ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

China is going to launch 10 satellites into space over the next three years to maintain non-stop surveillance over the disputed South China Sea, according to the Hainan Daily, citing Li Xiaoming of the Sanya Institute of Remote Sensing. The first three optical satellites are set to go into space in 2019. Three more optical satellites, two hyperspectral satellites and three synthetic aperture radar will follow them later. Yang Tianliang, director of the Sanyan Institute of Remote Sensing, says that the satellite network will play a vital role in the Maritime Silk Road project. China is consistently increasing its military capabilities in the South China Siea aiming to turn it into its own foothold for further expansion in Asia Pacific.

Written by  Tom Luongo ; Originally appeared at  tomluongo.me Iran is joining the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). By early next year, February by  this account , Iran will join the five founding members of the Union and open the door for Turkey to do so later in 2018. Between this and the end of the war in Syria, it’s not hard to declare the Brzezinski Doctrine of U.S.-led Central Asian chaos as gasping its last breaths. Iran finally joining the EAEU is a response to a number of factors, the most important of which is the continued belligerence by the U.S. Expanded economic sanctions on Iran and the EAEU’s leader Russia has created the need for greater coordination of economic and foreign policy objectives between them. And it is creating the new realities in the region that will reshape the word for the next hundred years. The Nuclear Gambit In the dying days of the Obama administration it looked like the goal was to placate Iran to stop its pivot towards Ru...

Written by  The Saker;  Originally appeared at  The Unz Review First, the bragging dummies Trump and Haley are still at it.  The want to force China to take action against the DPRK by threatening to take North Korea “into their hands” if China refuses to comply.   Haley said  “ But to be clear, China can do more, (…) and we’re putting as much pressure on them as we can. The last time they completely cut off the oil, North Korea came to the table. And so we’ve told China they’ve got to do more. If they don’t do more, we’re going to take it into our own hands and then we’ll start to deal with secondary sanctions .” First, let’s reset this scene in a kindergarten and replay it. Kid A has a fight with Kid B.  Kid A threatens to beat up Kid B.  Kid B then tells Kid A to go screw himself.  Kid A does nothing, but issues more threats.  Kid B keeps laughing.  And then Kid A comes up with a brilliant plan: he threatens Kid C...