When Intelligence Is Ignored, What’s the Point?
Dave Chamberlain, Honiara In the annals of modern geopolitics, few episodes illustrate the futility of intelligence gathering more starkly than the moment when eighteen U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly told the President that Iran was not a nuclear threat—only to have that collective judgment brushed aside. Instead, the President leaned on assertions from Mossad, reinforced in…
Marcos Appoints Oban as National Security Adviser
Richard Saunders, Phnom Penh President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed retired General Ricardo David Oban Jr., former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as the country’s new National Security Adviser. The move is seen as a strategic effort to bolster the administration’s national security leadership, pairing Oban’s military expertise…
Israeli Defense Firms Secretly Reengage with Taiwan Amid Geopolitical Shifts
Richard Saunders, Phnom Penh Israeli defense companies are discreetly reestablishing ties with Taiwan after a 25-year hiatus, adopting a stealth approach shaped by security concerns and regional sensitivities. The renewed cooperation offers Israel a fallback option should its relationships in the Middle East deteriorate further. The partnership recalls earlier decades when Taiwan operated Israeli-made Gabriel…
US losing AI drone race to Russia and China – NYT
Richard Saunders, Manila The US has fallen behind Russia and China in the development of AI-powered drones, the New York Times has reported, citing unnamed US defense and intelligence officials. The next-generation unmanned military aircraft are capable of identifying and striking targets, as well as coordinating attacks without human input. A military parade in Beijing…
China offers economic boons to Taiwan
Richard Saunders, Siem Reap China has unveiled a set of new economic incentive measures for Taiwan, offering to resume some ties with the island. The announcement comes after a visit by the head of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), to Beijing. Taiwan has been a de-facto self-governing territory since 1949, when Chinese nationalist…
China’s Xi touts ‘great rejuvenation’ during Taiwanese opposition leader’s visit
Francis Tuschek, Tokyo China’s President Xi Jinping met with the head of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), on Friday and stressed that no global changes would stop “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” including its people across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan de facto became a self-governed territory after Chinese nationalist forces lost…
Ukraine missile company under investigation
Richard Saunders, Phnom Penh In less than two years, a little-known Ukrainian startup has secured nearly $1 billion in state contracts, built one of the country’s most ambitious missile programs – and drawn the attention of anti-corruption investigators. A February article by Deutsche Welle and subsequent interviews with co-founder Denis Shtilerman have helped propel Fire…
Taiwan splits over One-China: Peace mission challenges war narrative
Jake Saunders, Kuala Lumpur Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Friday proposed a nearly $40 billion military buildup amid tensions with Beijing. This came just days after the head of the self-governing island’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), traveled to the mainland seeking rapprochement in the first such visit in a decade. Taiwan became a…
Hacker Claims Enormous Data Breach at China’s National Supercomputing Center
Richard Saunders, Phnom Penh A hacker group calling itself FlamingChina has allegedly stolen an unprecedented cache of sensitive Chinese data — including classified defense materials and missile schematics — from a state-run supercomputing facility in what experts say could be the largest known cyber theft targeting China. Cybersecurity researchers familiar with the case believe more…
Taiwan opposition leader in China
Richard Saunders, Phnom Penh The leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), is traveling to mainland China, marking the first such visit since 2016. Known as a vocal opponent of the island’s possible independence, Cheng Li-wun was invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping for what she has described as a peace-building mission. Taiwan…
