March: Longer Perspective (Le Monde Diplomatique

Last August, Japan announced significant changes to the powers of its armed forces.As Jordan Pouille writes In our latest issue, the military “will no longer be limited to defending Japan, but will have the means to fight back and even neutralize the military bases of unfriendly nations”. The reversal came just days after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan while Chinese troops were conducting exercises in the Taiwan Strait.

“Japan-China relations deteriorated sharply in 2012,” Pouille wrote. “Invasions into territorial waters by the Chinese navy became more frequent after the Japanese government bought her three of the Senkaku Islands from private (Japanese) owners.” Reported by Olivier Zayek Japan and China’s claim to the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands in 2014 symbolizes naval control of the East China Sea and free access to the Pacific Ocean.

Elsewhere, last month’s earthquake could accelerate Syria’s re-entry into the world. In Turkey, Erdogan’s re-election prospects were further damaged. The Western media are making journalistic mistakes about the war in Ukraine.explored themes March issue enhanced by our archivewhich is available to digital subscriber.