Author Archive
Steve Mollman
Asia Correspondent
Threats
China’s Growing Power Is Bringing Military Drills Center Stage in Asia
Beijing will send troops, tanks, and aircraft to join Russia's largest exercise in decades. That's just one example.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
China Just Conducted Its Biggest-Ever Display of Naval Power
It involved 48 warships, 76 aircraft, and more than 10,000 personnel in the South China Sea, plus an onboard speech by president Xi Jinping in military fatigues.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Science & Tech
Bigger, Faster, Stronger: China’s Ever-Evolving Military Tech
China’s progress hasn’t gone unnoticed.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Science & Tech
Security at the Winter Olympics Includes Drones That Catch Drones
Even without the Olympics, South Korea has been beefing up its drone expertise.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
North Korea-Bound Ships Could Soon Be Routinely Intercepted by the US and Allies
Foreign ministers from the U.S. and about 20 other countries will weigh the measures as part of new pressure on Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Beijing's Latest Moves in the South China Sea Spark Fears of a New Land Grab
Alarm bells sounded when Chinese ships recently gathered at Sandy Cay, a set of sandbars close to Philippines-occupied Thitu Island in the Spratly archipelago.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
'We Do Not Have Long to Act': Tech Heads Warn UN About Autonomous Arms
SpaceX head Elon Musk and other industry leaders write that autonomy will lead to wider and faster war.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
North Korea Is Helping China in the South China Sea—Whether It Knows It or Not
Pyongyang’s rocket tests have elbowed Beijing’s land grab out of the spotlight — just as the Chinese might have hoped.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Syria’s War Has Been a ‘Goldmine’ for North Korea—and Don’t Expect It to Change Anytime Soon
Weapons from North Korea have ended up in Syria, ultimately enriching the Kim regime and prolonging Bashar al-Assad’s grip on power.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Duterte Seems Alarmingly Resigned to Beijing's New Building in the South China Sea
'What will I do? Declare a war against China? I can, but we’ll all lose our military and policemen tomorrow,' President Duterte said this week.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Now China Wants All Subs in the South China Sea to Ask Permission, Surface, Show Flag
Beijing's proposed revisions to maritime law, if adopted, could set up a nuclear naval confrontation with the United States in international waters China claims to own.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Duterte's Forces Are Secretly Being Paid Per-Kill Bonuses, Says Watchdog
Police are paid $160 to $300 secretly for each extrajudicial killing disguised as a legitimate operation, and zero for arrests, according to Amnesty International.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
The Philippines Is About to Give Up the South China Sea to China
'We cannot win that,' President Rodrigo Duterte said of Scarborough Shoal this week. 'We can’t beat" China.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Maritime Tensions Grow Between Rising China and Rearming Japan
The most dangerous flashpoint in the South China Sea could be a Japanese warship, not a disputed isle.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Even Duterte’s Slurs Can’t Break US-Philippines Ties Cemented by Chinese Aggression
Attention is turning to the Scarborough Shoal, just west of the Philippines, where many fear Beijing will build more islands to expand its control of the South China Sea.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Beijing Announces New Plans to Break International Law in South China Sea
During a three-day visit from the U.S.'s top admiral, China flouts UN ruling on contested waters.
- Steve Mollman
Threats
Now China's Fake Island Has a Farm
Hospitals, gardens, lighthouses, and Céline Dion cover artists are some of the softer elements joining the jets and runways on the contested Fiery Cross Reef.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Ideas
Beijing Is Setting the Stage for War in the South China Sea
China is setting itself up to be repeatedly provoked in the disputed waters—it might even be counting on it.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz
Threats
Indonesia Blames ISIS for Suicide Bombs in Jakarta
A Muslim country heretofore largely unaffected by the Islamic State is hit by a series of bombings.
- Steve Mollman and Heather Timmons, Quartz
Science & Tech
US Navy Revives Ancient Navigation as Cyber Threats Grow
Satellites and GPS are vulnerable to cyber attack. The tools of yesteryear are not.
- Steve Mollman, Quartz