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I like to read history. I find that being back in school, I pour my writing talent into doing papers for my classes. I don't seem to have any energy left over for working on my books although I did read some Chinese history to get more background material for my book about the 9th century. I can't decide if it should be a mix of sci-fi and history or if I should separate the two into different stories.

I am trying to be interested in world events, but I am suffering from information fatigue. I have switched interest to my books, right now I am reading a general history called The History of the Medieval World by Susan Bauer, that as usual focuses mostly on European history, but there are sections about China, Persia, Korea and India. This is the first general history I have read with a chapter devoted to Korea.

I should go to this Cynthia McKinney thing today but the Answer people have been pushing it so much all week that I am afraid it will be a zoo. I am not doing too good at being a pundit. I have too much personal stuff in my writing and often I simply see people posturing and pontificating when they really have nothing to say. I would rather just shut up. Perhaps there will be an uprising here, we have enough examples from around the world, Greece, Spain, Syria, Yemen for gods sake. Women in Saudi Arabia are even protesting the restrictions on driving. I don't know if I should include Libya. It has become a testing ground for the new American approach to let multilateral organizations to take the brunt of the fighting pressure in new wars. This is both an indication of the new reality of the limits to American power and a deliberate policy of the Obama administration. Let the allies shoulder some of the burden. It also indicates how weak the left has become in Europe, no longer able to mobilize against wars of aggression, or at least unable to pierce the veil of so called humanitarian efforts that are really power grabs. But then the left has a history of complying with nationalist demands of local elites, rather than live up to the international solidarity that workers around the world are supposed to have. These elites can still conduct business while the wars rage, often with enemies through third party neutrals.

The Chinese had an old strategy called let the barbarians fight the barbarians. They would often play different groups of non-Chinese against one another to keep them from attacking the Chinese. This policy may be being played out by them on a broader scale now on the world stage. They seem to be taking the most discrete approach to capturing resources in Africa and Australia, developing markets all over the world with a minimal use of the imperialist strong arm tactics that the US and Europeans have used over the past two or three centuries. Chinese naval forces have only recently begun to push their presence in the South China Sea and participating in the anti-pirate actions around Somalia. They have just about finished their first aircraft carrier and their version of the Stealth fighter-bomber. Rather than strike like a cobra, they seem to be strangling like the python. I expect that in this decade we shall see the balance of power tip more obviously in the direction of China. The US better make its alliance with India solid if it wants to retain influence in that region.

Japan seems to have been seriously wounded by the latest disaster. It may not be much of a player in for a few years, but if it wants to counter China, it will have to replace the Americans, as they pull back from Asian commitments, perhaps the Japanese will insure the Singapore sea lanes, and Taiwan. Perhaps not, with them licking their wounds after the quake, tsunami, and nuke plant disaster.

Korea is an interesting case. The reunification will probably happen as soon as the USA pulls out, but will that happen in this decade or the next? Historically Korea has often been split into several warring states. Unified Korea is an occasional thing.

Russia is an interesting enigma, they seem to have become a third world country with all the development going to the capital, Moscow and the rest of the country slipping into a shoddy reflection, serving as sources of raw materials for the European and Chinese economic dynamos. Russia depends on exporting oil and natural gas, and now hydropower is being developed in Siberia for export to China. They still have a defense industry and are the mainstay of manned space flight now that the USA has withdrawn from the field. China and India should be moving into that arena as they assert their national technical prowess.

Ok I wrote about international affairs, like some kind of big shot pundit. Just call me Henry Kissinger, without the kiss ass to Nixon and other power addicts. I am an anti-power addict. Perhaps, but then given the opportunity I am not so sure I would be any more honorable than the rest of the pack. I may only be saved by my lack of access.