Trump Does Asia

     President Trump, aka "The Donald", is traveling abroad this week on an extended trip to Asia.  He will visit Japan, where he's already played a round of golf  with Prime Minister Abe.  Then,, it's on to Korea where he will demonstrate US resolve in the face of threats in the region from North Korea.  From there he goes to China where he will meet with Premier Xi who just had his term extended another 5 years by the Central Committee.  They will discuss North Korea and international trade, especially in light of the failure to join the TransPacific Partnership agreement.
     After that, he will go to Vietnam for a conference that will include representatives of all east Asian countries, including Russya and its Vladimir Putin, Europe's bad boy disrupter.   What will all these talks bring home to Washington?  Nobody is will to speculate on the results.
         In Danang, Vietnam, where the meetings will take place, a clean up is in progress after two typhoons hit the coastal area in the last few weeks.  Like our own hurricane season, East Asia braces for its version of a season in September and October.  It's a recurring feature of climate in the region.  Some scientists call this period the winter monsoon season, as opposed to its more famous brethren, the Summer Monsoon which slams the Indian Subcontinent regularly in the northern summer.

Saudi King Stirs Up the Troops

      The King of the Saudis created quite a stir among his people.  He arrested or detained a significant number of the Royal family.  Many of those were accused of financial improprieties or outright criminal acts.  It seems that the long line of "princes" has gotten out of control.  New King Salmanhas decided it's time to rein in the family and  he used his supreme power as king to make it happen.
     The resulting furor has caused turmoil in world financial markets related to the price of oil and the value of Aramco, the national oil company of the Saudis.
      In an attempt to diversify its investments, the Saudi royal family(King Salman) has decided that the company should be taken public.  An IPO is imminent.  The price of oil per barrel has gone up to a two year high as a result.  The funds generated by the IPO will be used for investments at home-infrastructure, education, and job creation.  The population is tired of business as usual and is demanding more be done to help average citizens attain a modern society.
     At the same time, the Saudi government has called a recent attack from Yemen(a missile that was said to have been destroyed) an act of war by Iran, the  country which supports Houthi rebels in Yemen's civil war.  Iran denies any collaboration with the act.
    Stand by for more fireworks on the Peninsula.

Venezuela: End of the Line

     So, the Maduro government has run out of money and there's no more coming its way.  The government announced that it will not make its upcoming bond payments.  With inflation projected to run at 1000%, the future of the country looks grim, indeed.  The policies that Maduro put in place have bankrupted the country, forced millions to cash in what little they had to ward off starvation.  Crossing the border to find food is the new way of life for Venezuelans.  It is sad for those citizens who have no power, no hope, and no future.  The incompetence at the top levels of government is astounding, but very real.  As they desperately cling to power, they increasingly depend on fantasy to get through the day.   As we say in America, "Hope is not a strategy".  NObody has told Nicolas Maduro, the sad excuse of a leader.  The party in power owns him, and they are stuck with him.
Tis a sad day  for all of Venezuela and its people.
     Where is the O.A.S.?

Carles Puigdemont Flees Catalonia

    The regional president of Catalonia, the rebel politician, has fled Barcelona for another town.  he's in Brussels, Belgium, and not exactly in hiding.  But he won't return on his own, knowing that a cold jail cell awaits him.  8 of his co-conspirators are in jail w/o bail.   Eight of these rebels will soon answer to a court of law.  Mr. Puigdemont says he won't seek asylum.  Ha, ha , ha.  Watch this promise fade as the jail cell idea sinks in.   He'll be screaming for asylum in no time.
     Now the chickens have come home to roost.  All the bluster and political posturing will now bear fruit of another sort.  Defy federal law?  There are consequences, and they come with the force of the constitution.
     The EU wants to be a partner of Madrid, not a partner of a breakaway region that doesn't want to pay taxes.  Barcelona is starting to act like Greece, in general.  Hopefully, the majority of Catalans will continue to come out in support of Madrid, and not the diffident minority who feel they are in control by their independent spirit.  Wrong, again, as they were 3 years ago.

Stalin: A Biography Volume 2

     Historian Stephan Kotkin has published his second volume of a biography of mass murderer Josef Stalin.  This door stop comes in at over 1000 pages.  Not a light weight.  This section will cover the nightmare years of the 1930's, that era of terror that haunts the country to this day.
More later

WTO Looks At China

     US trade representatives have asked the World Trade Organization to look more closely at the trade tactics being used by China to skirt the rules of international trade agreed upon by signotors of the agreement.  China was admitted to the WTO in 2001, and since then has found ways to thwart efforts by other members to trade with China.  Whereas Chinese goods and services have found their way across the globe, few countries have been able to crack the Chinese market.  At every opportunity, Chinese trade rules and representatives have prohibited entry by foreign companies, thereby restricting trade and allowing state-owned Chinese companies to dominate certain markets.
       One of the largest, most obvious problems is the international trade in steel and other metals.  Steel makers in China, with the help of state financing, have delivered product around the world at prices that do not reflect actual production costs.  This price support helps to eliminate competition in domestic markets where Chinese steel has been able to gain a foothold or more.  The aluminum market is another example.  Despite the WTO agreement, Chinese producers have been able to skirt controls by shipping product to offshore locations and then ship from those positions to large markets, eg. the USA.   Aluminum from Chinese smelters has been found in Vietnam and Mexico, sitting in yards waiting for shipping.   These tactics do not reflect well on the Chinese government nor its trade policies.  If the Chinese want to be a trading "partner" in good standing, they must put some value on the terms agreed to in the WTO.
    Good luck with that as Pres. Xi takes the reins of his market again for another 5 years.  The latest Communist Party Congress in Beijing served to consolidate his administrative power and control.
See you at the Winter Olympics in 2 1/2 months in another Asian market.

Russya's Internet Research Agency

    Mr. Putin's house organ the "Internet Research Agency" has had its name splashed all over Washington, D.C. this week.  US Congressional hearings questioned representatives of the largest American social media companies and asked pointed questions of these company reps.  The concerns reflected evidence that Russyan operatives placed misinformation ads across these platforms to manipulate naive Americans who visit these sites.  By spending rubles on the ads, the Russyan operatives were able to effect a variety of influences regarding dividing social issues such as immigration, minority rights, police brutality, liberal politics, conservative sentiments, and voters' concerns on the international role of the US.
      Sen. Mark Warner commented that these same social media platforms have facilitated Russyan propaganda and disinformation on a broad scale.  For example, the Senator provided evidence that certain ads placed by the Internet Research Agency reached in excess of 140 million viewers.  Many of the ads were placed as early as 2009.  A considerable number were placed during the summer of 2016 when the US presidential campaign was in full swing.  Hillary Clinton Democratic campaign spent over $81 million, but may not have been as effective as the Internet research Agency's own efforts.
     Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook commented that his company does not place profits above his customers.  His company came under sharp criticism for promoting fake news, misinformation, and sowing discord among its readers and site visitors.
    Mr. Putin must be laughing all the way to the Kremlin each morning as he heads to the office where he can manipulate the levers on his vast enterprise called Russya-with a little help from his friends at the Internet Research Agency, aka Radio Free Russya, or Radio Dictatorship Russya, or Disinformation Radio Russya, or Fake News Media Russya, or Fun Facks From Russya Media.
Hmmmmm.  
    And what's happening in Crimea besides the takeover of Ukraine property?