Just when you thought it was quiet.......

     While not a huge weekend for news out of the Ukraine, the world certainly didn’t take any time off from geopolitical intrigue. Libya appears to be headed to more unrest and civil war, with gunmen storming the Libyan Parliament Building. Several Embassies are shutting down in Tripoli, and there is more violence erupting in Benghazi. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Vietnam and China appear to be headed toward more strained relations. China has continued to extend its claims in greater portions of the South China Sea, and Vietnam is contesting those claims. China came to town with a drilling platform, and Vietnam appears to not be taking this affront without some degree of displeasure. There have been confrontations at sea, where ships have been rammed and water cannons employed to emphasize the point, and then there is violence in Vietnam itself. There the Vietnamese citizens, who are now embracing more nationalism, have begun to riot and initiate violence against any Chinese Citizens that live and work in Vietnam. This is prompting the evacuation of Chinese from Vietnam, while many nations are also evacuating their citizens and diplomats from Libya. Sadly, this is becoming the trend, from the Sudan, to Syria, to Libya, to Vietnam. So, while the Ukraine took a small break for one day, the rest of the world continued in that same bad direction, forcing our military to stay on alert to rescue our own citizens out of harm’s way. . .. Now, tell me again about that Peace dividend, and how we can downsize our military? ~ Michael S. Pauley