Tag Archives: Military

Military Analysis: USA Vs China Aircraft Carriers

Insider(April 6, 2024): From the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford to the Chinese Fujian carrier, a high stakes race is underway between the US and China for aircraft carriers. We compare the two superpowers’ fleets, their capabilities and missions.

Video Timeline: 00:00 – Intro 00:26 – Carriers 02:06 – Technology 04:31 – Importance 05:28 – Background 06:03 – Future Plans 07:14 – Threats 08:15 – Balance Of Power 09:14 – Credits

The Israel-Hamas War: Is There A Path To Peace?

The Economist (February 8, 2024) – Things look bleak in the Middle East after Binyamin Netanyahu scorned America’s push for an end to the fighting. But in private he’s said to be more flexible. Could diplomacy actually work?

Video timeline: 00:00 – The Saudi normalisation deal 00:42 – Israel and Saudi Arabia’s history 01:10 – How to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 02:26 – Will the deal happen?

Defending Taiwan: Guam Is Key To America’s Strategy

The Economist (January 11, 2024) – Guam, an island in the northern Pacific, is just 48km long and has a population of about 170,000. So why is it so important to America’s strategy to defend Taiwan from a potential Chinese invasion?

Video timeline: 00:00 – Where is Guam? 00:13 – Why is it so important? 01:00 – What makes it vulnerable?

Terrorism: Iran’s ‘Axis Of Resistance’ – Hezbollah, Hamas & Houthis Revealed

The Wall Street Journal (January 5, 2024) – Iran-backed groups connect to form a land bridge across the Middle East and form an alliance that Tehran calls the ‘Axis of Resistance.’ This land bridge can be used to transport equipment and personnel, but also allows for positions in Iraq and Syria to attack U.S. interests or threaten Israel closer to its borders.

Video timeline: 0:00 ‘Axis of Resistance’ 0:37 Iran’s allies 1:44 Iran’s history 3:22 U.S. in the Middle East 4:14 Attacks since Oct. 7

WSJ explains what to know about the alliance that includes Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

2024 Interview: President Zelensky’s Goals And Why No Comprising With Putin

The Economist (January 2, 2024) - As 2024 begins President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to The Economist’s Editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, about his political and military goals for the coming year and why he won’t compromise with Vladimir Putin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – 2024 military goals 01:35 – Why he won’t negotiate

Volodymyr Zelensky is angry; not about the successes of his enemies (he sees none) nor even about his own army’s lack of progress on the battlefield. Instead, Ukraine’s president is exasperated by the wobbles of some of his allies as well as the detachment among some of his compatriots. And he wants you to know it.

Hardened by the pressures of war, a year of negative headlines and the failure of a counter-offensive that promised so much at the start of 2023, he has shed the lightness and humour that characterised our earlier meetings with him. Seated in his situation room and speaking to The Economist via Zoom (you can watch the video here), he punches out his message as if trying to break through the computer screen.

A New Year’s interview with Volodymyr Zelensky: https://econ.st/48A4Nim

Analysis: The World Ahead In 2024 – The Economist

The Economist The World Ahead 2024 (November 14, 2023)Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation including Ten trends to watch in 2024; 2024 will be stressful for those who care about liberal democracy; America will need a new vocabulary to discuss its presidential election; Europe needs to step up support for Ukraine; Don’t give up on peace in the Middle East, and more…

Tom Standage’s ten trends to watch in 2024

A letter from the editor of The World Ahead

By Tom Standage

Life comes at you fast. Whether it’s the upsurge in armed conflict, the redrawing of the global energy-resources map or rapid progress in artificial intelligence (ai), the world is changing at mind-boggling speed. From the situation in the Middle East to the adoption of electric vehicles to the treatment of obesity, things look very different from the way they did just a year or two ago. Our aim is to help you keep your worldview up to date—and tell you what might be coming next. To kick things off, here are ten themes to watch in the coming year.

2024 will be stressful for those who care about liberal democracy

In theory it should be a triumphant year for democracy. In practice it will be the opposite

By Zanny Minton Beddoes

More than half the people on the planet live in countries that will hold nationwide elections in 2024, the first time this milestone has been reached. Based on recent patterns of voter turnout, close to 2bn people in more than 70 countries will head to the polls. Ballots will be cast from Britain to Bangladesh, from India to Indonesia. Yet what sounds like it should be a triumphant year for democracy will be the opposite.

The world must try to break a vicious cycle of insecurity 

A stick of dynamite with a lit fuse in the shape of a world map

The fragility of the Western coalition is a crucial weakness

By Patrick Foulis

As 2023 drew to a close, wars were raging in Africa, Israel and Gaza, and Ukraine. These crises are explosive in their own right. Combine them with a presidential race in America and 2024 promises to be a make-or-break year for the post-1945 world order.

The 2020s were destined to be dangerous. The West’s share of world gdp has fallen towards 50% for the first time since the 19th century. Countries such as India and Turkey believe the global institutions created after 1945 do not reflect their concerns. China and Russia want to go further and subvert this system.

Special Report: ‘China’s Armed Forces’ (NOV 2023)

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The Economist SPECIAL REPORTS – CHINA’S ARMED FORCES (NOVEMBER 11, 2023): Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous; Unknown soldiers – The People’s Liberation Army is not yet as formidable as the West fears; Rank indifference – China is struggling to recruit enough highly skilled troops; Weapons of woe – From hypersonic missiles to undersea drones, the PLA is making leaps…

The People’s Liberation Army is not yet as formidable as the West fears

Overestimating China’s armed forces would be dangerous, argues Jeremy Page

In 1957 america was gripped by fears of a “missile gap” with the Soviet Union. The Kremlin had stunned the world with a test flight of an intercontinental ballistic missile (icbm) and the launch of Sputnik. An American intelligence report predicted that by 1962, the Soviets could have 500 icbms, outstripping America’s arsenal. When word of that leaked, a political furore erupted. Eyeing the presidency from his Senate seat, John F. Kennedy demanded action to prevent a Soviet “shortcut to world domination”.

China is struggling to recruit enough highly skilled troops

The PLA needs them to operate all its new weapons

From hypersonic missiles to undersea drones, the PLA is making leaps

But China’s military tech still lags behind the West’s

Analysis: How Powerful Is Hamas? (The Economist)

The Economist (October 13, 2023) – On October 7th Hamas fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel and slaughtered more than 1,300 people, mostly civilians. What is Hamas and how powerful is it?

Video timeline: 00:00 – What is Hamas? 00:55 – Hamas’s control of Gaza 01:18 – Growth of Hamas military capacity 01:32 – The latest attack on Israel

Military Analysis: Russia’s Vast Minefields In Ukraine

Wall Street Journal (August 21, 2023) – Ukraine’s push to retake territory back from Russia has been slow, as its forces face a deadly problem: landmines. Russian troops spent months fortifying the 900 mile-long front line with anti-tank ditches, concrete obstacles, trenches and minefields.

Video timeline: 0:00 Tanks being destroyed with mines 0:46 Mined territory 1:36 How Russia mines the territory 2:32 How Ukraine adapts

How is the Ukrainian military adapting to account for these mines? WSJ explains how Moscow created one of the largest minefields in the world in the occupied regions and what it means for Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

Review: Taiwan’s Strategy To Repel Chinese Invasion

Wall Street Journal (August 15, 2023) – For decades, Taiwan has looked to its east coast as a safe haven to survive a Chinese invasion until allies, particularly the U.S., can arrive to assist.

Video timeline: 0:00 Taiwan’s current strategy 1:38 The problem 4:15 Taiwan’s reliance on allies

In the east, Taiwan’s rugged mountain terrain also helps create a natural shield in the event of an attack. But China’s PLA activity on the island’s east has thrown that strategy into question. WSJ takes a look at how serious China’s threats to Taiwan’s east coast are and explores whether the island needs to change its defense strategy.