ASTONISHING phenomenon — folks the world over, the high, the mighty and the lowly, all fervent in their common prayer that in the threatening escalation of the Ukraine war into a nuclear confrontation, Russia ultimately wins.

This concern must underscore the recent visit to the Philippines of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, coming on Tuesday straight from a similar visit to intensely agitated South Korea. Of late, North Korea has been on a binge of testing nuclear missiles, with a frequency not witnessed before, instantly alarming South Korea and Japan, and necessarily their patron, the United States. Particularly for the US, which sees the increasing intensity of North Korea's nuclear missile tests as heavily bearing upon the need to defend Taiwan from a perceived invasion from mainland China.

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details