US 7th fleet base in Bangladesh?

[Dayuhan]

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.

Doubting everything and questioning everything are the only courses available to thinking people. That doesn't mean rejecting everything, it means not accepting anything until it passes critical examination. "It must be true, I read it on the innernet" is not a position that makes any sense.

Skepticism is essential. When reports come from single or uncited sources, when the content of a report cannot be verified by other sources, when there are overt factual errors or evidence of editorial sloppiness, when reports seem deliberately spun to evoke a specific emotional reaction... skepticism should be magnified.

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

Nor should any information be assumed to be true without corroborating evidence.

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!

Google Earth would reveal unto you that Sarah Palin's home in Wasilla, Alaska is over 1000 linear km from the nearest point in Russia, with mountains in between. Don't believe everything you hear.

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.

USAID build infrastructure projects, on their existing budget. A military base is a different cup of tea.

Some years back there was a huge flap here when the US build a fishing port in southern Mindanao. It was widely believed to be intended for military use. When a contractor with a history of doing work for the military was selected to do the work, the rumors were taken to be confirmed. It turned out to be a fishing port. Rumors are often wrong.

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.

That's why they're seen as more credible. "Information" from unspecified "unofficial sources" very often turns out to be misinformation.

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.

The transcript does not refer to "envisaged", it's worded to create the impression that there are actual bases. That goes beyond sloppy journalism, into the realm of deceptive journalism.

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!

How many Chinese naval facilities actually exist outside of China? What actual naval assets are stationed at those facilities?

I'll file this report under "unconfirmed rumor, speculative, one", and see what else comes up. Way too early to get excited about it, and not nearly enough information to reach any conclusion.

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

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

In terms of any hypothetical conflict with China, window dressing is precisely what they are. They are there to show the flag, not to fight the Chinese.