Asia-Pacific, the Next Battleground?

By Erick San Juan

If this happen, people will be repeating history that has caused millions of lives in the past. We are talking here of the centenary of the First World War and in the same period a hundred years ago when the brewing regional conflict has started and dragged the rest of the world into a world war and after which laid the foundations for the Second World War.

At present there are several flashpoints that can trigger a conflict in this region and like before, two superpowers are involved here that has established their ‘clout’ either economically or militarily (or both). Virtual alliances are formed and if ever a conflict will start, such alliances will surface and then another war begins.

In our past article (can be seen @ericksanjuan.blogspot.com), we cited the brewing conflict between China and Vietnam over the disputed area being claimed by Vietnam in which China (also as claimant) has started its oil exploration. And now, with Japan over the disputed islands of Senkaku (in Japanese) and Diaoyu (in Chinese).

This tension between China and Japan intensifies as the United States showed its support for Japan, an ally which in fact, as stated by some pundits believe that US is using Tokyo as strategic tool to put pressure on Beijing. Actually, like any other ally in the region, US and Japan have this Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security that they will jointly help each other in times of aggression from an outside enemy.

Sounds familiar?

Yes, same holds true in the Philippines with our Mutual Defense Treaty with the US and its offspring – the Visiting Forces Agreement, any misunderstanding with China will surely intensify because of our relationship with Uncle Sam. And how Uncle Sam is using this territorial dispute to contain China, or worse to provoke China into a war via a witting pawn like our country.

Through such military agreements, nations like ours are forced to ride the arms race bandwagon, without thinking that we are also using our precious resources that will dig our own grave. Remember – everything is for sale in the US and we will never be treated equally as an ally, we will always be an inferior ally and a willing slave to a perceived master, allowing to be shortchanged in the process.

When are we going to wake up and assert our right as an equal partner? Sadly, this can only happen if we will have a true Filipino ideology and unite.

Political – Economic – Strategic Crisis

A few days ago, three prominent analysts discussed the issue over Press TV (http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/01/10/282827/uk-empire-after-war-with-russia-china/) and one of them, from Executive Intelligence Review (EIR) Mike Billington. He sounded the alarm (like what we have been warning since the middle of 2012) that any day now, or maybe weeks, an impending war is in the offing.

“This could be literally any day or any week if these wars are kicked off through an attack on Syria or Iran or perhaps, even to start in Asia as it has [had] in the past.” (Mike Billington)

The Sino-Japanese dispute is just one of the other brewing clashes in the region, specifically in the South China Sea where the Philippines is also one of the claimants trapped in the web of economic and geopolitical turmoil.

Just like what was pointed out by the analysts over Press TV, the situation in the Asian region, may it be in the Middle East or in the Pacific region, is like a ticking bomb, a time bomb that was planted by some evil genius in the US via the military-industrial complex.

The timer was already set through the arms race, translation – countries are in their buying spree mode of war materiel in spite of economic hardships and the global economic downturn. And like what we have been saying so many times now, that how the military-industrial complex is cashing-in hard-earned money from developing countries just to protect their sovereignty against an imagined aggressor.

There is now a race against time, when humanity is faced with the reality of an impending war. Any miscalculation or plain stupidity could light the bomb that will explode into a global war.

Scary indeed!