Based on the Facebook posts and reader comments in the news articles I've read, the above news drew praise among Filipinos because of the strong Russian response. The way in which Filipinos welcomed the news no doubt reflects the underlying frustration at the weakness of the Philippines and consequently the inability to stand up to China the way the Russians did. "If we couldn't do it ourselves, at least someone else could" pretty much sums up the sentiment.
But, at the risk of sounding unpatriotic and unsympathetic, I take the view that we should look at all these issues while detached from nationalistic sentiments (from whatever side). The reason is that the concept of national pride can be so emotionally charged and this can all too easily lead to "we're right, therefore they're automatically wrong" conclusions.
The media highlights certain stories for maximum emotional impact, sometimes at the expense of accuracy or propriety. Some statements are sometimes outright lies. Mix in competing interests that would not hesitate to inject some black propaganda here and there and you get a very confusing picture about what the picture really is. A narrow viewpoint purely based on national pride can make it easier for one to be swayed by misinformation that may be presented in the media, especially if the information caters to one's preconceived views on the whole matter.
I won't go into the minutae of all the events that have transpired. All parties have had their own missteps and contributions to the crisis. However, it may be helpful to take a look at the factors that could most likely be driving the actions of different countries.
For China, it appears that overfishing in traditional Chinese fishing grounds has been forcing Chinese fishermen to cast their nets farther and farther from shore, in one case even reaching as far as Palau. Furthermore, China wants to secure its oil supply in this time of peak oil, and the South China Sea potentially holds large areas of oil and gas reserves. There are also different signs that China's economy is in trouble, so the Chinese leadership may be trying to shore up domestic support by appearing strong in the face of foreign "aggression." What makes the situation even more complicated are reports that several government bureaucracies are competing in terms of influence in foreign policy, with the Chinese Foreign Ministry not even the most powerful of those competing blocs. This can lead to mixed and inconsistent signals that can easily be misinterpreted by other countries.
However, on the other side of things, the U.S. is also keen on retaining its role and dominance in the region. We have seen this by the way the U.S. has set up military agreements with Singapore and Australia, plus the closer cooperation we see being offered to the Philippines. There are even reports that the Philippines is being so vocal and assertive because of U.S. backing. In fact, the current crisis plays into the hands of the U.S. as formerly hostile nations in Southeast Asia are now leaning more towards the U.S. to counter China's apparent aggressiveness in the region.
We've seen the above information at one point or another in news reports going as far back as a few years ago. It's interesting that the current crisis comes at a time when the U.S. has already withdrawn from Iraq and is already well on its way to winding down its presence in Afghanistan. When I first heard the news about the drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, I already thought that if the pattern holds, then a new crisis will emerge. Of course, there was the Arab summer and the potential conflict with Iran, but I also had the South China Sea in mind and true enough the crisis erupted in April of this year. So, what pattern am I talking about?
According to William Bramley in his book Gods of Eden, throughout history human conflict has always been encouraged, with different incidents engineered in order to steer kingdoms and later nations into war with each other. This is now conspiracy theory stuff, but if you read the book it mentions a lot of remarkable examples of how conflicts have been engineered. In short, the current South China Sea crisis is more than just about jockeying for oil and other resources. The crisis is part of a larger pattern to keep the world in some sort of conflict.
On one level, it's the banks and military-industrial complex that truly benefit from war (countries usually need to make big loans in order to build up their military or finance a war). But according to William Bramley, ultimately it is negative extraterrestial interests that influence humanity's conflict-ridden history.
Supposedly, negative extraterrestials want a divided and docile humanity to make it easier for them to achieve hegemony of our world. Aside from cultivating divisions among nations, there are many programs that are meant to undermine the very fabric of human existence, from the introduction of genetically modified foods, promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, and making a lot of sick people dependent on artificial drugs. Greedy corporations and the people who own them are merely the executors of these underlying plans whether unwittingly or not.
The e-book Discerning Alien Disinformation discusses the different ways alien disinformation has shaped mass thinking. This book will also be very helpful for UFO enthusiasts, because there really is a lot of conflicting information coming out. You can download the e-book for free at the Montalk website. Just scroll down to the bottom half of the page.
According to the book, negative extraterrestials thrive on our negative thoughts and emotions, the same way that human waste is food for certain types of bacteria. This is one other reason that negative extraterrestials want to see a world in constant fear and conflict. However which way we choose to view things, there are deeper motivations at play behind the scenes being painted in media.
In any case, while world-changing events and the conflict between nations are not under our direct control, it doesn't mean that we can't see the bigger picture being played out. The point is, we can make an immediate impact on our surroundings by the way we develop and carry ourselves. Nations and governments are nothing more than groups of individuals. If each and every individual worked at improving his or her character, larger populations will become less prone to being swayed by propaganda that seeks to ignite lower emotions such as revenge and anger.
National pride is good in the sense that it teaches us self-respect and identification with a larger grouping other than our family. But let us also remember that we are souls with physical bodies, undergoing experiences consistent with the lessons that we need to learn in this life. We are not our nationalities, and because of reincarnation it's possible that in previous lives we have incarnated as Chinese, Japanese, American or any number of races.
If we truly want to welcome a new era of peace and a golden age of human consciousness, we need to push beyond the boundaries of self respect and cross into the attitude of mutual respect. At a higher level, this mutual respect becomes namaste, or seeing the divinity in everyone, regardless of nationality, creed or race.
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