Globally we are entering a very fragile state: is Asia ready?

[webfact]

File photo

 

OPINION | by Michael Bridge

I am sitting in my condominium in Thailand trying to stay positive, as Putin continues to play his terrible war games.

Not having had to experience a world war as I was born in 1949, it is extremely hard not to be moved by the constant news reports coming out of Ukraine.

Back in 1940 everyone had to rely on newspapers or Pathe News shown in the cinemas, just to find out what was actually happening.

Or what the government’s propaganda machines wanted us to know.

Of course, with battles taking place all over the world news of victories or defeats took days to reach the public.

Instant reality

Move forward to the Ukraine invasion, and with satellite TV, we now know what is happening in minutes.
Therefore, it is harder to hide the facts.

We all know that yachts are being seized, banks are stopping transactions and sanctions are not only hurting Putin’s rich friends, but also many innocent Russian citizens too.

 

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In return, Russia is killing innocent citizens across Ukraine, and are expected to hit back by stopping gas going down the pipe to Europe and stopping imports from unfriendly countries.

 

Asia’s close connections

Asia does a lot of business with Russia, especially in the hospitality industry.

President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines only last week was quoted as saying he was a personal friend of President Putin.

Now the Chinese President has asked Duterte for an online meeting on April 8th.

Meanwhile although Thailand voted against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the UN General Assembly on March 3rd, 2022, Russia still counts Thailand as a friendly country.

However, if crunch came to crunch could the current Thai government afford to upset its NATO allies and the US by continuing to be seen to be supporting Russia?

Personally, all of us must just sit tight, while the elected politicians start to play a huge poker game on who to support or not.

If China is seen to support Russia, then of course they will start to make sure governments relying on Chinese investments toe the line.

The next few months will be very fragile.

 

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[Tom H]

„..few months fragile?…“

Think again! It will be a Decade!

 

[Inala]

If Russia is counting you as a friend, then you know deep down inside that you're doing something wrong. Talk about setting a low benchmark for your country...
Is Thailand so desperate for tourists that they would side with a psychopath? 

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, isaray74 said:

 

We see actual footage taken from within Ukraine within the last hours presented on our TVs. No government influence has been exerted in that instance. Russia is making itself look bad and like all such countries, so used to lying to it's own people, push out incredulous rubbish in an attempt to justify their actions. They crossed an International border and murder the nationals of another country as if it is a God given right.... we thought such murderous despots  could no longer exist, but Russia created and worships one. 

[Jingthing]

2 hours ago, isaray74 said:

 

Russia doesn't need any outside help to look bad in relation to their invasion and war crimes in Ukraine. 

[Jingthing]

Just now, jacko45k said:

We see actual footage taken from within Ukraine within the last hours presented on our TVs. No government influence has been exerted in that instance. Russia is making itself look bad and like all such countries, so used to lying to it's own people, push out incredulous rubbish in an attempt to justify their actions. They crossed an International border and murder the nationals of another country as if it is a God given right.... we thought such murderous despots  could no longer exist, but Russia created and worships one. 

Putin has become this era's Hitler. Negotiations are over. Ukraine must win. You don't negotiate with Hitler or Putin. 

[zzaa09]

And if such similar references are repeated often and loud enough it will become true and real. 

Nothing to be said towards the legitimate instigators of all our woes. 

 

????????

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Now the Chinese President has asked Duterte for an online meeting on April 8th.

Maybe Xi will ask him if he's in the market for some Casinos, or has a spare deep sea port?

[WEBBYB808]

45 minutes ago, Inala said:

If Russia is counting you as a friend, then you know deep down inside that you're doing something wrong. Talk about setting a low benchmark for your country...
Is Thailand so desperate for tourists that they would side with a psychopath? 

And the answer is!!!!

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, isaray74 said:

 

So the bombed-out totally destroyed public buildings are lies?

 

[NemoH]

I am not supportive of any side Ukraine or Russia. It was a war that could have been avoided. Politics have always been about "engagement", even with your enemies. Sadly, this was totally discarded by some parties resulting in this war and massive suffering. I will not be trusting too much on any media report and casting any judgments as history has proven that we have been lied to many times by the same parties who seek us to believe in them and many decades later (if we live that long) we will have hindsight to see it all... 

[RichardColeman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

However, if crunch came to crunch could the current Thai government afford to upset its NATO allies and the US by continuing to be seen to be supporting Russia?

The fact that that decision would be made based on tourism figures from Russia and Europe  is frightening and sums these cronies up !

[BritManToo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Not having had to experience a world war as I was born in 1949, it is extremely hard not to be moved by the constant news reports coming out of Ukraine.

I've not watched one report.

The answer is to not watch western anti-Russian, anti-Chinese propaganda.

Was it any different when America was invading Arab countries?

Did we all feel the need to boycott America?

[RocketDog]

1 hour ago, Inala said:

If Russia is counting you as a friend, then you know deep down inside that you're doing something wrong. Talk about setting a low benchmark for your country...
Is Thailand so desperate for tourists that they would side with a psychopath? 

Yes.

[vandeventer]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

We see actual footage taken from within Ukraine within the last hours presented on our TVs. No government influence has been exerted in that instance. Russia is making itself look bad and like all such countries, so used to lying to it's own people, push out incredulous rubbish in an attempt to justify their actions. They crossed an International border and murder the nationals of another country as if it is a God given right.... we thought such murderous despots  could no longer exist, but Russia created and worships one. 

Amen!!!

[wombat]

24 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

decision would be made based on tourism figures from Russia and Europe 

Makes perfect sense to me....Australia was still sending iron ore to Japan in ww2 as was America trading with Germany in ww2.

Politicians can send the cream of the crop to die for old men's arguments while commerce never stops.

 

[wombat]

29 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 

Was it any different when America was invading Arab countries?

 

We're the Arab countries not Sovereign States or was that somehow different because it was all about the oil?

[zzaa09]

36 minutes ago, NemoH said:

I am not supportive of any side Ukraine or Russia. It was a war that could have been avoided. Politics have always been about "engagement", even with your enemies. Sadly, this was totally discarded by some parties resulting in this war and massive suffering. I will not be trusting too much on any media report and casting any judgments as history has proven that we have been lied to many times by the same parties who seek us to believe in them and many decades later (if we live that long) we will have hindsight to see it all... 

The real backstories are never allowed to be examined or revealed.

Usually resulting in a high percentage of mindless ignorance and dumbing down. 

 

Common fodder accepted.

 

[Tropicalevo]

2 hours ago, isaray74 said:

 

No one is making Russia look bad.

Putin is doing that all on his own.

[sscc]

52 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Maybe Xi will ask him if he's in the market for some Casinos, or has a spare deep sea port?

Philippines Rodrigo Duterte is on the way out of the president post within week. 

 6-year, ONE-term only presidency is per Constitution of Philippines.  The national election is scheduled to hold in May this year.  

 

Xi is most likely to say the farewell greetings to Duterte,  Xi did the same to German Merkel 2 months ago.   

 

You suggested Xi to talk new projects to Philippines president who may be packing up nowadays ? 

My take is  you and the Original Writer Michael Bridge showed ignorance of facts before talking/writing.  

[Jiggo]

Why are their not U.N. Observers in the Ukraine, just asking.

[futsukayoi]

11 minutes ago, wombat said:

We're the Arab countries not Sovereign States or was that somehow different because it was all about the oil?

In the first Gulf war the western alliance did what it should have done now in Ukraine.  They threw out the Iraqi invaders of Kuwait and liberated the country.  Obviously oil was a significant factor as well as the morality and Iraq was not a nuclear power.  The second war was foolish, but even then it never had the intention of being a permanent land grab and the mass destruction of cities and murder of their inhabitants was never a deliberate policy tool.  

 

[BritManToo]

5 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

No one is making Russia look bad.

Putin is doing that all on his own.

The COVID restrictions have destroyed the western economy, they desperately need 'bad guys' to point the finger of blame towards, in order to distract the proletariat. Russia or China are equally good in the role of 'bad guys'.

 

Expect several years of hate from the media.

 

[starky]

Now what other influential political figure claims to be a close personal friend of Putin amd thinks he is a genius? It was someone recent. Never mind im sure it will come to me.

[Cory1848]

55 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I've not watched one report.

The answer is to not watch western anti-Russian, anti-Chinese propaganda.

Was it any different when America was invading Arab countries?

Did we all feel the need to boycott America?

The US invasion of Iraq was just as unprovoked and illegal as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and equally worthy of condemnation. That doesn’t make current anti-Russian news reports “propaganda”; it doesn’t mean we can’t intelligently determine what news is accurate and what news is not; it doesn’t make the behavior of Putin’s soldiers in Ukraine any less revolting. Two wrongs (Russian misbehavior on top of American misbehavior) don’t make a right; and in the current conflict, there’s no doubt whatsoever which side is in the wrong.

[BritManToo]

3 minutes ago, Cory1848 said:

The US invasion of Iraq was just as unprovoked and illegal as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and equally worthy of condemnation. That doesn’t make current anti-Russian news reports “propaganda”; it doesn’t mean we can’t intelligently determine what news is accurate and what news is not; it doesn’t make the behavior of Putin’s soldiers in Ukraine any less revolting. Two wrongs (Russian misbehavior on top of American misbehavior) don’t make a right; and in the current conflict, there’s no doubt whatsoever which side is in the wrong.

Hard to tell what's right or wrong when you're only shown one side.

And the governments encouraging that one side have an agenda.

If you think Russia is in the wrong, go and join up on the Ukraine side.

Posting here isn't gonna help anyone.

 

Me, I don't care, let them kill each other, I couldn't tell a Russian from a Ukrainian and wouldn't talk to either.

[thailand49]

" China seem "  ????  These two are tied to the hip,  All we can hope is sooner the better someone pops the guy. 

[StayinThailand2much]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

However, if crunch came to crunch could the current Thai government afford to upset its NATO allies and the US by continuing to be seen to be supporting Russia?

I just know, if it were correct, that the Thai government has 'NATO allies', or does the writer perhaps mean Western allies (e.g. the U.S.) that, accidentally, happen to be NATO members? Besides, Thailand over the past 15-20 years has more and more moved away from being allied with the West to being allied with, mostly, China, while still, at the same time, getting the benefits of U.S.-Thailand military exercises, and trade privileges.

 

Nowadays, the only country that Thailand doesn't want to 'upset' seems to be China, due to the fact that, economically, politically, and strategically all of Thailand's 'eggs' are in that red basket. 

[Cory1848]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Hard to tell what's right or wrong when you're only shown one side.

And the governments encouraging that one side have an agenda.

If you think Russia is in the wrong, go and join up on the Ukraine side.

Posting here isn't gonna help anyone.

You’re right; posting here isn’t going to help anyone; it’s a waste of time, and thank you for reminding me of that. Otherwise, as an Estonian, I’ve seen plenty of both sides, and I think I know a bit more about Russian imperialism than most. Bye --

[shackleton]

This us Thailand’s predicament  they don't want to upset anyone particularly when it includes Tourism the number of Russian tourists plus those who invest or live here is high 

Money is what drives Thailand