Ask people in the US, Britain, France, Germany, and even Pacific region Japan if China and Taiwan are two separate countries and the answer overwhelmingly is yes, according to a new Gallup Poll survey. Such unanimity does not extend to the question of what to do should China invade Taiwan. On that issue, the survey shows that a clear majority of residents of the other countries favor using diplomacy only, while 42 percent of Americans think diplomacy only is the appropriate response and 23 percent favor a combination of diplomacy and military action.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.