Small differences in a system of great power can have enormous consequences. [Source: Al Jazeera 'Upfront' interview]

It's not radical Islam that worries the US -- it's independence

The threat of China is not military. The threat of China is they can’t be intimidated. Europe you can intimidate. When the US tries to get people to stop investing in Iran, European companies pull out, China disregards it. You look at history and understand why: China has been around for 4,000 years and just doesn’t give a damn. You can’t intimidate them — it’s driving people in Washington berserk. Yet of all the major powers, China has been the least aggressive militarily.

Another problem with the official definitions of terror is that it follows from them that the US is a leading terrorist state.

It makes sense for Japan to pursue a more independent role in the world, following Latin America and others in freeing itself from U.S. domination.