Entangling Alliances – Page 4 – The Scholar's Stage

Should America Give a Whit About the South China Sea?

23 October, 2015Bargaining and Balancing, Entangling Alliances, Military Affairs, Southeast Asia, The Middle Kingdom

The famous “nine-dash line” that marks China’s territorial claims in the South China SeaSource: “Q&A: South China Sea Disputes.” BBC News (15 May 2013). A worthwhile debate between Lyle Goldstein and Alexander Vuving has been playing out on the pages of the National Interest this month. It started with a short essay by Goldstein titled “The South China Showdown: 5 Dangerous Myths.” […]

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Notes From All Over (3/09/15): Chinese Media, Ancient War, and Strategic Theory

03 September, 2015Complex Systems, Dogs of War, Domestic Politics, Education, Entangling Alliances, Geopolitics, History, Near East, Notes From All Over, Political Theory, Religion, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. TOP BILLING “Down With the Nihilists!” and “Love Thy Country““T.J. Ma.” Chublic Opinion. (31 & 6 August 2015). I was led to this blog by the recommendation of Kaiser Kuo and instantly knew that it needed to be on the blog roll. “T.J. Ma” writes […]

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Iran: The Debate We Should Be Having

24 July, 2015Arabia, Entangling Alliances, Geopolitics, Near East, Persia, Religion

Major religions in the Middle EastImage Source: Columbia University’s Gulf 2000 Project I am not a specialist in arms control or nuclear technology. I must rely on the judgement of others with relevant expertise to assess the viability of the new agreement with Iran. This makes things difficult, for the opinions of experts I trust […]

5 Comments

The CNRP Won’t Save the South China Sea

03 July, 2015Electoral Intrigues, Entangling Alliances, Southeast Asia, The Middle Kingdom

A map of “Khmer Krom,” territory once dominated by Khmer speakers before it was conquered by Vietnam in the 18th and 19th centuries. Image Source: Douc Sokha, “សហគមន៍ខ្មែរក្រោមថារកឃើញឯកសារជាង៤០០០ទំព័រ ទាក់ទងនឹងការកាត់ទឹកដីកម្ពុជាក្រោមឲ្យវៀតណាម“, Vod Hot News (15 February 2015) Americans are rarely disinterested observers when watching elections held in foreign climes. The further outside the Western world Americans roam the […]

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The Road to Beijing Runs Through Tokyo

21 April, 2015Diplomacy, Entangling Alliances, Japan, Military Affairs, The Middle Kingdom

Image Source. As much of the material here at The Stage narrates the history of Chinese warfare, diplomacy, and strategic thought or analyzes contemporary Chinese politics and international relations, I am occasionally asked a question that goes something like this: “Mr. Greer, if you had to recommend one book to help me understand how the […]

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Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

14 September, 2014Bactria, Climate, Cognition, Demographics, Entangling Alliances, Europa Regina, Geopolitics, History, Japan, Monied Interests, Notes From All Over, The Legislature, The Middle Kingdom, Wealth

A collection of articles, essays, and blog post of merit. TOP BILLING “What Does a “Good” Adjustment Look Like?“ Michael Pettis, China’s Financial Markets (1 September 2014). This essay is long but excellent. It is also the best thing I have read about the Chinese economy in months. Two quotes to give readers the flavor of […]

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What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 1

04 September, 2014Dogs of War, Entangling Alliances, History, Narrative, Steppe and Sown, Strategy, The Middle Kingdom

A Mongolian stamp depicting Maodun, founder of the Xiongnu Empire.Image source. A few weeks ago a friend passed along one of the least correct essays I have ever had the misfortune to read. It was written by Edward Luttwak, secret agent author of classic titles in the field of strategic studies like Coup D’état: […]

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It is Time to Talk Honestly About the U.S.-Japanese Alliance

10 August, 2014Entangling Alliances, Japan, Military Affairs, The Middle Kingdom

Image source: “The New Cold War: China vs. Japan,” The Diplomat (25 January 2014) Peter Lee, who writes columns for Asia Times Online, International Policy Digest, and Counterpunch, is one of the more astute observers of East Asian affairs I have the pleasure to read. He is also a staunch contrarian whose columns are almost always […]

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Hard Truths and Hidden Gems at Shangri-La

11 June, 2014Diplomacy, Entangling Alliances, Japan, Media, Military Affairs, Narrative, The Middle Kingdom

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivers the keynote address at the 2014 Shangri-La Dialogue Image Source This weekend I finally had the chance to sit down and read the collected transcripts of the 2014 Shangri-La Dialogue. This year’s round of the Dialogue has garnered much more media attention than usual. The coverage has focused on the […]

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A Few Comments on China, Vietnam and the HYSY981 Crisis

22 May, 2014Bargaining and Balancing, Diplomacy, Dogs of War, Entangling Alliances, Geopolitics, Southeast Asia, The Middle Kingdom

A Chinese coast guard ship fires a water cannon at a Vietnamese vessel.Image Credit: AP News (16 May 2014) Over the last two weeks remarkable things have happened in the South China Sea. I assume that the readers of The Stage have read the relevant news reports; I will not copy them here. At the […]

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Category Archives: Entangling Alliances

Should America Give a Whit About the South China Sea?

Notes From All Over (3/09/15): Chinese Media, Ancient War, and Strategic Theory

Iran: The Debate We Should Be Having

The CNRP Won’t Save the South China Sea

The Road to Beijing Runs Through Tokyo

Notes From all Over (14/09/14): China’s Economy, Samurai, and Adam Tooze’s Take on Europe

What Edward Luttwak Doesn’t Know About Ancient China (Or a Short History of Han-Xiongnu Relations), pt. 1

It is Time to Talk Honestly About the U.S.-Japanese Alliance

Hard Truths and Hidden Gems at Shangri-La

A Few Comments on China, Vietnam and the HYSY981 Crisis

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