US 7th fleet base in Bangladesh?

[Ray]

Certainly one hopes so. You still have to wonder what (or if) the person who wrote that subtitle was thinking. For those of us who are by nature skeptical and disinclined to believe all that is published, indications of sloppiness on the editorial level reduce the overall credibility of any given piece.

A waffle is like a pancake with a syrup trap.

As far as being skeptical, there are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything. Both ways save us from thinking.

Quote:

The apparent intent of the video was precisely to spin the speculations into sounding like something ominous, despite a fairly thin basis. That could be interpreted as an effort to fool someone. Of course ominous news sells, and therefore media will do what they can to put an ominous spin on whatever fragments they can glean. That of course is their business, but we needn't buy into it.

Personally, when I read something clearly designed to evoke fear or greed, I assume someone is trying to sell me something... but as I said, I'm skeptical by nature.

BTW, Sarah Palin couldn't see Russia from her window, unless she had better vision than Superman.

The apparent intent of the video could have been to spin speculation, but as I said earlier, one has to know about what is happening in the world and keeping oneself isolated from the same is a self defeating exercise.

For instance, the Arab Spring led to the rise of Islamic parties. But if one is an isolationist and lives in his idealistic dream world, the event can come to bite – bitten by the same myopic vision that failed to plan through and instead only focussed in defeating the Soviets in Afghanistan. The same said myopia has come to bite and is still biting, not only the US, but the whole world.

True, it is speculation, but when such speculations happen around the region and beyond boundaries of Nations, it might be imprudent to disregard the same. Journalists and think tanks do have their eyes and ears within the corridors of power. Remember, Watergate? It was not in the public domain, but it happened. It was a journalist who ferreted out the same that brought Nixon down!

In the intelligence circles, it is said that no information, no matter how insignificant it appears, is to be overlooked.

I would not know if Sarah Palin’s vision beats Superman, but this I know is that she sure said in an interview with Barbara Walters that she could see Russia through her window and that is why she was well versed on foreign affairs!

Speculation is the product sold by the commentariat: they need it, and they will find it where they can.

I may not know the political processes of India or Bangladesh, but I'm reasonably familiar with those of the US. I very much doubt that any decision to develop a military base in Bangladesh is going to happen without extensive public discussion before the decision is made: these things don't simply pop out of a hat. For one thing, there will have to be a budget allocation to develop facilities unless they are already in place, and that has to come through Congress.

Jumping from the very minimal hints and extrapolations under discussion to the assumption that the US has decided to base forces in Bangladesh seems quite premature and quite excessive. Maybe something to keep half an eye on, but way too early to get excited about it.

The think tank link you cite makes only vague references to an enhanced US/Bangladesh partnership, and says nothing at all about a naval base. Is there any serious, credible analysis discussing basing?

This comment reminds me of the speculation of Lord Kelvin who was the President of the Royal Society in 1895. He had said "Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible".

Hilary Clinton has already offered to build a port for Bangladesh. I take it that it was a considered opinion having gone through the processes as is applicable in the US.

Think tanks are not like the media. Their professional reputation is at stake and there is no escape route that the media has to render an apology with a correction. Therefore, think tanks have to be cautious and be ambivalent when commenting on a controversial issue even if they are aware of it through unofficial sources.

The video you linked to specifically stated that the US is "“worried by increasing presence of Chinese naval bases in the south china seas". I just wondered what specific bases they were talking about... or was that just another effort to make it all sound ominous?

The transcript goes:

Pentagon reports as they are increasingly worried over the string of pearls of Chinese bases across the South China Sea and their naval might spreading all across Asia.

It is correct that there are no bases in the SCS.

The String of pearls does envisage bases, even if they are not claimed to be so.

China mulling naval base in Gulf of Aden: admiral
(AFP) – Dec 29, 2009
BEIJING — A top Chinese naval official has proposed setting up a permanent base to support ships on anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, raising the idea that China could build foreign bases elsewhere.

In an interview posted on the defence ministry website, Yin Zhuo -- an admiral and senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research Centre -- said such a base would bolster China's long-term participation in the operation.

"We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments," Yin said."We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity."
Link

Apart from having naval facilities around India, China is also ensuring such facilities around maritime chokepoints as a counter to US commanding such chokepoints, be it the Gulf of Aden, Straits of Malacca or the Straits of Hormuz!

Unlike others who are in a hurry, China does it all in good time like her 'Peaceful Rise' over years done with benign calm and deception has now turned into a "'Peaceful' Imposition of the Chinese Hegemony'. Everything so 'peacefully' done!

To demonstrate presence in a way large enough to be visible but not large enough to be threatening or to require a major commitment of resources. Isn't that what showing the flag is about? Certainly those 2 LCS are not going to dominate the straits of Malacca, and the US is not going to tell the Chinese Navy that they can't sail into the Indian Ocean.

During peacetime, no one will stop any legitimate shipping. That is so obvious that it requires no elaboration.

In the event of a confrontation, the situation changes.

As I had explained these 2 LCS are merely the ‘vanguard’ to the US naval pièce de résistance

If push comes to shove, they will congregate whether or not there are 2 LCS in Singapore... if the US decides that it wants them to congregate, that is.

That is obvious or else the 2 LCS are merely window dressing.