The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

03/06/2022 maavn Commentary china, ecocide, environmental degradation, environmental protection, pollution, vietnam

Credit: MAA On a recent trip to Móng Cái in northern Viet Nam on the Chinese border, I had the chance to spend some time at a nearby beach. Above and below are photos of some of the items that were either left there by tourists or that washed up, e.g., country of origin, China, … Continue reading The Normalization of Environmental Pollution

Pentagon campaign to recruit Vietnam as military ally against China exposed delusions of US war strategy

09/04/2021 maavn Articles china, east sea, missiles, pentagon, south china sea, us military, viet nam, vietnam, war

After convincing itself Vietnam would grant it access for missile bases against China, the Pentagon got a hard dose of reality. Courtesy of The Grayzone When the Pentagon began gearing up for a future war with China in 2018, Defense Department officials quickly realized that they needed access to Vietnamese territory for troops armed with … Continue reading Pentagon campaign to recruit Vietnam as military ally against China exposed delusions of US war strategy

Chinese Missile Base Near Viet Nam’s Border? (Say It Ain’t So!)

09/02/2021 maavn Articles, Commentary china, google earth, missile base, satellite photos, viet nam, vietnam

This story is being covered by the Vietnamese and English language media in Viet Nam. The only difference is that the Vietnamese reports I've seen don't include any satellite photos. This alleged Chinese surface-to-air missile base is just 20 km (12 miles) from the border. Below are two photos. The first is from the linked … Continue reading Chinese Missile Base Near Viet Nam’s Border? (Say It Ain’t So!)

“Winning the Great Power Education: Revamping the U.S. Approach to Education Exchange”

05/02/202105/02/2021 maavn Commentary china, csis, great power education, international exchange, international students, soft power, trumpism, us nationalism

I learned about this Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) commentary from a colleague's LinkedIn post. Once I saw the source, CSIS, a quasi-USG, pro-US American NGO based in Washington, D.C., I knew exactly what "Great Power Education" referred to. It's all about winning the "hearts and minds of the next generation of global … Continue reading “Winning the Great Power Education: Revamping the U.S. Approach to Education Exchange”

Twice a Loser, Twice a Traitor

12/01/202119/01/2021 maavn Articles, Commentary china, dear leader, MAGA, malignant narcissist-in-chief, racism, seditiondon, us capitol insurrection, vietnamese americans

Protesters seen all over Capitol building where pro-Trump supporters riot and breached the Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Rioters broke windows and breached the Capitol building in an attempt to overthrow the results of the 2020 election. Police used buttons and tear gas grenades to eventually disperse the crowd. Rioters used metal … Continue reading Twice a Loser, Twice a Traitor

“A Thief in the Night, But Not Too Smart”

18/12/2020 maavn Articles, Commentary armchair journalism, china, hayton, mango press, parachute journalism, viet nam, vietnam

Courtesy of Mango Press Bill Hayton aka "Virgin White," a one-time BBC journalist who was essentially kicked out of Viet Nam in March 2007, strikes again, this time with a book about China entitled The Invention of China. I stumbled upon this article because one word, dubious, linked to one of my blog posts, Anti-Vietnam … Continue reading “A Thief in the Night, But Not Too Smart”

The Trumpy Mindset: A COVID-19-Related Example

12/12/202018/12/2020 maavn Commentary china, COVID-19, MAGA, trumpies, USA, viet nam, vietnam

I recently noticed this exchange on Facebook about the above graphic. (Yes, it's old news. JPMorgan expects US GDP to slow to 2.8% in the fourth quarter and then shrink by 1% during the first three months of 2021.) Comment: The country that started the pandemic has the least effect on GDP. Mmmmh… Response: Sad … Continue reading The Trumpy Mindset: A COVID-19-Related Example

SPAM is US(A)

26/10/2020 maavn Commentary, Updates china, emails, russia, SPAM, spamhaus, USA, viet nam, vietnam

The US and China often trade places for the dubious distinction of being the world's leading Spam Haven country. Here's the latest from an authoritative source, Spamhaus. (My only other post about this was in January 2020.) Below are the world's worst Spam Haven countries for enabling spamming, as of 25 October 2020. Notice that … Continue reading SPAM is US(A)

“Beijing’s Expanding Shadow: Choices for Vietnam”

25/10/202001/11/2020 maavn Commentary bob kerrey, china, csis, fulbright university vietnam, southeast asia, us nationalism, vietnam

Screenshot of the webinar On Saturday, 10 October, Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV) organized a webinar entitled Beijing's Expanding Shadow: Choices for Vietnam in which Murray Hiebert, one of whose titles is Senior Associate (Non-resident), Southeast Asia Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), spouted the prevailing anti-China party line and hawked his new book … Continue reading “Beijing’s Expanding Shadow: Choices for Vietnam”

Letter From Under Secretary Keith Krach to the Governing Boards of American Universities

29/08/2020 maavn Commentary, Letter china, hatred, international students, keith krach, MAGA, racism, trump administration, us state department, xenophobia

What a surprise. Here we have Keith Krach, one of Trump's .01% political appointees, lackeys, and cheerleaders grinding an anti-China ax. I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict that this 18 August 2020 letter will end up being so much pissing in the wind. I'm thinking trash folder, recycle bin, or … Continue reading Letter From Under Secretary Keith Krach to the Governing Boards of American Universities

An International Educator in Viet Nam

Information, Insights & (Frequently) Intrigue

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