EA Video Analysis: Introducing "The Love Triangle of Profileration" --- Iran, Syria, North Korea

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Ten years ago, it was the Axis of Evil --- Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.

Today, it is the "Nexus of Proliferation", with Iran and North Korea still featured and Syria replacing the fallen Saddam Hussein.

This 8-minute analysis explains how members of Congress and an "expert" --- step up, Dr David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, the man who has declared dangers of the Iranian nuclear programme such as "Magnets of Doom" and "Pink Tarpaulins" --- has given us this new label for the Threat to America.

North Korea Audio Feature: What Crisis? Everything is "Ordinary" in Pyongyang

US National Public Radio reports that, despite global headlines about a possible nuclear conflict with North Korea, visitors to the Pyongyang are not seeing much out of the ordinary:

North Korea Audio Analysis: Will There Be a Nuclear War? (No.) ---- Scott Lucas with the BBC

North Korean Leader Kim Jong UnI did two interviews today, with a third scheduled tomorrow morning, with BBC outlets on North Korea's bluster about launching a nuclear attack on the US.

To the question, "Could this be nuclear war?", I offered the following:

I'm not going down into my underground bunker just yet.

I back that up by putting the statement in political, military, and North Korean domestic context.

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire: The item starts at 2:18.20. My contribution starts at 2:19.09.

BBC WM: The discussion begins at 1:06.48.

Malaysia Feature: Why a Mini-Crisis with the "Sultanate of Sulu" Matters for the Nation and the World (Foley)

"Sultan of Sulu" Jamalul Kiram IIIFor centuries, the Malaysian state of Sabah, located on the island of Borneo, has been known as “the land below the wind” --- a reference to its fortuitous position just south of the typhoon-prone region around the nearby Philippines.

But the geography that has shielded Sabah from Pacific storms for generations could not protect it on 11 February from more than 200 armed Muslim Filipinos --- the "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu", a Muslim monarchy which once governed Sabah and other adjoining territories from a base in the Philippines. The army publicly asserted its right to settle in Sabah, with the Sultan of Sulu ruling the province.

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China Feature: Week in Review --- The "Chinese Dream" with Taiwan, Protecting Ships Near Somalia (Lin)

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) with Lien Chan of Taiwan's Kuomintang Party

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President Promotes Cross-strait Ties with Taiwan

President Xi Jinping met with Lien Chan, the visiting Honorary Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, Lien Chan at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Monday.

The Kuomintang were the long-time rulers of China before the Communist Party took control in 1949, moving to the island of Taiwan after the Revolutionary. China does not recognise an independent Taiwan, claiming it as part of "one nation", but does maintain a relationship with the Kuomintang.

In the first meeting between senior officials after the 18th Communist Party Congress, Xi expressed his hope that those on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can cooperate:

If the brothers are of the same mind, their sharpness can cut through metal. "We sincerely hope Taiwan can develop along with the mainland and compatriots from both sides of the Strait can join hands in realising the "Chinese dream".

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China Analysis: Introducing President Xi Jinping --- A Princeling Facing "Flies" and "Tigers" (Lin)

To establish his authority, President Xi Jinping must maintain China's economic development while dealing with the "flies", the local officials who have recently faced allegations of corruption, and the "tigers", the senior officials in central Government who may see Xi as a threat to their power.

Can he succeed? And, perhaps more importantly, how will he attempt to do so --- with strong public moves for reform or with a more cautious approach within the Party, even as he cultivates his image with the Chinese people as their representative against corruption?

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China Feature: Week in Review --- Reforms on "Media Criticism" and Labour Camps? (Lin)

A Chinese labour camp

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President Xi Jinping's Reforms to Allow "Media Criticism"?

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has urged the Community to be more tolerant of media critique and receptive to the views of non-Communists.

Xi said, "The CPC should be able to put up with sharp criticism, correct mistakes if it has committed them and avoid them if it has not."

Xi called upon the non-Communists to co-operate with the Party on common political common ground, namely, the socialist political system with Chinese characteristics. He urged them to offer more wise and practical suggestions and consultations to advance the country's development: "Non-Party personages should ave the courage to tell the truth, speak words jarring on the ear, and truthfully reflect public aspirations."

Xi's remarks sit alongside recent episodes of censorship, such as the Party's suppression of a New Year's editoral in the Southern Daily which called for "constitutionalism".

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North Korea Audio Analysis: Assessing the Nuclear Test --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

I spoke with BBC WM on Tuesday afternoon, trying to get beyond the immediate reactions to assess the significance of the North Korean nuclear test.

Take-away line: "While the test is a notable political move --- primarily to establish the domestic authority of leader Kim Jong Un --- it does not represent an imminent military threat."

The discussion begins at the 48:37 mark.

China Feature: Week in Review --- Beijing Denies Cyber-Attacks on US Newspapers (Lin)

Al Jazeera English's Listening Post discusses media security, including the alleged Chinese cyber-attacks on US newspapers

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China Denies Hacking US Media

Chinese officials have denied claims by leading US newspapers that Beijing pursued cyber-attacks against them.

The New York Times said Chinese hackers have carried out “sustained attacks” on its computer systems, breaking in and stealing the passwords of high-profile reporters and other staff members.

According to The Times, the cyber-assaults began last October, after the paper published the investigative reporting of its Shanghai bureau chief David Barboza about the property holdings of family members of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Barboza’s microblog account was gagged for some time last year. Both the English- and Chinese-language sites of the Times are currently banned in mainland China.

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China Feature: Week in Review --- A Senior Official on Trial, "Stability" in Tibet, and a Porn Star Turned Politician (Lin)

Bo XilaiConfusion over Fate of Senior Official Bo Xilai

The Communist Party appears to be in some internal conflict over the handling of the case of senior official Bo Xilai, charged with "violating discipline".

According to Hong Kong-based Takungpao, Bo's trial was to held on last Friday. It would last three days, with the official's fate determined before the National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March.

However, the trial was not opened, and the Rarty's outlet Global Times said reports about it were “denied rumour”. The site said, from a source “close to the country's top judicial body”, that the trial will be held after the Congress and Conference and will last 10 days “due to the complexity" of the allegations.

Bo’s case erupted last spring, after the death of a British citizen, Neil Haywood. His wife was eventually sentenced to a suspended death penalty, and an official investigation in early November confirmed that Bo had been expelled from the party, amid accusations of abuse of power, bribe-taking, and improper relationships with women.

Other observers believe the proceeding against Bo --- former Chongqing Party Secretary, Minister of Commerce, and son of revolutionary hero Bo Yibo --- is tied to his failure in a power struggle.

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