News of the (longer than planned) Weekend (November 22)

Communist China helps Stalinist North Korea make end runs around sanctions:
According to a report relayed by One Free Korea, Communist China is unblocking SNK money previously frozen in Hong Kong's Banco Delta Asia. If this was Communist China's only action to help its Korean colony at the expense of the rest of the world, it would be bad enough. Of course, as OFK finds, it isn't.

More From the China Freedom Blog Alliance: Between Heaven and Earth has two posts on Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's refusal to cower to the Communists (see also Calgary Sun, Canadian Press, Epoch Times, Macleans, and the Shotgun Blog). Boycott 2008 ponders the Communists' organ harvesting outrage (see also Washington Post - last item). OFK has plenty more posts, including several on South Korea's myopic doves (see also Daily NK), the weakness of the rest of the world, and the latest SNK antics (see also Daily NK).

More on Stalinist North Korea: President Bush's plea to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to get tough on SNK falls flat (BBC, Washington Post, Washington Times), with dovish South Korea leading the retreat (Time and Washington Times). As one would expect, the president's idea for a permanent Korean War peace treaty gets a much better reception (Daily NK and United Press International via Washington Times). A United Nations resolution criticizing SNK's human rights abuses - supported by South Korea (Daily NK) still infuriates the Stalinists (UPI via Washington Times).

As Syrian regime's standing rises, anti-Syrian Minister is killed in Lebanon: The Syrian regime had quite a good week - in particular better ties with Iraq (BBC, UPI via Washington Times, Voice of America via Epoch Times), the very country whose democracy the Assad regime has been savaging for three years. Naturally, it was a perfect time to get the other Middle Eastern democracy (namely Lebanon) to heel after the Lebanese stopped coddling Hezbollah (fifth item). Lo and behold, leading Lebanese Christian and longtime Assad opponent Pierre Gemayel is dead (BBC, Cybercast News, Fox News, National Review Online - the Corner, Newsweek via MSNBC, UPI via Washington Times, and Worldwide Standard).

More on Middle Eastern Proxies Two and Three: The family of a man kidnapped by Syria in 1983 marked his birthday (World Net Daily), while the regime looks to for "a strong comeback on the Palestinian scene" (UPI via Washington Times). Meanwhile, Hezbollah prepares to take its coup effort "to the streets" (Washington Times) as it boasts of the money it receives from abroad, especially Iran (Ynet).

That brings us to Middle Eastern Proxy Number One: Numerous pundits and politicians is saying the Iranian mullahs are the key to peace in the Middle East, if we would just stop being so nasty to them (BBC, Los Angeles Times, Newsmax, Newsweek via MSNBC, Washington Times). Of course, a slew of folks with more farsightedness took a very different view toward the mullahs (Christopher Hitchens in Slate, Cybercast News, Kenneth R. Timmerman in the Washington Times, NRO - fifth bullet, Reuel Marc Gerecht in Weekly Standard, and the Washington Times editors). As for the regime itself, it largely justified the skeptics. The mullahs hosted Zimbabwean thug Robert Mugabe (Shotgun) and a leading Korean Stalinist (NRO - Corner), arrested a leading dissident (American Enterprise Institute and NRO - corner), and threatens "100,000 centrifuges" (Bloomberg). Meanwhile, the likely successor the mullah strongman Ali Khameini is just as bad, if not worse (Worldwide Standard), and Ha'aretz reports the U.S. has given the green light to Israel to attack the mullahcracy.

Hu Jintao visits India, whose nuclear deal with the U.S. moves forward: The Communist leader won an agreement with India "to double trade to $40bn (£21bn) a year by 2010" (BBC). So does this mean India sees Communist China as a friend and not a rival? In a word - or if one prefers, four links (BBC, Epoch Times, VOA via Epoch Times, and Washington Times) - no.

Ignorant Comment of the Day: Joshua Kurlantzick admits Communist China is a threat in The New Republic, but then decides he's too scared to advice doing anything serious about it.

Enlightened Comment of the Day: Charles R. Smith (Newsmax) takes better note of Communist China's antics around the globe.

Communist China building up its navy - to counter us: That was the jarring observation made by U.S.-China Economic Security Review Commission member Daniel Blumenthal (Bill Gertz, Washington Times).

More on Communist China and the United States: The editors of the Washington Times, while not quite clear-eyed on Communist China, at least are not spineless. Even as the Communists conduct joint naval exercises with the U.S. (Agence France Presse via Breitbart), the regime is still plotting to use "asymmetrical warfare" (Washington Times - second item), including mass espionage (MSNBC). Dan Sanchez (Epoch Times) continues his interview with Bruce Herschensohn about Communist China, the U.S., and the island democracy of Taiwan.

On Communist China and the rest of the world: A Communist court tells international music companies to buzz off and let Baidu link to sites that rip them off (BBC). Hu Jintao wants to visit Japan; Wang Zhen (Epoch Times) examines why - and finds a desire to weaken Japan.

Communist China to consider military force - against protestors: The proposal to use to the military "to support the suppression of group protests" (Epoch Times) comes as the anniversary of the Shanwei massacre led one protest leader there to be arrested (BBC).

Communists arrest appellant - at exhibit to honor "human rights": As the cadres tried to fool the world with an "Exhibition of Human Rights in China," one appellant (petitioner) who was looking to exercise his rights was sent to prison (Epoch Times).

Communist prosecutor admits to torture: As one would expect, Deputy Procurator General Wang Zhenchuan only mentioned "at least 30 wrong verdicts (which) were handed down each year because torture had been used" (BBC). There was no reference to the verdicts the cadres considered "right" which would have gone the other way (i.e., for acquittal) had the accused not been beaten into a confession.