Some World Political Haps, Subtly...

From the NST Online:

A busy week for the world’s politicians

By W.Scott Thompson | 0 comments

There is plenty of news as America re-engages Asia

WHEN politicians go around with sourpuss faces, because they screwed things up and technocrats lead new governments, it’s a great week. In fact, whenever politicians are unhappy, it’s a sign that things are better.

It’s a greater week when the ultimate political nation, Italy, has a government composed in entirety of technocrats. Burlesquoni (former premier Silvio Berlusconi) now has only his billions to protect him. He can bribe and hold orgies, but he can’t scare people out of government jobs, let alone fire them. The condottieri no longer guard his compounds and palaces. Politicians will continue to play their games but there’s a layer of competence between them and policy.

It’s a great week when an allegedly kleptocratic ex-president of a would-be major Asian player is shown with a wire cage around her head and shoulders, only the supreme court (all of whose members she appointed) trying fruitlessly to protect her. So she, Gloria Arroyo, and her bulky husband hovered at the airport to get on the first plane out, barred by the president of the republic’s orders.

Funny, isn’t it, that most of the countries she’s listed as her destinations lack extradition treaties with the Philippines. And that she’d allegedly switched huge assets to those countries as the net started to ensnare her during her last two years in office.

I just returned from our mutual hospital to find hundreds of reporters and photographers awaiting word on the latest round.

Inside St Luke’s Medical Centre, Gloria seems to have lost her will to live (why didn’t these ailments bother her for any of her nine years of mostly stolen leadership?)
It’s always a great week when something has become so obvious that mention of it is forbidden.

Funny isn’t it, that the Australian prime minister announced the movement of United States marine forces to the northern-most and least populous part of the long Oz coastline, barely holding back her smirk. Do people remember
what the multiplier of 2,500 US marines is?

And a general diplomatic realignment in Southeast Asia progresses, with the five-letter word ever a no-no. The presidents exchange visits and their ambassadors think of nothing except that South C-- Sea problems (sorry, I got close to using the C-word) are looming bigger and bigger. And the Philippines has renamed part of its contiguous waters. You could actually feel the hearts of (US President) Barack Obama and (Australian Prime Minister) Julia Gillard beating as one, as our joint manifest destinies once again are renewed by common values, an amazing ability to work together, just because of that problem
about C--.

It’s a wonderful week when Occupy Wall Street pushes Tea Party out of the news, even if the police push them off New York encampments. And wonders never cease — the Republicans begin to get serious! There are actual stakes in next year’s elections, primaries start in less than two months.

But the biggest news (at least for me) is that Washington finally woke up: Asia is where it’s at. I used to tell students that they couldn’t read everything. If they just learned the basics about the Middle East, then they could tune it out permanently, since everything is always the same (coups, counter-coups and Israeli incursions) and when a sea-change came they could again tune in. It’s frankly not a very big region economically (other than Saudi Arabian oil), but even before the Arab Spring, the West was riveted by it. Now, we’ve figured it out. And guess what, so has everyone else.

The only really interesting thing there is the real intra-regional war: Sunni against Shia. If you think Israel hates Iran, talk to my Saudi friends. So the Syrian battle’s seriousness for non-Syrians is whether a Shia surrogate (the Alawites are Shia offshoots) can remain in power, thus playing the Iranian card. Whether Iraq, Shia-ruled for the first time in eight centuries, will ally with Teheran is a tough one to call.

Meantime, the Japanese are beginning military exercises throughout the region. Everyone south and east of C-- was making love in Bali last week, in Asean capitals, and through enhanced military cooperation at all levels. The greatest of all was that instead of C--’s ability to pick off cherries one by one, we witnessed most of Asean lining up with Obama and in one medium-sized room to all but confront Beijing’s leader on its bullying behaviour in their shared waters.

Welcome to the new reality.

Read more: A busy week for the world’s politicians - Columnist - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/a-busy-week-for-the-world-s-politicians-1.9685#ixzz1ebChOlzt

DESIDERATA: Being an overseas-born C...., Desi's blood comprises both Malaysian and Chinese colour, and surprise of awe surprises, both are RED> But I know not why while our Malaysian leaders have travelled to mainland C... to "embrace" commie leaders, at home they even label socialists as commies, esp when the UMNO b..... want to kill off a political rival and cll him/her a C.....

Me, I think recently I lost contact with my C...comrades, suffered anaemia and low red blood cells. Ah, thanks to Chua Soiled Leg's legacy, I received hospitalABLE reception at the five-star -- red maybe? -- at the Seremban General, who pumped Desi up with FIVE pints of redcoloured blodd. So hey, I am steal around to write knotty peaces, though quite confused with my vocab. Mayhaps I should go back to school and start with Mandarin studies. God to understand why they wanna shoot their CORRUPT leaders who syphoned off the country's public coffer -- C sets a dangerous precedent for ASEAN nations, NO?