LawrenceChee

The ME has been a mess for centuries.

You are right for centuries their fights were internal and they were killing themselves and never extending beyond their borders

Now the mess is extended to every frontier because we keep arming them with more sophisticated weapons ...before with crap Russian rifles it was limited damage and killings

Now we introduced them to chemical weapons , artillery , military tactics , communication systems , radar and tacking systems and hence more complex to contain

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

It's already happening.  Watching emotional civilians showing their gratitude to the Iraqi troops on TV. Christmas came early this year.
 
Still lots of problems,  still more civilians being killed,  but some are now free after years of persecution.
 
You keep blaming the West. It's a complicated situation involving several different countries. Iran and Saudi Arabia are the big problems these days. Can't blame the West for every problem in the world.

You are too sensitive on this ...this Middle east mess was internal and contained until it became forced western participation and diplomatically a mess now to solve



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

It's going to be a nice quiet Christmas ....if they figure a way to disconnect the internet services and cable TV for the week , people will head back to the older days and have real table side conversations as a family over a simple dinner

I'm from the industry and have skipped every gala dinner I can for years ! This year in Thailand will be a quiet one for all ....those looking for a staycation should find some deals by calling the hotel direct to secure a reservation at a good price point


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

And thousands of innocent civilians will be free from IS on Christmas day. Not a bad bonus.

Let's hope your optimism holds true ....the practical man in me don't believe it will be happening

Isis is moving human shields back into Mosul today as the west lets up some efforts over the weekend

This is the problem in many ways as the west lacks resolve to eradicate Isis and also have no Long term plans ...this means the terrorists wins knowing there is time to regroup later and retreat first to give the USA the media victory moments and then coming back to strike you

During Saddam's time , the human rights group was giving him grieve for the treatments , rape etc but it kept the terrorists group running with real fear and they had little chances of plotting and planning terrorist acts as they busy saving their families from the brutalities ...they understood this well and this is their culture

If the measure of success in this ME crisis is every human right must be respected etc , then Isis has already won and will continue to win as we are dealing with an enemy that does not respect it and politically intelligent enough to adjust the human mind frame to Ensure the "west" needs to engage in a correct war tactics etc while they don't have to respect it.

USA has never pressured Saudi for their daily human rights violation because its a strategic oil ally and that's hypocrisy ....



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

800-900 killed ; thousands more spawned in hatred ; no endgame of what's the Masterplan after the killings after the cities are re-taken

Sounds like the Iraq war again ....and lots of happy military Contractors & factories getting a fat Christmas bonus


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

A poster mentioned that since the 15th century the Chinese have stopped inventing, creating, being dynamic

I will just refute and quote a few in the last 5 years

- Chinese launching world first quantum satellite communication model on space at the biggest scale ever seen to define the possibilities

- Tu inventing an anti malaria drug in 2015 reading ancient Chinese text on a Chinese herb / worm that can reduce the risks

- WeChat ...have you seen an messenging app in the world now which can act like Facebook / call a cab like Uber / Pay your utilities bills / Spilt cash among Friend like PayPal / Book Railway & Hotels & Flights like Expedia / Share photos like Instagram and used by 700 million ? Did I mention you can do all that without leaving the WeChat app ?

- Biggest radio telescope that could now possibly help us detect the unknown

All these are innovations in the last 3 years ...take your pick. The list can go on ...but TGIF is tomorrow so we should all take a break


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Odd, isn't it, how China has a 100% conviction rate against accused officials?  Odd, too, that recently the ones who have been convicted are not allies of the current leader.  If the trials are made public, they're just show trials where the accused confesses.  This is not justice. In :China judges are just catspaws for the faction in power.

Odd isn't it that nothing China does is ever legit or good enough for the western world to judge by it's ridiculous standards

Hence China is striking it out on its own and doing what fits their communist mottos / quasi capitalist / quasi opening of the world / quasi freedom of expression ...

Lots the west does makes zero sense to Chinese as well ....justices are elected by the President in the west . Trump made it publicly known that he will select pro life judges and put them there ....is that also meddling with justice or because it is from the west , it passed the human rights test ?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I think the language of the diplomat is precisely what's pushing Duerte away

It's the same language used by the USA almost all of the time, dictating and commanding of what a sovereign country should do

No wonder they feel pissed that Duerte is taking without giving


The USA can keep it up or lose the advantage to the Chinese ...meanwhile the Philippines gets deals from both sides.

Intelligently played.




Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

The Philippines is free to align themselves with whomever they wish.  
 
There are some significant differences between the Chinese culture and Western culture.   These are rooted in some ancient beliefs.   I can't say that one is right and one is wrong, but they are different.   The Philippines is more closely rooted in the Western culture than the Asian.   English is the common language in the Philippines and Christianity is the dominant religion.  
 
I think that can best be explained with this Bible verse from the book of Matthew:
 
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
 
In China the right of the majority is greater than that of any individual and in the West, the right of the individual is greater.  
 
Whether the Philippines is making a practical pivot or not remains to be seen.  
 
 

Agree it is different and hence China and the west should pursue their own strategies and see how the countries react to it and decide for themselves who they want to align themselves with

In ASEAN with the exception of Vietnam , all of the them are leaning towards China. Vietnam is more under the sphere of influence of Russia , another communist nation . Smartly as I have posted before they are playing both sides and getting the benefits from both

The question is whether USA will now be able to match what China is offering in this region or just send meaningless war patrols

ASEAN nations are practical countries with practical governments that need a huge infrastructure uplift . By not joining in AIIB while most of their western allies have done so will isolate the USA further and Duerte has played his dice a china alignment will bring him closer to his dreams of a more developed Philippines

I have seen what he has done in his 100 days to the NAIA Terminal 1 and he gets my vote ....he wants his people to have the best and it's showing ...his manners is his own business



Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

This is China's dilemma and hence like Duerte have decided to strike their own paths

When China has prosecuted their highest ranking officials and send them to jail , the west believes this is against human rights instead of focusing on China's rights to prosecute those who have failed their laws

When China learns from their experience in Tiananmen and exercises restraint against the students and protestors in the recent HK umbrella movement , the west focuses on how the 100,000 were having their rights trampled without wondering what about the vast majority of the 6.8 million that just want life to go on

China is not perfect and with 1.3 billion and growing , there will be conflicts and differences in opinions , China is making decisions based on the benefit of the majority and staying true to its hybrid communist ruling mixed with economic development

If the rest of the world does not believe in it ...that's fine by China

The west have been masking their own agendas and hypocrisy in their allies and strike convenient deals.

China getting into the mix irritates some but it's too big to go away or be ignored

Duerte is making some practical choices for his country and if you have lived there for extended periods of time , a Chinese partnership is good value for Philippines in the short run


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

It's an understandable mistake from LawrenceChee. The Chinese leadership and their followers find it hard to understand how laws can get in the way of a nation's chief executive. Among nations, China ranks very low in the rule of law.

It's atypical response of China ....I understand it's really hard to understand China is making strides recently in many areas

No ones professes it to be perfect but of course for a small minority it's annoying that China is turning more savvy and moving things and influence at its own pace

Strange how some posters believe it's fine to call a democratically elected President a thug.

Almost akin to the one they overthrew in Iran decades ago and started their trends of being meddlesome.

If Trump gets elected by a freak result , it would be interesting to see what the commentators will call him. If HRC wins , the scale of how a President can lie is at a new level

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Within ASEAN , China is focusing on the these countries for influence

Myanmar
Malaysia
Thailand
Philippines
Laos
Cambodia
Indonesia
Brunei

Singapore - Is in the cold books for now but will come back soon

Vietnam - China is not heading there with ancient hostilities still fresh

So you can see the Philippines is taking a good risk of not wanting to be left behind

I can see the spooks crying as the Chinese descends into Philippines ; one of the major deal signed was a lift of the travel ban and 1 million Chinese expected by 2017


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

It was not too Long ago in another thread I mentioned that Duerte will abandon this Hague ruling and head to China for deals

At that time , the usual band of China bashers came out and vilified China and mentioned its was next to impossible and that Philippines will stick to its western ally namely USA and be the pivot of balance

One poster went as far as to call all kind of names against Asian being pragmatic and practical

Now that everything I have mentioned is becoming reality , for those spooks they should start reading about Micronesia and see what that has to do with China's ambition of its maritime Silk Road

Probably enough to give some ulcers and wish the death maker would come sooner than for them to witness it


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Well I would say it's a balanced deal ...there are scammers in Thailand scamming the foreigners and I Guess this is tit for tat

Probably doesn't feel too good


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Another mess the USA is going to get entangled in ....one really wonder what's the objectives here ? First Iran , Russia and now Iraq.

Can the USA burn through all of its goodwill that quickly ?


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Send them to china for a stint ...they had it for too good

About time to show the Isis boys what happens to you when you get caught


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I'm basically in Russia now, Transnistria.  Not many with blonde hair here. Many actually have Asian features.  As with the US,  you can't make such generalizations.  I'd say they are not part of the term we use for Western nations. Especially when they constantly complain about the West! LOL
 
As an FYI, I've been with 4 Moldovan guides so far. To say they hate Russia,  and the people in general,  is putting it mildly.  I got the same responses when I was in the Caucasus and Central Asia a few months ago.  Especially Georgia and Armenia.
 
Repressive governments are generally not well liked.  As Credo says above.

I think that in general is the difference between those who work with the governments and those who are sideline observers

When you speak with 4 person , they have a right of opinion ...when they hate the government just like you probably can find about 1-3 million Chinese who may hate the government and want to be vocal about it ,3 million does not make a majority with 1.3 billion

I work with the governments daily and every policy is rightly opposed and critiqued by any quarters...in governance you make decisions based on what will benefit the majority

If you don't go by that accord, the high speed railway in China as one example will never have been built if we had to gauge the smaller populace who has to relocate , probably bitter etc with the government

However for the 100 million plus using it every year , it's a lifesaver and a better faster way to travel


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

So that means that Indians are Western, too?

Russians have blond hair, blue eyes features closer to western right ? Or you have seen Asians with that kind of features

So if the Russians are not western, who are they ? Just Russians ?

Indians ....come on :) get a better example !


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I don't think any of these nations mentioned has the opportunity to be the world's 2nd largest economy after that incident

Largest network of fast railway , world's first maglev , improvements in economic strength

China is not perfect but it has come a long way since that.

Which of the one mentioned - Iraq , Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Libya , Egypt has that optimism coming ?

I have contacts that are working there and they tell me on the ground now with these odds , the best paying job is a contract bodyguard and in a side joke if you return to Thailand to spend that salary earned




Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 
Judging by actions and conduct, there is little to differentiate between Assad's regime and those opposing him. Barbarism and disregard for civilian lives are pretty much the norm in this conflict. If one wished to raise simplistic views concerning terrorism, a counter argument could claim that as long as they are busy fighting Assad, terrorists based in Syria are less likely to act elsewhere.
 
Would Assad's removal make things worse? Possibly. Then again, it might mean a less intense, more localized fighting.
 
The major arms provider to Syria is Russia, by a long shot. The main foreign forces operating in Syria are Russian, by a long shot. And yet, most of the criticism about foreign intervention is directed at Western governments. Not exactly unexpected.

Russians are not western ? They are certainly not eastern ... so what or who are they ? In an eastern mind , Russians are western as they certainly don't eat Dim sum or use chopsticks


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

The solution is for all foreign countries to get out. Sadly, as you know, as Morch points out, and Russia has admitted,  they are not 100% going after IS. Propping up the brutal dictator Assad and securing their position in the ME are the top priorities.  Innocent civilians just get in the way.
 
Hopefully,  they'll face the punishment for these actions.

The recent removal of Saddam Gaddafi Morsi were all instigated by the west ;

Can any logical person really say things have gotten significantly better and the geo politics have improved for the region to advance towards democracy and a better way of life ?

Assad is another example ....he may be a bloody brute by some quarters but in the ME the entire region thrives on it and understand that ...removing him from Syria creates western corners for the terrorism groups to recruit at will and create a bigger cess pot

The correct observation is none of the ME countries are actively seeking peace but rather waiting out for opportunities to consolidate their own tribes

This is the ME....it has been like this for centuries

Russia , USA or Nato has zero Long term solutions ....leave the bastards to kill each other and they will settle down when they run out

Arming them and equipping them continuously is a cheap shot at the influence of the factories manufacturing arms and all cheering for more wars




Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

The solution is easy . USA gets out of the conflict and NATO

Let the Russians and Assad mop the Isis out ....its plain to see the brutality to stem out the terrorists is by something the Americans can stomach

These bastards understand one language only - Savage killing and they will stop because it's in their tribal instincts to stop


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

True ....yours does sound better ....an idiot that lied to his allies and the entire UN to start an illegal war , a idiot that lied in front on national TV about his sexual relations and cigar play , now his Wife who has serious intergrity issues wants to be the first woman president to continue the legacies and the baboon Trump

I can see where the smugness comes from when you believe these idiotic lying presidents and president elect equates to democracy

Perfect model for the world indeed


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I assume that 100,000 wants democracy ....it sounds like the 6.9 million should be ignored ???

Is that democracy ...in every society there is a divergence of views and China has allowed it

But without a majority., they should respect the views of the majority

I am sure there are pockets in USA who wants the country to turn communist maybe ? But having a viewpoint and having the politics behind it is a different story

Being on the cover of Times doesn't mean your views are right

Joshua has a different point of view doesn't mean every HK person agrees with him

China is changing the southern delta into a Pearl Delta ....if he is strategic and clever, he will get in the council and influence that

Imagine driving policies influencing 50 million people vs flying for the rest of his life going for some talks and accepted by the west perhaps but not by the Chinese ...so what is he trying to influence ....if he is really passionate about it he should be trying to influence things for 1.3 billion people then he may understand the difficulty of governance and respecting differing views and political tradeoffs

If Joshua is smart , he will know in a few years time, when he have kids ...it's likely in his generation he will see HK citizens changing out their passports for a Chinese one


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Good for you ! Hope all ends well


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect