Marines in the Philippines negotiating for basing rights.

General Simcock...old CO of 1/7...hard as nails.

The Marines are in the Philippines negotiating basing rights...or something like that.  Thanks to everyone that filled my inbox with the news but I just don't see the significance.  We've been down this road too many times. I got excited a couple of times before only to see nothing happened.  I'll save the popping of corks until we see a base established.

Dirty little secret.

The Philippines aren't the lynchpin in the strategy to contain China.

India is.

If we can get a real deal defense treaty with India then China will be fully encircled and will be vulnerable from attack from several different directions.  If the treaty is modeled on the NATO model where an attack against one is an attack against all then war will be particularly costly for the rising dragon.