China should abandon its hard-line policy toward Tibet and instead work to attract Tibetan exiles to return to their homeland. It must begin by stopping the ridiculous caricature of the Dalai Lama as a terrorist and a separatist. Castigating the Dalai Lama, who continues to enjoy the respect, indeed the reverence, of most Tibetans will simply perpetuate Chinese policy failures. 

Reading the mass media, it looks as if the US and China are on a collision course. The Google episode and the sale of US weapons to Taiwan convey the impression of two superpowers staring each other down. The two powers may, however, soon be forced into each other’s arms by the dismal outlook for US public finance and potential social unrest in China. 

For all the protocol smiles post-Copenhagen, the reality is dirty and grim. Far less than Copenhagen being a stepping stone to meaningful emission control by the time of the next meet in Mexico City a year later, the situation, to this writer’s mind, will worsen. The choices in Mexico City will turn starker still. It is either to turn back from this madness, or write the obituary of the world. 

Total debt in the US is approaching 400 % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – a figure never seen before, not even under the great depression or when financing World War II. As it stands currently, interest payments flowing from public debt account for approximately 1.5% of GDP and is estimated to hit 6-7% or even more by 2019. 

The emphasis Obama has placed on the security relationship with Japan, admittedly at a time when Tokyo shows signs of cold feet towards the US, and the speed with which India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was welcomed to the White House after the President returned from China, suggest that Washington is engaged in a subtle balancing act in its relationships in Asia.