The Human Archipelago / L'Archipel humain

  Here's a series of publications on X (Twitter) in the last few weeks, as combat continues to rage in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and as tensions keep rising here and there, along the line of contact between the Eurasian powers (BRICS) and the Western powers (G7), all around Eurasia, including in the Indian subcontinent and in East Asia. The presidential election in the United States (and especially the growing prospect of a second Trump mandate) will certainly be important in determining the course of what many observers are already starting to call the Third World War... * * * (September 30, 2024) A direct claim of China on the Andamans and Nicobar archipelagos is a possibility, as stated in this 2016 article in the Indian press. It is also mentioned in the last edition of the American publication The Diplomat. Another possibility is a claim made by Myanmar, an ally of China. That country already own the islands to the north of the two archipelagos. Geographical proximit...

  Here's a text published recently on X (Twitter). * * * (October 18, 2024) An illuminating article about the current race to the Moon. It is increasingly clear, though, that this race will probably not be between the respective space agencies of America and China. For one, the once-mighty NASA has become a shadow of itself. Its new rocket is a monstrosity that cost a fortune and is a one-shot affair. And its plan for bringing a crew on the surface of the Moon is, compared to China's much simpler and doable approach, a complex logistical nightmare where everything can go wrong, and where something, somewhere, s omehow probably will. In a long-term program of lunar exploration and exploitation, NASA seems doomed to fail, especially in a country with out-of-control deficits, exploding national debt, and more pressing needs. This Moon Race 2. 0 should really oppose China and SpaceX, not China and NASA. It is becoming increasingly clear that America's only c...

  These posts on X (Twitter) have been published in the last weeks. They describe the rising tensions all around the Eurasian landmass, from Ukraine to the Middle East, and then to East Asia and the South China Sea. That arc of tensions separates the expanding Chinese sphere of influence, as represented in part by the BRICS economic association and also by the SCO political association, and the receding Western sphere of influence, centered on the United States. Other flashpoints along the same arc include the civil war in Sudan and the insurgency in Myanmar, along with the South Caucasus conflict, now resolved, at least for now, and the Sahelian crisis, still ongoing. The next summit of the BRICS countries, to be held in Russia in a few weeks, may bring another round of expansion, with unpredictable consequences all over the geopolitical tectonic plates... * * * (September 1, 2024) A lucid voice from Taiwan can be heard in this letter to Nikkei Asia, refusing to join the current a...