Sea Power as Hedge against Chinese Adventurism – Part 1

The two Prime Minister-class submarines enables the Royal Malaysian Navy to punch above its weight (Source: RMN)

By M Hanif Ismail

In the olden days, sea power is often used as the measure of how powerful a nation state/empire/kingdom is. This is because sea power is often the means used by the said nation state to extend, impose and protect their influences on others.

With the advent of air power, intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads etc., one might think that that the importance of sea power has diminished. Perhaps that is true, but with the end of Cold War, the threats of nuclear war has diminished, and even the threats of war between two equals powers is now somewhat remote, although still possible in few hotspots around the world.

It is against this backdrop that almost all of the current and former world powers have let their sea power dwindled, some more so than the others. Almost all that is, except China. 

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 4

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(The Dragon vs The Eagle. Where should we be in the grand scheme of things? Source: Internet)

In the previous installment, we get to face how our much vaunted FPDA is actually just a granite giant with clay feet.  Make no mistake, the illusion of grandeur that FPDA had on us should be discarded as it has blind-sided us for years, that the British would come and assist us at time of war.

Now that we realized this, would there be any one that would come to our help if China turns belligerent? That it is an open secret that any conflict with China will probably attract the attention of the United States, thus it would not be a surprise that the US will have a special interest in the region.

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 3

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(FPDA a toothles tiger? Source: Internet)

In part 2, we have seen that the planned war games with China do not mean that we have chosen to ally ourselves with the Middle Kingdom.  In fact, it is probably more of a confidence building measure (CBM). 

In the recent parliamentary seating, opposition MPs had unveiled their alternative budget.  For defence, they had advocated cut in military CAPEX, citing that we have a standing defence pact in the FPDA, or Five-Power Defence Agreement.

China Upping the Ante – Are We Ready? Part 2

By Danny Liew Shan Lee

(China and Malaysia. Source: Wikimedia)

In Part 1, we examined the precarious situation that we are or will be in in the near future.  Like it or not, we would not be able to deny access to China to our territorial waters.  Their military might makes us a small pushover for them. 

So does it mean, if we can’t beat them, we join them?

China Upping the Ante, Are We Ready?

By: Danny Liew Shan Lee

(China's new ADIZ: Source: SCMP)

The 9 – Dotted Line, Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the Spratly, the ADIZ, and now the Liaoning, PLAN's first aircraft carrier.  The Dragon has awakened and it is asserting its claim over its historical territories. 

For China’s immediate neighbours, the growing strength of China’s military might is disconcerting.  The claim on Senkaku/Diaoyu chain of islands and the unilateral declaration of Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the same area had rattled her neighbours, particularly South Korea and Japan, both of which has overlapping claims over the chain of islands.

But the biggest bombshell would be the launching of Liaoning’s sea trial in the seas of South China Sea, which China sees as her own playground.  The launch, declared earlier last week caused trepidation over the region as the exercise is being seen as potentially as an escalation of aggression in the hotly contested region.

Part One

In this article, we will examine the relationship between Malaysia and China.  How this relationship had been built from Day 1 till today.  We will examine also how China’s multiple unilateral actions and military build-up has led to slow erosion of our relationship.

We will also look into the current and near future order of battle of Malaysian forces, on how these could interdict Chinese hegemony in the region.

Is Saudi Arabia set to arm itself with nuclear arsenal from Pakistan?

By Yusni Yussof

BBC Newsnight on 6/11/2013  reported that Saudi Arabia will be getting nuclear weapons from Pakistan, further solidifying reports the kingdom has been investing in Pakistan’s nuclear development program.  The report claims that earlier this year, a senior Nato decision maker had seen intelligence reporting that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia are now sitting ready for delivery.

It is difficult to simply dismiss the allegation and consider it as mere speculation, as the kingdom is reported to have given generous financial assistance to Pakistan’s defence sector, including, western experts allege, to its missile and nuclear labs. The visits by then Saudi defence minister Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz to the Pakistani nuclear research centre in 1999 and 2002, clearly confirms the existence of a close defence relationship between the two countries. 

U.S LOSING TRUST FROM EUROPEAN ALLIES OVER SPYING ROW

By Yusni Yussof

 

President Obama and Chancellor Merkel

 ( Photocredit : Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

 

It is an open secret that nations spy on each other. Where every nation stands at equal footing and possess a similar level of sovereignty to others, there is nothing to stop them from spying. Information and intelligence gathered are vital to ensure that the state can see what’s coming. Its survival depends on it. The fact is augmented if we look at the global scenario through the Realist’s perspective. According to the school of thought’s framework of understanding how nations interact among themselves, power is regarded as the pertinent factor. 

Knowledge and information is power!

The questions are how deep and how far will states do it? It is naïve to suggest that nations will refrain from acquiring intelligence and information that will serve their objectives and their interest. Nevertheless, any state which want to spy on others, must be prepared to abide by the cardinal rule of spying- don’t get caught! Again, Do Not Get Caught doing it!

But if you do get caught, there are only few options left. You deny, cook up a convincing story or justify your actions with excuses that can hold water. But a denial from a hegemony like US sounds rather comical than convincing.

Kiram III Is Dead, Claim On Sabah “Still Alive”?

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USA 0 China 1? - Post Debt Ceiling Crisis Impact on Malaysia

By: Danny Liew Shan Lee

The immediate threat of international financial meltdown of USA had finally been averted.  The last ditch effort paid off; Democrats, using the full force of media had put the blame on the fiasco on the Republican and the Republican House Leader did not want to go down into history as the main that destroyed the American Dream. 

Now that war in Obama's home front had been averted, what does that mean to the rest of the world.

1. USA prevents the international financial world from a meltdown - check.

1. USA gets another day to be the leader of the free world - check. 

1. USA gets to strengthen their influence in Asia Pacific - cross that out.

Cross that out?  Why cross that out?  Problem solved already, right? 

Wrong.  When the debt ceiling crisis started, US President Barack H Obama had to cancel his planned visit to Southeast Asia, with stops in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta and sent his Secretary of State, John Kerry instead.