Silent Lonesome Man

“Who wishes to fight must first count the cost.” - Sun Tzu. “No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever won without one.” - Dwight Eisenhower. When China has been doing in South China Sea is now seen as " the largest military buildup since the World War II ", it can be understood that the Chinese state is planning for a total war. China's growing efforts to militarise its disputed territories came with no surprise. The Chinese are watching the war in Ukraine, where its ally, Vladimir Putin's Russia, has waged against since 23 February. Initially, Beijing expected Russia would make a swift blitzkrieg to conquer Ukraine, taking Kyiv with little bloodshed. One another thing for China to watch the Russian invasion was, if it could help the United States feel distracted and would halt its pivot to Asia, China could enhance its power in Asia. A Russian victory would've been even more to celebrate for China, if it could have really happened. However...

On 29 May 2013, in the port city of Cam Ranh, the Vietnamese People's Armed Forces issued its declaration, establishing the country's first-ever submarine force. The submarine force Vietnam established was part of the country's ongoing modernisation effort, to catch up with its Southeast Asian neighbours that have the same force earlier, and also to deal with the much stronger Chinese submarine force. But while the submarine force was established in 2013, it was not until 15 January 2014, that Vietnam officially received the first submarine. A Kilo-class made. The Kilo class submarine was built by none other but Russia, the country that Vietnam has a good, old relationship. Vietnam bought the submarine squad in 2009 as part of their contract with Rosoboronoexport, and its future sailors were educated by the Russians. It succeeded just that. By that time, Vietnam had yet to get American lethal arms, due to weapon embargo imposed on her following the Vietnam War. Fast forwar...

A day before, as the world is being distracted by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, China announced a surprising military drill only at late minutes. While these actions implied the politeness of the Chinese state, the territory it took place for the drill located very near Vietnamese territory - in fact, it was close to two Vietnamese cities, Huế and Đà Nẵng and only further a bit from the city of Sanya in Hainan island - which is the home to an important Chinese naval base. The drill will last until 15 March. Location of China's naval drill according from Google Vietnam. With the drill ongoing and the area is forbidden, one questions to ask: what does China plan for? Vietnam as a favourite target? Fellow communist Vietnam can be the reason why China feels it could exercise its influence in the neighbour. As far as 2014, reports about China manning military exercises were well-known and the favourite target for China is actually not anyone else - it is Vietnam that it aime...

  Myanmar, or you can say, Burma, is a country of every reflection on the mind of the people. Historically, the country is unique. And even in the modern era, it is still unique. It appears to be everything in your minds, like how I watched the movie "Beyond Rangoon". But it is also a story where power brought them might, and yet power also brought Myanmar, into tragedy... just like the current coup and protests... Glory of an imperial state History of Burma began with the migration of people from the mountains of Tibet and today's Yunnan to the plateau of Irrawaddy river. They first came to Burma in 11,000 BC, but it only became a civilisation from 2nd century BC onward. They established a series of city-states called Pyu, and ruled independently, not an organised structure. Because these city-states maintained limited contact outside between themselves, China and India, historian disagreed on how to interpret the Pyu-states' histories, as they all developed for them...