Night Watch

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Election Results Show Egypt's Shallow Spring

By Night Watch (May 27, 2012)

Egypt: Comment: The elections are in danger of provoking a political disaster. The final results will be available on 29 May, but the vast majority of polling stations... more

Islamist Expected to Win Egypt Elections

By Night Watch (May 26, 2012)

Sri Lanka: General Sareth Fonseka, the Army chief who planned and executed the destruction of the Tamil Tigers, was freed from jail on Monday, after spending two years in... more

NATO Fails in Afghanistan- To Pull Out 18 Months Early

By Night Watch (May 23, 2012)

Afghanistan: Comment: The NATO leaders agreed to transfer combat operations to the Afghan Army by mid-2013. Only one news commentator recognized this as coded language for... more

Bin Laden Death No Impact on Taliban

By Night Watch (May 20, 2012)

Japan-Australia: Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba on May 18 signed an intelligence-sharing agreement in Tokyo, Japan Today... more

North Korea Navy Seize Chinese

By Night Watch (May 19, 2012)

North Korea-China: International news media reported a North Korean patrol boat seized three Chinese fishing boats with 29 Chinese fishermen on board.  The naval command... more

US to Pay Pakistan $1 Million Per Day to Open Supply Route

By Night Watch (May 18, 2012)

China: Update. China's aircraft carrier completed its sixth sea trial. The carrier was seen in port at Dalian on 15 May after having been at sea for nine days. Pakistan:... more

U.S. Mum on Iran Missle Tests

By Night Watch (May 16, 2012)

Iran:  Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on 13 May that Iran will launch a Fajr (Dawn) satellite sometime after 21 May, during the Iranian month of Khordad. The... more

South China Sea Dispute Roils

By Night Watch (May 12, 2012)

China-Philippines: China warned its nationals against traveling to the Philippines, canceled tours and raised trade barriers on imported pineapples and bananas as the... more

Election Confusion in Greece and Egypt

By Night Watch (May 11, 2012)

Egypt: A low-level administrative court in Benha, Egypt, ruled on 9 May that Egypt must suspend the 23 May presidential elections because he found that the Supreme Elections... more

Popular Mood Dark Around the Globe

By Night Watch (May 09, 2012)

Elections updates: Iran: As expected, the run-off election in Friday confirmed the strength of voter sentiment against President Ahmadi-Nejad. Supporters of the Supreme... more

Kabul Security Heightened

By Night Watch (May 05, 2012)

Afghanistan: On 3 May, the UN declared Kabul a "White City" Highest Security Status effective immediately. This means all movements by UN staff have been suspended within... more

Kabul on Lockdown

By Night Watch (May 04, 2012)

Afghanistan: Update. Reports from Afghanistan stated that Kabul was on lock down for at least part of 2 May because of fighting in the city and that the road to Jalalabad was... more

Afghanistan Free From Arab Terrorists

By Night Watch (May 03, 2012)

China: Update. The aircraft carrier Varyag returned to port at Dalian after completing its fifth sea trial. There still is no sign of an air squadron aboard. Republic of... more

China Takes North Korea to Woodshed

By Night Watch (May 02, 2012)

China-Philippines: For the record. China said yesterday it had rejected a proposal by the Philippines for international mediation to resolve their maritime dispute in the... more

North Korea Reconsiders Nuke Test

By Night Watch (May 01, 2012)

North Korea: News services over the weekend suggested that North Korea might have reconsidered detonating a nuclear device. The decision-making change reportedly occurred... more

EU President: Collapse Realistic

By Night Watch (Apr 28, 2012)

China-Taiwan: Comment: Sixteen years ago, Pingtan Island, just north west of Taiwan, was the center of Chinese military energies to intimidate Taiwanese voters against... more

France Lobbies for Military Action on Syria

By Night Watch (Apr 27, 2012)

China-Russia: Correction. The Russian Navy ship Varyag participating in exercises with Chinese ships is a Slava-class guided missile cruiser, not an aircraft carrier. Regret... more

North Korea Broadcasts Warning Message

By Night Watch (Apr 25, 2012)

North Korea-South Korea: The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) broadcast a warning message. "The special operation action group of the Supreme Command of the Korean... more

China Takes N Korea to Woodshed

By Night Watch (Apr 24, 2012)

North Korea-South Korea: North Korea broadcast another denunciation of South Korea because South Korean President Lee said the celebrations in honor of the 100th anniversary... more

South Korea Deploys New Missle in Reposte to North

By Night Watch (Apr 21, 2012)

South Korea-North Korea: South Korea has placed in military service the Hyunmu-3C long-range cruise missile that puts all of North Korea within range of attack, national... more

China Warns North Korea on Nuke

By Night Watch (Apr 20, 2012)

China-North Korea: Chinese authorities took two steps that appear to be part of a program to restrain and modify the behavior of the North Korean leadership. First, China's... more

North Korea's Victim Narrative

By Night Watch (Apr 19, 2012)

North Korea-US: The Foreign Ministry announced today that the agreement North Korea made with the United States to suspend its nuclear weapons tests and to allow... more

Iran-N Korean Joint Missle Venture

By Night Watch (Apr 18, 2012)

North Korea: Kim Jong-un delivered his first public speech on 15 April on the 100th anniversary of his grandfather's birth. In the 20-minute speech broadcast on state... more

Egypt's Reaction Starting: Army Candidate for President

By Night Watch (Apr 15, 2012)

North Korea:  Comment. The space launch failed about 90 seconds into the flight. One news report said the first stage blew up in a large fireball. That means after... more

N Korean MIssle Launch Lasted 90 Seconds

By Night Watch (Apr 14, 2012)

North Korea:  Comment. The space launch failed about 90 seconds into the flight. One news report said the first stage blew up in a large fireball. That means after... more

Conservative Pro US Parties Win S Korean Elections

By Night Watch (Apr 13, 2012)

North Korea: Late on Wednesday, the special conference of the Workers' Party of Korea voted Kim Jong-un first secretary of the Party. His father Kim Chong-il is the eternal... more

Cairo Courts Rebuff Muslim Brotherhood

By Night Watch (Apr 12, 2012)

North Korea: For the record. Assembly and preparations for a satellite launch have been completed, North Korean Deputy Director of Space Exploration in the Department of... more

Iran Sanctions Will Take Time

By Night Watch (Apr 11, 2012)

North Korea: Leaders in Pyongyang permitted reporters to take and broadcast TV images of North Korea's three-stage space launch vehicle, erected in the launch tower at... more

Egypt: Radical Presidential Candidate May Be Disqualified Over American Mother

By Night Watch (Apr 08, 2012)

North Korea: Update. On 5 April the Workers' Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun carried an editorial that suggested Kim Jong-un will be named Party General Secretary at the... more

Syrian Government Prepares for Cease Fire by Crackdown

By Night Watch (Apr 07, 2012)

North Korea: A South Korean military source told the press on 4 April that South Korea is trying to locate three or four North Korean submarines that disappeared after... more

Allies May Shoot Down N Korean Rocket Launch

By Night Watch (Apr 06, 2012)

Northeast Asian Allies-North Korea: In anticipation of the forthcoming launch of a North Korean long-range rocket, South Korea, Japan and the United States have begun to... more

Bin Laden Wives Treated as Illegal Immigrants

By Night Watch (Apr 04, 2012)

North Korea: Commercial satellite imagery on 28 March showed steady progress in preparing a rocket or missile for a launch. The satellite images showed a mobile radar trailer... more

Muslim Brotherhood Versus the Army

By Night Watch (Apr 03, 2012)

Burma: Myanmar dissident Daw Aung San Suu Kyi won a parliamentary seat in by-elections today, a member of her party said, in a closely watched poll. Comment: After two... more

Israel, Azerbaijan and Iran

By Night Watch (Mar 31, 2012)

Azerbaijan-Israel: An Azeri ministry of defense official called "absurd and groundless" a sensational article in Foreign Policy magazine that claimed Azerbaijan had granted... more

No Trust in Afghanistan

By Night Watch (Mar 30, 2012)

North Korea: Kim Jong-un was elected a delegate to the Korean Workers' Party Conference yesterday. His constituency is the Korean People's Army. He had no challengers. The... more

Muslim Brotherhood- This Will Not End Well for Army

By Night Watch (Mar 29, 2012)

North Korea: A North Korean official clarified that the North's moratorium on long range missile launches did not apply to peaceful space launches for scientific... more

NightWatch: North Korea Travels Back in History

By Night Watch (Mar 28, 2012)

North Korea: The national news agency broadcast a statement that any criticism of North Korea's nuclear program at the nuclear security summit in Seoul would be considered a... more

NightWatch: Japan Ready to Shoot Down N Korean Missles

By Night Watch (Mar 27, 2012)

Japan-North Korea: Japan's defense minister on Friday ordered missile defense systems to be prepared to shoot down a North Korean long-range rocket if it threatened the... more

China Launches Re-education in Ouster of Security Chief

By Night Watch (Mar 24, 2012)

China: Update. Additional information about the coup rumors surfaced in open source reporting today. This included internet postings of images of military vehicle movements... more

NightWatch: Rumors of China Coup not Plausible

By Night Watch (Mar 23, 2012)

China: In the past week, Chinese blogs have spread rumors of anti-government action by the supporters of Bo Xilai, the former party secretary for Chongqing who is almost... more

NightWatch: Obama Gives Waivers on Iran

By Night Watch (Mar 22, 2012)

North Korea:  Update. The UN confirmed on 20 March that North Korea has invited UN nuclear inspectors to North Korea. Afghanistan: Comment: The US commander in... more

NightWatch: US Companies Start to Hedge on Iraq

By Night Watch (Mar 18, 2012)

North Korea: North Korea announced plans Friday, 16 March, to launch a satellite into space using a long-range rocket. The liftoff is scheduled to occur between 12 and 16... more

NightWatch: China's Opiate of the Electorate

By Night Watch (Mar 17, 2012)

China: Special Comment: A day after Premier Wen Jiabao delivered his valedictory address to the National People's Congress, the Communist Party's Organizational Department... more

NightWatch: N Korea Reverts to Clinton Playbook

By Night Watch (Mar 16, 2012)

North Korea-US: North Korea's chief envoy to the six-party talks has called for the United States and North Korea to open liaison offices in both countries' capital cities.... more

NightWatch: Israel Can Take Out Palestinian Leaders at Will

By Night Watch (Mar 15, 2012)

Syria: For the record. President al-Asad announced parliamentary elections will be held on 7 May. Comment: Despite the violence, Asad is undeterred from following the... more

NightWatch: US Presence Untenable in Afghanistan

By Night Watch (Mar 14, 2012)

South Korea-Russia: For the record. South Korea and Russia are scheduled to hold defense strategic talks this week in Moscow. The South Korean Defense Ministry said Lim Kwan... more

NightWatch: Ayatollah Gloats Over Obama Mistake

By Night Watch (Mar 10, 2012)

North Korea-Syria: For the record. The party daily Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong-un sent a greeting to Syrian President Bashar al-Asad on the occasion of the 49th... more

NightWatch: Syria is no Libya, Yet

By Night Watch (Mar 09, 2012)

South Korea-North Korea: South Korean National Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin on 7 March that any new attacks from North Korea will be used as a chance for South Korea to... more

NightWatch: Hamas Deals Iran Setback on Israel

By Night Watch (Mar 08, 2012)

North Korea-US: Robert King, the US envoy on human rights in North Korea, told reporters he would meet in Beijing with a counterpart from Pyongyang to discuss how the 240,000... more

NightWatch: How to Dispose of a Quran

By Night Watch (Mar 07, 2012)

North Korea: On 3 March, leader Kim Jong-un ordered a front-line military unit to be alert during his first tour of Panmunjom. He apparently restated the need for vigilance... more

NightWatch: Christian and Jew Existence a Sin Against Allah

By Night Watch (Mar 03, 2012)

Pakistan-Iran: Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said in Islamabad on 1 March that Pakistan's economic development projects with Iran, which include the... more

NightWatch: Japan Challenges China at Sea

By Night Watch (Mar 02, 2012)

Japan: Japan will secure sea lane safety by providing development assistance to coastal countries to help boost maritime security capabilities, Japanese Foreign Minister... more

NightWatch: Government Still in Control in Syria

By Night Watch (Mar 01, 2012)

North Korea: Update. Thus far, annual Allied exercises in South Korea have elicited no response from North Korea. China: At least 10 people died in riots in Kashgar,... more

NightWatch: Afghan Endgame After 10 Years of Sacrifice

By Night Watch (Feb 29, 2012)

India-Pakistan: The Indian military is planning a 20,000-troop war exercise near the India-Pakistan border, an Indian Army spokesman said on 27 February. The spokesman said... more

NightWatch: No Place Safe in Afghanistan

By Night Watch (Feb 28, 2012)

North Korea-South Korea-US: US-South Korean exercise "Key Resolve" began on 26 February and will continue through 9 March. On Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)... more

NightWatch: Iraq Death Toll Nears Syrian Death Toll

By Night Watch (Feb 25, 2012)

North Korea-US: US Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies said talks with North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan on 23 February were... more

NightWatch: Iran Prepares to Receive Attack

By Night Watch (Feb 24, 2012)

North Korea-US: Update. Officials from the US and North Korea held their first meeting on nuclear issues on 23 February in Beijing. The purpose of the nuclear talks is to... more

NightWatch: North Korea Fails to Carry Out "Merciless Attack"

By Night Watch (Feb 23, 2012)

South Korea-North Korea: South Korea completed two hours of live-fire military drills on the offshore islands off the west coast without incident. South Korean troops on five... more

NightWatch: Iranians Mistakenly Set Off Bombs Meant for Israelis

By Night Watch (Feb 18, 2012)

North Korea: The Korean Central News Agency announced the posthumous military promotion of the late Kim Chong-il. The title of Generalissimo of the Democratic People's... more

Night Watch: New Pakistani "Ultra" Coalition Forms

By Night Watch (Feb 17, 2012)

North Korea: Kim Chong-il's birthday is 16 February. The day is being marked by rallies and tributes. China-North Korea: China announced it will invest US$3 billion in the... more

NightWatch: Constitutional Crisis in Pakistan

By Night Watch (Feb 15, 2012)

North Korea: The US State Department announced on Monday, 13 February, that it will hold another round of high-level talks with North Korea next week. "Special Representative... more

NightWatch: Syria Races to Destroy Opposition

By Night Watch (Feb 14, 2012)

North Korea: Update. Last Friday Asian blogs obsessed about an unconfirmed and unsourced posting that Kim Jong-un had been assassinated. Comment: No reporting from any... more

NightWatch: Sanctions Could Fuel Iran Civil Strife

By Night Watch (Feb 11, 2012)

Iran: Special comment. The evidence continues to pour in that the US banking sanctions are imposing large penalties on Iranian consumers. Iran can still sell its oil, but... more

NightWatch: US Army Furor over Afghan Contradictions

By Night Watch (Feb 10, 2012)

South Korea-North Korea: Update. South Korea faxed to North Korea a proposal for working level talks to control pests at the 30 tombs in the northern cities of Pyongyang and... more

NightWatch: US-Pakistan Relations Appear Mending

By Night Watch (Feb 09, 2012)

Pakistan-US: Update. Relations appear to be mending after last November's killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers. US Central Command Commander General Mattis is scheduled to visit... more

NightWatch: Fewer Deaths in Syria than Reported

By Night Watch (Feb 08, 2012)

South Korea: correction: South Korean legislative elections are in April. The Presidential election is in December. Thanks to the brilliant and diligent Readers who caught... more

NightWatch: Supreme Leader Khamenei Declares "Will Help Any Nation Fighting Zionists"

By Night Watch (Feb 05, 2012)

North Korea-South Korea-US:  Despite the tension between North and South Korea, North Korea accepted 180 tons of food aid for children from the Korea Peace Foundation.... more

NightWatch: Iran Arresting Money Changers in Currency Run

By Night Watch (Feb 04, 2012)

North Korea: During the past week, foreign media have reported a worsening of the electric power supply in Pyongyang. Electricity is supplied for three hours a... more

NightWatch: China Plans for North Korea Collapse

By Night Watch (Feb 03, 2012)

China-North Korea- South Korea: A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Defense dismissed as misinformation a report published by South Korean and Japanese media that the... more