The Good Bad and Ugly in Afghanistan

Zaland Blog

Earlier this month, I traveled to Afghanistan. It was my first visit since February of 2008. There was good news. Commerce is flourishing in Kabul. Having lived along the crossroads of civilizations for thousands of years, Afghans are natural-born traders and shop keepers. Unlike the situation three years ago, the streets are clogged with traffic; the sidewalks are packed with vendors of all manner of goods; and, stores and restaurants line the streets. The Western-oriented hotels are able to host conferences and upscale wedding halls dot the city. Construction and rebuilding is evident throughout Kabul.

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The United States and China vie for Influence in the Horn of Africa

The Daily Caller

While often under the mainstream media radar, East Africa is a national security and foreign policy hot spot for the United States. African Union forces are fighting the militant Islamist insurgency Al Shabab in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the US and UN-backed Transitional Federal Government is attempting to establish itself.

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China Looks to Cement its Future in Africa by Turning to the Past

The Huffington Post

Nairobi, Kenya -- Chinese archeologists are busy here in Kenya. They are working in the waters surrounding the Lamu archipelago on Kenya's north coast. Their goal is to find evidence of Chinese trade with Africa in the 1400s. Demonstrating such a link would show the world that China was here as a commercial and military power before the Europeans arrived. The fact that the 15th Century Chinese missions were conducted by Admiral Zheng's formidable "Treasure Fleet" is all the more important to the Chinese. As it seeks to rule the seas once again, China desires tangible symbols of its past as a naval power. Finding a sunken Chinese ship or coins in Kenyan waters would be powerful in this regard.

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The Korean crisis demonstrates the need for a strong United States Navy

The Daily Caller

In response to North Korea’s unprovoked and brutal artillery attack on a South Korean fishing village earlier this week, President Obama did what American presidents have done for over half a century — he dispatched a carrier strike group to the crisis zone. The USS George Washington and its escort ships will patrol the Yellow Sea to reassure our Korean allies and serve notice upon North Korea that it is within reach of American naval airpower. Such an option may not be available to Mr. Obama’s successors, however, if the administration’s deep cuts to the Navy’s shipbuilding budget continue.

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Is This the End of the Royal Navy?

CBS News

It is hard to tell at this point the biggest winner from this week’s decimation of the UK Ministry of Defense and slashing of the Royal Navy’s budget. British Navy chiefs are confirming that after losing their only current carrier at the end of this year, HMS Ark Royal, the UK will not have a fully operational aircraft carrier until 2036. After the devastating cuts, the British Navy will be at its smallest size since the time of Henry VIII and will be roughly half the size of the current French Navy.

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