"What in the World?" - Week of Aug 27-Sep 2, 2017

President Trump announced his policy on Afghanistan in a speech last week. A U.S. Official categorized the position of the US Government toward the 16-year old American combat operations there as:

THIS Pacific power launched long-range nuclear-capable bomber aircraft to fly around the Korean Peninsula last week as a rare demonstration of force in the region.

The Secretary General of NATO urged Russia to be transparent in its troop maneuvers next month in western Russia and Belarus saying, “All countries have the right to exercises of their armed forces, but the countries should also respect the obligation to be transparent.” Who is the Secretary General of NATO?

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army claimed responsibility for attacks in THIS Asian country against 30 police posts and an army base in Rakhine state last week that left 59 insurgents and 12 security forces dead. The treatment of the Muslim Rohingya community appears to have spawned an insurgency in THIS country.

Which head of state is under fire by critics and pundits in the so-called “Makeup Gate” scandal after purchases of over $30,000 in makeup in 100 days was disclosed.

Which foreign minister said, “We are in a Cold War 2.0,” adding “Right in the middle. We face a new phase of nuclear armament in East and West.” He was openly critical of his country’s leader and sought to differentiate his party’s positions in the coalition government in advance of national elections.

Mysterious “acoustic attacks” were believed to have caused injuries to American and Canadian diplomatic personnel in the capital of THIS COUNTRY starting as far back as 2016. Last week Ottawa announced it did not believe the host nation was necessarily behind the incidents.

Militants attacked a police facility in the Kashmir valley killing three police officers in the most serious violence in a year that has seen 134 militants killed by authorities. Kashmir is hotly contested by THESE rivals:

The USS John S. McCain collided with a merchant vessel last week resulting in the loss of ten sailors and extensive damage to the guided-missile destroyer. Earlier this month the ship was involved in “freedom of navigation” operations by patrolling areas of THESE east Asian waters subject to conflicting claims of sovereignty.

After French President Macron said THIS EU country was isolating itself from Europe its foreign minister shot back, “President Macron is not following carefully the news, doesn’t know what is happening in this part of Europe. But this happens sometimes.” The response followed Macron’s criticism of Warsaw’s opposition to hosting migrants and EU labor issues.