Ever’body claiming ever’thing
If you thought the world map has changed, you’re not wrong. Heck, when I was young(er) there were 122 nations in the UN, as I recall. Now the count is over 200 and probably destined to climb further. Plus, now some (mainly the despots) want to extend the territories under their control further.
We already know about China – they decided international law doesn’t count and that their naval boundaries go – well, wherever they want them to. They have clashed with the Philippines recently, Vietnam – pretty much with whomever they share a water border. I seem to recall a dandy novel by Dale Brown in which war breaks out over Taiwan and the Chinese invade the Spratly Islands triggering the Philippines, too, which gets us involved in a big way.
Then there was the pronouncement (mentioned here, too, in October) that Iran wanted to put a claim on Antarctica. No historical precedent for that one, they seem to want to jack with everyone, especially the twelve nations who signed the circa-1060 treaties that say the continent should only be used for peaceful scientific purposes. I’m trying to envision someone with a good enough parka to withstand those polar storms and a burnoose. Just doesn’t compute. But according to “frontage” theory, any nation which has any shore looking at any slice of Antarctica would have a claim. Iran looks west of sue south onto a bit of the continent from 8000+ miles away. As one wag put it, do they want an Icelamic Republic?MSN
We won’t talk about long-standing 100 year claims like the UK and Argentina over the Falklands – they’re not called the Malvinas for a reason.
Fatty da Kim has officially abandoned any peaceful reconciliation with the ROKs in January. ‘Nuff said. BBC.
The one that is most fun is that Russia has claimed the North Pole – and the U.N. has endorsed it. Yeah, one more reason to love the UN.
The UN’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) last month released a 63-page document, which states that Russia has received approving recommendations for most of its claims to seabed rights in the central Arctic Ocean. This is approximately 1.7 million square kilometers of seabed, and the area claimed includes the North Pole. Russia claims ownership of the area on the basis that it is an extension of its continental shelf, as allowed for under international law.
The CLCS approval doesn’t mean that Russia now has uncontested ownership of the North Pole seabed: other arctic nations also have pending continental-shelf bids in. The North Pole is also claimed by Denmark (through its ownership of Greenland) and Canada, and other areas of the Russian claim are, or will be, contested by the USA (based on Alaska) and Norway. If these claims are also approved by the CLCS, the various nations would be expected to settle the borders by negotiation. The Telegraph
Negotiation – is that what they are doing in Crimea and Ukraine?
We have traditionally done show-of-forces exercises in the Arctic and our submarine fleet is far superior to the Russian Northern Fleet. Otherwise – it ain’t as pretty. They have 40 mostly modern icebreakers, we have 2 older ones. They have a large number of winter-trained ground forces, we rotate a few through training areas. For what it’s worth, their defense and armaments makers are on a war footing, we are using our stockpiles to supply Ukraine. Guess the easiest way to describe it – global warming has nothing to do with how that area can heat up in the near future.
Just thought I would brighten up the day…
Category: China, Iran, None, North Korea, Russia
I was sharpening my old saws and came up with; war is the last stage of a failed negotiation. That people are buying up land because they aren’t making any more of it.
China’s 9 dash line claims in the South China Sea are silly pants. In the past they were always unsupportable so nobody really paid attention. Now that China has a large Navy, even one that is untested, The situation can no longer be ignored.
China is in the midst of an economic real estate meltdown. They built all kinds of stuff that nobody wanted. Like the world’s largest shopping mall that nobody goes to. Millions of large housing units that nobody lives in, because nobody has a large family. All kinds of stuff.
Millions of small investors have lost everything because they don’t really understand how investing works. When they question it, or try to appeal to their government representatives, they get arrested or harassed by the government.
This is the tricky part. The Chinese government, is taking cues from the US Government. If you have a problem at home that you can’t fix, you create an external threat and have people focus on that instead. That is the step we are in now.
I thought the reason no one lives in any of the houses and apartments that China builds is because they don’t want to lower the price per unit, and since the government keeps the wage level artificially low no one can afford the apartments and houses. They are ensuring that capitalism does not work, by denying it!
Sooo…the way I read this is that anyone can lay claim to anything that one wants to. Cool! I hereby lay claim to the affections of OAM! Suck it up, Chip, your claim no longer has any basis. I also claim Dana, Jadzia, the contents of the Fort Knox Gold depository, the next King Ranch F450 off of the assembly line, and the right to disband the UN and throw them out of the US. I also claim the Title of FIRST Commentor on the vaunted TAH Friday Weekend Open Thread in future posts. No need to bow, a simple cortsey and kissing of the ring will suffice.
News flash for those with less than two (2) brain cells to rub together. The overthrow/destruction of these States United is the goal of most of the world. Buncha ungrateful ingrates. It will be the responsibility of the individual to protect themselves and their families from the coming storm.
Prepare
Do whatever your resources will allow.
“anyone can lay claim to anything that one wants to.”
Yep. In the real world, that’s how it works. And if you have a bigger gun/lawyer/politician in your pocket, you can make it stick.
So, what is it like being Emperor of France?
The excuse China uses is the “South China Sea” label on all maps. Too late to related it as the Southern Pacific Ocean.
You think that’s bad Just think of all The Chinese restaurants in the United States. They are next.
This seemed to be a good follow-up to Kingston Trio’s eloquent statement. As true today as it was then.
Haven’t heard that since high school
I was looking for this!! But I figured there’s only so many times you can google “‘everyone hates the jews’ song” before a red light goes off at the Hoover building.
Tyvm!
It took me a minute. First time I heard it, Mark Russell did it around ’79 or ’80. I had no clue it was a Tom Lehrer tune until today.
Check out Capitol Steps, a group who “put the mock in democracy.” Good stuff.
Stolen and shared. Have never heard it before today.
Love Tom Lehrer. I had all his albums and memorized all his songs. Some are a bit dated, like “MLF Lullaby”.
Drill Sergeant did – not- appreciate “it makes a fellow proud to be a soldier”.
Well, not officially. (Grin)
Speaking of music from that era, from their 1968 album “Booty Over Troubled Water”, i pre-zant:
Sounds like the early days of European exploration, when the Pope divided the world in two, this half for the Dutch, and that half for the Portagee.
I thought it was half for Spain and half for Portugal.
Indeed, sir–
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Tordesillas
On the off chance that someone is actually interested in that song—
https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-the-merry-minuet-by-the-kingston-trio/