China’s multi-platform hypersonic strike force takes shape – Asia Times

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China’s bold move to develop cutting-edge robots, balloons, and next-generation hit vehicles, which raises the stakes for US weapon security, signs a major shift in global military might.

This quarter, the War Zone reported that China has conducted assessments of fast uncrewed air cars, launching them from drones and high-altitude bubbles. New images and images were referenced in the report.

According to the War Zone, the cars related to the MD-22 fast military aircraft idea revealed in 2022 were released from a TB-001 helicopter and a high-altitude bubble. The report says the MD-19, MD-21, and MD-2 vehicles, featuring wedge-shaped fuselages, delta wings and twin vertical tails, were tested by the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences ( IMCAS ) and the Guangdong Aerodynamic Research Academy ( GARA ).

The MD-19, which had retractable landing gear, was reported to have made an appearance on a airport after launch, according to The War Zone. The engine systems remain vague, but the models suggest advanced high-speed vehicles like dual-mode ramjets or scramjets. According to the report, these tests demonstrate China’s continued investment in fast technologies to strengthen its military capabilities.

The report notes that the vehicles could be used for kinetic strikes or for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( ISR ) missions. They are said to bolster China’s dedication to developing its fast capabilities, which pose major technical challenges and proper implications for worldwide security.

With these different air-based launchers, China has additional tactical options when it uses fast weapons to launch attacks from a variety of platforms and in different directions and altitudes.

For example, in February 2023, Asia Times noted that China had unveiled its emerging fast arms triad, comprising water, air and land-based systems, considerably enhancing its normal punishment capabilities against the US and Taiwan.

The YJ-21 hypersonic anti-ship weapon, capable of velocity up to Mach 10, was tested from a Kind 055 ship, highlighting its operating flexibility and endurance. The missile’s introduction marks a pivotal evolution in China’s anti-access/area denial ( A2/AD ) strategy, with its speed rendering current shipboard defense systems ineffective.

The air-launched variant, carried by the H-6 strategic bomber, extends the missile’s range, posing a threat to US bases and warships in the Pacific. Additionally, the land-based DF-17 missile, capable of extreme maneuvers and speeds up to Mach 5, complements the triad, enhancing China’s ability to “box in” Taiwan with long-range precision strikes.

Multiple hypersonic attacks coming from various directions can make it harder for the US to defend Taiwan’s key bases, such as those in Guam and Okinawa. Simultaneous launches from land, sea, and air platforms can overwhelm missile defense systems. By saturating different layers of an adversary’s defense, China can increase the likelihood of penetrating critical targets.

The US’s most recent ballistic missile intercept test from Guam, according to Asia Times, highlights the island’s strategic significance and the challenges it faces in missile defense. A Standard Missile-3 Block IIA intercepting a medium-range ballistic missile was the subject of the test, which was conducted by the US Missile Defense Agency ( MDA ). This marked a significant step forward in the development of the Aegis Guam System.

However, Guam’s defense infrastructure faces several hurdles. The island’s limited land space and mountainous terrain complicate the deployment of missile defense systems, while the integration of multiple systems, such as Aegis Ashore, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD ) and Patriot, poses risks of uncoordinated responses during saturation attacks involving ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles.

Additionally, the reliance on fixed sensor-to-shooter links may limit adaptability against next-generation threats, including multi-domain attacks combining cyber, electronic, and kinetic strikes. The finite number of interceptors per system also raises concerns about sustaining defense during large-scale, multi-axis attacks. These issues are made even more difficult by the interceptor missile supply chain and by outdated production capabilities.

The time between launch detection and impact is significantly shorter at hypersonic speeds. Multi-platform launches add to the complexity, making threats from various domains simultaneously unavoidable, and preventing defenders from responding quickly.

Evan Montgomery and Toshi Yoshihara make the observation in a 2023 Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments ( CSBA ) report that hypersonic weapons are changing the US’s strategy against China by reducing the chance of unintended escalation and altering the conventional military balance.

Montgomery and Yoshihara point out that hypersonic weapons introduce greater ambiguity because of their speed, unpredictable flight paths, and shorter detection windows, in contrast to conventional ballistic missiles.

This situation might require a “launch-on-warning” posture. In such a situation, second-strike capabilities and missile defense systems must be ready to respond right away when a potential threat is identified without waiting for confirmation whether the incoming missile is a nuclear or conventional one.

Further, Montgomery and Yoshihara claim that China’s use of hypersonic weapons could increase regional precision attacks, giving the impression that Chinese threats are credible in a Taiwan emergency.

Asia Times reported this month that the US’s effort to defeat China with a long-range precision missile was marked by the recent US Army test of the Dark Eagle hypersonic missile.

The Dark Eagle system’s successful launch signals progress. By the end of the 2025 fiscal year, the first long-range hypersonic weapon ( LRHW) battery will be complete. The missile is also slated for deployment on Zumwalt-class destroyers and Block V Virginia-class submarines.

Montgomery and Yoshihara are cautioned that US deployment of hypersonic strike capabilities could threaten China’s strategic nuclear arsenal, increasing the risk of disarming its nuclear forces in response to these developments. They claim that China might consider launching a preemptive nuclear strike to avoid disarmament if it believes its nuclear arsenal is vulnerable.

By extension, Montgomery and Yoshihara point out that US reliance on hypersonics could also lead to China using theater nuclear weapons to coerce US allies like Japan to maintain neutrality in a crisis.

A US Congressional Research Service ( CRS ) report from this month mentions that the US is facing significant challenges in developing hypersonic weapons as the debates over mission requirements, cost, and production scale grow.

The US Department of Defense ( DoD ) has not yet formalized mission requirements or established a program of record, which is in part due to uncertainty about the weapons ‘ strategic role, according to the report. According to the report, DoD officials have different opinions on production objectives, with some favoring large-scale deployments to deterrence and others favoring low inventories due to high costs. Additionally, it raises doubts about how many hypersonic weapons the DoD can actually acquire.

Additionally, the report mentions that the US Congress has pressed for clarity on mission sets, cost analysis, and required enabling technologies, such as space-based sensors and autonomous command systems.

The report points out that while hypersonic weapons have the potential to penetrate adversary A2/AD zones, they may not be as resilient as current systems, such as ballistic missiles with maneuvering warheads.

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Kyiv is left with few good options and allies in a Trump 2.0 world – Asia Times

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At their last meeting of the year, EU leaders were meeting in Brussels with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin conducted his properly managed monthly phone-in and press conference to answers questions from journalists and regular Russians. Unsurprisingly, the war in Ukraine loomed massive at both situations.

But the conflict in Ukraine is only one aspect of a complex, rapidly transforming political environment that neither Russia nor the EU, enable only Ukraine, are able to completely control. Donald Trump, who did re-enter the White House at the end of January 2025, is the main reason for this.

He now has a significant impact on the calculations made by Moscow and Brussels. However, his fervently-focused, if detail-free, plea for the conclusion of the Ukrainian war is viewed with suspicion on the other side of the Atlantic. This is true for both Moscow and Brussels.

On Monday, December 16, the German foreign officials reiterated their unwavering support for Kyiv. Previous German prime minister Kaja Kallas, who is now the EU’s top representative for international affairs and security policy, made the clear claim that there needs to be more military support from Europe. The code would be to make it possible for Ukraine to “hold on” and “turn the balance in their pursuit because Putin won’t stop until he stops,” according to the report.

In a further sign of the EU hardening, rather than softening, its position on Russia, the foreign officials adopted the bloc’s 15th sanctions package. This is one of the most important sanctions to time, which targets 54 people and 30 businesses and places an extra 32 businesses on the blacklist for evading existing sanctions.

On December 18, Zelensky met with NATO secretary standard Mark Rutte, another dialogue skeptical. Like Kallas, he wants to “focus on the business at hand” to ensure that Ukraine has everything Putin needs to keep from winning. Rutte’s words echoe those of António Costa, the new leader of the European Council, who also remarked that the Union must” stand with Ukraine for as long as needed and do whatever it takes” for the Russian invasion to be defeated and international laws to rule.

In the meantime, Putin, during his yearly phone-in, was whole of his usual rhetoric about Russia winning in what he continues to call a” specific military function” in Ukraine. The main goal of this function is to convince regular Russians that things are generally on track to accomplishing Russia’s war goals. Ironically, this is the third time in a row that Putin has praised Russia’s superiority and inevitable victory, which is obviously lost on both the president and his audience.

A committee of the Russian defense ministry meeting on December 16 more reinforced the information that the Kremlin is determined to achieve a military victory. These Putin outlined continued funding into the region’s armed forces, now totalling 6.3 % of GDP.

While he made the point that the Kremlin” may improve this consumption endlessly,” he was also unwavering when he reiterated that” the position, the Soviet people are giving everything they can to the military forces to fulfill the duties we have set.” These things, in Putin’s see, include the battle of” the neo-Nazi government in Kiev, which seized power again in 2014″ and” to push the army out from our territory”.

Officials in Moscow and Brussels seem strangely congruent in their determination to keep fighting, despite whatever kind of agreement Trump does consider, at least in their public statements.

Mounting force

Putin’s justification for doing so is that he firmly believes that the government is in place. His troops only made daily benefits of around 30 square kilometers of Ukrainian place in November. The impact of European authorization to hit targets deep inside Russia has so far been scant. Russia’s latest air battle against Ukraine’s critical national system, however, has caused extraordinary damage.

For the Union, the reasoning is unique. In the event of a peace, let alone a full peace agreement, EU leaders are hesitant to accept Trump as their replacement and are yet to come to terms with reputable safety guarantees for Ukraine. A Trump-brokered package, so, carries too many challenges. The idea of Putin regrouping and rearming after a brief break in the fighting would be the top preoccupation of Western leaders, which would then pose an even greater threat to Western security.

It is hoped that Ukraine’s continued defense of itself against Russian aggression will help the EU and other NATO members avoid the kind of philosophical conflict Ukraine has been having since Russia’s full-scale war in February 2022.

All of this leaves Ukraine vulnerable to both military force from Russia and political force from the incoming Trump administration to reach a package, which includes the loss of roughly 20 % of Russian country that Russia has illegally annexed since 2014. Ukraine’s European allies will also be under political pressure to continue fighting in a conflict that Europe is trying to avoid.

With Trump 2.0 and 2025 in hand, Zelensky has few viable allies and no other viable options. The best thing Ukraine can hope for is passing the time. Trump will need Zelenensky to apologise. Before a ceasefire can be reached, he will need to be open to the idea of negotiations with Russia.

If Europe, in the meantime, gets serious about its own defense, this might finally lead the EU and Kyiv’s European NATO allies to stand on their own feet and provide the continent, including Ukraine, with credible deterrence against Russia.

So far, they have talked the talk. They will need to demonstrate that they can walk the walk in 2025.

The University of Birmingham’s Stefan Wolff is an assistant professor of international security.

The Conversation has republished this article under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Ghosn in Beirut on Nissan-Honda, other issues, 5 years after escape – Asia Times

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Five years ago this month, on Monday, December 30, 2019, Carlos Ghosn shocked the world by making a dramatic exit from Japan to his home state of Lebanon. &nbsp, Studies that he was in Lebanon made it to the French press around 9: 30 am GMT and then, shortly after, around the world.

The once renowned chief executive of the empire of Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi Motors is nevertheless fighting to get his name out, while Nissan’s firm situation has deteriorated once more, as advertising accounts suggest the manufacturer may be going bankrupt.

Ghosn, in an exclusive meeting with Asia Times, said he doesn’t think bankruptcy is good. ” But they need cash and they need expenditure”, he said. ” Management has no idea how to move things around.

He doesn’t think that an ally with Honda Motor Co., a style of current press coverage, does materialize”. There might be a invasion, in my opinion. The Chinese government may decide it didn’t allow Nissan to collapse. But as you know, a takeover is not an empire. The acquisition is only a takeover, which also implies that the business that is in charge will act in its own way and dispose of assets it does not have. That does occur, “he said.

Consider that Honda has never been able to form an alliance and is strongly separate. They’ve bragged over the years that they’re the little man going only against Toyota.”

Another issue is that Honda hasn’t been a market leader in its mechanical sector. Even in the United States, which is its main market, Honda’s market share is less than 10 %. In Europe, it is&nbsp, less than 1 %. In Japan– where it is now the fourth-leading product, up one area from second the preceding year – it&nbsp, also accounts for only 11 % of the market, nearly intact.

However, its revenue ratio in the first half of the current fiscal year, April to September, is only&nbsp, 3.6 %, well down on the list of global manufacturers.

Things fell apart at Nissan post-Ghos n

Nissan’s running profit fell 90 % during the same time to&nbsp, 32.9 billion yen. Its operating profit margin is now&nbsp, 0.5 %. More significantly, auto sales this year are expected to drop to 3.4 million, along from 5.7 million in fiscal 2017 and 5.5 million units in governmental 2018, the final two years Ghosn was in command.

” Honestly, a lot of people have asked me how is it that after I left, whatever collapsed, “he said”. But not only did I left. Many more individuals departed with me. Ghosn originally estimated about a dozen. And these were persons who had grown up in the organization.”

He singled out José Muñoz, who in November became the CEO of Hyundai Motor Co”. Muñoz was one of the most appealing skills at Nissan, “he said”. Some weeks after my imprisonment, he left.”

Muñoz, who spent five years in Tennessee as head of Nissan’s North American operation, left Nissan on&nbsp, January 11, 2019, &nbsp, two months after Ghos n’s arrest. The US adviser, a native of Tennessee, had warned him against traveling to Japan after being summoned to do so.

Muñoz joined Hyundai three months later in&nbsp, April 2019 as key international operating officer. He had been chosen to serve as Nissan’s future senator in 2018.

If 30 times younger, do sign on for a Nissan correct

” Personally, I don’t think that this is mission impossible,” Ghos n said of Nissan’s current plight”, but it will be difficult for them. I can tell you that if someone had offered to help me turn Nissan near for me when I was 30 years younger. However, you must locate the right individuals with the right perspective on the sector. Clearly, the business in 2024 is not the same as the market in 1999. The problems are diverse.”

Ghosn doesn’t give information of how he might go about fixing Nissan”. Before making a diagnosis of the situation, I always make a plan. For the last six years, a lot of damage has been inflicted on the business. I would need to reevaluate the circumstances, including who is to blame and where the injury is occurring.

” When I arrived in Japan in March 1999, I didn’t have a plan in mind”, he said. It took me three weeks to assess the situation and come up with a strategy. But I didn’t do it alone. I created it with the input of numerous individuals inside Nissan. &nbsp,

” I’m convinced that a lot of individuals inside Nissan are frightened and feeling helpless, “he added”. Why did we accomplish this? What happened to our business? Why is this business a scourge to behold?

” No one really great is going to visit a group of officials. &nbsp, They didn’t. &nbsp, They said that the empire was working. It wasn’t. They claimed Nissan would continue to grow. They claimed for the past six years that my administration had caused all the problems at Nissan, despite the fact that I had never had any issues in charge. After I left, all the issues started. &nbsp,

They can’t continue to hold people accountable for something that occurred six years ago. This is their own doing.”

In terms of Renault, the business that bought a play in Nissan and sent Ghosn to move it, they are back where they were until 1999, which is a little French business with a European focus. &nbsp, They got out from China. They got out from Russia. They left from anywhere, and they are still doing so with a market presence and level not very similar to what they were before the empire, he said.

When I asked him whether Nissan can be a person suddenly in electric vehicles, Ghosn replied:” Travel on, they’re looking for life now. They didn’t seem to upgrade or innovate. They’re only looking for money. It’s pretty simple thing they’re doing, and they don’t understand how to do it. These people are panicking.”

Ghosn added that Nissan apparently has been attacked by Effissimo Capital Management and Oasis Management Group, two hostile wall money. He added that he physically believes Nissan will hit the wall and the results this time will be much worse than in 1999 and that these could be another cause of problems.

He warned that faith is the biggest issue moving ahead. You didn’t own an empire without trust. If the Japanese hadn’t trusted me in 1999, I don’t have turned them about. Without faith, we would never have been able to stay in Japan for 19 times. Trust&nbsp, &nbsp, is the base of everything. When partnerships is breached, the decline is nearby.

They are now attempting to create a drama that demonstrates to the people that they are creating a novel or that the empire has been modified. It’s all bullshit”, he said.

Living in Beirut

Ghosn is at ease in Beirut, even though his life isn’t the same as it was when he used his personal-use corporate jet to fly between five opulent homes and apartments on three continents, mainly for running alliances. &nbsp,

He’s not the only criminal in the home. The judge handling his case allegedly asked her husband about a crime she allegedly committed while Carole, a double federal National and Lebanese, was evasive in responding to his wife’s questions. She was interviewed on&nbsp, April 11, 2019, a&nbsp, year after prosecution raided their Tokyo room and took her mobile and her Syrian card. &nbsp, She would be charged 10 months later, &nbsp, eight days after Ghos n’s escape and the day before his Beirut press conference, with making false statements in that April meeting.

While not discussing the details of Carole’s situation, Ghosn reported, as he’s done in the past, that one of his investigators at the Tokyo Detention House warned him that if he didn’t repent” We are going to be looking outside. We’re going to include your partner, we’re going to involve your children, we’re going to include your friends, and we’re going to discover things. &nbsp,

” This was all taped,” Ghos n said”, and the tapes are in the hands of the prosecutor’s business.”

For this review, we asked Ghosn if, after Israel’s two-month bombing battle, he could also walk carefully from his house to sit out in a cafe.

” No trouble, “he said”. Definitely nothing. Despite the nation suffering a bit, the war didn’t have a significant impact on us. Luckily, we live in an region which avoided any war behavior. But we’ve been great. We’re hopeful that the peace holds even though it’s not perfect. But so far it’s holding.”

He continued,” His kids can visit him without any limits.” They can occur whenever they want, “he said. In fact, Ghos n’s children will be in Lebanon for a family Christmas vacation.

When questioned about his home in Beirut’s special Ashrafieh neighborhood and whether he had been expelled as per media reports, he responded,” I’m in the same house, but little. This legitimate challenge will take a very long time. I am aware that I have been kicked out of my house in response to numerous explosive comments in the press. They’re not accurate. I am still in the exact home. It’s going to take many, several times before this issue is resolved “in judge.

Ghosn has challenged Nissan’s says of possession of the house through a Beirut-based company, Phoinos Investments SAL, on the premise that the manufacturer owes him money. When he escaped from Japan, Nissan froze his goods, including wealth in the firm’s retirement account. The property officially is valued at$ 19 million.

However, &nbsp, Ghosn, then 70, continues his battle to have his popularity cleared. Despite the fact that the majority of legitimate strategies have been blocked in Japan, France, and the US, he has never given up.

Concerning the European situation, he said:” European prosecutors issued an arrest warrant in&nbsp, April 2022&nbsp, and asked me to go to France, ignoring the fact that there is now a red see on me from the Japanese, which forbids me to keep Lebanon,” said Ghosn.

” I didn’t go. As a result, we don’t know the details of what the prosecutors are planning. Which means: It may take another year for us to learn the specifics. It’s not a very complicated case, but we still don’t know what the charges will be.”

I was asked if the allegations relate to his business dealings with Suhail Bahwan, the founder and former chairman of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles LLC in Oman.

” Without getting into details, “he replied”, the prosecutors are trying to establish that money from Renault or Nissan” &nbsp, — media reports indicate&nbsp, 15 million euros &nbsp, —” came to me. That’s the&nbsp, case&nbsp, that the French prosecutors are making. There is no case if Renault or Nissan don’t send me any money. And there is no case, “he said.

Asked about a British Virgin Islands case, involving a super-yacht, in which he was ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages, Ghosn said:” We’re appealing. I’m being pressured to spend money by Nissan. ” Litigating” is very expensive and obviously they’re using Nissan’s money. I’m using my own. We didn’t try to defend ourselves because I can’t leave Lebanon. I believe our appeal case is very strong.

Concerning his criminal complaint and case against Nissan in Lebanon, in which he is seeking$ 1 billion in damages and he has identified 11 Nissan executives, he replied:” Justice is working. It’s slow because of the situation of the country, but I’m still fighting on the Lebanon case. Obviously, that means I have many things at work in Lebanon against Nissan.”

He said,” I am not going to talk too much about it,” and when asked if he would like to discuss his situation in Lebanon further because his name is on the Interpol red notice list, he said,” I am not going to talk too much.” But I don’t consider the battle over.”

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Quad can boost unmanned maritime systems’ role in Vietnam security – Asia Times

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Pacific Forum published this article at its original publication. It is republished with authority.

Vietnam’s maritime surveillance is shaped by its geographical position, corporate interests, and the pressing require to secure its territorial waters. The South China Sea, or East Sea, is a vital channel for global trade. It is also marked by subtle territorial disputes, highlighting the importance of Vietnam’s marine and coast guard causes.

China’s growing fleet of autonomous air, floor, and submerged systems poses a major security risk to Hanoi. In August 2024, a Taiwanese WZ-10 drone&nbsp, entered Vietnam’s airspace&nbsp, 160 to 170 km from Cam Ranh, a critical naval base. The Chinese have raised the temperature in the South China Sea by using unmanned underwater vehicles ( UUVs ), gliders and&nbsp, Argo floats, which are dual-use.

In response to this, Vietnam has begun to look for ways to improve its surveillance, patrol, and response capabilities without overimplimenting its restricted conventional forces. Integrating autonomous systems into Vietnam’s protection army is a crucial opportunity to boost these efforts.

Given the existing capacity shortfalls, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (” Quad” ) nations, which have a plan to support capacity-building for regional navies in Southeast Asia, are well-positioned to enhance Vietnam’s capabilities in this area.

The Vietnamese People’s Army (VPA ) has extensive experience operating UAVs to augment its maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance ( ISR ) capabilities. These UAVs are either internally developed with international aid or imported from abroad. Vietnam also showcased its larger group of UAVs, possibly a medium-altitude long-endurance program, during its&nbsp, first global security expo&nbsp, in 2022.

But, Vietnam’s focus on autonomous maritime vehicles, both area and marine, is still in a nascent stage. The VPA is looking for advanced unmanned surface vehicles ( USVs ) and UUVs to bolster its maritime security and safeguard crucial maritime infrastructure in the Vietnamese EEZs as tensions in the maritime domain with China increase. These techniques not only offer good value for money, but they also have important ISR features.

The Quad is now more carefully aligned and recognized as a useful program for fostering local cooperation that promotes peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. &nbsp, The September 2024 Quad combined statement&nbsp, directly highlights the importance of strengthening coastal safety features of Southeast Asian nations. Vietnam has a lot to gain from working with the Quad, especially in terms of improving its modern and functional prowess in maritime security, given its strong ties with the Triple countries.

The Quad countries are experts at creating and operating autonomous sea systems. Its ISR capabilities would greatly benefit from sharing technical information or contributing to the development of specially designed systems specifically tailored to Vietnam’s needs. In specific, India and Vietnam maintain near protection relationships, given that both utilize Russian weapon systems.

During Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ‘s&nbsp, state visit to India&nbsp, in August 2024, both nations reiterated their commitment to strengthening mutual relations. Hanoi is acquiring two different types of police vessels, and India has loaned them a$ 300 million payment. In contrast, the US has supplied the Vietnam Coast Guard with 18″ Metal Shark” police ships, while&nbsp, Japan is offering a$ 348 million loan&nbsp, to Hanoi for constructing six police boats, set to be operational by 2025. &nbsp, &nbsp,

There is the ability for business collaboration, which could lead to a mutually beneficial joint venture to construct UUVs or USVs. The Quad countries have a significant opportunity to collaborate with Hanoi by cooperating with the security industry to develop autonomous maritime systems. This can include developing or upgrading command-and-control facilities to ensure smooth procedure and coordination.

Also, supporting Vietnam in building a home autonomous maritime systems industry, possibly through technology transfers and specific human resource training, could foster greater autonomy and capability in Vietnam’s defense sector.

While the possible rewards of autonomous systems are obvious, they are not without problems. To minimize over-reliance on any one partner, Vietnam’s approach to protection partnerships is balanced properly. Vietnam wants to engage with the Quad while maximizing the benefits of teamwork while ensuring its non-alignment policy is maintained.

Although autonomous systems are more cost-effective than guarded options, acquiring and maintaining these also entails substantial investment. Vietnam may need to look into borrowing choices with the aid of the Quad countries. More issues arise due to Vietnam’s lack of a complete legal and regulatory framework for the development and deployment of autonomous systems. The Quad and Vietnam may benefit greatly from the partnership in autonomous sea systems.

In summary, Vietnam’s maritime safety is a statement for regional security and economic prosperity. Robotic maritime systems will give VPA a significant advantage as maritime threats become more complex. The Quad has a significant potential given its shared technical skills and corporate involvement in a free and open Indo-Pacific. By focusing on technology transfer, education, infrastructure support, and mutual exercises, the Quad does help create Vietnam’s capacity to defend its waters.

Vietnam is a natural partner for the Quad even though it maintains a non-aligned stance, but its support for a rule-based order and its reliance on international law to protect its maritime interests make it a natural choice. Therefore, strengthening Vietnam’s maritime capabilities will greatly improve regional security and underline the Quad’s commitment to upholding the shared interests of Southeast Asian nations.

Prakash Panneerselvam, PhD, &nbsp, ( prakash. p@nias .res. in ) &nbsp, is a Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Partnership ( JFIPP ) research fellow and an assistant professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies ( NIAS ), Bengaluru.

Van T. Pham, Dr. rer. nat, &nbsp, ( [email protected] ) is founding director of&nbsp, &nbsp, the South China Sea Chronicle Initiative in Vietnam.

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Can new missiles save LCS, US Navy’s most controversial warship? – Asia Times

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Fresh missile systems boost the US Navy’s troubled Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) agency’s power, but questions remain about whether enhancements can unlock its costly, troubled reputation.

During the Naval Institute’s Defense Forum in Washington, DC, US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro made significant improvements to the LCS ship.

The enhancements include the installation of the Mk 70 Payload Delivery System ( PDS ) and containerized Mk 41 vertical launching systems, enabling the LCS to launch larger missiles like the SM-6 and Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, according to USNI News. The report says these modifications aim to boost the LC S’s coastal strike features, addressing earlier criticisms of the -class’s restricted power.

The report says the Freedom-class USS Beloit (LCS-29 ) and USS Nantucket (LCS-27 ) are among the first to receive these systems. It is noted that during its most recent licensing, the USS Nantucket displayed the Mk 70 PDS.

USNI News mentions the program is part of the Over-the-Horizon Weapons System update, which seeks to enhance the US Navy’s operating freedom and technical advantages, especially in the Indo-Pacific area.

Del Toro emphasized the strategic significance of these modifications, noting that they have the potential to significantly improve US marine skills around the world, including in the Persian Gulf and the Pacific. According to the document, this action is in line with the US Navy’s continued efforts to modernize its ships and keep its advantage over rivals.

The LCS was designed to target the US Navy’s “green waters” potential space, reflecting a shift in marine design philosophy from mission-specific ships to a multi-function platform. However, the program has a troubled history, marred by multiple issues since the first vessel, USS Freedom (LCS-1 ), was commissioned in 2008.

In a November 2024 article for The National Interest ( TNI), Christian Orr mentions that the LCS program has faced significant criticism due to high costs, maintenance dependencies, and limited survivability.

Orr says that early models, such as the USS Freedom (LCS-1 ) and USS Independence (LCS-2 ), have been decommissioned despite their intended 25-year service lives. He states the LCS has been plagued by engine system problems, contractor-dependent preservation, and trouble swapping vision combinations.

He mentions that LCS reviewers claim the boats are ineffective and underarmed. According to him, the originally planned ships of 55 LCSs was reduced to 35, reflecting the agency’s problems.

Due to these problems, the LCS software has been called for to be discontinued. Anthony Carrillo claims that because of its many shortcomings and higher costs, it should be abandoned in an April 2023 Proceedings content.

Carrillo points out that despite over a century of creation, the LCS has failed to meet aspirations, with earlier models like the USS Freedom and USS Independence being decommissioned after only 13 and 11 years of service, both.

He argues that the ships have been plagued by propulsion system failures, high maintenance costs, and minimal endurance, mainly due to their metal hulls, which are prone to cracking and deterioration. He points out that the LC S’s operational range is also restricted, requiring frequent refueling, which hampers its ability to conduct missions effectively.

Additionally, Carrillo says the program’s high costs, estimated at over USD 60 billion for 35 ships and 44 mission modules, do not justify its limited capabilities.

Further, he states that the US Navy’s decision to retain only 21 of the 35 planned ships further underscores the program’s failure.

Given these problems, Carrillo believes that the LCS program drains resources because its ships are better suited to cannibalize other naval assets. He contends that the US Navy should concentrate on more affordable and capable platforms like the Constellation-class frigates to meet its operational requirements.

In an August 2024 Proceedings article, Pete Pagano claims that the LCS program’s concept warrants reconsideration because it has the potential to play important roles in contemporary naval warfare despite its initial flaws.

Pagano acknowledges the program’s rough beginning, but he claims recent improvements in mission and propulsion show promise. He mentions that the propulsion issues with the Freedom variant, as well as the validation of the mission packages for surface warfare and mine countermeasures, have been addressed.

Pagano mentions that advancements in over-the-horizon antiship missiles and Hellfire Longbows have shown otherwise despite criticisms that the LCS cannot contribute to high-end combat.

Additionally, he claims that the LC S’s large flight decks and mission bays make it suitable for supporting US Marine Corps missions and amphibious operations. He also mentions that the LCS can act as fleet scouts by deploying manned and unmanned aerial systems to quickly position and engage enemy forces.

With the right enhancements, Pagano says the LCS can become a valuable asset in the US Navy’s fleet, capable of executing various missions in diverse operational environments.

While the Constellation-class frigates were developed in response to the LCS program’s earlier failures and a capability gap brought by the retirement of the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, the Constellation-class program has its challenges.

Robert Farley mentions that the program has had significant difficulties despite the Constellation class ‘ promise of advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities and a multi-role platform with 32 vertical launching system (VLS ) cells and modern sensors in a 1945 article this month.

Farley points out that the cost of adapting the European FREMM frigate design to the US Constellation class increased from USD 800 million to USD 1.3 billion, with construction delays and workforce issues made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He states that the first ship’s delivery has been pushed to 2029, raising concerns about speed, affordability, and scalability.

Farley adds that the ship’s weight may have increased as a result of the concurrent construction and design process, which could lower its speed below 25 knots and complicate upcoming modifications. Further, he says Marinette Shipyard, the Constellation class’s builder, has workforce problems that have delayed the program, creating a capability gap as the US Navy retires Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The push to repurpose the LCS may follow the same lines of effort with its problematic Zumwalt-class destroyers, with the US Navy trying to justify a sunk-cost fallacy.

Perhaps the saving grace of trying to revive the LCS would be having the US have more hulls to match China’s People’s Liberation Army – Navy ( PLAN), which is currently the largest navy in the world in terms of hull numbers, in order to increase its hull numbers.

Asia Times has previously noted that historical evidence indicates that the larger fleet side typically prevails in naval conflicts and that sheer numbers frequently triumph over short-lived technological advantages.

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Proposed Honda-Nissan merger could change auto industry landscape – Asia Times

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Honda and Nissan are expected to begin negotiations on a consolidation next year, which will mark a turning point for the Japanese automobile industry. The two organizations, both of which have been overtaken by BYD and which, combined, buy fewer than three-quarters as some vehicles as Toyota, wish to step a healing by combining their technologies and achieving greater economies of scale.

However, the strategy appears to be a tribute to Japan Inc’s reduction of twilight business in the past and a knee-jerk nationalist response to Foxconn’s desire to acquire a stake in Nissan, or even to take over it. Foxconn is the global manufacturer of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry.

The investment market’s decision came quickly and clearly. The proposed merger was headline news on the morning of Wednesday, December 18, by the time the market closed, Honda’s stock price was down 3 %, while Nissan’s was up 24 %. Put into words, this is a loan: a fortune for Nissan, terrible news for Honda’s owners. The stock price of Renault, which owns 17.0 % of Nissan directly and 18.7 % through a trust, was up 5 %. Hon Hai’s was down 1 %.

Toyota, Tesla, and BYD have all fallen way behind Honda and Nissan, both of whom were market leaders in the past, in the market for electric and hybrid vehicles. According to information for the three weeks to September, BYD is the sixth-largest manufacturer in terms of vehicle sales, trailing only Honda and Ford. Perhaps even more humiliating, Chinese automaker Geely ( which owns Volvo ) overtook Nissan to rank ninth.

Of program, the consolidation is pitched as forth looking. The two businesses will discuss a merger, according to NikkeiAsia, the English-language type of Japan’s major business regularly,” to better engage against Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers in a rapidly changing automotive industry.” According to The Financial Times, Nikkei owns the two businesses, “are in exploratory discussions about a merger of the two carmakers that would create a$ 52 billion Japanese behemoth.”

However, the Japanese language Nikkei’s title for Thursday morning read,” Hon Hai order, sense of problems.” Honda, which had begun discussing a” proper relationship” with Nissan next March, said it would withdraw if Nissan tied up with Hon Hai.

Hon Hai is expanding its electric car company, adding pressure to Honda and Nissan. In 2020, it established the Freedom in Harmony ( MIH) Consortium in hopes of becoming the “android structure of the Vehicle business” and” creating a’ software-defined’ available ecosystem for the Vehicle manufacturing business”. Additionally, Hon Hai and Taiwanese manufacturer Yulon work together to create electronic vehicles under their own design.

The MIH Consortium, which develops guide patterns and open requirements, now has more than 2, 700 people, including more than 100 in Japan. Jun Seki, the CEO of Dongfeng Nissan ( Nissan’s joint venture with Dongfeng Motor in China ), the CEO of Japanese automaker Nidec, and most recently, the CEO of Hon Hai’s electric vehicle operations, is the head of the company.

Seki apparently sees possible synergies with Nissan, which launched its founding electric car, the Nissan LEAF, in 2010, and is said to be interested in acquiring Renault’s communicate of Nissan.

Renault has been backing away from its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors, while Honda and Nissan are considering bringing Mitsubishi Motors into a novel, all-Japanese, three-way ally. After cutting back on the production of gasoline-powered cars, this alliance would be no more than 80 % the size of Toyota today, but probably no more than 70 % as large. Despite this, it may conceivably be comparable to the size of the Hyundai Motor Group, which presently leads Toyota and Volkswagen in terms of size.

Note that only three of the world’s top 10 automakers reported year-on-year unit sales increases in the three months to September 2024: BYD ( 38 % ), Geely ( 20 % ) and Ford ( 1 % ). The others reported single-digit declines, except for GM (-13 % ) and Honda (-12 % ). On current trends, BYD perhaps soon beat GM and Stellantis, while Geely catches up with Honda.

Asia Times Chart. Data from motor1.com

Nissan’s overall product sales decreased by only 3 % in the previous quarter, but both sales and prices dropped in China. As a result, the bank’s online income dropped by more than 90 % in the first quarter of this fiscal year, which ends in March 2025. Honda’s online profit was over 20 % in the same time, for the same purpose.

Honda also needs a self-driving car alternative after failing to work with GM on its Cruise robotaxi next week, leaving Honda in the dark. Cruise and GM had a lot in mind when they were planning to visit Tokyo in 2026.

The solution may already be in the works. At the beginning of August, Honda and Nissan announced plans to do joint study into next-generation software-defined cars, autonomous driving and AI, as well as chargers, power paying, and electric car engine and transmission systems (e-axles ). With time, this could lead to self-driving taxis.

Honda intends to follow Toyota and BYD into the passenger car market, where they are already the most popular brand.

Although it is easy to be cynical about these developments, we need to remember that Toyota’s commitment to hybrid vehicles was criticized for years by those who believed pure electric, battery-powered vehicles were the future’s car of the future. They were wrong, and those who are skeptical of the Honda-Nissan merger may also be mistaken. But fighting back against Toyota, Hyundai, BYD, Geely and other aggressive competitors won’t be easy.

Follow this writer on&nbsp, X: @ScottFo83517667

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Will the federal deficit be Trump’s nemesis? – Asia Times

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This research appeared earlier this week in the Asia Times ‘ International Risk-Reward Monitor, a regular examination of market forces.

Given our current position of information about the new government’s intentions, we foresee a steadily deteriorating socioeconomic environment in 2025 with continual high interest rates, higher than expected inflation, and weaker than expected earnings.

The Biden Administration bequeathed Donald Trump the largest-ever federal deficit ( at 6.1 % &nbsp, of GDP ) in an economic expansion. &nbsp, The president-elect wants to renew&nbsp, his 2018 corporate tax cut at an estimated cost of$ 400 billion per year, &nbsp, and&nbsp, eliminate taxes on Social Security income at a cost of about$ 150 billion per year. &nbsp, That would raise the federal deficit, now at$ 1.7 trillion, by about a quarter, minus possible revenues from additional tariffs ( which now bring in about$ 80 billion a year in revenue ), and whatever cost savings&nbsp, his team can obtain from spending reductions.

What didn’t go on forever didn’t, according to Okun’s Rules, and the United States doesn’t continue to run up the federal deficit continuously. But it has a price to pay to continue doing so for the near future. America doesn’t encounter a” Liz Truss time” ,&nbsp, as Swiss Re economist&nbsp, Jerome Jean Haegeli&nbsp, told the Wall Street Journal&nbsp, November 21, referring to&nbsp, the blowup of the UK tie business in October 2022 after the short-tenured prime minister proposed deep tax cuts. &nbsp, For the time being, the US can fund the Treasury’s saving need with&nbsp, local resources. However, that comes at a high price, and it’s possible that financial pressure may become stronger in 2025.

Unlike the aftereffects of the 2008 World Financial Crisis, when foreign central banks financed the boom in Treasury loans, US regional economic institutions&nbsp, absorbed the bulk of post-Covid Treasury financing, with some help from international personal investors and US homes. The presence of financial institutions in Treasury funding is more clearly visible graphically in terms of levels.

Lenders can continue to get Treasuries, but only if interest rates remain high. According to McKinsey, return on equity for large parts of the finance sector would be lower than the institutions ‘ individual cost of capital without the rise in interest rates of the previous two years. The supply on medium-term Treasuries is approximately equivalent to the bank’s loans from the central bank, which means that the deficit cannot be funded by the legendary printing press. Deposits, while, cost much less than borrowed money, and the Biden Administration’s massive governmental increase of 2019-2020 unleashed a flood of payments into the banking system. Payments rose much faster than institutions ‘ loans and leases, and were channeled into Treasuries.

That began a period in motion. Federal subsidies caused the gap to balloon, but a sizable percentage of those subsidies were reinvested back into the Treasury securities that provided the deficit. The grants unleashed prices, and the Federal Reserve&nbsp, raised interest rates, making Treasuries appealing for businesses. &nbsp, Higher interest rates&nbsp, doubled the cost of servicing the federal debt, to$ 1 trillion last year from$ 500 million in 2020.

In short, the rising of Treasuries on banks balance sheets, the higher price setting, the higher deficit expected to doubled interest payments, and higher inflation are all facets of the same problem.

What could go bad?

For one thing, a year ago, the surge in payments that made it possible for banks to purchase Treasuries with inexpensive customer money stopped. Lenders will have to make a higher yield than they already receive for immediately money from the Federal Reserve in order to continue funding the deficit. The secured over funding rate is currently higher than the supply of five-year Treasuries.

Businesses can use inexpensive reserves to finance buying of Treasury securities, but no expensive borrowings from the central bank. As we see in the chart above, &nbsp, the year-on-year shift in business businesses assets of US Treasury and Agency stocks tracks the year-on-year shift in payments.

Lenders will only be able to continue funding the Treasury gap once the spread between the central bank’s cost of funds and the produce on Treasury securities has dried up. One chance, of course, is that the main institution could provide cheaper revenue to the banks. That would in effect allow the printing press to fund the Treasury deficit, which is a badly inflationary move. Fed head Jerome Powell didn’t do this.

Another possibility is that medium-term Treasury yields need to climb. Rising long-term curiosity rates, though, may reduce if not eradicate economic growth.

Furthermore, US households may stop consuming and purchase a lot more government securities. &nbsp, American families save only 4.4 % of their disposable income, or about$ 1 trillion a year. If homeowners doubled that to$ 2 trillion a month, they could fund the gap by themselves. However, a rapid decline in use may lead to a recession, lower taxes revenues, and a bigger deficit.

Accidents are often feasible – for example, a big problem in the multi-trillion industry for short-term funding of government securities. As the Federal Reserve shrank its portfolio holdings of Treasuries, the illiquidity of the Treasury market ( as measured by the bid-asked spreads of off-the-run Treasuries ) worsened.

However, it’s unlikely that a liquidity seize-up would cause any long-term harm. Central banks have a way to react to these kinds of situations; they simply purchase whatever is available until the market drops.

The consequence of the expansion of US debt, high inflation, high Treasury rates and high debt service costs is likely to be gradual – a headwind, not a cyclone. &nbsp, This will hit US consumers the hardest.

US consumers borrowed money from credit markets to maintain their level of consumption after the Biden subsidies expired in response to high ( and significantly higher than expected ) inflation. Credit card debt increased significantly, while the interest rate on revolving credit increased from 14 % to 22 %. Revolving credit’s total interest payments increased from$ 100 billion to$ 250 billion last year.

The tax cuts that Trump’s team has &nbsp, discussed don’t have supply-side effects. Extending the old corporate tax cut doesn’t change incentives to invest, and removing taxation of Social Security benefits won’t bring more 70-year-old into the workforce. &nbsp, Tariffs cannot help but increase prices, both for consumers and for production inputs. Higher tariffs on imported capital goods will likely lead to a lower investment because the US currently imports more capital goods domestically than it produces.

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Will the federal deficit be Trump’s nemesis? – Asia Times

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Subscribe right away and get the first year for only$ 99. With a one-month trial for only$ 1, you can sign up for the exclusive rate of$ 99.

Does the federal deficit been Trump’s nemesis?

David Goldman discusses the financial issues facing the incoming Trump administration, forecasting a deteriorating culture in 2025 marked by persistent high interest rates, inflation, and weaker revenue – challenges that will weigh heavily on US homes.

Germany’s governmental panic risks euro stability

Diego Faßnacht examines Germany’s possible transition away from tight fiscal control as the CDU/CSU partnership announces plans to lower the constitutional debt cap to fund tax cuts and fiscal reforms, evoking a new era of higher loan and looser economic policy.

Kiev mulls a” Christmas unpleasant” as Russia increases ground

James Davis reports that Ukraine’s status is deteriorating amid dwindling recruits, lower motivation, and strained tools. President Zelensky presumably ordered troops to hold jobs at all costs until Trump’s opening, hoping to keep negotiations leverage.

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Calling inequality unnatural, Thomas Piketty shows a way forward – Asia Times

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Book Review: Nature, Culture, and Inequality by Thomas Piketty, translated by Willard Wood ( Scribe )

Thomas Piketty’s Character, Society, and Inequality is a little guide that lists an issue of great value: Is the social injustice we observe every day normal?

Drawing on traditional economic data from all over the world, Piketty identifies a trend toward greater political and socioeconomic justice from the late 18th centuries. From 1914 to 1980, this was especially evident in Western nations. Since then, that craze has slowed significantly.

Piketty explains that injustice manifests in various ways in different cultures, as well as in various ways in the same societies throughout history. Disparity, he says, has “followed dramatically different trajectories – social, economic, cultural, civilizational, and religious”.

This shows us that people culture is more adjustable, and therefore more pliable, than some have assumed. ” It is society in the broadest feel”, he argues,” and more particularly political participation” that “provides an argument for the variety, education, and structure of the social inequalities we observe”.

There is no justification for us to maintain the 20th century episode of growth toward greater fairness in the present. In truth, without significantly addressing injustice, Piketty argues, we may wish to properly address the climate crisis.

Piketty is the co-director of the World Inequality Lab and a professor at the Paris School of Economics and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales ( EHESS). He is best known for his landmark 2013 book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, which became a bestseller and sparked a global conversation about capitalism, injustice, and tax policy.

Piketty argued using historical data and statistics that if the return on capital exceeds the economy’s growth rate, it follows that riches will become more and more focused. This, in turn, leads to disturbing rises in inequality, which are not only harsh but undermine democratic and normative values, trust in institutions and social cohesion.

Piketty’s new guide is designed to make his thought accessible to a wider audience. It is based on his book A Brief History of Equality ( 2021 ) and his lecture on inequality from the World Inequality Database in 2022.

Verbal in tone, and accompanied by attractive colour charts, the text moves rapidly through topics including income and wealth disparity, gender inequality, the rise of the welfare state, education spending, progressive taxation of income and inheritance, the collapse of imperial assets, public debt crises and the climate crisis.

Piketty presents what he believes to be the key to a more simply and lasting world by dissing some of his key insights about the evolution of income and wealth disparity throughout history.

Income and wealth disparity

When it comes to income ( who earns what ), the bottom 50 % of earners receive 5-6 % percent of total income in the most inegalitarian countries ( e. g. South Africa ). In more egalitarian countries ( e. g. those in northern Europe ), the bottom 50 % earn 20-25 % of total income.

The distribution of wealth ( who owns what ) is even less equal. In any nation on earth, the poorest 50 % do not own more than 5 % of the world’s total wealth.

Even though they have been significant, the main issues with reducing disparity in the 20th century were the distribution of income. ” When it comes to the transmission of wealth”, Piketty argues,” things have changed quite much”.

As he points out, the “great redistribution” of property in his native France, largely between 1914 and 1980, had” a significant impact on reducing disparity between the richest 10 % and the next 40 %”, via the emergence of a “property-owning middle class”. Despite this significant development,” the poorest 50 % have hardly ever benefited from the transfer of property in the last two decades.”

Piketty argues that, like the 20th century action towards greater justice, new styles of increasing injustice are not obvious. Nor are they explainable in terms of “personal talent, native endowment or natural temperament”.

The notion that “great disparities are somehow’natural’ because ability or entrepreneurialism is unevenly distributed across individuals ( or countries, or ethnic groups ) is frequently “used to argue that efforts to reduce inequality will either be ineffective or reduce growth and prosperity, or both,” as journalist Jonathan Portes once remarked.

This claim is not supported by the historical data, says Piketty. He refutes the notion that “very large inequalities are the inevitable outcome of a well-functioning market economy,” which predominates in much contemporary economic thought and policy discussion. The key to understanding reductions in inequality, he argues, is that they are directly related to a country’s political culture and institutions. They are primarily a result of the historical function of collective political mobilization to influence change.

What works: Sweden vs. the United States

Sweden in the 20th century, Piketty writes, is an example of the power of political organization, social struggle and” the ability to build new institutional outcomes”.

Until around 1920, Sweden, like other European countries, was “extremely inegalitarian”. Its political system was elitist. Only the richest 20 % of men could vote. Votes were distributed based on individual wealth: the more votes you could cast, the wealthier you were.

The Social Democratic Party and the trade unions then “put the state capacity of Sweden in the service of a different political project” through” collective mobilization.” Instead of “using the records that had made it possible to allocate the right to vote,” they instead used them to “impose a progressive tax, with the aim of funding access to education and healthcare.”

The Swedish example, according to Piketty, is instructive on a number of fronts, according to Piketty. Firstly, it shows that” a country is never inegalitarian or egalitarian by nature”. That “depends on the government’s power and goal.” Secondly, Sweden’s social democratic policies led to it becoming both one of the most equal societies in the world, as well as one of the richest.

The United States makes an interesting comparison. In recent history, the wealth of its middle class has been shrinking. Having at one point reached wealth distribution patterns similar to Europe’s, it is now headed in the direction of” Europe’s pre-World War I levels”.

Between 1932 and 1980, inequality decreased in the United States. The nation’s prosperity and rising income levels were present during that time, which” stifled neither economic growth nor innovation.” The totemic Reagan-era reduction of high tax rates in the 1980s failed to deliver on its promises to its backers. Economic growth in the United States in the period 1990-2020 was half what it was in 1950-1990. Inequality accelerated.

Addressing inequality

Despite how imperfect the process has been, the welfare state’s creation was the most crucial factor in addressing inequality in the 20th century. Progressive taxation was used to fund increased spending on healthcare, pensions, housing, infrastructure and education. According to Piketty, the roughly tenfold rise in public spending over the past century was a significant contributor to promoting individual freedom, reducing inequality, and raising productivity and living standards.

The question of what might represent “acceptable levels” of income disparity, according to Piketty, is” clearly a question that a democratic process and public deliberation should deicide”. However, he suggests a ratio of 1 to 3 or 1 to 10 between the richest and the poorest. These levels can accommodate diversity of aspirations, while maintaining the incentives “necessary for social and economic organization”. Nothing, economically or socially, justifies ratios of 1 to 50 or 1 to 100.

Low tax rates and astronomical corporate incomes were not a key component of the United States ‘ historical advantage over its competitors in terms of productivity, especially in the industrial sector. It was its lead in education. The “near-universal” access to secondary education the United States achieved in the 1950s was not realised in Germany, France and Japan until the 1980s and 1990s.

Since then, despite the significant expansion of access to tertiary education, with its acknowledged advantages, spending on education across Western countries has stagnated.

Inequality and the climate crisis

Returning to the “nature” theme at the conclusion of his book, Piketty argues that understanding inequality makes it easier for us to comprehend the problem of climate change and what we need to do in response. He succinctly summarizes his main point in an interview with Manuela Andreoni, a reporter for the New York Times:

If we don’t address our inequality challenge at the same time, there’s no way we can preserve… planetary habitability in the long run.

This is a result of the Global North’s comparatively high carbon emissions in comparison to those of the Global South. However, it is also a result of global carbon emission disparities, particularly the large carbon footprints of the wealthiest 10 %.

According to Piketty,” It is obvious that we’re going to have to change our production and consumption regime throughout the world.” This will need to be society-wide, but with particular focus on the rich and the middle class:

If you don’t demand a lot more effort from the people at the top, there is simply no way for the middle-class and lower-income groups to accept the kind of transformation that is needed.

According to Piketty, the climate crisis “may result in a greater demand for equality than we’ve recently seen.” In the 20th century, many countries achieved the expansion of access to health care and education – and,” to a lesser extent, transport, housing and energy” – by taking these parts of the economy out of market frameworks and viewing each of them as a public good.

” A similar shift”, he suggests,” could help the world curb climate change and stop biodiversity loss”. Piketty responds to Andreoni’s question about sceptical and cynical responses to a proposal like this:

that’s what we did for education and health. We recently decided that learning about this and that was important for all children at the ages of 6 and 10, 15, and then 18, respectively. And we didn’t let the market system decide this. And now, no one wants to return to the previous circumstance.

At Deakin University, Christopher Pollard is a sessional academic in sociology and philosophy.

The Conversation has republished this article under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Bitter Erdogan-Natanyanu rivalry is emerging over Syria’s future – Asia Times

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The Middle East has a new entry for political contest with the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government in Syria.

Israel and Turkey see an opportunity to improve their opposing national and regional security interests, though Iran and Russia don’t currently have the most significant influence in Syria.

Relations between the two nations have deteriorated significantly in recent years under their individual officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoan. This sets the stage for a bloody battle over Syria.

A fresh conflict is emerging

Turkey is commonly reported to have supported the Sunni rebel group’s offensive to expel Assad from energy, backing up Syria’s standard friends, Iran and Russia.

Tehran has intimated that without Turkey’s support, Units would have been unable to reach its burning invasion.

Today, with Assad gone, Erdoğan is believed to be positioning himself as de facto leader of the Sunni Muslim world. Additionally, he wants Turkey to be a regional power with the most power.

According to Erdoan, some Arab cities, including Aleppo and Damascus, would have likely been included in contemporary Turkey if the Ottoman Empire had been divided in a different way following its battle in the First World War.

After Assad’s drop, Turkey immediately reopened its ambassador in Damascus and offered assistance to Units in creating the nation’s fresh Islamist order.

As part of this, Erdoğan has opposed any agreement by Units to the US-backed Kurdish majority in Syria’s east, which he regards as followers of the Kurdish separatists in Turkey.

In the meantime, Israel has used the power pump in Syria to expand its regional and stability goals. It has launched a land invasion into the Arab portion of the corporate Golan Heights and carried out a huge bombardment of Syria’s martial installations throughout the nation.

The destruction of these goods, which included weapons depots, fighter jet, missiles, and chemical weapons storage facilities, was necessary, according to Israel’s foreign secretary, to prevent them from being accessed by “extremists” who might present a threat to the Jewish state.

Turkey views Israel’s subsequent actions in Syria and the dominated Golan Heights as a property get. Israel’s activities have also been denounced by Muslim states, who demand Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity been respected.

Israel is undoubtedly concerned about the rise of an Islamist party to power and the formation of a jihadist position in Syria.

Despite the fact that HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa ( also known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani ) has indicated that he does not want to fight Israel, this is despite the fact that the latter is known as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Additionally, he has pledged never to permit any organizations to launch attacks on Israel in Syria.

In addition, al-Sharaa has demanded that Israel be removed from Arab country in accordance with a 1974 agreement that came into effect after the Yom Kippur war of 1973.

Terrible enemy

Erdoğan, Turkey’s average Islamist president, has long been a follower of the Palestinian cause and a fierce critic of Israel. Since the start of the Gaza battle, however, tensions between the two sides have gotten substantially worse.

Erdoğan has called for an Arab-Islamic before to prevent what he’s called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza. He has also criticized Israel’s earlier this year war of Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has lashed out at Erdoğan over the years. He has called him a” prank” and “dictator” whose prison are full journalists and political prisoners. He has even accused Erdoğan of committing a “genocide” of the Kurdish citizens.

Washington, which is associated with both Turkey and Israel, has intensified its political support to make sure that Proteomics steers Syria in the right direction. It is eager to see a post-Assad system of governance aligned with America’s objectives.

These goals include HTS’s support for America’s Kurdish friends in north Syria and the ongoing existence of 1, 000 American forces there. Additionally, the US wants Units to keep preventing the Islamic State from regaining power.

The US will also have to deal with Syria’s growing political conflict between Israel and Turkey.

Despite some spectators ‘ doubts, there is the possibility of an Israeli-Turkish military conflict if Israel revers its protracted activity of the demilitarized area on the Arab part of the Golan Heights into a permanent consolidation.

This does not mean there will be a battle between them soon. However, their competing goals and the depth of shared hostility have undoubtedly reached a new stage.

Iran’s loss may be expensive

For Iran, Assad’s resignation means the loss of a vital ally in its mostly Shia” shaft of weight” against Israel and the United States.

Over the past 45 years, the Iranian government had worked diligently to develop this system as a basic component of its national and international security. Since the popular uprising against Assad started in 2011, it had supported Assad’s minority Alawite dictatorship over Syria’s Sunni majority population at a cost of about US$ 30 billion ( A$ 47 billion ).

And now that Assad has left, Iran is deposed of a crucial land and air link with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, one of its main proxy.

Tehran is currently perplexed by the sudden demise of the Assad regime about the wisdom of its local strategy and whether it will play a major role in the new Syria. This seems unlikely, as al-Sharaa ( the leader of HTS ) has declared his disdain for both Iran and Hezbollah.

Al-Sharaa has prioritized Syria’s restoration and national unity over a fight with Israel, Iran’s bridge enemy, over the creation of a publicly mandated Islamic government. This will undoubtedly cause conflict with Iran’s moderates and secularists.

Only time will tell how all of this may turn out. At this stage, the future of Syria and the area hangs in the balance. Much of this will depend on Units officials ‘ efforts to connect a Balkanized Syria and establish an all-inclusive social system.

At Australian National University, Professor Amin Saikal is emeritus professor of Middle Eastern and Central Eastern reports.

This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original content.

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