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Why is America provoking China? Biden won't accept the West is in decline

War is not inevitable (Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

War is not inevitable (Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)


November 21, 2022   7 mins

After meeting Xi Jinping last week, Joe Biden did his best to paint a rosy image of US-China relations. “As the leaders of our two nations,” he said, “we share a responsibility to show that China and the United States can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation.”

On paper, Biden’s words appear to be an encouraging sign of thawing tensions. The truth, however, is that the US-China relationship is at its lowest point since they established diplomatic relations in 1979. And much of the blame for that lies with the Biden administration.

While tensions between the two superpowers have been simmering for years, the new administration has taken the confrontation with China to a whole new level. Since he was elected, Biden has taken a much more hard-line approach to Taiwan than Trump, further boosting ties with the country and undermining the “One China” policy, under which the US acknowledges that “China maintains there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China”, but doesn’t recognise China’s sovereignty over Taiwan.

Biden has also made clear he believes the US should come to Taiwan’s defence if China were to launch an invasion — irresponsible remarks that have led the White House to clarify this would fall short of American military intervention. And yet, the presence of US warships in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea has increased significantly this year, to which China has responded by launching extensive military exercises around the self-ruled island. Admiral Michael Gilday, US Chief of Naval Operations, last month went as far as saying that the United States should be prepared “for a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window” for war over Taiwan with China.

Despite such inflammatory statements, the chances of an all-out war between the US and China remain remote — just like those of a US-Russia conflict. Yet one cannot help but find the notion of a US administration openly raising the possibility of conflicts with the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers at the same time, and acting in ways that make such conflicts more likely, deeply alarming. Even more worrying, the Pentagon’s recent Nuclear Posture Review opened the door to the possibility of a first-strike attack by US nuclear forces.

Taiwan is not the only issue on which Biden is escalating tensions with China. Last month, he also launched what Edward Luce has appropriately called “a full-blown economic war on China”, by introducing a vast array of restrictions on the sale of semiconductor chips to Chinese firms, as well as on the equipment needed to make them. Given the US controls some of the most critical nodes of the global semiconductor supply chain, such as advanced chip research and design, and that China still relies on imports for much of its high-end chip consumption, the impact on the country could be significant — affecting not only the production of goods that require semiconductors but also China’s ability to produce its own chips.

The potential impact of these measures becomes apparent when we consider the extent to which semiconductors have become the lifeblood of modern societies. As the historian Chris Miller writes in his new book Chip War: “Microchips are the new oil — the scarce resource on which the modern world depends. Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips.” All of which means the US embargo could potentially hinder China’s ability to produce a large swathe of goods — not the best news for the world at a time of high inflation driven, in part, by supply chain bottlenecks.

The overlapping nature of the economic and military dimensions of the measure becomes apparent when we consider that more than 90% of the world’s supplies of advanced chips are produced by a single company, Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which happens to be located in Taiwan. This partly explains the heightened tensions around the island. It also means the ban could have serious geopolitical implications, potentially prohibiting Taiwan from selling semiconductor manufacturing equipment and advanced chips to Chinese companies.

That said, China already produces about 15% of semiconductors globally, and it’s only a matter of time before it figures out how to produce more chips on its own, even at the higher end of the technological scale. Some analysts even believe the move may actually end up hurting the US and its Western allies more than China, in a way not dissimilar to the way in which anti-Russian sanctions have ended up dramatically backfiring on Europe, further disrupting global supply chains that were already severely unsettled by the pandemic and then the conflict in Ukraine.

Yet such economic reasoning has its limits. Many in the US establishment view war with China as inevitable, and so the move could be understood as a way to primarily weaken China’s military capabilities in view of the “big one”: a US-China military confrontation. As US Strategic Command head Admiral Charles Richard recently said: “This Ukraine crisis that we’re in right now, this is just the warm-up. The big one is coming. And it isn’t going to be very long before we’re going to get tested in ways that we haven’t been tested in a long time.” This may be seen simply as an attempt by the Pentagon and to ramp up fears in order to increase their bloated budgets. But ballooning defence budgets also tend to be self-fulfilling, increasing the demand for actual wars.

The most appalling aspect of all this is that there’s nothing inevitable about a US-China war. If China represented a security threat to America’s survival, this might be the case. But it does not. The problem with China, as the recently released US National Security Strategy emphasised, is that it is the only competitor of the US with “the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order in favour of one that tilts the global playing field to its benefit”, meaning the US should aim to “out-compete” China. The Pentagon’s latest National Defense Strategy also concludes that China “remains our most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades”, due to its “coercive and increasingly aggressive endeavour to refashion the Indo-Pacific region and the international system to suit its interests and authoritarian preferences”.

In other words, China is not a threat because it undermines US security interests, but because it will want to shape — and indeed is already shaping — the global political and economic order in a manner that serves its own interests, rather than just those of the US and other Western nations, as has been the case since the Second World War. The real threat, then, is not to America but to America’s hegemonic unipolarist ambitions and those who benefit from it. Recognising this is not about being “anti-China” or “pro-China” — it’s about acknowledging that a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to accept a more equitable distribution of global resources, and to tolerate different national cultures, institutional arrangements and practices, even if we find them disagreeable.

And yes, this will also depend on Western countries becoming less reliant on far-flung countries and overstretched supply chains for the provision of a wide range of industrial goods. But the current trend towards deglobalisation and reshoring — in itself a positive thing, given the disastrous consequences of hyperglobalisation on Western workers and manufacturing bases — is not driven by the desire to create more just, sustainable and self-sufficient economies, but rather by the desire to crush China’s rise, even at the expense of the well-being of Western citizens.

Take, for instance, Biden’s focus on boosting America’s chip-making capacity. While semiconductors may be strategically important in “out-competing” China, they’re not particularly labour-intensive. Reshoring traditional manufacturing sectors would benefit US workers much more — but it’s not their needs that are driving policy. As the Harvard economist Dani Rodrik writes: “It is good that we are now moving away from [hyperglobalisation], given how damaging it was to our social fabric… Unfortunately, the great powers seem to have chosen a different, even worse path. They are now handing the keys to the global economy to their national-security establishments, jeopardising both global peace and prosperity.”

The good news is that the Ukraine crisis has shown that the days when the US could single-handedly dictate global politics are long gone: most countries have not followed America in slapping sanctions on Russia. On the contrary, more than a dozen countries have formally applied to join the BRICS grouping, following its decision to allow new members earlier this year. If accepted, the new BRICS members would create an entity with a GDP 30% larger than the United States, over 50% of the global population and in control of 60% of global gas reserves.

And when it comes to the prospect of engaging in a Cold War 2.0 with China, the US appears even more isolated — even vis-à-vis its closest allies. Recent reports suggest that Washington failed to convince its allies to take part in the sanctions and had to proceed unilaterally. This is unsurprising, considering the devastating consequences of Europe’s ill-advised decision to join the US in waging a proxy war against Russia. Thus Rishi Sunak recently hinted he will abandon plans to declare China a “threat” to national security as part of a major review of British foreign policy, while Emmanuel Macron, following a face-to-face meeting with Xi at the G20, made clear (according to Beijing’s readout) that he “hopes to continue working with China and deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, economy, aviation and civilian nuclear energy”.

But the country that has most openly defied US consensus on China is also the one that is suffering the most — Germany. A few days after America imposed its sanctions, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that decoupling from China was “the wrong answer”; earlier this month, he went to Beijing and met with Xi Jinping, accompanied by a business delegation of powerful German CEOs. In an essay in Politico, Scholz later explained the reasoning behind his trip: “No country is the ‘backyard’ of another. What is true in Europe regarding Ukraine is also true in Asia, Africa or Latin America. It is here that new centres of power are emerging in a multipolar world, and we aim to establish and expand partnerships with all of them. Thus, in recent months, we have carried out in-depth coordination at the international level.”

Understandably, many interpreted this as a rebuttal of America’s new Cold War, bloc-minded strategy. It remains to be seen whether this signals Germany’s intention to rebuild a trans-Eurasian geopolitical corridor. But it does show that it’s not China that is becoming increasingly isolated from the world — but the United States. The latter would do well to accept that the days of American unipolarity are over, and its attempts to drag the world into a war with China will only accelerate its decline.

***

The definition of “One China policy” has been amended for clarity.


Thomas Fazi is an UnHerd columnist and translator. His latest book is The Covid Consensus, co-authored with Toby Green.

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Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago

“ …it’s about acknowledgingthat a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to tolerate different national cultures, institutional arrangements and practices, even if we find them disagreeable.”
Tolerating different national cultures is fine, if everyone does it. But China is not one of those governments. This article focuses largely on Europe. But Australia has come under a lot of pressure and pushback from China for raising concerns about the origins of Covid. Recently China entered into an economic deal with the government of the Solomon Islands which has implications for the future. Look up stories on the Solomon Islands and what China is doing there. Japan also has issues with the behaviour of China. There are many other issues between Australia and China that I won’t go into here but they all involve interference inside Australian itself.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/11/solomon-islands-china-australia-pacific/
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/30/they-dont-understand-fear-we-have/how-chinas-long-reach-repression-undermines

Last edited 2 years ago by Brett H
Samir Iker
Samir Iker
2 years ago
Reply to  Brett H

The big ruckus about the Solomon’s is revealing.
So, the Chinese are throwing around cash in a region that’s strategically vital for US, enlisting a leader with “ambivalence toward democracy” and paving the way for a military base and security alliance?

Remember Ukraine? The country which is far more strategically vital for Russia than Solomon’s is for US? Where Russia is being lectured about countries right to take their own decision, such as joining a hostile alliance?

The Western bloc has no standards. Only double standards.

Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Am I right in thinking that you mean the Solomons are merely looking after their own interests?

Samir Iker
Samir Iker
2 years ago
Reply to  Brett H

No, I mean the Chinese are tapping anti Australian sentiment and using Chinese cash to get the Solomon’s to join their side, even though it would be very detrimental for Solomon’s to do so in the long run and would inevitably end up in them becoming a pawn in the middle of two powerful sides and being chewed up in the process.

Sounds familiar?

Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Yes, I agree.

Terry M
Terry M
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

The difference is that when you are on the Chinese side you are controlled by Beijing. On the American side you are free to do as you please – often relying on American money and defense. China will simply extend its authoritarian rule to more places. What would you prefer a totalitarian Communist state or freedom?

Samir Iker
Samir Iker
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

True.
Its a weird dichotomy of the West – a shining light in terms of human rights and freedoms, but when it comes to dealing with other countries especially in certain regions they are weirdly hypocritical and nasty.

And sadly, it seems increasingly likely China will win, simply because the West have gotten too soft and distraced, and it will be a disaster as it would mean most of the world adopting the Chinese way of life.
I guess we should be grateful at least the free world beat the N*zis and Commies. Pity if we lost the next one. Gives you a King Harold sort of feeling…

Quo Peregrinatur
Quo Peregrinatur
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

I don’t think the Chinese will “win” anything. Despite the thrust of this article, one needs to look at the bigger picture. The countries mentioned are client states of the Global American Empire (the GAE, if you like), and ideologically in line with the US State Department’s political vision. They will not tolerate China’s ideological platforms, which remain socially conservative and deeply skeptical of the notion of political rights.

Quo Peregrinatur
Quo Peregrinatur
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

I don’t think the Chinese will “win” anything. Despite the thrust of this article, one needs to look at the bigger picture. The countries mentioned are client states of the Global American Empire (the GAE, if you like), and ideologically in line with the US State Department’s political vision. They will not tolerate China’s ideological platforms, which remain socially conservative and deeply skeptical of the notion of political rights.

Rocky Martiano
Rocky Martiano
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Free to do as you please under the rules-based international order? Rule No.1 .. the US makes the rules……..as Ukraine is finding out to its cost.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Rocky Martiano

Rubbish. Shame on you. Russia invaded a sovereign nation and got a bloody nose and is now conducting a bombing campaign against civilians and their infrastructure.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Rocky Martiano

Ukraine is “finding out to its cost” that the U.S. makes the rules? Maybe on planet Zog. But here on planet Earth, what Ukraine is finding out to its cost is that it shouldn’t have given up its nukes for a treaty that Russia ignored, And all of the costs it bears have come from the Russian invasion, not the U.S., or did you conveniently forget that wee part.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Rocky Martiano

Rubbish. Shame on you. Russia invaded a sovereign nation and got a bloody nose and is now conducting a bombing campaign against civilians and their infrastructure.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Rocky Martiano

Ukraine is “finding out to its cost” that the U.S. makes the rules? Maybe on planet Zog. But here on planet Earth, what Ukraine is finding out to its cost is that it shouldn’t have given up its nukes for a treaty that Russia ignored, And all of the costs it bears have come from the Russian invasion, not the U.S., or did you conveniently forget that wee part.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Try telling that to the Central American countries which were brutalised as a result of US paranoia in the 80’s. I don’t mean that there is a moral equivalence between US and China, just that America has form for interference.

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Freedom in the West? Don’t make me throw up.
Totalitarian thuggery over a mild flu for two and a half years. Every basic ‘inalienable’ human right thrashed. Every aspect of the Hippocratic Oath trashed.
And then we come to the thought police of wokedom.

Excuse me while I dash to the bathroom!

Last edited 1 year ago by P Branagan
Rhonda Culwell
Rhonda Culwell
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking.

Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Where do you think the totalitarian thuggery came from? When tedros praised his communist masters in china suddenly the whole world emulated their policies. It seems you didn’t enjoy a real taste of communist culture and you choose to blame the big bad American wolf instead.

Stephanie Surface
Stephanie Surface
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Because the West copied China in locking down. China showed manufactured pictures of people collapsing ( supposedly from Covid) in the streets. WHO took its shilling from China, praising China’s approach and telling the rest of the World to simulate their lock downs.
Trump first opposed them, but was then put under pressure by that charlatan and shady Fauci..

Rhonda Culwell
Rhonda Culwell
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking.

Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Where do you think the totalitarian thuggery came from? When tedros praised his communist masters in china suddenly the whole world emulated their policies. It seems you didn’t enjoy a real taste of communist culture and you choose to blame the big bad American wolf instead.

Stephanie Surface
Stephanie Surface
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Because the West copied China in locking down. China showed manufactured pictures of people collapsing ( supposedly from Covid) in the streets. WHO took its shilling from China, praising China’s approach and telling the rest of the World to simulate their lock downs.
Trump first opposed them, but was then put under pressure by that charlatan and shady Fauci..

Samir Iker
Samir Iker
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

True.
Its a weird dichotomy of the West – a shining light in terms of human rights and freedoms, but when it comes to dealing with other countries especially in certain regions they are weirdly hypocritical and nasty.

And sadly, it seems increasingly likely China will win, simply because the West have gotten too soft and distraced, and it will be a disaster as it would mean most of the world adopting the Chinese way of life.
I guess we should be grateful at least the free world beat the N*zis and Commies. Pity if we lost the next one. Gives you a King Harold sort of feeling…

Rocky Martiano
Rocky Martiano
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Free to do as you please under the rules-based international order? Rule No.1 .. the US makes the rules……..as Ukraine is finding out to its cost.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Try telling that to the Central American countries which were brutalised as a result of US paranoia in the 80’s. I don’t mean that there is a moral equivalence between US and China, just that America has form for interference.

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Freedom in the West? Don’t make me throw up.
Totalitarian thuggery over a mild flu for two and a half years. Every basic ‘inalienable’ human right thrashed. Every aspect of the Hippocratic Oath trashed.
And then we come to the thought police of wokedom.

Excuse me while I dash to the bathroom!

Last edited 1 year ago by P Branagan
Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Yes, I agree.

Terry M
Terry M
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

The difference is that when you are on the Chinese side you are controlled by Beijing. On the American side you are free to do as you please – often relying on American money and defense. China will simply extend its authoritarian rule to more places. What would you prefer a totalitarian Communist state or freedom?

Samir Iker
Samir Iker
2 years ago
Reply to  Brett H

No, I mean the Chinese are tapping anti Australian sentiment and using Chinese cash to get the Solomon’s to join their side, even though it would be very detrimental for Solomon’s to do so in the long run and would inevitably end up in them becoming a pawn in the middle of two powerful sides and being chewed up in the process.

Sounds familiar?

Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

The western bloc hasn’t invaded the Solomon Islands, murdered its civilians and reduced its buildings to rubble as punishment for its pivot towards China, so your whataboutery is nonsense.
Australia and NZ have reminded the Solomons that it has been very reliant on aid from those countries in the past, something that wouldn’t continue if it aligns itself with the CCP, and the other Pacific nations have expressed their concern about militarisation of the region, but none of those countries has threatened war to subjugate the Solomon’s.

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

Australia placed troops in the Solomons in 2003, 2006 until 2017 and again in 2021. At the governments request of course. If it’s free to request assistance from Canberra it should be free to request assistance from Beijing.
Far from becoming a “pawn in the game” dealing with multiple large players means the smaller players can get a better deal from all of them than if they only dealt with one. just like in the marketplace if you have a monopoly supplier with no competition then you get worse service at higher prices. The more players in the market, the better the market becomes, why not also in politics ?
Even by raising the possibility of a deal with Beijing, Honiora has forced Canberra and Washington to give it a better deal.
Smart move.

Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago
Reply to  Jake Dee

The current agreement with Beijing allows for China to send police/troops to the Solomons if Chinese interests are at risk, even without the Solomons government requesting assistance. It’s been one of the main criticisms of the deal, the amount of power it hands to the CCP

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

So that would be an agreement between Beijing and Honiara that allows Beijing to do things that Honiara doesn’t agree to. It’s an inherent contradiction which couldn’t exist in the real world. I think you are hallucinating and swallowing disinformation without chewing first. here is a link to a Guardian article, I don’t agree with that publication’s general political stance but they can’t be accused of being pro Beijing. They included documents purporting to be the daft of the agreement and make no mention of any such powers as you claim.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/20/the-deal-that-shocked-the-world-inside-the-china-solomons-security-pact

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

So that would be an agreement between Beijing and Honiara that allows Beijing to do things that Honiara doesn’t agree to. It’s an inherent contradiction which couldn’t exist in the real world. I think you are hallucinating and swallowing disinformation without chewing first. here is a link to a Guardian article, I don’t agree with that publication’s general political stance but they can’t be accused of being pro Beijing. They included documents purporting to be the daft of the agreement and make no mention of any such powers as you claim.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/20/the-deal-that-shocked-the-world-inside-the-china-solomons-security-pact

Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago
Reply to  Jake Dee

The current agreement with Beijing allows for China to send police/troops to the Solomons if Chinese interests are at risk, even without the Solomons government requesting assistance. It’s been one of the main criticisms of the deal, the amount of power it hands to the CCP

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

Australia placed troops in the Solomons in 2003, 2006 until 2017 and again in 2021. At the governments request of course. If it’s free to request assistance from Canberra it should be free to request assistance from Beijing.
Far from becoming a “pawn in the game” dealing with multiple large players means the smaller players can get a better deal from all of them than if they only dealt with one. just like in the marketplace if you have a monopoly supplier with no competition then you get worse service at higher prices. The more players in the market, the better the market becomes, why not also in politics ?
Even by raising the possibility of a deal with Beijing, Honiora has forced Canberra and Washington to give it a better deal.
Smart move.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Until “the west” actually invades the Solomon’s you should STFU.

Brett H
Brett H
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

You exaggerate his comments. He was making the point that they are at risk of “becoming a pawn in the middle of two powerful sides and being chewed up in the process.”

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

The Solomon’s what? You lot confuse me.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Elizabeth

The Solomon Islands 🙂

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Elizabeth

The Solomon Islands 🙂

Brett H
Brett H
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

You exaggerate his comments. He was making the point that they are at risk of “becoming a pawn in the middle of two powerful sides and being chewed up in the process.”

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
1 year ago
Reply to  harry storm

The Solomon’s what? You lot confuse me.

Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Am I right in thinking that you mean the Solomons are merely looking after their own interests?

Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

The western bloc hasn’t invaded the Solomon Islands, murdered its civilians and reduced its buildings to rubble as punishment for its pivot towards China, so your whataboutery is nonsense.
Australia and NZ have reminded the Solomons that it has been very reliant on aid from those countries in the past, something that wouldn’t continue if it aligns itself with the CCP, and the other Pacific nations have expressed their concern about militarisation of the region, but none of those countries has threatened war to subjugate the Solomon’s.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Samir Iker

Until “the west” actually invades the Solomon’s you should STFU.

Kenji Fuse
Kenji Fuse
1 year ago
Reply to  Brett H

The point of this article is really that it no longer matters that the US (and its citizens) are critical of Chinese policy.
The point is that this newly-emerging World Order can do what it likes, despite the protestations of the US.
Couple this with the fact that BRICS countries have a keen memory for the past 200 years of American global atrocities and economic arrogance, and we can expect to endure increasingly cold winters over the next decade.

Brett H
Brett H
1 year ago
Reply to  Kenji Fuse

Your point has nothing to do with what I said. My comment was in relation to China’s behaviour towards the rest of the world, more specifically the Solomons and Australia.

Last edited 1 year ago by Brett H
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Kenji Fuse

Well put, I feel that’s the point that many have missed.

Brett H
Brett H
1 year ago
Reply to  Kenji Fuse

Your point has nothing to do with what I said. My comment was in relation to China’s behaviour towards the rest of the world, more specifically the Solomons and Australia.

Last edited 1 year ago by Brett H
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Kenji Fuse

Well put, I feel that’s the point that many have missed.

Samir Iker
Samir Iker
2 years ago
Reply to  Brett H

The big ruckus about the Solomon’s is revealing.
So, the Chinese are throwing around cash in a region that’s strategically vital for US, enlisting a leader with “ambivalence toward democracy” and paving the way for a military base and security alliance?

Remember Ukraine? The country which is far more strategically vital for Russia than Solomon’s is for US? Where Russia is being lectured about countries right to take their own decision, such as joining a hostile alliance?

The Western bloc has no standards. Only double standards.

Kenji Fuse
Kenji Fuse
1 year ago
Reply to  Brett H

The point of this article is really that it no longer matters that the US (and its citizens) are critical of Chinese policy.
The point is that this newly-emerging World Order can do what it likes, despite the protestations of the US.
Couple this with the fact that BRICS countries have a keen memory for the past 200 years of American global atrocities and economic arrogance, and we can expect to endure increasingly cold winters over the next decade.

Brett H
Brett H
2 years ago

“ …it’s about acknowledgingthat a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to tolerate different national cultures, institutional arrangements and practices, even if we find them disagreeable.”
Tolerating different national cultures is fine, if everyone does it. But China is not one of those governments. This article focuses largely on Europe. But Australia has come under a lot of pressure and pushback from China for raising concerns about the origins of Covid. Recently China entered into an economic deal with the government of the Solomon Islands which has implications for the future. Look up stories on the Solomon Islands and what China is doing there. Japan also has issues with the behaviour of China. There are many other issues between Australia and China that I won’t go into here but they all involve interference inside Australian itself.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/08/11/solomon-islands-china-australia-pacific/
https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/06/30/they-dont-understand-fear-we-have/how-chinas-long-reach-repression-undermines

Last edited 2 years ago by Brett H
Gary Baxter
Gary Baxter
2 years ago

“Why is America provoking China?” This question is as good as “When did you stop beating your wife?” The author takes side in the Sino-US conflicts. He should do more research, at least read such books as “The Hundred-Year Marathon” by Pillsbury and “Hidden Hands” by Hamilton.

Last edited 2 years ago by Gary Baxter
P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Gary Baxter

Only the genuinely bewildered or the deliberately ignorant could uptick this comment.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

And of course you are neither. So we’ll just have to take your pronouncements regarding our bewilderment and/or ignorance for what they’re worth: nada.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

And of course you are neither. So we’ll just have to take your pronouncements regarding our bewilderment and/or ignorance for what they’re worth: nada.

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Gary Baxter

Only the genuinely bewildered or the deliberately ignorant could uptick this comment.

Gary Baxter
Gary Baxter
2 years ago

“Why is America provoking China?” This question is as good as “When did you stop beating your wife?” The author takes side in the Sino-US conflicts. He should do more research, at least read such books as “The Hundred-Year Marathon” by Pillsbury and “Hidden Hands” by Hamilton.

Last edited 2 years ago by Gary Baxter
Frank McCusker
Frank McCusker
1 year ago

The writer is a Chinese patsy masquerading as a journalist. The purported ethical equivalence between China, an autocracy, and the US, a democracy, is invidious.  As with the Putin fan-boys (from right and left), the West is full of these muppet pundits who flutter their eyelids at foreign sociopaths. Their mealy-mouthed utterances are close to treason.   

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Precisely!
Not that long ago they would have been eviscerated at Tyburn as they jolly well deserved.
Weren’t Burgess, Maclean & Co enough? Or have we forgotten so soon?

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

The US is a representative republic, not a democracy.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Has there ever been anything approaching a true democracy since fifth century BC Athens?
Certainly NOT our good selves!

chris sullivan
chris sullivan
1 year ago

wot about the many slaves in Athens tho….

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  chris sullivan

A necessary evil.
Today we have ‘immigrants’.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  chris sullivan

A necessary evil.
Today we have ‘immigrants’.

chris sullivan
chris sullivan
1 year ago

wot about the many slaves in Athens tho….

Iris C
Iris C
1 year ago

I find that comment interesting. I have always wondered about the US system where the President makes decisions without reference or say-so of the two elected houses.

Stephanie Surface
Stephanie Surface
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

The President can make decisions (Excecutive orders) , which the next President can revoke. Only if they are signed by the houses will those “decision” become law.

Stephanie Surface
Stephanie Surface
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

The President can make decisions (Excecutive orders) , which the next President can revoke. Only if they are signed by the houses will those “decision” become law.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Has there ever been anything approaching a true democracy since fifth century BC Athens?
Certainly NOT our good selves!

Iris C
Iris C
1 year ago

I find that comment interesting. I have always wondered about the US system where the President makes decisions without reference or say-so of the two elected houses.

Rolf Wasén
Rolf Wasén
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

”Dictator Envy”?
https://youtu.be/F5OwxdIjDH0

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Same old warmongering nasties giving up ticks.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Hark! Do I hear a chippy little Paddy?

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Same old totalitarian backers and appeasers who don’t.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Hark! Do I hear a chippy little Paddy?

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Same old totalitarian backers and appeasers who don’t.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

couldn’t agree more.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

No he is not a Chinese patsy, or a traitor, he is a cracking journalist. I’ve asked Father Christmas for his book! Wasted on you, obviously.
America need to wind their necks in on this one, we have enough disruption and inflation from the shenanagins with Ukraine thank you, great idea with the sanctions guys, thanks, we’ve had to deal with two customers in pieces this week because of their electric bills, one a pub that will now be closing, another a house that the people will have to sell. One billed £7000 for a quarter, house has prospective annual bill next year for £11000. Yes it’s that bad. We have heard a major German manufacturer (Hager) we use can’t get hold of ANY copper, they’ve shut their production line down. Wholesalers are flapping. I am flapping. We really don’t need a war with China. I would rather not live through ww3 thanks, its going to be hard enough coping with the fallout from Ukraine. That is why war is not a good idea. This part Mr Fazi: ‘. The real threat, then, is not to America but to America’s hegemonic unipolarist ambitions and those who benefit from it. Recognising this is not about being “anti-China” or “pro-China” — it’s about acknowledging that a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to accept a more equitable distribution of global resources, and to tolerate different national cultures, institutional arrangements and practices, even if we find them disagreeable.’
Couldn’t agree more. Maybe we could have a sensible dialogue? That doesn’t involve America piping it’s free world superior to everyone else nonsense? Where it accepts it can’t always be the one with biggest stick, yes we need to protect Western interests but China are not coming to invade the west, they are pis*ed because America keeps messing around in Taiwan. America keeps fu**ing up everyone’s currency with its endless rounds of QE, it has abused its dollar hegemony and been extraordinarily irresponsible with it. Maybe they could just back the f*** off a bit, not parachute in pelosi or start an enormous trade war? Wait its too late for that. Looks like the Americans can’t even manage a dialogue though, anyone see Xi dressing Trudeau down at the G20? Points for that on its own.
Remember actually it was the UN that walked out on Sergy Lavrov, if the UN won’t fulfil its diplomatic function its about time we got rid of it.
This part:
But it does show that it’s not China that is becoming increasingly isolated from the world — but the United States. The latter would do well to accept that the days of American unipolarity are over, and its attempts to drag the world into a war with China will only accelerate its decline.
Yes to all those things. Good on the German chancellor, I personally was very relieved he went, if Sunak genuinely abandons plans to declare China a “threat” to national security, I would vote for him. I don’t say that lightly. I see no reason at all why the UK should get involved with Taiwan, I don’t trust the Americans anymore I’m afraid, Afghanistan was disgraceful, you were going to put us at the ‘back of the queue’ for a trade deal if we voted Brexit, biden interfering in the Northern Ireland business, bush and his WMDs that didn’t exist, the 2008 crash was an American banking crisis that tanked everyone else because of their irresponsible behaviour, Hillary Clinton is the vilest creature on this planet, American parts are in the Iranian drones they are bombing ukraine with right now, but apparently they haven’t a clue how Iran is coming by its tech, great, sounds like security is TIGHT, so America is apparently making the stuff to bomb the shit out of country it is ‘saving’ quote:

But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States.

A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers.

These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations.
Source:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/US-Tech-Is-Being-Used-In-Irans-Controversial-Drones.amp.html
I say we leave China and Taiwan to resolve their issues, if Taiwan want Americas help fine, but I hope we in the UK aren’t stupid enough to get involved. We have dealt with china for years, we have been happy to have our living standards raised by access to their cheap goods, I don’t se what has changed, apart from Americas narrative.

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Miss Emery may I recommend another Christmas stocking book for you?
It is ‘Rome, Strategy of Empire’ by Dr James Lacey. It explains how Ancient Rome, the paramount World Power conducted itself from the Battle of Actium (31 BC) to the collapse of the Western Empire in 476 AD.
There are quite a few parallels here with the US, and it is almost inevitable there will be major war between the US and China, if only for the very simple reason BOTH want one!
I worry about how I shall heat up my Ovaltine and feed the horses, but perhaps I won’t live to see it.

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Well I suppose if it got really bad the Ovaltine would be a luxury, but you could eat the horses!
We’ll be fine, we’re British 🙂 we’ve already been blitzed and come out fighting before.
I will look up the book, thanks, I understand that America and China have been gearing up for this, I just wish the Americans didn’t have to ram their hypocritical shit down our throats while they’re at it, trying to make out it will be good for us here, or that they are saving us in some way. They are trying to save themselves after a series of serious f*** ups more like. They will do that at whatever cost to the rest of us, that’s the part I’m worried about. And it’s not like they don’t currently try dictating to other countries, the back of the queue for a trade deal did me, after following them into Iraq and everything? They can b****r off with the sanctimonious narrative. Americans are funding stuff causing carnage in this country like just stop oil. Accusing fazi of working for China is down right ridiculous.
I would ask you not to encourage them Mr Stanhope, they are obviously riled up enough already 🙂

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

I used to eat horse quite regularly in Germany and France years ago. Not bad really but a bit stringy!

I hear what you say about the US and completely agree. The day that idiot Tony Blair joined in on the scandalous invasion of Iraq, was without doubt the most humiliating event of my lifetime! Even exceeding the Suez fiasco by quite a long way. ‘

We’ hanged people at Nuremberg on the charge of “waging aggressive war” and that is precisely what should have happened to Blair, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and numerous other verminous cretins, too numerous to name.

However with China it is the case of choosing between two evils, and on that basis, ‘Imperium’ wielded by the wretched US is preferable.

You must be aware of how Mao and the CCP behaved during the appalling “Great Leap Forward “ 1958-62? The people were reduced to cannibalism, ( baby girls, smoked like kippers, being the delicacy of choice as I recall). Frankly Moa made Stalin and Adolph look like rank amateurs when it came to ‘slaughter of the innocent’.

They are too many like Mr Fazi who take a benign view of China because they are ignorant of the facts, even in this day and age when research is so simple.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

I’ve never tried horse myself, I understand the French love it though.
I understand, I guess I’m trying to say America have not become what they claim to represent, them dictating to us over brexit would be the same as the Chinese trying to dictate to us we should vote to adopt communism. Not exactly upholding the spirit of democracy. Not sure they’re a country at this point, we should be looking to for anything, any more than China. Apart from a lesson in how not to do stuff.
I understand China have a brutal history, if this was such a problem though we probably shouldn’t have dealt with them in the first place. You know, sent them all the dollars to build their arms industries etc. Now I’m too young to have anything to do with all that, so for America to now turn round and say actually guys we’ve decided the Chinese are communist nutters, we’re having nothing to do with them, sorry, stop all the container ships! Is a bit rich, I see there’s all kinds of awful stuff going on in the apple factory there today, so America, put your money where your mouth is, you don’t like China? Pull your own companies out first. Walmart, addidas, KFC, mcdonalds, Starbucks, Intel etc. etc. I think the Americans approach to this is bordering on appalling, considering they’re own multinationals have got rich off China and are operating there no problem, they can’t have it both ways. We will always have conflicting interests at play, I don’t like the way the Chinese government carry on, but I don’t like the way the Americans carry on either. I think there is a good cause for remaining very cautious of Chinese influences in this country, (got the book Hidden hand, I know the Chinese are just as dodgy as the Americans) but an equal cause for resisting the encroachment of American politics, and influences here too, Blair is a good example of what happens when our government gets stars in its eyes. That wasn’t a democratic decision either, didn’t blair have to use some old act of parliament to get it through? I can’t believe that man was middle East peace envoy, he should have been tried for war crimes, especially after Dr Kelly, that absolutely stunk.
Now the Chinese haven’t parked their war ships in our sea, we are parking ours in theirs. I think this is a very bad idea, I’m not really sure what cause we are fighting for except to tell china actually it’s government system is no good and they should make it like America, sorry guys, thanks for the stuff but we’ve decided your murderous communists? Why should they put up with it? If they were parked off the British coast we would be gunning for them, if the Chinese aren’t happy with their government they will topple it, that’s up to them, not us.
I don’t know Mr Stanhope, I understand when the British empire collapsed we were just lucky that American values aligned closely with our own, I think we have passed that time and America itself doesn’t know what it stands for anymore, I hope they know what they’re doing. I have to say I’m not confident they do.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

I’ve never tried horse myself, I understand the French love it though.
I understand, I guess I’m trying to say America have not become what they claim to represent, them dictating to us over brexit would be the same as the Chinese trying to dictate to us we should vote to adopt communism. Not exactly upholding the spirit of democracy. Not sure they’re a country at this point, we should be looking to for anything, any more than China. Apart from a lesson in how not to do stuff.
I understand China have a brutal history, if this was such a problem though we probably shouldn’t have dealt with them in the first place. You know, sent them all the dollars to build their arms industries etc. Now I’m too young to have anything to do with all that, so for America to now turn round and say actually guys we’ve decided the Chinese are communist nutters, we’re having nothing to do with them, sorry, stop all the container ships! Is a bit rich, I see there’s all kinds of awful stuff going on in the apple factory there today, so America, put your money where your mouth is, you don’t like China? Pull your own companies out first. Walmart, addidas, KFC, mcdonalds, Starbucks, Intel etc. etc. I think the Americans approach to this is bordering on appalling, considering they’re own multinationals have got rich off China and are operating there no problem, they can’t have it both ways. We will always have conflicting interests at play, I don’t like the way the Chinese government carry on, but I don’t like the way the Americans carry on either. I think there is a good cause for remaining very cautious of Chinese influences in this country, (got the book Hidden hand, I know the Chinese are just as dodgy as the Americans) but an equal cause for resisting the encroachment of American politics, and influences here too, Blair is a good example of what happens when our government gets stars in its eyes. That wasn’t a democratic decision either, didn’t blair have to use some old act of parliament to get it through? I can’t believe that man was middle East peace envoy, he should have been tried for war crimes, especially after Dr Kelly, that absolutely stunk.
Now the Chinese haven’t parked their war ships in our sea, we are parking ours in theirs. I think this is a very bad idea, I’m not really sure what cause we are fighting for except to tell china actually it’s government system is no good and they should make it like America, sorry guys, thanks for the stuff but we’ve decided your murderous communists? Why should they put up with it? If they were parked off the British coast we would be gunning for them, if the Chinese aren’t happy with their government they will topple it, that’s up to them, not us.
I don’t know Mr Stanhope, I understand when the British empire collapsed we were just lucky that American values aligned closely with our own, I think we have passed that time and America itself doesn’t know what it stands for anymore, I hope they know what they’re doing. I have to say I’m not confident they do.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

I used to eat horse quite regularly in Germany and France years ago. Not bad really but a bit stringy!

I hear what you say about the US and completely agree. The day that idiot Tony Blair joined in on the scandalous invasion of Iraq, was without doubt the most humiliating event of my lifetime! Even exceeding the Suez fiasco by quite a long way. ‘

We’ hanged people at Nuremberg on the charge of “waging aggressive war” and that is precisely what should have happened to Blair, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and numerous other verminous cretins, too numerous to name.

However with China it is the case of choosing between two evils, and on that basis, ‘Imperium’ wielded by the wretched US is preferable.

You must be aware of how Mao and the CCP behaved during the appalling “Great Leap Forward “ 1958-62? The people were reduced to cannibalism, ( baby girls, smoked like kippers, being the delicacy of choice as I recall). Frankly Moa made Stalin and Adolph look like rank amateurs when it came to ‘slaughter of the innocent’.

They are too many like Mr Fazi who take a benign view of China because they are ignorant of the facts, even in this day and age when research is so simple.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Well I suppose if it got really bad the Ovaltine would be a luxury, but you could eat the horses!
We’ll be fine, we’re British 🙂 we’ve already been blitzed and come out fighting before.
I will look up the book, thanks, I understand that America and China have been gearing up for this, I just wish the Americans didn’t have to ram their hypocritical shit down our throats while they’re at it, trying to make out it will be good for us here, or that they are saving us in some way. They are trying to save themselves after a series of serious f*** ups more like. They will do that at whatever cost to the rest of us, that’s the part I’m worried about. And it’s not like they don’t currently try dictating to other countries, the back of the queue for a trade deal did me, after following them into Iraq and everything? They can b****r off with the sanctimonious narrative. Americans are funding stuff causing carnage in this country like just stop oil. Accusing fazi of working for China is down right ridiculous.
I would ask you not to encourage them Mr Stanhope, they are obviously riled up enough already 🙂

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Miss Emery may I recommend another Christmas stocking book for you?
It is ‘Rome, Strategy of Empire’ by Dr James Lacey. It explains how Ancient Rome, the paramount World Power conducted itself from the Battle of Actium (31 BC) to the collapse of the Western Empire in 476 AD.
There are quite a few parallels here with the US, and it is almost inevitable there will be major war between the US and China, if only for the very simple reason BOTH want one!
I worry about how I shall heat up my Ovaltine and feed the horses, but perhaps I won’t live to see it.

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Perhaps he should be shot? Or sent to a re-education camp, though that would be soft. Eviscerated, perhaps, as Charles suggests. Isn’t it lucky we’re not just morally superior to our Hun-like enemies, but so resolute? Our forefathers fought to make the world safe for democracy, and now people like Thomas just go around saying whatever they like. As Laurence posts, anyone expressing a contrarian view must be a foreign spy, like Burgess, Maclean & co as Charles points out, or in case he needs reminding, Kim Philby. So comfortable to be right back where we should be, in the Cold War, pre-1991. Home again, at last!

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

‘Isn’t it lucky we’re not just morally superior to our Hun-like enemies, but so resolute?’ – Brilliant.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

As a totally supine Client State we shall DO whatever our Imperial master the US commands.
It was ever thus.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

It’s about time to shake off our imperial overlords and make our own way, we are Great Britain, we don’t need them, we were doing pretty well for a tiny island with crap weather all on our own for ages thank you very much 🙂

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

The problem is they WON both World Wars for us, but the cost was enormous in more ways than one!

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Weak at best and it pains my heart to hear it. The Americans won the world wars. Groan. Feel those European and British and Russian soldiers turning in their graves. The Russians played an enormous part in winning WW2, its convienant to gloss over that at the moment though, pretty sure the Red army were the first to Berlin. So should we, on that basis, enthrall ourselves to them also?
(Sorry Americans, when I use that sweeping term I mean your government, your wars, your banks, your media, your fucked up media and celebrities, your Clinton’s and bushes, collectively, as a nation, had enough of you. I know there’s nice normal American people out there, individually I’m sure you’re very nice, and I’d be happy to trade with you, but I don’t want your foreign policy, or dodgy banks or multinational silicon Valley companies with your billionaire ‘philanthropists’, or your oil wars, or opium wars, or your big pharma, or your CIA, your exported political movements and narratives especially.
Thank you. I’m good.)
We need to move on, before America implodes itself with its crazy politics. Leave them and China to it, do our own thing, new trade deals, dial back our own hypocrisy a bit too and calm the f**k down.
Mr Stanhope, I expect better sport next time.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Well Miss Emery, and it may come as a shock but during the ‘Great War’ by the Autumn 1916 in fact, we were on the cusp of bankruptcy. An incredible fact considering that in 1914 we had been the greatest creditor nation on earth since Ancient Rome.

However thanks to having to ‘bail out’ our feeble fiscal allies, the French, Russians, Italians and Greeks, we had to send former Prime Minister Lord Balfour to New York to grovel at the feet of the Money Lenders/Bankers of Wall St, namely Mr Paul Warburg, JP Morgan and others. Besides the controversial Balfour Declaration, Warburg & the others agreed to keep funding us and even decided to join in the war (April 1917) if only to PROTECT their investment. After all if ‘we’ lost the Kaiser was hardly going to pay our bills was he?

So in 1918 despite a ‘butchers bill’ of about 750,000 UK dead, all we had really achieved was Pyrrhic victory.
President Hoover very kindly allowed us to cease our debt repayments in 1934, to help with the Depression!

Come ‘round two’ (1939-45) as you correctly say the Russian commitment was enormous, perhaps 20 million dead. Thus in short WWII was won by a cocktail of Russian blood and American gold.

However we had been reduced to an irrelevant pygmy. Empire gone, World Power status gone, massive debts to the US (yet again). In fact we had reduced been to the status of an American Helot.

Now all this is very depressing but we in fact had taught the US how to behave. After the US Civill War (1861-65) for example when ‘they’ were desperate for cash and investment it was good old Great Britain that stepped in with companies like Foreign & Colonial hoovering up US assets as fast they could go! (All of course to be compulsorily sold under the 1940 US Neutrality Act!)

So I can understand you antipathy towards the US, and we may have “shackled ourselves to a corpse”, but with Brexit now done what alternative is there?

Surely you don’t think the CCP and China could be our salvation? Remember we gave them a good kicking in the 19th century, Two Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion, plus the so-called unequal Treaties. Do you think they have forgotten?

I attach a clip to show how we used to laugh about this nonsense back in the early 60’s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snTaSJk0n_Y

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

The clip is absolutely brilliant, love that the guy riding the bomb has an all American cowboy hat, I feel maybe you could make the same clip today but with Pelosi and Taiwan 🙂
‘In fact we had been reduced to the status of an American Helot.
Now all this is very depressing…..’
‘So I can understand you antipathy towards the US, and we may have “shackled ourselves to a corpse”,’
That gave me a laugh, depressing indeed, the corpse shackling is my main worry. Everything going on at the moment seems to have an inevitable feeling about it, I think we may be going to war with China and Russia sometime soon, I can’t help but feel we’re just getting geared up for it, America seems to be raring to go, it seems they have found something to unite themselves over at last I suppose, and there’s little anyone will be able to do about it because it was never going to be decided by ‘the people’ anyway.
Fully appreciate your reply, I know as part of NATO we are shackled to America anyway, I think they deserve a hard time though.
I don’t know why but the banking discussion and such made me think of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlYBNTCBG8

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Excellent clip, thank you!
O to be a Chartered Accountant!
Otherwise I am very pessimistic and my post of today on the how UK becoming a US Colony says it all, sadly.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

I left you another one on the what’s happened to our prime ministers thread.
I feel like we helped write that US colony article! 🙂

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Thanks.
Off course it was so funny because it was/is so close to the truth!
So much for PPE.

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Thanks.
Off course it was so funny because it was/is so close to the truth!
So much for PPE.

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

I left you another one on the what’s happened to our prime ministers thread.
I feel like we helped write that US colony article! 🙂

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Excellent clip, thank you!
O to be a Chartered Accountant!
Otherwise I am very pessimistic and my post of today on the how UK becoming a US Colony says it all, sadly.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

The clip is absolutely brilliant, love that the guy riding the bomb has an all American cowboy hat, I feel maybe you could make the same clip today but with Pelosi and Taiwan 🙂
‘In fact we had been reduced to the status of an American Helot.
Now all this is very depressing…..’
‘So I can understand you antipathy towards the US, and we may have “shackled ourselves to a corpse”,’
That gave me a laugh, depressing indeed, the corpse shackling is my main worry. Everything going on at the moment seems to have an inevitable feeling about it, I think we may be going to war with China and Russia sometime soon, I can’t help but feel we’re just getting geared up for it, America seems to be raring to go, it seems they have found something to unite themselves over at last I suppose, and there’s little anyone will be able to do about it because it was never going to be decided by ‘the people’ anyway.
Fully appreciate your reply, I know as part of NATO we are shackled to America anyway, I think they deserve a hard time though.
I don’t know why but the banking discussion and such made me think of this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lNlYBNTCBG8

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Well Miss Emery, and it may come as a shock but during the ‘Great War’ by the Autumn 1916 in fact, we were on the cusp of bankruptcy. An incredible fact considering that in 1914 we had been the greatest creditor nation on earth since Ancient Rome.

However thanks to having to ‘bail out’ our feeble fiscal allies, the French, Russians, Italians and Greeks, we had to send former Prime Minister Lord Balfour to New York to grovel at the feet of the Money Lenders/Bankers of Wall St, namely Mr Paul Warburg, JP Morgan and others. Besides the controversial Balfour Declaration, Warburg & the others agreed to keep funding us and even decided to join in the war (April 1917) if only to PROTECT their investment. After all if ‘we’ lost the Kaiser was hardly going to pay our bills was he?

So in 1918 despite a ‘butchers bill’ of about 750,000 UK dead, all we had really achieved was Pyrrhic victory.
President Hoover very kindly allowed us to cease our debt repayments in 1934, to help with the Depression!

Come ‘round two’ (1939-45) as you correctly say the Russian commitment was enormous, perhaps 20 million dead. Thus in short WWII was won by a cocktail of Russian blood and American gold.

However we had been reduced to an irrelevant pygmy. Empire gone, World Power status gone, massive debts to the US (yet again). In fact we had reduced been to the status of an American Helot.

Now all this is very depressing but we in fact had taught the US how to behave. After the US Civill War (1861-65) for example when ‘they’ were desperate for cash and investment it was good old Great Britain that stepped in with companies like Foreign & Colonial hoovering up US assets as fast they could go! (All of course to be compulsorily sold under the 1940 US Neutrality Act!)

So I can understand you antipathy towards the US, and we may have “shackled ourselves to a corpse”, but with Brexit now done what alternative is there?

Surely you don’t think the CCP and China could be our salvation? Remember we gave them a good kicking in the 19th century, Two Opium Wars and the Boxer Rebellion, plus the so-called unequal Treaties. Do you think they have forgotten?

I attach a clip to show how we used to laugh about this nonsense back in the early 60’s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snTaSJk0n_Y

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Weak at best and it pains my heart to hear it. The Americans won the world wars. Groan. Feel those European and British and Russian soldiers turning in their graves. The Russians played an enormous part in winning WW2, its convienant to gloss over that at the moment though, pretty sure the Red army were the first to Berlin. So should we, on that basis, enthrall ourselves to them also?
(Sorry Americans, when I use that sweeping term I mean your government, your wars, your banks, your media, your fucked up media and celebrities, your Clinton’s and bushes, collectively, as a nation, had enough of you. I know there’s nice normal American people out there, individually I’m sure you’re very nice, and I’d be happy to trade with you, but I don’t want your foreign policy, or dodgy banks or multinational silicon Valley companies with your billionaire ‘philanthropists’, or your oil wars, or opium wars, or your big pharma, or your CIA, your exported political movements and narratives especially.
Thank you. I’m good.)
We need to move on, before America implodes itself with its crazy politics. Leave them and China to it, do our own thing, new trade deals, dial back our own hypocrisy a bit too and calm the f**k down.
Mr Stanhope, I expect better sport next time.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

The problem is they WON both World Wars for us, but the cost was enormous in more ways than one!

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

It’s about time to shake off our imperial overlords and make our own way, we are Great Britain, we don’t need them, we were doing pretty well for a tiny island with crap weather all on our own for ages thank you very much 🙂

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

‘Isn’t it lucky we’re not just morally superior to our Hun-like enemies, but so resolute?’ – Brilliant.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

As a totally supine Client State we shall DO whatever our Imperial master the US commands.
It was ever thus.

Quo Peregrinatur
Quo Peregrinatur
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

What is the meaning of “democracy” in this sentence?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Precisely!
Not that long ago they would have been eviscerated at Tyburn as they jolly well deserved.
Weren’t Burgess, Maclean & Co enough? Or have we forgotten so soon?

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

The US is a representative republic, not a democracy.

Rolf Wasén
Rolf Wasén
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

”Dictator Envy”?
https://youtu.be/F5OwxdIjDH0

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Same old warmongering nasties giving up ticks.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

couldn’t agree more.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

No he is not a Chinese patsy, or a traitor, he is a cracking journalist. I’ve asked Father Christmas for his book! Wasted on you, obviously.
America need to wind their necks in on this one, we have enough disruption and inflation from the shenanagins with Ukraine thank you, great idea with the sanctions guys, thanks, we’ve had to deal with two customers in pieces this week because of their electric bills, one a pub that will now be closing, another a house that the people will have to sell. One billed £7000 for a quarter, house has prospective annual bill next year for £11000. Yes it’s that bad. We have heard a major German manufacturer (Hager) we use can’t get hold of ANY copper, they’ve shut their production line down. Wholesalers are flapping. I am flapping. We really don’t need a war with China. I would rather not live through ww3 thanks, its going to be hard enough coping with the fallout from Ukraine. That is why war is not a good idea. This part Mr Fazi: ‘. The real threat, then, is not to America but to America’s hegemonic unipolarist ambitions and those who benefit from it. Recognising this is not about being “anti-China” or “pro-China” — it’s about acknowledging that a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to accept a more equitable distribution of global resources, and to tolerate different national cultures, institutional arrangements and practices, even if we find them disagreeable.’
Couldn’t agree more. Maybe we could have a sensible dialogue? That doesn’t involve America piping it’s free world superior to everyone else nonsense? Where it accepts it can’t always be the one with biggest stick, yes we need to protect Western interests but China are not coming to invade the west, they are pis*ed because America keeps messing around in Taiwan. America keeps fu**ing up everyone’s currency with its endless rounds of QE, it has abused its dollar hegemony and been extraordinarily irresponsible with it. Maybe they could just back the f*** off a bit, not parachute in pelosi or start an enormous trade war? Wait its too late for that. Looks like the Americans can’t even manage a dialogue though, anyone see Xi dressing Trudeau down at the G20? Points for that on its own.
Remember actually it was the UN that walked out on Sergy Lavrov, if the UN won’t fulfil its diplomatic function its about time we got rid of it.
This part:
But it does show that it’s not China that is becoming increasingly isolated from the world — but the United States. The latter would do well to accept that the days of American unipolarity are over, and its attempts to drag the world into a war with China will only accelerate its decline.
Yes to all those things. Good on the German chancellor, I personally was very relieved he went, if Sunak genuinely abandons plans to declare China a “threat” to national security, I would vote for him. I don’t say that lightly. I see no reason at all why the UK should get involved with Taiwan, I don’t trust the Americans anymore I’m afraid, Afghanistan was disgraceful, you were going to put us at the ‘back of the queue’ for a trade deal if we voted Brexit, biden interfering in the Northern Ireland business, bush and his WMDs that didn’t exist, the 2008 crash was an American banking crisis that tanked everyone else because of their irresponsible behaviour, Hillary Clinton is the vilest creature on this planet, American parts are in the Iranian drones they are bombing ukraine with right now, but apparently they haven’t a clue how Iran is coming by its tech, great, sounds like security is TIGHT, so America is apparently making the stuff to bomb the shit out of country it is ‘saving’ quote:

But Ukrainian intelligence assesses that the Iranian combat drone contains components from nearly three dozen different technology companies based in North America, the EU, Japan, and Taiwan, the Schemes investigation has found. A majority of these companies are based in the United States.

A Schemes reporter who personally inspected the foreign-made drone parts identified components produced by at least 15 of these manufacturers.

These include parts made by the U.S. technology firm Texas Instruments, which said in a statement that it does not sell into Russia or Iran and complies with applicable laws and regulations.
Source:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/oilprice.com/Geopolitics/International/US-Tech-Is-Being-Used-In-Irans-Controversial-Drones.amp.html
I say we leave China and Taiwan to resolve their issues, if Taiwan want Americas help fine, but I hope we in the UK aren’t stupid enough to get involved. We have dealt with china for years, we have been happy to have our living standards raised by access to their cheap goods, I don’t se what has changed, apart from Americas narrative.

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

Perhaps he should be shot? Or sent to a re-education camp, though that would be soft. Eviscerated, perhaps, as Charles suggests. Isn’t it lucky we’re not just morally superior to our Hun-like enemies, but so resolute? Our forefathers fought to make the world safe for democracy, and now people like Thomas just go around saying whatever they like. As Laurence posts, anyone expressing a contrarian view must be a foreign spy, like Burgess, Maclean & co as Charles points out, or in case he needs reminding, Kim Philby. So comfortable to be right back where we should be, in the Cold War, pre-1991. Home again, at last!

Quo Peregrinatur
Quo Peregrinatur
1 year ago
Reply to  Frank McCusker

What is the meaning of “democracy” in this sentence?

Frank McCusker
Frank McCusker
1 year ago

The writer is a Chinese patsy masquerading as a journalist. The purported ethical equivalence between China, an autocracy, and the US, a democracy, is invidious.  As with the Putin fan-boys (from right and left), the West is full of these muppet pundits who flutter their eyelids at foreign sociopaths. Their mealy-mouthed utterances are close to treason.   

N T
N T
2 years ago

Don’t provoke the bully who steals from their neighbors, ignores the treaties they sign, and persecutes their own.
I’ve got a better idea: just say “No.”

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  N T

How refreshing. You ARE speaking of China, are you not?

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  N T

How refreshing. You ARE speaking of China, are you not?

N T
N T
2 years ago

Don’t provoke the bully who steals from their neighbors, ignores the treaties they sign, and persecutes their own.
I’ve got a better idea: just say “No.”

Russell Hamilton
Russell Hamilton
2 years ago

“Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips.” …. “Take, for instance, Biden’s focus on boosting America’s chip-making capacity. While semiconductors may be strategically important in “out-competing” China, they’re not particularly labour-intensive. Reshoring traditional manufacturing sectors would benefit US workers much more

A contradiction? First we’re told that chips are the basis for everything, then that Biden is wrong to focus on them. How much manufacturing doesn’t involve chips?

The author didn’t mention ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’ or China’s aggressive actions in the South China sea.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago

Indeed, as in any conflict, there are two sides, and each believes they are justified. China could have, at any point over the past ten years, stopped building military islands in the South China Sea, granted Taiwan independence, stopped their companies from stealing technology, stopped flooding world markets with cheap goods to drive competition out and create monopolies for themselves, or stopped manipulating their currency to keep their exports cheaper and domestic manufacturing non-competitive. Of course, they did none of these things, because they were pursuing their interests without regard to anyone else. They will likely continue to do so. The author seems to hold two conflicting and mutually exclusive viewpoints. First, he asserts that the unipolar moment has passed and America is in decline. He’s obviously correct. The era where the US could stand astride the world is gone. However, he also seems to believe its possible to preserve some version of peaceful globalism without a global hegemon. In this, he’s quite obviously wrong. The only thing ever preventing the world from going back to a bunch of great powers struggling for power and influence was the giant or giants that effectively prevented them from doing so. Global free trade and free flow of capital and people became a thing because America had the force to make it so. Multipolar means exactly that. There will be many powerful players working against each other both economically and militarily. China and America will eventually decouple and form their own blocs. Other blocs will also form. Globalism is dying. The US military industrial complex that backs Biden and props up establishment politicians know it. They are preparing accordingly by pushing reshoring of an important strategic resource while limiting a rival’s access to same. They are behaving as any great power in a multipolar world should, protecting their interests, their economies, their people against other hostile powers (China). Whether that’s good for the EU, or Brazil, or India, is beside the point. That’s what multipolar means after all. It means America first in America, Germany first in Germany, China first in China, and so on. The author has a hard dose of reality coming his way in the next few decades.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Iris C
Iris C
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Was “protecting their interests, their economies and their people” the reason why America invaded the SOVEREIGN STATES of Iraq, Libya and Syria? I think not! Whereas Russia and China focus on their country’s interests, economies and people”, which can be questioned but not condemned out-of-hand.

Carole Mitchell
Carole Mitchell
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

ummm, Ukraine? Uyghurs?

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Watch this to see how the UN treat Uyghurs, might want to climb down off that high horse.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018ljw
UN whistle blowers, lady that worked for the un trying to help Uyghurs, who are actually being passed by the un back to China. No shit. We aren’t helping them. Lady that blew the whistle on this had police out to her house and everything. The un went after her real nasty. As did they every other whistle blower that appears on the documentary.
Good comments Iris.

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago

Watch this to see how the UN treat Uyghurs, might want to climb down off that high horse.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018ljw
UN whistle blowers, lady that worked for the un trying to help Uyghurs, who are actually being passed by the un back to China. No shit. We aren’t helping them. Lady that blew the whistle on this had police out to her house and everything. The un went after her real nasty. As did they every other whistle blower that appears on the documentary.
Good comments Iris.

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

Despite your obvious sarcasm, you make an excellent point. The conflicts you mention were, in the end, no more justified than Russia’s Ukraine invasion. The US, and others, are being blatantly hypocritical, but what government in the history of mankind hasn’t justified its own wars and condemned everybody else’s? Those wars were deemed, at the time, to be furthering American interests and also protecting the international order. Turns out those wars were counterproductive, but that’s hindsight. China has consistently used whatever means are at their disposal to benefit their people and interests. They were not wrong to do so, but neither is the US wrong to use all means to benefit its citizens and interests. Putting a moral spin on every international dispute and trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys is a pointless exercise. The real world is not like that. The article’s language makes it seem like the author is also making this mistake.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

I know which regime I would prefer to live under. America may be gross and unwieldy but there is a semblance of democracy and of free speech , albeit circumscribed . China appears to have a polity with not much freedom to challenge its rulers and where people are expected to be compliant drones in the interests of the state.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jerome

In fairness there is no freedom to challenge its rulers.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jerome

In fairness there is no freedom to challenge its rulers.

Christopher Bingham
Christopher Bingham
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

“China has consistently used whatever means are at their disposal to benefit their people and interests.”
I would clarify that the interests are not exactly the Chinese people’s, but the CCP’s.
50 million intentionally starved or executed in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and now a million Uyghurs in concentration – er, excuse me, “job training” – camps, suggests the CCP is all about the interests of the CCP, and the live of the Chinese people are only relvant if they serve Xi.

Last edited 1 year ago by Christopher Bingham
Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago

If you want to do a point by point comparison of the utility functions of the Chinese regime in their sphere verse the American regime in theirs, then I am very willing to do so too (although this comment section may not be the best forum).
Just be careful with your sources. try to find a detailed analysis of the casualties of the cultural revolution that includes the actual name of anyone who actually starved to death (with 50 million names it shouldn’t be too hard). And try to find an analysis of the exact situation in Xinjiang today that isn’t based on secret evidence from a Western intelligence agency.
Good luck !

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago

An important distinction indeed. The CCP is all about staying in power using every Machiavellian means at their disposal. Their international pursuits mostly align with the country’s overall interests, but not always. An invasion of Taiwan, for example, would be terrible for China as a whole. It’s up to the Chinese people to overthrow their corrupt and tyrannical government.

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago

If you want to do a point by point comparison of the utility functions of the Chinese regime in their sphere verse the American regime in theirs, then I am very willing to do so too (although this comment section may not be the best forum).
Just be careful with your sources. try to find a detailed analysis of the casualties of the cultural revolution that includes the actual name of anyone who actually starved to death (with 50 million names it shouldn’t be too hard). And try to find an analysis of the exact situation in Xinjiang today that isn’t based on secret evidence from a Western intelligence agency.
Good luck !

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago

An important distinction indeed. The CCP is all about staying in power using every Machiavellian means at their disposal. Their international pursuits mostly align with the country’s overall interests, but not always. An invasion of Taiwan, for example, would be terrible for China as a whole. It’s up to the Chinese people to overthrow their corrupt and tyrannical government.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

I know which regime I would prefer to live under. America may be gross and unwieldy but there is a semblance of democracy and of free speech , albeit circumscribed . China appears to have a polity with not much freedom to challenge its rulers and where people are expected to be compliant drones in the interests of the state.

Christopher Bingham
Christopher Bingham
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

“China has consistently used whatever means are at their disposal to benefit their people and interests.”
I would clarify that the interests are not exactly the Chinese people’s, but the CCP’s.
50 million intentionally starved or executed in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and now a million Uyghurs in concentration – er, excuse me, “job training” – camps, suggests the CCP is all about the interests of the CCP, and the live of the Chinese people are only relvant if they serve Xi.

Last edited 1 year ago by Christopher Bingham
Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

The USA did not invade Libya and Syria.

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

There are uniformed US military in Syria right now ! If they were not invited in by the recognized government then it’s an invasion.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Fair point, but that’s a technical distinction. America did take some limited military action in both places to little practical benefit.

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

There are uniformed US military in Syria right now ! If they were not invited in by the recognized government then it’s an invasion.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Fair point, but that’s a technical distinction. America did take some limited military action in both places to little practical benefit.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

Good points, America has left nothing but turmoil and destruction in its wake, and a million more problems than it set out to solve.

Carole Mitchell
Carole Mitchell
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

ummm, Ukraine? Uyghurs?

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

Despite your obvious sarcasm, you make an excellent point. The conflicts you mention were, in the end, no more justified than Russia’s Ukraine invasion. The US, and others, are being blatantly hypocritical, but what government in the history of mankind hasn’t justified its own wars and condemned everybody else’s? Those wars were deemed, at the time, to be furthering American interests and also protecting the international order. Turns out those wars were counterproductive, but that’s hindsight. China has consistently used whatever means are at their disposal to benefit their people and interests. They were not wrong to do so, but neither is the US wrong to use all means to benefit its citizens and interests. Putting a moral spin on every international dispute and trying to separate the good guys from the bad guys is a pointless exercise. The real world is not like that. The article’s language makes it seem like the author is also making this mistake.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

The USA did not invade Libya and Syria.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Iris C

Good points, America has left nothing but turmoil and destruction in its wake, and a million more problems than it set out to solve.

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

“… he asserts that the unipolar moment has passed and America is in decline. He’s obviously correct.”
He may well be, but America has fallen on hard times before, only to come out better; and long-term it is far better situated than China to lead the world. Consider that the US is self-sufficient in BOTH food and energy; and with a landmass stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it remains formidably resistant to hostile invasions. These observations must be qualified due to the fleeting foolishness of the Biden crowd, but they too shall pass.
China has none of those advantages, and has turned into a bully much too fast to retain its ability to form its own “Bloc”.

Last edited 1 year ago by Wim de Vriend
Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Wim de Vriend

You’re quite correct. Global hegemony is quite a tall order, and even a nation as well endowed with respect to its resources both natural and human as the USA will eventually tire of such a burden. It’s one thing to suggest that the US will no longer be able to unilaterally dictate world politics, and quite another to suggest it will become irrelevant. At worst, the US will still be the strongest of several great powers participating in a ‘balance of power’ type scenario that should be familiar to anyone with a sense of history. As you correctly point out, the US is still fundamentally sound, and most of its problems are political/social in nature and could probably be remedied by better leadership. Europe, on the other hand, is in a truly terrible position long term.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Wim de Vriend

You’re quite correct. Global hegemony is quite a tall order, and even a nation as well endowed with respect to its resources both natural and human as the USA will eventually tire of such a burden. It’s one thing to suggest that the US will no longer be able to unilaterally dictate world politics, and quite another to suggest it will become irrelevant. At worst, the US will still be the strongest of several great powers participating in a ‘balance of power’ type scenario that should be familiar to anyone with a sense of history. As you correctly point out, the US is still fundamentally sound, and most of its problems are political/social in nature and could probably be remedied by better leadership. Europe, on the other hand, is in a truly terrible position long term.

P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Jolly is one of those closet racist ‘intellectuals’ and a warmonger who actively works towards the destruction of mankind via an all-out nuclear war with China or Russia or both.
Those that upticked his contribution should be ashamed of themselves – but perhaps they’re bright enough to realise where their thinking is leading.
And the more downticks I get from the warmongering rabble the happier I am!

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Be very happy then. Your boilerplate comments come straight out of the class of Marxism 101 at any Western university. They think they’re really clever too.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

I’m far from an intellectual, and I couldn’t honestly tell you what ‘racism’ means in today’s environment. For the record I am against an all out shooting war with either Russia or China over Taiwan, but I’m realistic enough to know that my opinion is worth less than the tiny amount of memory this comment takes up on a server somewhere. I judge that it is likely the US would go to war over Taiwan. Biden and others have said as much. I can see the situation realistically and still not support it. There’s a difference between what I think will happen and what I think should happen. I would support everything short of outright warfare, including embargos, blockades, full economic decoupling, and cancellation of the US debt held by the Chinese government.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

Be very happy then. Your boilerplate comments come straight out of the class of Marxism 101 at any Western university. They think they’re really clever too.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  P Branagan

I’m far from an intellectual, and I couldn’t honestly tell you what ‘racism’ means in today’s environment. For the record I am against an all out shooting war with either Russia or China over Taiwan, but I’m realistic enough to know that my opinion is worth less than the tiny amount of memory this comment takes up on a server somewhere. I judge that it is likely the US would go to war over Taiwan. Biden and others have said as much. I can see the situation realistically and still not support it. There’s a difference between what I think will happen and what I think should happen. I would support everything short of outright warfare, including embargos, blockades, full economic decoupling, and cancellation of the US debt held by the Chinese government.

Iris C
Iris C
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Was “protecting their interests, their economies and their people” the reason why America invaded the SOVEREIGN STATES of Iraq, Libya and Syria? I think not! Whereas Russia and China focus on their country’s interests, economies and people”, which can be questioned but not condemned out-of-hand.

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

“… he asserts that the unipolar moment has passed and America is in decline. He’s obviously correct.”
He may well be, but America has fallen on hard times before, only to come out better; and long-term it is far better situated than China to lead the world. Consider that the US is self-sufficient in BOTH food and energy; and with a landmass stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, it remains formidably resistant to hostile invasions. These observations must be qualified due to the fleeting foolishness of the Biden crowd, but they too shall pass.
China has none of those advantages, and has turned into a bully much too fast to retain its ability to form its own “Bloc”.

Last edited 1 year ago by Wim de Vriend
P Branagan
P Branagan
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

Jolly is one of those closet racist ‘intellectuals’ and a warmonger who actively works towards the destruction of mankind via an all-out nuclear war with China or Russia or both.
Those that upticked his contribution should be ashamed of themselves – but perhaps they’re bright enough to realise where their thinking is leading.
And the more downticks I get from the warmongering rabble the happier I am!

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago

Or the punch up at the Chinese consulate where it seems officials attacked protesters (the officials obviously beg to differ). china will not tolerate dissent . Look at what has happened to HK, despite reassurances.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago

Indeed, as in any conflict, there are two sides, and each believes they are justified. China could have, at any point over the past ten years, stopped building military islands in the South China Sea, granted Taiwan independence, stopped their companies from stealing technology, stopped flooding world markets with cheap goods to drive competition out and create monopolies for themselves, or stopped manipulating their currency to keep their exports cheaper and domestic manufacturing non-competitive. Of course, they did none of these things, because they were pursuing their interests without regard to anyone else. They will likely continue to do so. The author seems to hold two conflicting and mutually exclusive viewpoints. First, he asserts that the unipolar moment has passed and America is in decline. He’s obviously correct. The era where the US could stand astride the world is gone. However, he also seems to believe its possible to preserve some version of peaceful globalism without a global hegemon. In this, he’s quite obviously wrong. The only thing ever preventing the world from going back to a bunch of great powers struggling for power and influence was the giant or giants that effectively prevented them from doing so. Global free trade and free flow of capital and people became a thing because America had the force to make it so. Multipolar means exactly that. There will be many powerful players working against each other both economically and militarily. China and America will eventually decouple and form their own blocs. Other blocs will also form. Globalism is dying. The US military industrial complex that backs Biden and props up establishment politicians know it. They are preparing accordingly by pushing reshoring of an important strategic resource while limiting a rival’s access to same. They are behaving as any great power in a multipolar world should, protecting their interests, their economies, their people against other hostile powers (China). Whether that’s good for the EU, or Brazil, or India, is beside the point. That’s what multipolar means after all. It means America first in America, Germany first in Germany, China first in China, and so on. The author has a hard dose of reality coming his way in the next few decades.

Last edited 2 years ago by Steve Jolly
Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago

Or the punch up at the Chinese consulate where it seems officials attacked protesters (the officials obviously beg to differ). china will not tolerate dissent . Look at what has happened to HK, despite reassurances.

Russell Hamilton
Russell Hamilton
2 years ago

“Today, military, economic, and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips.” …. “Take, for instance, Biden’s focus on boosting America’s chip-making capacity. While semiconductors may be strategically important in “out-competing” China, they’re not particularly labour-intensive. Reshoring traditional manufacturing sectors would benefit US workers much more

A contradiction? First we’re told that chips are the basis for everything, then that Biden is wrong to focus on them. How much manufacturing doesn’t involve chips?

The author didn’t mention ‘wolf warrior diplomacy’ or China’s aggressive actions in the South China sea.

Daniel P
Daniel P
2 years ago

I am no Joe Biden fan by any stretch but I take issue with the underlying assumptions here.
China has been a major strategic challenge for a very long time. In fact, it always has been. We in the west just woke up to that about 6 yrs ago and we did so in part because China became more openly aggressive, Trump called them out and because for the first time China clearly stated its objectives.If the west is in decline it is through our own choices. We CAN choose to take a different path. If we fail to do so, that is on us, but it is a CHOICE. That said, China has huge problems of its own making as well. There lies our opportunity.

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Biden thinks China is the place that makes his coffee cup.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

“more openly aggressive” – China has been building a military capability of considerable size expecting an attack by who? They desire to project force and take over as world police from the US. Do we need more of that? China seeks to dominate, but why?

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Depends what you mean by “a very long time”. China and America were allies until 1947. Soong Mei-ling (AKA Madam Chiang-kaishek) addressed a joint session of congress in 1943 in perfect English, she was educated in America.The first American missionaries were in China in 1830, The US Navy and Marine Corps first fought Chinese Qing government forces in 1856, the American concession in Shanghai began in 1863, American forces were party to the battle of Peking in 1900.
The West seems to be suffering from shrinking historical horizons.

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Biden thinks China is the place that makes his coffee cup.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

“more openly aggressive” – China has been building a military capability of considerable size expecting an attack by who? They desire to project force and take over as world police from the US. Do we need more of that? China seeks to dominate, but why?

Jake Dee
Jake Dee
1 year ago
Reply to  Daniel P

Depends what you mean by “a very long time”. China and America were allies until 1947. Soong Mei-ling (AKA Madam Chiang-kaishek) addressed a joint session of congress in 1943 in perfect English, she was educated in America.The first American missionaries were in China in 1830, The US Navy and Marine Corps first fought Chinese Qing government forces in 1856, the American concession in Shanghai began in 1863, American forces were party to the battle of Peking in 1900.
The West seems to be suffering from shrinking historical horizons.

Daniel P
Daniel P
2 years ago

I am no Joe Biden fan by any stretch but I take issue with the underlying assumptions here.
China has been a major strategic challenge for a very long time. In fact, it always has been. We in the west just woke up to that about 6 yrs ago and we did so in part because China became more openly aggressive, Trump called them out and because for the first time China clearly stated its objectives.If the west is in decline it is through our own choices. We CAN choose to take a different path. If we fail to do so, that is on us, but it is a CHOICE. That said, China has huge problems of its own making as well. There lies our opportunity.

Laurence Eyton
Laurence Eyton
1 year ago

I wonder how much Beijing paid Fazi to write this. It has all the hallmarks—the mendacity and naivety—of the China shill, a regrettably all-too-common creature among the commentariat these days. I stopped reading at his astounding lie—it is not just a misinterpretation—about the US’s One China policy.

Last edited 1 year ago by Laurence Eyton
Laurence Eyton
Laurence Eyton
1 year ago

I wonder how much Beijing paid Fazi to write this. It has all the hallmarks—the mendacity and naivety—of the China shill, a regrettably all-too-common creature among the commentariat these days. I stopped reading at his astounding lie—it is not just a misinterpretation—about the US’s One China policy.

Last edited 1 year ago by Laurence Eyton
Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

If the west is in decline it’s because of world leaders like Biden, Macron,Trudeau and a succession of British prime ministers.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

If the west is in decline it’s because of world leaders like Biden, Macron,Trudeau and a succession of British prime ministers.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago

The “Belt and Road” project is a strategy adopted by China to make poor contries economically and therefore politically dependent on them. China has become the workshop of the world by manipulating their currency, using slave labout and thereby beating other manufacturers on price. It is flexing its muscles militarily, and threatening to invade the independent state of Taiwan, over which it claims sovereignty. The author of this article is acting as a mouthpiece for the Chinese government, blaming the west for objecting to the aggressive posture of modern China towards the rest of the world.

Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Askew
Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago

The “Belt and Road” project is a strategy adopted by China to make poor contries economically and therefore politically dependent on them. China has become the workshop of the world by manipulating their currency, using slave labout and thereby beating other manufacturers on price. It is flexing its muscles militarily, and threatening to invade the independent state of Taiwan, over which it claims sovereignty. The author of this article is acting as a mouthpiece for the Chinese government, blaming the west for objecting to the aggressive posture of modern China towards the rest of the world.

Last edited 1 year ago by Michael Askew
Mike Doyle
Mike Doyle
2 years ago

A very informative article – I hadn’t realised that Biden was achieving so much good.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Mike Doyle

Even an idiot with a broken watch has the correct time twice in a day. Biden’s anti-China focus has nothing to do with him and everything to do with a confluence of military, economic, political, and social factors that he has no control over. First, there’s the Thucydides trap dynamic between a rising and declining power. Second, there’s the incompatibility of the American and Chinese systems of government. Third, the CCP has managed what neither of our political parties has managed, to build a consensus among all Americans. Americans may dislike each other and disagree on everything up to and including basic facts, but they all agree that China is worse, and I have to say that’s quite sensible. Lastly, there’s the fact that our most important current economic allies Japan, Australia, and South Korea are terrified of coming under Chinese influence. The US would go to war over Taiwan before it would go to war over France, Germany, or the UK because Taiwan has more strategic value than both of them put together.

Tom May
Tom May
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

China isn’t rising anymore. They can’t feed themselves and they are shrinking demographically at an accelerating pace. Also, a dictator just can’t make all the decisions that are required a d his underlings are scared to think for themselves.

Kiti Misha
Kiti Misha
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

One person taking decisions instead of a myriad conflicting voices that halt any decision making is exactly how a country can progress. the West is falling because of the multiple interests at stake in every single decision. China has the advantage of a unified economic and political front. And at least an overt enemy is better than a covert one where you need to analyze all the historic and socio-political elements of every decision in order to see through an agenda

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

So, if this ” one person ” has got it all wrong,
there will be no ” progress “, yes ?
The ” Great Leap Forward ” springs to mind.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

When one person makes all the decisions the advice he gets will come from frightened toadies and sycophants who are too scared to provide information the Great Leader doesn’t want to hear. It’s happened many times before.

Last edited 1 year ago by harry storm
Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

Sorry, I don’t speak commie.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

So, if this ” one person ” has got it all wrong,
there will be no ” progress “, yes ?
The ” Great Leap Forward ” springs to mind.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

When one person makes all the decisions the advice he gets will come from frightened toadies and sycophants who are too scared to provide information the Great Leader doesn’t want to hear. It’s happened many times before.

Last edited 1 year ago by harry storm
Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  Kiti Misha

Sorry, I don’t speak commie.

Terry M
Terry M
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

a dictator just can’t make all the decisions that are required and his underlings are scared to think for themselves.
Dictators can exploit reserves of capital, productivity, and resources built up before he took over. But in the long run the country will suffer and decline since no one person can make the decisions correctly as you point out. The problem is that it took 75 years for the Soviet Union to collapse and it may take China even longer given its tight control of information and population.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Given the increasing centralization of China, we can expect less prosperity for it’s citizens. Xi clearly fears that the central government was at risk from private sector growth so is trying to reduce competition. That will likely lead to future difficulties. The author of this article wants to blame the US for that bad policy.

Hardee Hodges
Hardee Hodges
1 year ago
Reply to  Terry M

Given the increasing centralization of China, we can expect less prosperity for it’s citizens. Xi clearly fears that the central government was at risk from private sector growth so is trying to reduce competition. That will likely lead to future difficulties. The author of this article wants to blame the US for that bad policy.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

You make an excellent point. I’ve read other articles that make a case for this and there are plenty of indicators pointing to a slowdown of China’s economic growth even without the US doing anything. It can likewise be argued that the US’s ‘decline’ is overstated due to America’s current political instability, which is a result of Americans disagreeing over issues that are unrelated to calculations of economic and military power.

Kiti Misha
Kiti Misha
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

One person taking decisions instead of a myriad conflicting voices that halt any decision making is exactly how a country can progress. the West is falling because of the multiple interests at stake in every single decision. China has the advantage of a unified economic and political front. And at least an overt enemy is better than a covert one where you need to analyze all the historic and socio-political elements of every decision in order to see through an agenda

Terry M
Terry M
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

a dictator just can’t make all the decisions that are required and his underlings are scared to think for themselves.
Dictators can exploit reserves of capital, productivity, and resources built up before he took over. But in the long run the country will suffer and decline since no one person can make the decisions correctly as you point out. The problem is that it took 75 years for the Soviet Union to collapse and it may take China even longer given its tight control of information and population.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago
Reply to  Tom May

You make an excellent point. I’ve read other articles that make a case for this and there are plenty of indicators pointing to a slowdown of China’s economic growth even without the US doing anything. It can likewise be argued that the US’s ‘decline’ is overstated due to America’s current political instability, which is a result of Americans disagreeing over issues that are unrelated to calculations of economic and military power.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

And therein lies the danger. It is a stated objective of Xi to annexe Taiwan.

Tom May
Tom May
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

China isn’t rising anymore. They can’t feed themselves and they are shrinking demographically at an accelerating pace. Also, a dictator just can’t make all the decisions that are required a d his underlings are scared to think for themselves.

Steve Jerome
Steve Jerome
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve Jolly

And therein lies the danger. It is a stated objective of Xi to annexe Taiwan.

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
2 years ago
Reply to  Mike Doyle

Even an idiot with a broken watch has the correct time twice in a day. Biden’s anti-China focus has nothing to do with him and everything to do with a confluence of military, economic, political, and social factors that he has no control over. First, there’s the Thucydides trap dynamic between a rising and declining power. Second, there’s the incompatibility of the American and Chinese systems of government. Third, the CCP has managed what neither of our political parties has managed, to build a consensus among all Americans. Americans may dislike each other and disagree on everything up to and including basic facts, but they all agree that China is worse, and I have to say that’s quite sensible. Lastly, there’s the fact that our most important current economic allies Japan, Australia, and South Korea are terrified of coming under Chinese influence. The US would go to war over Taiwan before it would go to war over France, Germany, or the UK because Taiwan has more strategic value than both of them put together.

Mike Doyle
Mike Doyle
2 years ago

A very informative article – I hadn’t realised that Biden was achieving so much good.

Bob Pugh
Bob Pugh
1 year ago

The US need to be more muscular when dealing with regimes that are essentially hostile in nature. Surely that is the biggest take away from the Ukrain war. Germany is hardly a poster child for sensible policy, thier mistakes from underfunded defence to reliance on Russian gas have been legion.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

Add Angela Merkle’s immigration policy, “Wer Schaffer Das” – not impressive at all.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cathy Carron
Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Carron

It’s Merkel, not Merkle, and “Wir schaffen das”. Even so, I fully agree that she set Germany on a very bad course. But then, she spoke Russian and got along well with Putin.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Wim de Vriend

She was born a “commie” and will die a “commie”. How could it possibly be otherwise?

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Wim de Vriend

She was born a “commie” and will die a “commie”. How could it possibly be otherwise?

Last edited 1 year ago by CHARLES STANHOPE
Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago
Reply to  Cathy Carron

It’s Merkel, not Merkle, and “Wir schaffen das”. Even so, I fully agree that she set Germany on a very bad course. But then, she spoke Russian and got along well with Putin.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

The US State department, the EU, NATO and the UK engineered a coup in which the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych was removed.
The US was involved in conflicts in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.
The latest US project is to keep the 8 year old conflict in Ukraine running for as long as possible.
Biden does not want peace in Ukraine.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

Come off it ! The US needs War! It provides thousands of jobs, pensions etc.

After Reagan’s somewhat unexpected ‘victory’ in the Cold War there was a major problem. No war, no jobs.

Fortunately Saddam ‘Insane’ & Co offered themselves as “lambs to the slaughter “, and this “War against Terror” had a very good run (20 years) until the rather embarrassing denouement last year.

Fortunately Mr Putin took the bait, and it’s “business as usual”.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Er, yes. The US needs war.
Did I suggest otherwise ?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

No, I just thought you might have been slightly more direct.
It is axiomatic after all that the US ‘needs’ a war, and you have done your best to highlight this, thank you.

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago

Actually, one could make the point that Ukraine is benefiting from America’s much-loathed military-industrial complex, which has put to good use the various lessons learned during its — admittedly ill-considered — wars.

Wim de Vriend
Wim de Vriend
1 year ago

Actually, one could make the point that Ukraine is benefiting from America’s much-loathed military-industrial complex, which has put to good use the various lessons learned during its — admittedly ill-considered — wars.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

No, I just thought you might have been slightly more direct.
It is axiomatic after all that the US ‘needs’ a war, and you have done your best to highlight this, thank you.

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Why the “thumbs down”? My only regret is the we- the UK, once had a flourishing arms industry, now sadly much depleted!
A century ago we were even supplying state of the art ‘Dreadnoughts’ to happy customers. 2 to Brazil, 1 to Chile, 3 to Spain (flat packs) 2 to Ottoman Turkey (never delivered) and at least 1 to Japan.
Happy days indeed.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Er, yes. The US needs war.
Did I suggest otherwise ?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago

Why the “thumbs down”? My only regret is the we- the UK, once had a flourishing arms industry, now sadly much depleted!
A century ago we were even supplying state of the art ‘Dreadnoughts’ to happy customers. 2 to Brazil, 1 to Chile, 3 to Spain (flat packs) 2 to Ottoman Turkey (never delivered) and at least 1 to Japan.
Happy days indeed.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

To those of you who down-voted my post,
which points do you dispute ?

CHARLES STANHOPE
CHARLES STANHOPE
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

Come off it ! The US needs War! It provides thousands of jobs, pensions etc.

After Reagan’s somewhat unexpected ‘victory’ in the Cold War there was a major problem. No war, no jobs.

Fortunately Saddam ‘Insane’ & Co offered themselves as “lambs to the slaughter “, and this “War against Terror” had a very good run (20 years) until the rather embarrassing denouement last year.

Fortunately Mr Putin took the bait, and it’s “business as usual”.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Stoater D

To those of you who down-voted my post,
which points do you dispute ?

Andy E
Andy E
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

I think the world is sick and tired of the “muscular” approaches, specifically US’s. Here and there, with hundreds of military bases in all parts of the globe. Japan and to some extend Germany are still occupied (for their own protection of course). The world will be much better place when this nasty policeman finally retires.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Andy E

Totally agree. There’s a lot of crazy Americans on here apparently, all gagging for war, I suppose its fine because it won’t be on their doorstep. Nice and out the way in the Indo Pacific. Easy to call for war when it’s not your country the missiles are flattening.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Andy E

Totally agree. There’s a lot of crazy Americans on here apparently, all gagging for war, I suppose its fine because it won’t be on their doorstep. Nice and out the way in the Indo Pacific. Easy to call for war when it’s not your country the missiles are flattening.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

Add Angela Merkle’s immigration policy, “Wer Schaffer Das” – not impressive at all.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cathy Carron
Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

The US State department, the EU, NATO and the UK engineered a coup in which the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych was removed.
The US was involved in conflicts in Afghanistan,
Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya.
The latest US project is to keep the 8 year old conflict in Ukraine running for as long as possible.
Biden does not want peace in Ukraine.

Andy E
Andy E
1 year ago
Reply to  Bob Pugh

I think the world is sick and tired of the “muscular” approaches, specifically US’s. Here and there, with hundreds of military bases in all parts of the globe. Japan and to some extend Germany are still occupied (for their own protection of course). The world will be much better place when this nasty policeman finally retires.

Bob Pugh
Bob Pugh
1 year ago

The US need to be more muscular when dealing with regimes that are essentially hostile in nature. Surely that is the biggest take away from the Ukrain war. Germany is hardly a poster child for sensible policy, thier mistakes from underfunded defence to reliance on Russian gas have been legion.

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago

The fact is this piece simply refuses to acknowledge that Biden isn’t making any of the decisions cited above. He’ll garble the usual brainless foot-in-mouth remark that his handlers have to “clarify”, but the entire world knows Biden is a drugged-up vegetable being run by those who are very much in favor of a Chinese surveillance state, making the article rather a waste of time.

Allison Barrows
Allison Barrows
1 year ago

The fact is this piece simply refuses to acknowledge that Biden isn’t making any of the decisions cited above. He’ll garble the usual brainless foot-in-mouth remark that his handlers have to “clarify”, but the entire world knows Biden is a drugged-up vegetable being run by those who are very much in favor of a Chinese surveillance state, making the article rather a waste of time.

Corrie Mooney
Corrie Mooney
1 year ago

This article is ripe with contradictions. Decoupling from the Chinese economy IS deglobalization and reshoring. And pretending Europe could have sat out the invasion of Ukraine given Europes’s history is simply baffling.

Corrie Mooney
Corrie Mooney
1 year ago

This article is ripe with contradictions. Decoupling from the Chinese economy IS deglobalization and reshoring. And pretending Europe could have sat out the invasion of Ukraine given Europes’s history is simply baffling.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago

The West is not provoking China. China is provoking the West and the rest of the world. We’ve seen articles like this before, about Japan and the U.S., about Britain and Germany.
Nor do I believe the U.S. attitude toward defending Taiwan has changed much, if at all. What has changed is China’s increasing bullying and aggression toward a self-governing, prosperous, democratic country.
It’s also interesting how the author points to America’s “ballooning defence budgets,” while entirely ignoring the Chinese military buildup which has all of its neighbours frightened into alliances.
In the end, it’s pretty clear what drives this author: an end to “America’s hegemonic unipolarist ambitions,” the same arguments routinely rattled off by Marxist profs and their gullible students.
Feh.

harry storm
harry storm
1 year ago

The West is not provoking China. China is provoking the West and the rest of the world. We’ve seen articles like this before, about Japan and the U.S., about Britain and Germany.
Nor do I believe the U.S. attitude toward defending Taiwan has changed much, if at all. What has changed is China’s increasing bullying and aggression toward a self-governing, prosperous, democratic country.
It’s also interesting how the author points to America’s “ballooning defence budgets,” while entirely ignoring the Chinese military buildup which has all of its neighbours frightened into alliances.
In the end, it’s pretty clear what drives this author: an end to “America’s hegemonic unipolarist ambitions,” the same arguments routinely rattled off by Marxist profs and their gullible students.
Feh.

chris hamnett
chris hamnett
1 year ago

interesting analysis but somewhat one-sided to put it mildly. Miltarisation of the South China Sea was not even mentioned nor the contentious 9 dash line.

chris hamnett
chris hamnett
1 year ago

interesting analysis but somewhat one-sided to put it mildly. Miltarisation of the South China Sea was not even mentioned nor the contentious 9 dash line.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Biden has been taking millions of dollars from China for years. This is revealed in Miranda Devine’s book ” The Laptop From Hell.”
Now the Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, Joe Biden, aka ” The big guy ” is being investigated.
It is going to be fun.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Biden has been taking millions of dollars from China for years. This is revealed in Miranda Devine’s book ” The Laptop From Hell.”
Now the Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives, Joe Biden, aka ” The big guy ” is being investigated.
It is going to be fun.

martin logan
martin logan
1 year ago

We get the same argument every few decades.
This is typical of arguments in the 1960s and 70s, about how China was the wave of the future. The US (and all its allies) were going out the window. The CCP had it all figured out: campesinos all over the world would rise up and destroy their imperialist oppressors.
Now we find once again that the CCP has it all figured out–or rather a certain member of the CCP does. Now it will corral a herd of cats called teh BRICS into a united front against the western imperialist oppressors–by acting precisely like the western imperialist oppressors.
Fact is, China’s misguided population control measures insure that its aging population will severely cut into any future growth. Ditto for Xi’s great plan to ditch private enterprises in favor of inefficient state firms. The nosedive in economic growth stems from those two decisions of his.
I pray there is never a war. But a Chinese military based on the Soviet model might not be the best at taking, or even chastening Taiwan.
Oh, and what about Xi’s “no limits” partnership with Putin? Actually, seems to be rather…”limited.”
Sorry, Fazi’s arguments are just a dumbed down version of Marxism-Leninism. Naturally, any nation can improve its economy. But to think that either China or Russia in 2022 are models that any sane nation should follow is simple delusion.
Deng was one of the few Chinese leaders smart enough to see that capitalism and shared governance were best for China.
But he’s been a long time gone.

Last edited 1 year ago by martin logan
Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  martin logan

“This is typical of arguments in the 1960s and 70s, about how China was the wave of the future.” Ah, in the 1960s China was in the grip of psychopathic Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and in the 1970s he and his insane wife were being cast out of power in China by those such as the free-enterprise reformer Deng, whose son was rendered a paraplegic by being thrown off a university roof by Mao’s Red Guards, then refused medical help while dad was sent to a labour camp. Xi’s family were similarly persecuted. We now have our Western Cultural Revolution, much like Mao’s, compete with Woke Guards. I’ve been a life-long anti-Marxist, and I suspect Thomas may be too. Equally anti-‘politicist’ since most ‘political’ people are neuropaths, projecting their personal issues onto the world around them. To me at least, everything worthwhile in life is personal, none of it political, except in opposing political radicalism, but even there one has to guard against becoming poisoned by it. World trade, world peace. Let authoritarian states evolve at their own pace, and according to their own requirements and efforts, not ours. Not our issue, not our problem, particularly the Chinese, who are after all among the world’s best and hardest-working capitalists and social conservatives, albeit with a strangely Marxist government. All we do is entrench that government, and foster hostile nationalism by our actions.

Noel Chiappa
Noel Chiappa
1 year ago
Reply to  martin logan

I wish I could give that a lot more than one ‘thumbs up’.
Spot on about Deng. He is on a whole different quantum league of sagacity to Xi.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  martin logan

“This is typical of arguments in the 1960s and 70s, about how China was the wave of the future.” Ah, in the 1960s China was in the grip of psychopathic Mao’s Cultural Revolution, and in the 1970s he and his insane wife were being cast out of power in China by those such as the free-enterprise reformer Deng, whose son was rendered a paraplegic by being thrown off a university roof by Mao’s Red Guards, then refused medical help while dad was sent to a labour camp. Xi’s family were similarly persecuted. We now have our Western Cultural Revolution, much like Mao’s, compete with Woke Guards. I’ve been a life-long anti-Marxist, and I suspect Thomas may be too. Equally anti-‘politicist’ since most ‘political’ people are neuropaths, projecting their personal issues onto the world around them. To me at least, everything worthwhile in life is personal, none of it political, except in opposing political radicalism, but even there one has to guard against becoming poisoned by it. World trade, world peace. Let authoritarian states evolve at their own pace, and according to their own requirements and efforts, not ours. Not our issue, not our problem, particularly the Chinese, who are after all among the world’s best and hardest-working capitalists and social conservatives, albeit with a strangely Marxist government. All we do is entrench that government, and foster hostile nationalism by our actions.

Noel Chiappa
Noel Chiappa
1 year ago
Reply to  martin logan

I wish I could give that a lot more than one ‘thumbs up’.
Spot on about Deng. He is on a whole different quantum league of sagacity to Xi.

martin logan
martin logan
1 year ago

We get the same argument every few decades.
This is typical of arguments in the 1960s and 70s, about how China was the wave of the future. The US (and all its allies) were going out the window. The CCP had it all figured out: campesinos all over the world would rise up and destroy their imperialist oppressors.
Now we find once again that the CCP has it all figured out–or rather a certain member of the CCP does. Now it will corral a herd of cats called teh BRICS into a united front against the western imperialist oppressors–by acting precisely like the western imperialist oppressors.
Fact is, China’s misguided population control measures insure that its aging population will severely cut into any future growth. Ditto for Xi’s great plan to ditch private enterprises in favor of inefficient state firms. The nosedive in economic growth stems from those two decisions of his.
I pray there is never a war. But a Chinese military based on the Soviet model might not be the best at taking, or even chastening Taiwan.
Oh, and what about Xi’s “no limits” partnership with Putin? Actually, seems to be rather…”limited.”
Sorry, Fazi’s arguments are just a dumbed down version of Marxism-Leninism. Naturally, any nation can improve its economy. But to think that either China or Russia in 2022 are models that any sane nation should follow is simple delusion.
Deng was one of the few Chinese leaders smart enough to see that capitalism and shared governance were best for China.
But he’s been a long time gone.

Last edited 1 year ago by martin logan
Jerry Carroll
Jerry Carroll
1 year ago

This article reads like something the Chinese foreign ministry would pay an impecunious writer to peck out on a keyboard.

Jerry Carroll
Jerry Carroll
1 year ago

This article reads like something the Chinese foreign ministry would pay an impecunious writer to peck out on a keyboard.

Alan Groff
Alan Groff
1 year ago

Mr. Fazi is stridently certain he knows the future but somehow skipped class on International Conflict and was absent for a decade of Xi Jinping. Such absolute idealism passed unquestioned ten years ago but the world has changed. Counties employ Generals, not just philosophers and word choppers. So, argue for why we shouldn’t view you as a snowflake existing an academic bubble with less viva activa than Herman Hesse’s Castalia.

Alan Groff
Alan Groff
1 year ago

Mr. Fazi is stridently certain he knows the future but somehow skipped class on International Conflict and was absent for a decade of Xi Jinping. Such absolute idealism passed unquestioned ten years ago but the world has changed. Counties employ Generals, not just philosophers and word choppers. So, argue for why we shouldn’t view you as a snowflake existing an academic bubble with less viva activa than Herman Hesse’s Castalia.

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago

Does Biden even know where or what China is?

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Well, he’s been there a few times with Hunter.
I suppose as usual, he didn’t know where he was.

Stoater D
Stoater D
1 year ago

Well, he’s been there a few times with Hunter.
I suppose as usual, he didn’t know where he was.

Nicky Samengo-Turner
Nicky Samengo-Turner
1 year ago

Does Biden even know where or what China is?

Tony Sandy
Tony Sandy
1 year ago

It is not the unskilled but the unwilling letting the country down as the Sibling Society by Robert Bly points out. In the UK we say they don’t want to get their hands dirty. Who will provide the goods and services a country needs to survive, if people only want what society can give them but are not willing to reciprocate? The young all want to be pop stars, celebrities or influencers (your snowplough or helicopter children. In Scotland there is saying that all your geese are swans, meaning they aren’t talented but you pretend they are. This is the same as saying that they are spoon fed (spoiled, not encouraged to contribute). What replaces the grandeur that was Rome and the glory that was Greece, is ego (overconfidence instead of humility).

Think of Romans and the danger of resting on your laurels – their victory parades and a chariot with an attendant beside the conquering general, repeating ‘Remember thou art mortal.’ The Twin Towers were poorly constructed as structural engineer pointed out on British TV, not conspiracy theory which said it was deliberate sabotage by the government (refusal to believe in lazy workmanship – rushed and simplified to cut down costs and effort).

Motivated kids fight adversity. Of course loving what you do and finding out what you love is equal to that, if not superior but social justice is another driving force. As Henry Ford said genius is ten percent inspiration, ninety percent perspiration.

This is devolution. Look at the history of other civilizations. They start out strong and inventive (The Romans) but eventually soften over time, needing outside forces to come in to do the real work. This happened with Britain and the West Indies supplying people after the Second World War, plus land workers and service providers in the hotel and catering industry until Brexit stopped them coming over from Europe.

Trump didn’t understand this and his withdrawal from the world stage (Afghanistan) as well as trying to restart the home economy, led the Russians to see this as weakness and step in to The Ukraine and start a war. The Chinese on the other side of the world are preparing for war in the Pacific for the same reason. They have also I understand taken the lead in space. It’s the underdog effect. Look at how Japan and Germany became economic leaders after their defeat during the Second World War and South Korea now.

Russia built tanks that were cruder but in greater amounts, than the smaller but more technically advanced German tanks of World War Two, overwhelming their opponents who couldn’t take the losses (see the battle of Kursk, the equivalent of Stalingrad’s loss of troops). They also won the start of the space race because they took greater risks and kept their technology simplified, like their tanks were.

Temple Grandin in her book Visual Intelligence, is right about hands on learning. This is the same as the UK. We have imported this ‘pass the written exam’ mentality as well (you don’t need to think or act, just repeat what you are told to do or say). Non jobs in the workplace and non thinking in education (clones, not individuals). Practical exams for practical work, not oral or written. Written exams are too abstract and not grounded in reality.

This is not just in education but in the workplace too. A con artist who can talk the talk but not walk the walk, will get the job more often than not because they are glib tongued liars, who will say whatever they have to, to get the position they want. My wife saw this time after time with colleagues who had no skills in the work they were employed for and no willingness to learn.

Interview techniques compound educational blunders by being mostly verbal or written questionnaires. Garage mechanics in the UK used to be taught to take a car apart, then put it back together, to prove they knew the job and if parts were left out or the vehicle wouldn’t start, they failed the test. Nowadays they have large clip in components and computer diagnostics to work out what is wrong but as a hands-on garage owner where we used to live, pointed out, this method misses problems.

Education and work tries to get people to conform and fit into a mould, which the creative cannot as they live outside the box, not fit in it (not clones but one off originals). Turing died for this reason – the attempt to make him conform to society’s norms, killed his ability and his life (reason to go on or just to be ‘himself’ without compromise).

chris sullivan
chris sullivan
1 year ago
Reply to  Tony Sandy

Good stuff thanks

chris sullivan
chris sullivan
1 year ago
Reply to  Tony Sandy

Good stuff thanks

Tony Sandy
Tony Sandy
1 year ago

It is not the unskilled but the unwilling letting the country down as the Sibling Society by Robert Bly points out. In the UK we say they don’t want to get their hands dirty. Who will provide the goods and services a country needs to survive, if people only want what society can give them but are not willing to reciprocate? The young all want to be pop stars, celebrities or influencers (your snowplough or helicopter children. In Scotland there is saying that all your geese are swans, meaning they aren’t talented but you pretend they are. This is the same as saying that they are spoon fed (spoiled, not encouraged to contribute). What replaces the grandeur that was Rome and the glory that was Greece, is ego (overconfidence instead of humility).

Think of Romans and the danger of resting on your laurels – their victory parades and a chariot with an attendant beside the conquering general, repeating ‘Remember thou art mortal.’ The Twin Towers were poorly constructed as structural engineer pointed out on British TV, not conspiracy theory which said it was deliberate sabotage by the government (refusal to believe in lazy workmanship – rushed and simplified to cut down costs and effort).

Motivated kids fight adversity. Of course loving what you do and finding out what you love is equal to that, if not superior but social justice is another driving force. As Henry Ford said genius is ten percent inspiration, ninety percent perspiration.

This is devolution. Look at the history of other civilizations. They start out strong and inventive (The Romans) but eventually soften over time, needing outside forces to come in to do the real work. This happened with Britain and the West Indies supplying people after the Second World War, plus land workers and service providers in the hotel and catering industry until Brexit stopped them coming over from Europe.

Trump didn’t understand this and his withdrawal from the world stage (Afghanistan) as well as trying to restart the home economy, led the Russians to see this as weakness and step in to The Ukraine and start a war. The Chinese on the other side of the world are preparing for war in the Pacific for the same reason. They have also I understand taken the lead in space. It’s the underdog effect. Look at how Japan and Germany became economic leaders after their defeat during the Second World War and South Korea now.

Russia built tanks that were cruder but in greater amounts, than the smaller but more technically advanced German tanks of World War Two, overwhelming their opponents who couldn’t take the losses (see the battle of Kursk, the equivalent of Stalingrad’s loss of troops). They also won the start of the space race because they took greater risks and kept their technology simplified, like their tanks were.

Temple Grandin in her book Visual Intelligence, is right about hands on learning. This is the same as the UK. We have imported this ‘pass the written exam’ mentality as well (you don’t need to think or act, just repeat what you are told to do or say). Non jobs in the workplace and non thinking in education (clones, not individuals). Practical exams for practical work, not oral or written. Written exams are too abstract and not grounded in reality.

This is not just in education but in the workplace too. A con artist who can talk the talk but not walk the walk, will get the job more often than not because they are glib tongued liars, who will say whatever they have to, to get the position they want. My wife saw this time after time with colleagues who had no skills in the work they were employed for and no willingness to learn.

Interview techniques compound educational blunders by being mostly verbal or written questionnaires. Garage mechanics in the UK used to be taught to take a car apart, then put it back together, to prove they knew the job and if parts were left out or the vehicle wouldn’t start, they failed the test. Nowadays they have large clip in components and computer diagnostics to work out what is wrong but as a hands-on garage owner where we used to live, pointed out, this method misses problems.

Education and work tries to get people to conform and fit into a mould, which the creative cannot as they live outside the box, not fit in it (not clones but one off originals). Turing died for this reason – the attempt to make him conform to society’s norms, killed his ability and his life (reason to go on or just to be ‘himself’ without compromise).

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago

I could be wrong, but I doubt that the USA recognises The Republic of China as the legitimate government of all China including Taiwan. Does anyone know whether this the case?

Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Taiwan is The Republic of China. The mainland is the People’s Republic of China, and you are right, the US does not recognise Bejing as the ruler of Taiwan. The author of this piece has not understood the One China Policy. The US position is that it notes Beijing’s view that there is only one China (the One China policy). It does not endorse or challenge it.

Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
1 year ago
Reply to  Michael Askew

Taiwan is The Republic of China. The mainland is the People’s Republic of China, and you are right, the US does not recognise Bejing as the ruler of Taiwan. The author of this piece has not understood the One China Policy. The US position is that it notes Beijing’s view that there is only one China (the One China policy). It does not endorse or challenge it.

Michael Askew
Michael Askew
1 year ago

I could be wrong, but I doubt that the USA recognises The Republic of China as the legitimate government of all China including Taiwan. Does anyone know whether this the case?

Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago

If the US should aim to outcompete China as the article suggests, surely preventing them from stealing intellectual property such as the technology in semi conductors seems entirely sensible?
Whilst I agree the rhetoric around Taiwan isn’t helpful, why should the US freely trade with a regime that has completely ignored the established norms and stolen numerous technologies in the recent past?

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

Because, they were happy to trade with China when it suited them, massive silicon Valley companies like Google, apple etc had enormous offices in Beijing, enormous factories in China, they were quite happy for China to make all their stuff at ridiculously low prices so they could sell it to us for an enormous profit. We are quite happy to buy it. The Chinese have surpassed the west in some areas of tech now, hypersonic missiles for one, I don’t think they will struggle to make these chips if push came to shove, they aren’t retards, they can figure stuff out for themselves, and America is like yeah you make our tech, send us all the cheap goods but you b*stards, we’re not sharing anything with you. You’re not having our chips. Sound fair? Really?

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Unfortunately, the education (indoctrination) system in china actively discourages innovation, as a policy, leading to a populace that is suspicious of anything new. This is why it is essential for china to steal tech from other countries and now that the world is aware of that, their so-called technological explosion will soon come to an end.

Richard B
Richard B
1 year ago
Reply to  B Emery

Unfortunately, the education (indoctrination) system in china actively discourages innovation, as a policy, leading to a populace that is suspicious of anything new. This is why it is essential for china to steal tech from other countries and now that the world is aware of that, their so-called technological explosion will soon come to an end.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Billy Bob

Because, they were happy to trade with China when it suited them, massive silicon Valley companies like Google, apple etc had enormous offices in Beijing, enormous factories in China, they were quite happy for China to make all their stuff at ridiculously low prices so they could sell it to us for an enormous profit. We are quite happy to buy it. The Chinese have surpassed the west in some areas of tech now, hypersonic missiles for one, I don’t think they will struggle to make these chips if push came to shove, they aren’t retards, they can figure stuff out for themselves, and America is like yeah you make our tech, send us all the cheap goods but you b*stards, we’re not sharing anything with you. You’re not having our chips. Sound fair? Really?

Last edited 1 year ago by B Emery
Billy Bob
Billy Bob
1 year ago

If the US should aim to outcompete China as the article suggests, surely preventing them from stealing intellectual property such as the technology in semi conductors seems entirely sensible?
Whilst I agree the rhetoric around Taiwan isn’t helpful, why should the US freely trade with a regime that has completely ignored the established norms and stolen numerous technologies in the recent past?

James Sullivan
James Sullivan
1 year ago

What utter codswallop. This sentence is emblematic of the moral equivalence crap of the entire piece: “In other words, China is not a threat because it undermines US security interests, but because it will want to shape — and indeed is already shaping — the global political and economic order in a manner that serves its own interests, rather than just those of the US and other Western nations” as if US interests and Chinese interests are of equal moral worth.
Tell that to the Uyghurs.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

It’s touching, James, to see your heartfelt brotherhood with the Muslims of Western China. I can almost hear the strains of “let my people go” in the background. Please, when you see them next, give them my kindest regards and sympathy, too.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

See my comment above, we are giving the ones that get out back to China, through the un. Climb down a bit.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

Ha! I see a net a minus one vote for my prior reply to you, given in the generous spirit of anonymously dumping on people with whom you disagree. Bad policy. Well, when we in the West until recently still classified the Uyghur Islamic political separatist groups as a terrorist organization, given their multiple assassinations of school children, commuters, engineers, and some of our own forces, we (the US) killed two of their successive leaders with Reaper drones in northern Pakistan, and sent their captured fighters embedded with IS in Syria – let’s not even try to tally the numbers in Afghanistan or SE Asia where we worked with Malaysia, Indonesia et al to stem their flow – to GTMO. But released them, when they suddenly became our friends, into South America and Slovenia. We are nothing if not flexible when it comes to our loves and hates and adroit when it comes to mass manipulation of our own opinions. So, you’re on the right side of history this week, if the wrong side tomorrow.

Last edited 1 year ago by Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

It’s touching, James, to see your heartfelt brotherhood with the Muslims of Western China. I can almost hear the strains of “let my people go” in the background. Please, when you see them next, give them my kindest regards and sympathy, too.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

See my comment above, we are giving the ones that get out back to China, through the un. Climb down a bit.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago
Reply to  James Sullivan

Ha! I see a net a minus one vote for my prior reply to you, given in the generous spirit of anonymously dumping on people with whom you disagree. Bad policy. Well, when we in the West until recently still classified the Uyghur Islamic political separatist groups as a terrorist organization, given their multiple assassinations of school children, commuters, engineers, and some of our own forces, we (the US) killed two of their successive leaders with Reaper drones in northern Pakistan, and sent their captured fighters embedded with IS in Syria – let’s not even try to tally the numbers in Afghanistan or SE Asia where we worked with Malaysia, Indonesia et al to stem their flow – to GTMO. But released them, when they suddenly became our friends, into South America and Slovenia. We are nothing if not flexible when it comes to our loves and hates and adroit when it comes to mass manipulation of our own opinions. So, you’re on the right side of history this week, if the wrong side tomorrow.

Last edited 1 year ago by Andrew Boughton
James Sullivan
James Sullivan
1 year ago

What utter codswallop. This sentence is emblematic of the moral equivalence crap of the entire piece: “In other words, China is not a threat because it undermines US security interests, but because it will want to shape — and indeed is already shaping — the global political and economic order in a manner that serves its own interests, rather than just those of the US and other Western nations” as if US interests and Chinese interests are of equal moral worth.
Tell that to the Uyghurs.

Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 years ago

We should take a page from the Chinese and develop a
Belt and Road initiative.

Russell Hamilton
Russell Hamilton
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

It would be called imperialism.

R Wright
R Wright
2 years ago

Yes.

M Lux
M Lux
2 years ago

What do you mean “would be”? You already have the IMF. If anything, it’s the Chinese who took a page from the Wests book.

Last edited 2 years ago by M Lux
Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
1 year ago

Or the Greater Asia co-prosperity sphere

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago

Accurately called imperialism, which is what the B&R should be called as well.

R Wright
R Wright
2 years ago

Yes.

M Lux
M Lux
2 years ago

What do you mean “would be”? You already have the IMF. If anything, it’s the Chinese who took a page from the Wests book.

Last edited 2 years ago by M Lux
Isabel Hilton
Isabel Hilton
1 year ago

Or the Greater Asia co-prosperity sphere

Steve Jolly
Steve Jolly
1 year ago

Accurately called imperialism, which is what the B&R should be called as well.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
1 year ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

No need it already exists – the developing nations of the United Nations are in constant shakedown mode. Since the 1960’s, their ‘poverty needs’ were expressed in Economist John Galbraith’s work and in more recent days the fashionable shakedown of the West has been ‘climate change’. These countries are like cousins who are always asking you to ‘loan them a few’ – a constant grift.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cathy Carron
Russell Hamilton
Russell Hamilton
2 years ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

It would be called imperialism.

Cathy Carron
Cathy Carron
1 year ago
Reply to  Jim Veenbaas

No need it already exists – the developing nations of the United Nations are in constant shakedown mode. Since the 1960’s, their ‘poverty needs’ were expressed in Economist John Galbraith’s work and in more recent days the fashionable shakedown of the West has been ‘climate change’. These countries are like cousins who are always asking you to ‘loan them a few’ – a constant grift.

Last edited 1 year ago by Cathy Carron
Jim Veenbaas
Jim Veenbaas
2 years ago

We should take a page from the Chinese and develop a
Belt and Road initiative.

Marc H
Marc H
1 year ago

Biden is just doing as he is told. He is a straw man for the real power. To understand the why, look at them and not at Biden.

Last edited 1 year ago by Marc H
Marc H
Marc H
1 year ago

Biden is just doing as he is told. He is a straw man for the real power. To understand the why, look at them and not at Biden.

Last edited 1 year ago by Marc H
Andrew Holmes
Andrew Holmes
1 year ago

This article is a replay of the themes I’ve been hearing for all my long life.
Socialism is the inevitable force of the future. Western Europe has all the virtue and answers. Every bad result is a function of US incompetence or evil intent. Japan will economically rule the world. [Fill in the blank] left wing dictator will inevitably raise up all the downtrodden in [fill in the blank]. East Germany is poised to outstrip the US economy. Ad nauseum.
Needless to say, I’m not ready to despair at any imminent demise.

Andrew Holmes
Andrew Holmes
1 year ago

This article is a replay of the themes I’ve been hearing for all my long life.
Socialism is the inevitable force of the future. Western Europe has all the virtue and answers. Every bad result is a function of US incompetence or evil intent. Japan will economically rule the world. [Fill in the blank] left wing dictator will inevitably raise up all the downtrodden in [fill in the blank]. East Germany is poised to outstrip the US economy. Ad nauseum.
Needless to say, I’m not ready to despair at any imminent demise.

Rolf Wasén
Rolf Wasén
1 year ago

Mildly speaking a somewhat strange article. The author is systematically exaggerating the power of autocratic states and underestimating the power of the more open and free countries. ’Ukraine crisis’?
Dictator Envy?
https://youtu.be/F5OwxdIjDH0

Rolf Wasén
Rolf Wasén
1 year ago

Mildly speaking a somewhat strange article. The author is systematically exaggerating the power of autocratic states and underestimating the power of the more open and free countries. ’Ukraine crisis’?
Dictator Envy?
https://youtu.be/F5OwxdIjDH0

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
1 year ago

“…it’s about acknowledging that a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to accept a more equitable distribution of global resources,…”
Is he kidding? China already consumes a huge portion of the world’s resources. Perhaps it should be the other way around, Mr. Fazi.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/china-consumes-mind-boggling-amounts-of-raw-materials-chart/

Warren Trees
Warren Trees
1 year ago

“…it’s about acknowledging that a peaceful world order rests on our ability, as Westerners, to accept a more equitable distribution of global resources,…”
Is he kidding? China already consumes a huge portion of the world’s resources. Perhaps it should be the other way around, Mr. Fazi.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/china-consumes-mind-boggling-amounts-of-raw-materials-chart/

Dominic S
Dominic S
1 year ago

The question is “Why is America provoking China?” The answer is fairly straightforward – the lunatics have taken over the asylum.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Dominic S

Starting to feel that’s the only logical explanation.

B Emery
B Emery
1 year ago
Reply to  Dominic S

Starting to feel that’s the only logical explanation.

Dominic S
Dominic S
1 year ago

The question is “Why is America provoking China?” The answer is fairly straightforward – the lunatics have taken over the asylum.

Brian Laidd
Brian Laidd
1 year ago

We could equally ask why is China deliberately provoking so many other nations. The south China Sea territorial grab. Interference in elections (Canada, and probably others) Secret Police in other countries – in the news in Canada but reported in Australia a year ago. Theft of intellectual property and industrial espionage. Not for nothing are western telecoms avoiding Chinese technology because of the threats it poses. The list goes on. Dictators only understand one thing – hard line resistance, and China is a dictatorship.

朝 张
朝 张
1 year ago
Reply to  Brian Laidd

​Dictatorship is just a conception, used by the elite to describe their enemies to the lower classes. No one likes war except those who profit by it, but that is not for us to decide.​

Last edited 1 year ago by 朝 张
朝 张
朝 张
1 year ago
Reply to  Brian Laidd

​Dictatorship is just a conception, used by the elite to describe their enemies to the lower classes. No one likes war except those who profit by it, but that is not for us to decide.​

Last edited 1 year ago by 朝 张
Brian Laidd
Brian Laidd
1 year ago

We could equally ask why is China deliberately provoking so many other nations. The south China Sea territorial grab. Interference in elections (Canada, and probably others) Secret Police in other countries – in the news in Canada but reported in Australia a year ago. Theft of intellectual property and industrial espionage. Not for nothing are western telecoms avoiding Chinese technology because of the threats it poses. The list goes on. Dictators only understand one thing – hard line resistance, and China is a dictatorship.

Noel Chiappa
Noel Chiappa
1 year ago

“much of the blame for that lies with the Biden administration.” Bovine-excrement. Most of it lies with the inherent qualities of the Chinese and their government: a resentment at the rest of the world for de-throning them from their ‘natural’ position as the center of the world, for having the bad taste to vividly demonstrate that the Chinese culture is not the most advanced, sophisticated and powerful in the world. An inferiority complex on a national scale.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago

Stunning clarity, as always, with TF. Comprehensive truth. Yes, the worst of all possible paths is handing everything over to our national security people. By nature, even if individually good people, their mission is sociopathic and often in effect psychopathic. Thomas is dead right. Again.

Andrew Boughton
Andrew Boughton
1 year ago

Stunning clarity, as always, with TF. Comprehensive truth. Yes, the worst of all possible paths is handing everything over to our national security people. By nature, even if individually good people, their mission is sociopathic and often in effect psychopathic. Thomas is dead right. Again.