past. A lot of people believe some variation of "X and Y won't go
to war, because it's bad for business." Actually, the opposite is
true, as we're seeing in the case of Lotte. If two countries have a
business relationship, then the business relationship won't prevent
war, but instead will turn into one more weapon of war. CBS News
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Egypt, North Sinai, Coptic Christians,
Ansar Jerusalem, Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, ABM, Champions of Jerusalem,
Sinai Province, Al Wilayat Sinai, Mohammed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
Egypt, chapel of St Peter and St Paul, El-Botroseya,
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,
North Korea, South Korea, China, Xi Jinping, Japan, Australia,
US Pacific Command, Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike force,
South Korea, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, Lotte
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Egypt in 3-month state of emergency after Coptic church bombings
- US aircraft carrier strike force heads for Korean peninsula
- South Korean anxiety over North Korea and anger at China grow over THAAD deployment
****
**** Egypt in 3-month state of emergency after Coptic church bombings
****
Church bombing in Tanta, Egypt, on Sunday
Coordinated bombing attacks on two different Coptic Orthodox Christian
churches in two different cities in Egypt killed at least 45 people
and injured over 100. Both churches were crowded with worshippers at
the Palm Sunday service.
Palm Sunday falls each year one week before Easter, which this year
occurs on April 16 for both Western and Orthodox Christians. Palm
Sunday is one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking
the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
The Sinai terror group called Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM - Ansar
Jerusalem - Champions of Jerusalem) took credit for the both bombings.
The group changed its name to Al Wilayat Sinai (Province of Sinai)
when it changed its allegiance in 2015 from al-Qaeda to the so-called
Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh).
ABM has taken credit for the December 11, 2016, bombing of the St
Peter and St Paul chapel adjoining Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox
Cathedral in Cairo, killing 29, and promised to attack more Christian
targets. Coptic Christians make up about 10% of Egypt's population.
Egypt’s President Abdel al-Fattah al-Sisi declared a state of
emergency in Egypt for three months. The measure allows authorities
to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes. Human
rights organizations have expressed concern that the state of
emergency will permit al-Sisi to take on additional dictatorial
powers, and will abuse those powers. The dictator Hosni Mubarak
imposed a similar state of emergency for 20 years, before being ousted
in 2011 by the "Arab Spring." Al Ahram (Cairo) and BBC and
Al Jazeera
Related Articles
- Terror bombing of Coptic Christian church in Cairo Egypt kills 25 (12-Dec-2016)
- ISIS forces hundreds of Christians to flee Egypt's North Sinai (28-Feb-2017)
- Egypt in shock over bloody massacre of Coptic Christians (11-Oct-2011)
- Criticism of Egypt's armed forces intensifies after 'Black Sunday' Copt massacre (12-Oct-2011)
- Muslim vs Coptic Christian clashes in Egypt grow in intensity (08-Apr-2013)
****
**** US aircraft carrier strike force heads for Korean peninsula
****
Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike force in March (AFP)
The US Pacific Command announced on Saturday that the USS Carl Vinson
aircraft carrier strike force has left Singapore and is headed for the
Korean peninsula. It was diverted from previous plans for carrier
exercises and port visits in Australia.
This action takes on special significance because it appears to be
similar to the action taken last week in the Mediterranean Sea just
before the US Navy launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles to attack
targets in Syria, following the Syrian regime's use of Sarin gas, a
forbidden WMD (weapon of mass destruction).
North Korea has been testing ballistic missile systems and nuclear
weapons, a WMD forbidden to North Korea by UN Security Council
resolutions. Experts warn that North Korea is getting closer to
deploying a nuclear-tipped rocket capable of reaching the United
States mainland, as well as Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.
Thus there is speculation, completely unconfirmed, that President
Donald Trump might order a missile strike on North Korea's ballistic
missile and nuclear weapons development facilities, in order to at
least delay further development. According to one military analyst:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"It's a well-timed move. We obviously don't have the
> ability to strike their nuclear facilities, they are buried deep
> underground, but we can go after the missiles themselves while
> they are fueling. It's a signal to the North Koreans that we will,
> for the time being, have the ability to attack those
> facilities."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
The Carl Vinson Strike Group has massive striking power and has the
capability to intercept ballistic missiles. The group includes the
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), embarked
Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) and USS Michael Murphy (DDG
112), and Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain
(CG 57).
President Trump has been pressuring China to try to force North Korea
to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile development program, and
has recently said that "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we
will."
When Trump met last week with China's president Xi Jinping, North
Korea was a major topic of discussion between the two leaders, but
reports indicate that that no agreement was reached on how to end the
threat from North Korea.
Instead, there was nothing but posturing and impossible demands.
Trump demands that China prevent North Korea's further missile and
nuclear development. China has agreed to implement the sanctions
demanded by the UN Security Council, and most recently says that it
has stopped importing coal from North Korea. However, there are some
reports that North Korea is looking for other markets in which to sell
its coal, and Russia may be one of them. At any rate, there really is
nothing realistic that China can do, short of military action, to stop
North Korea's missile and nuclear development.
China demands that the US agree to a "dual suspension" on the Korean
peninsula, cancelling its joint military drills with South Korea in
return for a moratorium on North Korean testing, and then promising to
negotiate a peace treaty with North Korea. The US has repeatedly been
duped by North Korea when entering such agreements, and there is no
chance that Trump will allow the US to be duped again. So China's
demands are also completely unrealistic.
So this brings us to the obvious question: Why is the Carl Vinson
strike group heading for the Korean peninsula, and what has it been
ordered to do when it gets there? Is it just going to sit there and
wait for something to happen, and leave in a few weeks having
accomplished nothing, allowing North Korea to continue developing
nuclear-tipped rockets capable of hitting the US mainland? Or is some
military action planned, with the intention of fulfilling Trump's
promise, "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will"?
One way or another, we'll probably have an answer within a few days.
Navy Times and News Corp (Australia) and BBC and South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Related Articles
****
**** South Korean anxiety over North Korea and anger at China grow over THAAD deployment
****
The US has begun deployment in South Korea of the Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) an advanced anti-missile system that can
blast incoming missiles out of the sky.
The stated purpose of the deployment would be to protect South Korea
from a North Korean ballistic missile attack. However, China has
expressed increasing fury because the system has advanced radar
capabilities that would provide early warning for a Chinese missile
attack on the United States.
China's fury has taken the form of economic sanctions. China has
banned tour groups from visiting China, has removed popular South
Korean TV dramas from the internet, and has forced the closure of 75
South Korean Lotte stores in China, resulting in $179 million in
losses.
A web site reader living in Seoul has written to me to describe the
devastating impact of the actions by China and North Korea:
> [indent]<QUOTE>"China's economic boycott of Korea over THAAD has hit
> the country like a ton bricks. I went to the flagship Lotte
> department store today, and it was practically empty. I have
> friends who own their own businesses, and they tell me they are
> facing bankruptcy because of the loss of Chinese customers. The
> thing is, Koreans, by and large, hate the Chinese. This embargo is
> only heightening the hatred. I think this embargo has finally
> woken people up to the fact that China is an existential threat to
> Korea. ...
>
> Tonight, for the first time in my life, Koreans told me they were
> afraid that war was imminent. I have lived in Asia (on and off)
> since the 1970s, and I have never heard a Korean say anything like
> that. Tonight, someone in my office told me that she was scheduled
> to to visit America in May, but that she was afraid a war would
> break out before she had a chance to leave. Leaving the office
> tonight, a co-worker told me she was scared. I was stunned. This
> can't bode well.
>
> If this is the end, oh well. I just hope I die instantly. I'm
> worried I won't be killed in the first artillery barrage. As
> densely packed as Seoul is, the death toll, the carnage, will be
> beyond belief. ...
>
> I can't believe how much the mood here has flipped. The word
> 'changed' would be inappropriate. Things are different now. I feel
> sick."<END QUOTE>[/indent]
I guess we can all hope that if we have to die that we die instantly.
This is an appropriate time to repeat what I've written many times in
the past. A lot of people believe some variation of "X and Y won't go
to war, because it's bad for business." Actually, the opposite is
true, as we're seeing in the case of Lotte. If two countries have a
business relationship, then the business relationship won't prevent
war, but instead will turn into one more weapon of war. CBS News
Related Articles
- China promises retaliation over surprise deployment of THAAD in South Korea (08-Mar-2017)
- America's likely response to N. Korean test: THAAD, Aegis missile defense systems (14-Feb-2017)
- China's fury grows over South Korea's plan to deploy THAAD anti-missile system (10-Aug-2016)
- China, Russia vociferously object to South Korea's THAAD missile system deployment (28-Jul-2016)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Egypt, North Sinai, Coptic Christians,
Ansar Jerusalem, Ansar Bayt al Maqdis, ABM, Champions of Jerusalem,
Sinai Province, Al Wilayat Sinai, Mohammed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood,
Islamic State / of Iraq and Syria/Sham/the Levant, IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh,
Egypt, chapel of St Peter and St Paul, El-Botroseya,
Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,
North Korea, South Korea, China, Xi Jinping, Japan, Australia,
US Pacific Command, Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike force,
South Korea, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, Lotte
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
