TheGuardian 17 April 'What is certain is that Barack Obama's rapacious coup in Ukraine has ignited a civil war and Vladimir Putin is being lured into a trap.' On 23 April, Obama will begin a tour of Asia to promote his "pivot" to China. The aim is to convince his "allies" in the region, principally Japan, to rearm and prepare for the possibility of war with China. By 2020, almost two-thirds of all US naval forces in the world will be transferred to the Asia-Pacific area. This is the greatest military concentration in that vast region since the second world war.