Introduction In early March, a flotilla of more than 40 suspected Chinese maritime militia vessels swarmed around Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, the Philippines’ largest outpost in the South China Sea (SCS) (The Philippine Star, March 5; The Maritime Executive, March 5; Radio Free Asia, March 5). The incident was the latest in an ongoing campaign by the People’s Republic of China …
After the US-manipulated so-called summit for democracy kicked off, reactions were overall cold and there continues to be mounting voices from US media doubting the summit s efficacy amid its domestic crisis, exposure of the nature of the ill-motivated gathering, and even backlash from countries like India whose leaders attended the summit.
To reestablish itself as a stalwart democracy, the United States is hosting a virtual summit to counter authoritarianism, fight corruption and promote human rights. What, if anything, can we expect?