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The UK, especially the then foreign minister Anthony Eden - later Prime Minister, might have played a role in dissuading the USA from considering seriously the option of using nuclear weapons at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Eden pushed hard for the peace settlement at Geneva, and openly criticized the...

Software developed for US weapon projects has to go through a very complex process that has security very high on the requirement checklist. While black box specification helps somewhat, it's still tough (if not impossible) for non-American programmers with little security clearance to bid for...

A voice perhaps. The Jewish people have a lot of money for influence (AIPAC). The Vietnamese people do not.

Right. Based on one of the pictures, the shells used for the guns were M107s, which are still manufactured by many countries. I wouldn't be surprised if Vietnam itself had factories that could churn out these shells (dated back to the 1930s.)

There is no need to have that much foreign reserves (many countries' foreign reserves are lower than that amount, including countries like South Korea, Russia, ...) Too much foreign reserves in US dollars means too much exposure to US monetary and fiscal policies.

For an economy that is eking out (still great comparing to other EU economies) about 2% growth annually, the addition of few tens of billions would have turned into 3%, something that'd give politicians to crow.

Usually the training is technically related, such as weapons operations, repairs and services. Vietnamese Navy is relatively inexperienced when it comes to ships like the Kilo-class submarines.

Apparently the decommissioned USCG Morganthau cutter that was transferred to Vietnam spent a few of its early years in Vietnam as part of the Operation Market Time to interdict supply routes from North to South Vietnam. It's a full circle, and somebody on the American side apparently had a...

As far as I know Laos was a victim of Thailand's expansion over the eras. Lan Xang once owned much of the northeast of Thailand. It fell under the control of the Thais. In the 19th century, Laotians rose up for independence and got help from the Vietnamese. Because Vietnam's ambition was limited...

It has been a while since I visited China, but when I was there working, I had positive experience dealing with many Chinese. Some went out of their way to help me when I played the role of a lost tourist wandering the streets of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. I had a difficult time convincing many...

Most corporations demand source code access for many reasons, with the primary one being that in case the original software provider is no longer interested in or not capable of supporting the software, at least they have the options of finding ways to make such systems last a bit longer. With...

The cause of mass animal deaths (especially those living water) can be quite difficult to determine. Take the case of the mass Asian carp fish deaths in Kentucky a few years back. The experts were baffled, and could only theorized that the fish died because the water was highly oxigenated (!)...

American tourists used to be stereotyped as such.

No. You stated that, and I gave the case of South Korea as counter-example of a remarkably successful country that took 60 years to get where it is now. There is no 5-year shortcut. It took the USA 40 years to get to a stage where it no longer be burdened by debts incurred during the American...

I'm curious. What country did revolutionize in 5 years? Some countries' economic growth have been miraculous, but they all need much more than 5 years. Take the case of South Korea. The Korean war ended in 1953. After the South Korean government took the plunge and accept investment from the...

Never say never, but realistically for what purpose would Iran want to launch missiles at Poland or Romania?

Did Singapore actually order the planes? All the news I have read only said that the deal was very close to finalize.

The lifting of the arms embargo will just mean that the Russians have to compete for new arms purchases, as the Vietnamese Army continues to diversify its arsenals. However because much of the Vietnamese weapon platforms have been Russian, the demand for Russian weapons will continue. It will...

Anecdotal stories are not evidences. While Formosa was fined a number of times in the past, what business that deals with industrial wastes has never been found to dump toxic matters. Take the case of the river water used in Flint, Michigan. If toxic waste was never dumped in the USA, how did...

Is it proven that it was Formosa's dumping that caused the fish deaths? It's prudent to wait until there are some evidences. Meting out haphazard penalties can create an anti-business environment that many foreign corporations fear.