I cannot exactly say what or point my finger "at" it. But something isn't right in the Asian theater. After years of reading the temperature of Asian theater. Something. Just doesn't seem right. Gutt feeling I guess.
It's probably nothing. Don't listen to me.
For roughly fifteen years, the Asian military and geopolitical theater was one of the quieter parts of my reporting. Barely touched it. Because there was nothing worth reporting really. Europe and the Middle East usually generated most of the meaningful activity the last 15 years.
That has changed over the past six months. Without a doubt in my mind.
More than half of my reporting has increasingly involved Asia, and much of it has been unusual compared with the historical baseline.
Even during the height of the Iran war, Asian developments continued becoming more frequent and more noteworthy.
I am not predicting that a war or major crisis is imminent. I am simply observing that the regional status quo has changed.
My current assessment is that Asia is naturally becoming the primary arena of global power competition in this century, much as Europe was in the last. It is also possible that regional powers used the world’s focus on Iran as an opportunity to advance existing military, political, and strategic objectives with less scrutiny.
What this ultimately leads to is unclear.
It may lead to nothing immediate. However, after fifteen years of watching the region, I am confident that the Asian theater is no longer behaving according to its previous baseline.
