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The Edge is the place for that. The editors do not mind publishing one
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APRIL 2010
[Re Ian C Purdie's letter about
Peace that could happen (but won't), Apr 29] Mr Purdie's conclusion is,
of course, quite correct. But he should have taken his logic further. Not only
is the US and its dog-wagging tail Israel not interested in world peace, they
are proactive agents in fomenting conflict, turmoil and chaos. If one stops and
thinks about it, Wonderland achieved its hegemonic status only after a world
war devastated all its capitalist competitors. The only rival left standing,
the Soviet Union, was a conveniently large but largely impotent bogeyman to
keep America's crippled, frightened and compliant stooges in its warm and cozy
back pocket. Even then, both "enemies" managed to make a good living fomenting
so-called revolutions and counter revolutions during the Profitable (otherwise
known as Cold) War. Does anyone think it coincidental that after the Cold War
"ended", conflicts broke out in such hitherto peaceful places as Rwanda, Bosnia
and Somalia? Or that Osama bin Laden "suddenly" decided to launch jihad against
the West once the Soviet Union disappeared? And all those revolting countries
would need our assistance and US-manipulated IMF/World Bank indebting loans to
cement our hegemonic status once the shooting stopped, thus ensuring that
non-war status did not allow straying from the US shepherded herd. The defense
contractors kept churning out more weapons, employing more Wonderlanders who
would vote for more hawkish warmongering Republicans, who would keep finding
more excuses for invading more unknown, heathen, brown-peopled countries, thus
requiring ever more weapons and juicy defense contracts. As America produced
fewer and fewer nondestructive things,like TVs or cars, this cyclic and
reinforcing process became ever more essential to the Wonderlander fiction of a
prosperous capitalist democracy. Pax Americana should never have been
interpreted as peace under American domination but instead managed and
profitable war-making by Americans.
Hardy Campbell
Houston, United States (Apr 30, '10)
[Re Peace that could
happen (but won't), Apr 28] America hater, pro-terrorists, pro the
destruction of Israel Noam Chomsky and his fellow travelers would love to wear
a SS uniform and throw Israelis in an oven with boiling water. Terrorist
organization Hamas does not want peace. It wants to kill as many Jews as
possible with the help of the weasels in the leftist press and Israel haters
scum. This second Holocaust that Chomsky and his comrades dream of won't
happen. Ask any Hamas murderer if they want peace with Israel and their answer
will be a fervent "hell no". Israel is fighting people who are willing to kill
every single person in their country with the help of their collaborators that
give liars like Chomsky a forum to spread their hatred and anti-semitism. The
pro-Islamic madness, American front led by Barack Hussein Obama will be voted
out of office in 2012. We the people caught up with this radical agenda that
aggrandizes every sewer disguised as a state while diminishing the civilized
world that he hates. So it is fair to pray so that these people don't get away
with stealing Israelis their country and give it to the Palestinians who will
turn Israel into a third world gutter where human rights is a myth and beatings
of women would be the norm. Was that clear enough?
Ysais Martinez
United States (Apr 30, '10)
Foreign workers (and
wives) pour into China, Apr 28] China is going through the same process
that Japan and South Korea have. Consider looking for a wife. Many a lonely
bachelor in China, especially in the hinterland, is looking for a bride. The
young have abandoned the farm for the city. Vietnam is a cottage industry for
young women looking to escape poverty and the street. Vietnamese women are
desirable since they are "racially" closer to the Han majority. And Vietnam
after a thousand years of China's domination has even today a strong Chinese
cultural imprint.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 30, '10)
As inspiration to solve the current crisis in Greece, consider the case of King
Philippe IV of France (ca. 1300) known as "le Bel" or the handsome. His kingdom
was facing an economic crisis with two basic components: One, the (Catholic)
Church was draining tax free tithes and ecclesiastic income from properties and
indulgences etc. in gold to the Vatican (this being their greatest source of
revenue); and Two, the Knights Templar, international bankers/IMF of the times,
held the Kingdom to ransom over the enormous amounts they lent the State.
Philippe had a war on two fronts with the English and the Burgundians and was
in no mood for niceties. The moment of Truth arrived in 1304. Philippe forbade
the export of gold from the Kingdom. Pope Boniface screamed to High Heaven (pun
intended) and anathematized him, so Philippe sent a hit team who caught the
Pope in his palace and beat him up so badly that he died soon after. "Le Bel"
then shut down the Vatican and moved the office Avignon, under control of his
own pet Pope and Cardinals (which continued for another 70 years). As for the
Templars, they were destroyed and their properties confiscated in one of the
ugliest episodes of an ugly era. It is not necessary to repeat Philippe IV's
atrocities. It will do quite simply for Greece, Spain, and other states to
issue international arrest warrants against the top rankers of the IMF,
Standard & Poor's, and several international Banks and Financial
Institutions. They are unelected, and do not have immunity. There is no
shortage of economic crimes to accuse them, apart from severe harm to the State
(what is more deadly than an attack on its finances). I have already advocated
in these pages that President Obama order a merciless IRS audit of the personal
finances of these individuals, and have them taken down just like Al Capone,
who was merely a local Chicago gangster. The Wall Street Gangs are a world wide
plague. The State has its primary responsibility to its citizens, not to
unelected financiers whose only motive is personal profit, and whose greed is
tempered only by their appalling incompetence. When a few dozen of them are
serving 50 year jail terms, with total confiscation of their properties, we
will indeed have an improved and more accountable financial system. Prime
ministers of Greece, Spain, Portugal, any other country, do it today.
Kali Kadzaraki
Houston, United States (Apr 30, '10)
[Re Peace that could
happen (but won't), Apr 28] Another excellent piece by Noam Chomsky
immediately saved to my "Opinions" folder. Unfortunately it is always
depressing to read "The basic principles have been accepted by virtually the
entire world, including the Arab states (who go on to call for full
normalization of relations), the Organization of Islamic States (including
Iran), and relevant non-state actors (including Hamas)" because this is then
followed by the very much predictable "A settlement along these lines was first
proposed at the United Nations Security Council in January 1976 by the major
Arab states. Israel refused to attend the session. The US vetoed the
resolution, and did so again in 1980. The record at the General Assembly since
is similar.'' Why is it I then always conclude that the biggest impediment to
enduring world peace is the USA?
Ian C Purdie
Sydney, Australia (Apr 29, '10)
[Re Cambodian
lessons for South Korea, Apr 28] Does Cambodia have any lessons to
teach South Korea? Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh houses a North Korean
restaurant, and the southeast Asian country entertains "friendly" relations
with Pyongyang. Perhaps there is a moral in saying this: Phnom Penh may be
neutral ground for back channel talks between the two Koreas. Singapore in
years gone buy unofficially acted in this capacity. We are thinking of the
trade agreements in the purchasing of North Korea coal for South Korea's
industries.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 29, '10)
[Re , Netanyahu
plays a complex game, Apr 27] Begrudgingly Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is ceding ground to US demands. He and his right-wing allies
are playing a difficult game in delaying negotiations with the Palestinian
Authority and going ahead in jerks and starts with illegal land grabs on the
West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Netanyahu knows that he has the weight of
Israeli public opinion behind him, a public that deeply distrusts US President
Barack Obama and sees his designs as "inimical" to Israel's survival. The
Israeli prime minister is also banking on the support of American Jews. Of late
the vocal Democratic senator from New York Charles Schumer has called on the
White House to drop its "hostile" policy towards Israel.
His voice is but a strong echo of the worries of American Jewry who have a
strong sentimental attachment to Israel. In the longer run, Netanyahu will have
to give more ground since Israel is more and more isolated and ever more
dependent on America's economic and military largesse and its protection.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 28, '10)
It is fashionable in Pakistan to vilify America and India. Most Pakistanis
consider themselves ''less patriotic'' without it. Radical Islamist forces who
want to turn Pakistan into ''Islamistan'' continuously demand implementation of
sharia law in this country. However, they fail to explain which sect of sharia
they actually want to be implemented? These religious extremists have played
their role so effectively in hammering anti-India sentiments into the minds of
common men of Pakistan, relating it with religion. This fiery hate has burned
several innocent lives up until now.
There is a need to develop an understanding that amicable relations between
Pakistan and India would not only bring peace and prosperity in the
subcontinent but, due to the exchange of technologies between the neighboring
countries and cutting the size of the armies on both sides of the border, also
mitigate the economic condition of both countries.
Mehwish Ghazanfer
Karachi, Pakistan (Apr 28, '10)
"A war with Iran would derail the peaceful exploitation of all that hard-fought
oil. Why would the US want to do that?" said Jose R Pardinas in his letter
[April 23] The US war with Iraq mainly benefited Shi'ite Iran and derailed the
peaceful exploitation of Iraq's oil. Why would the US want to do that? Short
answer: the US government has done many irrational things in recent years. It's
not solely about the rational pursuit of wealth. The irrational desire to be
perceived as the ape with the biggest, reddest behind is also involved. So (at
times) is US religious fanaticism.
Lester Ness
Changchun
China (Apr 27, '10)
[Re
Wynn makes Encore bets on China, April 26] Good to read Muhammad Cohen
again. Steve Wynn's criticism of the US smacks of sour grapes. It looks as
though Macau has struck a vein of fool's gold in today's uneven economic
recovery. The global recession has hit the gambling houses in Macau hard. Wynn
is saddled with debts. Praise China as he might, Beijing won't bail him out if
Encore Macau casino goes under. And he cannot rely on his "friends" on Wall
Street as the US Congress inches closer toward regulatory reform. In brief,
he's out in the cold. Wynn might lose his shirt in the end if gamblers do not
flock in their droves to the Wynn Encore Macau.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 27, '10)
[Re Vietnam's
guarded US embrace, April 23] Vietnam has always taken China's embrace
with great caution. With such a giant neighbor, it has little choice. Yet it
welcomes a US military presence in the region, as do other members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations. China covets Vietnam's offshore gas and
has sent its navy to stake out its claims, without recourse to international
arbitration. As The Hanoist may know, after emperor Le Loi (1385-1433) defeated
the Ming, he sent a delegation to Beijing to perform the kow-tow to the Chinese
emperor. He thus acknowledged Vietnam's "status" in China's scheme of tributary
states, on the one hand. On the other hand, he was sending a clear message to
China - stay out of our affairs. Vietnam has less to worry about from the US
than it does from China.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 26, '10)
In Russia and the
North Korean knot [April 23], Georgy Toloraya argues that Russia should
help maintain the status quo and thwart "hostile Western ambitions". The US,
Japan and South Korea would like to see a denuclearized North Korea that
accepts basic human rights for its citizens - is that hostile? After the
collapse of the Kim family regime in North Korea, Russia's trade with Korea
will increase anywhere from a hundred fold to a thousand fold. Eastern Russia
will have its greatest economic boom since the completion of the Trans-Siberian
railroad in 1916. Russia will gain 70 million Koreans as customers for its oil
and gas for the price of building a pipeline to the Korean border. Build
another 60 miles [96 kilometers] of undersea pipeline and Russia will have 127
million Japanese customers and Japan will probably pay for its cost. I'm sure
Gazprom would love to have 200 million more customers for the price of a few
million dollars of pipeline. If I were Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin,
the day North Korea falls I would start building bigger banks to hold all the
money Russia will make in the future. Toloraya claims the aid to North Korea
was "modest", but North Korea received over US$12 billion in aid in the last 10
years. Toloraya claims that President Lee Myung-bak's hardline policies
"effectively dismantled almost all the achievements of the North-South
rapprochement under the liberal governments". The truth is there was not a
single achievement under the "Sunshine" policy of the South. North Korea
continues to hold over a thousand Southerners prisoner and all the "Sunshine"
aid did not free a single one. The South gave over one billion pounds [500,000
tons] of food aid and 300,000 tons of fertilizer on a yearly basis. Before
North Korea admitted to cheating on a 1994 [nuclear] agreement in 2002, the US
was supplying 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year. I am sure Toloraya's life has
improved greatly since the collapse of the Soviet Union and I wonder why he
believes it is his right to deny any improvement to the lives of the citizens
of North Korea especially now that large numbers of people are dying of
starvation again.
Dennis O'Connell
USA (Apr 26, '10)
[Re US warms to strike
on Iran, Apr 22] Prognosticators of looming military action by the US
in Iran fail to consider a number of important things. To begin with, the US
has to keep up the rhetorical pressure (regardless its real intentions) in
hopes that the Iranians will blink. But most often overlooked, is the reality
that America is now the de facto head of an Islamic Empire. That is, the US not
only controls most of the oil-producing Sunni Muslim countries, but a
predominantly Shi'ite Muslim one as well, Iraq. Iraq sits on a sea of oil, and
that oil is the reason the US invaded Iraq. The latter is, if you will, the
jewel in the crown of American Empire. Iraqis have close centuries-old cultural
and economic ties with their co-religionists in Iran. A war with Iran would
derail the peaceful exploitation of all that hard-fought oil. Why would the US
want to do that? In fact, oil is bound to relegate Israel to second-fiddle in
America's affections - and, in fact, that transition is already quite apparent.
This is one of those ironic unintended consequences of war and conquest that we
have been warned about.
Jose R Pardinas
San Diego, United States (Apr 23, '10)
[Re US warms to strike
on Iran, Apr 22] So Tehran's army chief says that not one single
American soldier would leave the conflict alive had we attacked them. That is
what I find absurd. The only chance that Iran would have against us is if our
army continue to follow the ridiculous rules of engagement that are killing our
soldiers. Appeasing the enemies has never worked. Killing the enemy is what
gives a nation victory over victory. Thus, the only way that the United States
can win a war is if it engages in total war, total destruction of any enemy
ruthlessly, mercilessly and brutally. The only way that we can win this war is
if anti-America propaganda is banned and those cockroaches attacking from
within charged with treason. In addition all the power of our media should be
used to demonize and dehumanize the enemy. Reducing the enemy to less than an
insect is the way to go to battle and achieve a final victory. If we had men
with the guts of Vladimir Putin leading our country, the Iranian dictatorship
and its army chief would be forced to swallow each one of their words.
Ysais Martinez
United States (Apr 23, '10)
Given that Jesus was Jewish, and venerated in both Christianity and Islam, and
was a Greek name to start with, and was often used in Spain and Latin America,
I would say that having the middle name Jesus between John and McCain might
have won him the election. The only problem is that John McCain is John McCain
the third ... and we are still waiting for the second coming. However the fact
that Jesus was both a philosopher, socialist and a unionized carpenter it is
doubtful that he would ever have been made Senator from Arizona.
Martinez has never used a middle name for any other individual in his letters.
His use of a widely used Islamic name Hussein while criticizing the President
tells me more about Martinez than Obama. Had you told me in the year 2000 that
Americans would have elected an African American named Hussein I would have
asked you what you were smoking.....better chance with the middle name Stalin!
How incompetent would his predecessor have to be to pull that off! And I'll
always speak to facts when I see some...but then again, as my teacher used to
say, they are a poor substitution for thinking.
Miles Tompkins
Nova Scotia (Apr 23, '10)
[Re How radical Islam
might defeat the West: A reprise, Apr 20)] The reprise that is
desperately needed is relief from those who so carelessly and continuously
advocate the use of violence and conflict as an instrument for settling
disputes between nations rather than using diplomacy. Some facts are in order
to put the Iranian nuclear program in perspective. There are over 40 nations
that possess enough highly-enriched uranium to assemble a nuclear weapon if
they so desired. That is what the Obama Administration's nuclear
nonproliferation meeting was about. To make sure that all the highly enriched
uranium in the world is properly safeguarded. Iran has no highly-enriched
uranium and even if it wanted to produce it, to have enough for one nuclear
weapon, it could not achieve that capability, according to Israeli intelligence
sources, until five years hence. Second, no country is subject to over $400
million being spent and a presidential finding to destabilize its government as
Iran is, starting under the Bush/Cheney administration. Third, the reality that
seems to be a secret getting no attention is the effect and spread of lethal
radiation if Iranian nuclear sites are bombed. Several years ago, in a
little-noticed report, the Union of Concerned Scientists, using software
developed for simulation by the Pentagon, estimated that bombing the Isfahan
nuclear refinement facilities would kill three million civilians in two weeks
and would expose 35 million people in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, to
lethal doses of radiation. And if the Buscher reactor is bombed, it will make
the Persian Gulf uninhabitable. With several hundred thousand American service
personnel and millions of civilians in harm's way, what country would like to
have such horrific genocide as its historical legacy? Perhaps a visit to the
victims of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island would bring some badly needed
enlightenment to the author and others who write such glib, self-serving
articles and teach the meaning of "unintended consequences." Lastly, it is not
in the national security interests of the United States to be in permanent
confrontation with Iran. The United States and Iran have many interests in
common in the region. The stark choices that are often presented are not to do
nothing, or war, but there is a third way: relentless diplomacy. Common sense
dictates that rather than using diplomacy to find ways to perpetuate the 30
years of isolation and hostility between Iran and the United States, the Obama
Administration must continue to do all it can though patient diplomacy to open
doors based on mutual respect. To do less is to negate the chance for a better
future for Iran and the United States and to earn the harsh judgment of
history.
Fariborz S Fatemi
Former Professional Staff Member
House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States (Apr 23, '10)
[Re Russia and the
North Korean knot, Apr 22] North Korea watchers should read Georgy
Toloraya's analysis. It is clear in content and intent, although Russia's
president Medvedev's signature on further UN sanctions against North Korea. His
stroke of the pen, it seems, has more to do with Russo American nuclear goals
than strong arming Pyongyang. Russia will continue to practice patience in
dealing with North Korea. Moscow sees little benefit in a failed state on the
Korean peninsula, especially one with a nuclear program. Since there is a
springtime of good relations with the US, it would serve US interests were
Russia to suggest to the Obama administration a softer approach with North
Korea. Threats do not work. They may buy time, but for what practical purposes?
In the end the US has to negotiate with North Korea.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 23, '10)
Even in delusional Wonderland, where the pre-breakfast thinking of six
impossible absurdities as historical facts is routine, there is a hard-core
group of uber-delusionuts who naturally make heads shake in awe. One of their
core fantasies is the popular myth of nuke seeking Islamo-terrorists bent on
festooning the Wonderscape with blossoming thermo-mushrooms. The fact that
Pakistan, a veritable playground of Muslim extremism and the likely vacationing
spot for Osama bin Laden, has not handed over such devices to these fictitious
terrorists bothers them not a whit. Nor is there any evidence that the
"discredited" Pakistan's Pied Piper of Plutonium, AQ Khan, has provided plans,
sources or technology to his fellow followers of the faith. Even more
incredibly, not even the relatively simple fashioning of a so-called dirty bomb
that requires abundantly readily available radioactive material and
conventional explosives, has been accomplished, though to hear the uber-nuts
tell it, any day now clouds of glowing death will descend on us unless. ...
That "unless", of course, usually involves following the neo-con-nutter agenda
of undermining the very freedoms the uberists insist the Muslims want to
destroy, creating a police state, unleashing unbridled death and destruction on
all non-Christian, non-whites who don't cower and submit, and allowing the
Second Coming to proceed according to their hallucinogenic schedule. Of course,
these types need medication, therapy and long-term hospitalization. It's good
that ATimes.Online permits the posting of their mouth-frothing rants as part of
this treatment plan.
Hardy Campbell
United States (Apr 22, '10)
In response to Miles Ignatius Tompkins letter, I want to say that I use Barack
Hussein Obama because that is his full name. My middle name is Alberto if you
are so interested in knowing. I couldn't care less about stalkers. Now, I
wonder what would Miles Ignatius Tompkins and his ilk in the liberal press say
if John McCain would have been the president and his middle name was "Jesus."
Yes, John Jesus McCain. I imagine the 24/7 coverage of his name and godless,
weasel leftists saying: "We have to question McCain's loyalty to America.
Anyone with the name Jesus might be loyal to religion and not our republic."
So, rather than appeasing, I respond to hypocrisy with greater hypocrisy and
cynicism with greater cynicism. By the way, you always seem to pick the
trivialities of my letters rather than focusing on the facts. Why did not you
enlighten me with some information about the killings with machetes and suicide
bombers? I bet they'd outnumber several times the crimes that, huh, let's say
the West has committed with its responsible use of nukes.
Ysais Alberto Martinez
United States (Apr 22, '10)
[Re China puts healthcare
cart before the horse, Apr 20] Iain Mills' article hit the nail right
on the head regarding the social diseases of China at present. Obesity is
observed to be on the rise specially among the China's teens as they consider
fast food to be a fad and teens are eating hamburgers, pizzas, and fried
chickens regularly. On top of that, parents are bringing their children to
fast-food restaurants for the sake of expediency. It is observed that chicken
nuggets have over 30 ingredients and chemicals in them. Also, fast foods have
high sodium content which is known to cause hypertension. With the advent of
computer games, Chinese are spending more time on computers and hardly do any
physical work. Schools, businesses, and offices ought to have time allotted to
calisthenics and stretch exercises for their students and employees. Seniors
should organize within their living areas a time for morning exercises like
those they did in their younger days. Tobacco should be banned in public places
and scenes in movies showing smoking not related to the story should be banned
as lung cancer is the number one killer in China.
Wendy Cai
United States (Apr 21, '10)
[Re China puts healthcare
cart before the horse, Apr 20] The best healthcare system is
prevention, not keeping sick and suffering people drugged and on life support.
Lifestyle changes have the biggest impacts on people's health. The traditional
Chinese diet of vegetables, with meat only on special occasions, is giving way
with affluence to a diet of meat regularly. This, more than whether foods are
processed or not, will lead to obesity, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and
cancer. Examination of preserved mummies in tombs of wealthy Chinese from the
distant past show they has many of the same diseases of affluence, such as
heart disease, fatty liver, etc, as people in the West do today. Just because a
rich person can eat meat and fat every day, doesn't mean a person should. Good
health is a human right, and it impinges on all other aspects of a society too,
including the economy and the mental outlook of the citizenry.
Francis Chow
Quebec, Canada (Apr 21, '10)
Why does Ysais Martinez sign his name without the use of his middle name, while
always using Barack Obama's middle name in his letters?
Miles Ignatius Tompkins
Nova Scotia, Canada (Apr 21, '10)
[Re Pakistan's trade
bear-hug with China
, Apr 20] Free Trade Agreements are so structured that one country profits from
the weakness of the other. So, it is hardly surprising that Pakistan is on the
losing end of a deal with China. What does Pakistan really have to compete with
China? China has built its infrastructure and is constructing a port in
Baluchistan on the Arabian Sea for its own benefit. On the other hand,
contracts have fine print which allow corruption or getting around Pakistan's
laws. And corruption is a fine art in Pakistan and China. Pakistan has embraced
China as a weapon in its diplomatic arsenal against India.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 21, '10)
[Re Goldman:
The charade of honesty, April 19] We can imagine the lights are burning
brightly in Goldman Sach's spanking new, tax-deferred headquarters at 400 West
Street, which has a view of New York's Hudson River. The US Security and
Exchange Commission's (SEC's) civil suit against this mighty investment banking
house, announced on April 16, has sent shudders up and down Wall Street.
Already, unnamed sources within 400 West are leaking damaging bits of
information connecting senior management to synthetic swaps which were never
too big to fail. United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for an
investigation of Goldman Sachs. The British government bailed out the Royal
Bank of Scotland which held the toxic swaps. Germany, it seems, may look more
closely at Goldman. The investment bank complains that the SEC had not let it
known of an impending suit for fraud. Yet the New York Times Online let the cat
out of the bag in its reporting of the growing scandal. Firstly, the SEC had
sent Goldman a Wells Notice, informing it of the investigation, and secondly,
Goldman played hardball with the SEC for more than 20 months, fighting any
attempt to delve further in its murky financial instruments. Goldman along with
its lobby in Washington and its powerful allies in the Republican party will
not give up and are planning a sleeves-rolled-up battle royal. More revelations
will damage Goldman Sach's reputation, and ultimately the board will pressure
its chief executive officer and other senior managers to step down. Time is not
on Goldman's or its partisans' side.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 20, '10)
[Re How radical
Islam might defeat the West: A reprise, April 19] The recent farce of a
summit on nuclear weaponry was ambiguous and abstract. In fact, for the Barack
Obama White House, Swiss nukes are equivalent to Syrian nukes. For the American
government headed by Barack Hussein Obama, a civilized society like Germany is
equivalent to Iran or Syria or North Korea. That is - like David P Goldman puts
it - a Third World anthropologist's view of the civilized world. Now, when you
think it could not get worse, along comes Iran and its gang of hacks. The West
has become too sensitive to blood and terrified of violence. It is interesting
to emphasize that since the [1994] Rwanda genocide, most of the world's mass
killings have not occurred because of nukes, but rather machetes. Oh yes, that
is the dirty little secret that lazy journalists around the world do not write
about. While the civilized nations are afraid of using high-tech weapons to
prevent chaos, Third World guerilla members and Islamic religious fanatics are
willing to kill with machetes, axes, and whatever other objects that they can
lay their hands on. So what is next from the leadership of the West? A summit
to prevent the use of machetes, axes or suicide bombings? I can guarantee you
that none of the Islamic terrorists would hesitate to blow up a country if they
had a nuke. Nuclear weapons have prevented uncountable deaths. Since [the]
Hiroshima and Nagasaki [atomic bombings in 1945], the world has to thank nukes
for preventing disasters. Keep dreaming third worldists, your time will come
sooner or later when your pals lay their hands on nukes.
Ysais Martinez
United States (Apr 20, '10)
[Re Terrorism: The
nuclear summit's 'straw man' , Apr 15] Shibil Siddiqi has upended the
theme of the 47-nation nuclear terrorism conference which ended the other day
in Washington. Even if a nuclear bomb fell into al-Qaeda's hands, it has a
built-in mechanism to self-destruct without the proper codes to activate it. So
the danger is minimal that terrorists will set off a nuclear device. Siddiqi
does suggest that the meeting had more to do with establishing a multi-nation
consensus which broke down during the George W Bush administration's policy of
going it alone. We know what "terror" has visited on the world. US President
Barack Obama is seeking to restore a better balance in international affairs.
Of course, it is a gambit which favors the US. Is that necessarily bad?
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 16, '10)
[Re Terrorism: The
nuclear summit's 'straw man' , Apr 15] The recent nuclear summit
attempted to put a happy face on the moral dilemmas and ethical contradictions
of such weaponry. By juggling meaningless numbers and prattling on about "no
first use" and other arcane, egg-headed doctrines, members of the nuclear Good
Ol' Boys Club have convinced themselves of their basic humanity and goodwill
for all. But the basic truths that have remained ineluctably in place since the
first atomic devices were exploded over Asian cities cannot be glossed over,
band-aided or fancy-talked away. ...
Hardy Campbell
Houston TX (Apr 16, '10)
[Re Israel evades
'ambush' at summit, Apr 14] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu's
decision not to attend the 47 nation nuclear security conference at the 11th
hour has nothing to do with fear his allies Turkey and Egypt might bring up
Israel's never publicly declared nuclear arsenal. In fact, the issue is a red
herring: it is not uncommon knowledge that, one, Israel's Golda Meir promised
US president Nixon never to talk about Israel's nuclear program; two, Mordechai
Vanunu in the early 1980s revealed the existence and strength of Israel's
nuclear stockpile; and three, Turkey and Egypt have brought up the matter at
other international venues. Furthermore the tightly scripted meeting simply
wouldn't have allowed the issue to be broached. The reason is the growing
bitter dispute between the US and Israel over reviving the peace process.
Netenyahu's recent star turn at the AIPAC annual meeting in Washington thumbed
his nose at the Obama administration's move to start up negotiations to solve
the festering Palestinian Arab problem.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 15, '10)
[Re Israel evades
'ambush' at summit, Apr 14] It is very hard to understand the
non-sensical stance of Obama's White House against the only democracy in the
Middle East. It is even more nonsensical [than] the mistreatment of Israeli
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Not even a photo-op during Netanyahu's last
visit to the White House. Obama has no issues in taking pictures with despots,
dictators, jihadists, America haters, and Islamofascists. Thank God that the
American electorate is projected to be vehement against this administration
during the next elections. It is also unbelievable that a gutter like Iran is
setting conditions to a super power like us when we should squash it like a
cockroach and set an example for our enemies. But that will happen when we stop
being sensitive to blood. Good for Israel in evading this farce of nuclear
summit. It is intended to disarm Israel so its enemies can dispose of it in
another Holocaust as third worldists and Arabs have long dreamed of. It won't
happen any time soon. It simply won't.
Ysais A Martinez
United States (Apr 15, '10)
[Re A lot of hot air,
Apr 13] Razu Baroud's comment highlights an interesting point about China. It
has a master's degree in spin. Chinese officials are more and more skilled in
the use of sophisticated marketing techniques as a means of exercising power.
Furthermore, it ties a bow on the notion that China is a highly saleable and
non-polluting product. This said, every once and in a while China slips. Out
comes the beating of the old tattoo: the rich vein of seeing the world in red
and white - China versus the West. And when they say the "West", read the US,
which China has never shied away from thinking it its foremost rival and enemy.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 14, '10)
[Re: Google vs
China: The endgame, Apr 13] What an excellent journalistic piece. The
whole Google and China feud was coming. Most people at Google are radical
leftists who are obsessed with the Dalai Lama and Islam. The massacre of
Uyghurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang and the abusive treatment of the
Tibetans would trigger something sooner or later. So-called political activists
and the hacking of their e-mails accounts then set off the whole thing. Freedom
haters who were raised in oppressive societies - beating women, discriminating
against homosexuals, and decapitating those who don't agree with them - and who
love government interventions and handouts will obviously speak out against
Google. "Surprisingly" Google shareholders are not happy at all with the
Google's management decision. It was a matter of principle - again to my
surprise. This obviously has two sides. My Westerner side loves the decision
and anything that is opening and freedom is a glass of fresh of water in the
Sahara. My tough, right-wing side loves the Chinese government's determination
to show the weasels in the West how to exercise power. If only we in the United
States were willing to exercise power in such a ruthless, decisive, unshakable
way! Finally, the Asia Times Online can certainly brag about this piece as the
best journalistic work on the Google-China feud written so far.
Ysais A Martinez
Pennsylvania, United States (Apr 14, '10)
[Re China's footloose climb
to the top, Apr 13] Commendations for Jian Jiabao's piece. It is indeed
unrealistic to expect China to take on the burdens of the United States, nor
expect China to surpass the United States politically and militarily anytime
soon. One major point of contention I have with Professor Jian is where he
writes: "China must completely accept Western values in the name of 'modern
values' in order to gain Western recognition' and in effect hope to gain
acceptance in a world order dominated by Western Values. There is no reason why
China should sell her soul, or her myriad of Chinese values in order to be more
or less accepted by Western countries who have proven to be all the more
hypocritcal when it comes to practicing their own much touted "western values".
Professor Jian's term "Modern Values" is so vague - much like the terms
"Freedom" and "Human Rights" - that spouting them might sound good and catchy
but lack a great deal in substance. All countries possess unique cultural
values and to expect one country to acquiesce to another's cultural demands
hearkens back to an era of imperalism when Christian missionaries from the West
sought to replace native and indigeneous cultural values with a Eurocentric
model of values aided of course with the soft power of medicine, technology and
the hard power of war.
Hank
Australia (Apr 14, '10)
The latest brouhaha in Wonderland concerning China's "manipulation" of its
currency is yet another illustration of the depth and intensity of delusion
amongst the Looking Glass crowd. The country that invented financial
shenanigans, economic hocus-pocus and fiscal recklessness has the cojones to
point to a sovereign nation doing what's in its national best interests and
yell, "Foul! Unfair! Wonderland No Likee." The Unreal States of Amnesia seems
to forget that we wrote the book about such self-serving techniques; the
Chinese merely read it and then proceeded to out-America America. And that's
what's really got Wonderlanders wondering, "How did those Asians wind up owning
our rear ends? Gosh darn it, maybe they did it by working hard, sacrificing and
saving for a rainy day, like we used to do, before we made debt, cheating and
the easy scam our national ambition, creed and mantra". Such a realization in
racist white America is radical and disturbing; so much so that we resort to
smoke 'n mirrors, much hubbub about this and that Chinese quality problem and
froth at the collective mouth about currency exchange, trade imbalances and all
the other things Wonderlanders are responsible for inflicting on themselves.
But perish the thought of peering into that Looking Glass and seeing a fat,
bloated and dying national carcass looking accusingly back.
Hardy Campbell
Houston (Apr 14, '10)
[Re The Cheonan cover-up
, Apr 9] Aidan Foster-Carter is right to blame North Korea for the sinking of
the Cheonan. However he is wrong to believe the best response is to do
nothing. "Restraint is sound statesmanship not cowardice" - that sounds fine,
but what do you do when the North attacks again and what is to deter them if
not some form of a response? The South Koreans have asked for naval experts
from the US, Australia and Sweden to help them discover the cause of the
sinking. So sweeping the incident under the rug is not an option. So what will
be the consequences for North Korea when they are found guilty. I believe there
will be many. First, one would have to assume that that restarting the
six-party talks will come off the table. Anyone stupid enough to think that the
six-party talks will get North Korea to give up its nukes should exit the
planet as fast as possible to improve the human race. North Korea recently shot
itself in the foot over its insane currency revaluation, it has now shot its
other foot with the Cheonan Affair. I'm sure the US will bring up the
matter in the Security Council, and while China will seek to weaken any
sanctions I do not believe they will use their veto to defend North Korea. Also
the North has been talking about increasing foreign investment in their economy
- any plans they had are now dead. South Korea could be forced to close the
Kaesong Industrial Park and 40,000 North Korean will be thrown out of work
along with the state losing US$40 million a year. All this is happening as the
North Korean people are again starving to death and more of them are coming to
the realization that their government is a fraud. North Korea, already a pariah
nation, will see its isolation increase. So why did Kim Jong-il order the
sinking? I believe it is a sign of just how desperate the North is becoming.
This is a very dangerous time for the US and the world - and all people are
worried about is how Tiger Woods hits a little white ball.
Dennis O'Connell
United States (Apr 13, '10)
[Re Evangelical Pax
Koreana crosses the line, Apr 12] Andray Abrahamian has connected the
dots which escaped the mainstream media. The illegal border crossing from China
into North Korea of Robert Park and Aijalon Mahil Gomes pointed to a heightened
notion of doing God's work; it, as Abrahamian demonstrates, shows the hand of
the right-wing Pax Koreana who recruit "mentally unstable" individuals to do
its bidding. Pax Koreana leaders won't dare put their beliefs into action by
clandestinely entering North Korea, but they are eager to use the naive as
cannon fodder, regardless of the trials and prison sentences that they may
face. Once again, we see a perfect example of small political shots cloaked in
the armor of religion.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 13, '10)
[Re Good days
ahead for Hezbollah, Apr 12] The orgiastic enthusiasm displayed by Sami
Moubayed in his latest piece makes the "72 virgins" orgy look like a sweet
water snake next to an anaconda. This fantasy of an enlightened Arab world only
exists in the minds of third worldists that would love to see the West descend
to the sub-standards of living of Sudan. The orgasmic glow of this journalist
when speaking of terrorist organization Hezbollah is unheard of anywhere in the
world. While left-wing hypocrite weasels are eager to use the phrase
"controversial Dutch politician" in front of Geert Wilders name, they fail to
use the phrase "Islamic terrorist organization" in front of Hezbollah. What a
double standard!
Ysais A Martinez
Pennsylvania, United States (Apr 13, '10)
"The US has given up on China turning towards Western-style democracy and more
enlightened capitalism," said Nakamura Junzo [letter April 7]. Actually, the US
gave up on democracy and enlightened capitalism a long time ago.
Lester Ness
Changchun, China (Apr 12, '10)
[Re Lifting the cloak on
North Korean secrecy, April 9] BR Myers has spent long years of labor
reading North Korean political tracts, magazines, journals, literature, and the
like. The Cleanest Race, How North Koreans See Themselves is the product
of eight years of this arduous task. He keeps harping back to a theme which
runs through his book: the similarity between the reign of Hirohito, the Showa
emperor, and the long life in power of Kim il-Sung and Kim Jong-il. In a way,
one is reminded of the shaky argument of Hannah Arendt, when she asserted a
similarity between Naziism and Stalinism, in Origins of Totalitarianism.
Her argument is shaky. And the same can be said of Myers', since he sees the
ghost of a Japanese emperor as a model for the North Korean state. The
reasoning is reductive and does take away from his years of reading North
Korean material.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 12, '10)
The methods that corruption uses to erode and destroy the essence of
democracies and dictatorships alike are many and varied. Each country's brand
of internal malignancy reflects its culture, its history and its zeitgeist.
Wonderland's corruption is not like, say, Zimbabwe's or Cambodia's, though the
end product, the enrichment of a privileged class of oligarchs, bureaucrats,
politicians and corporate bigwigs is the same. Wonderlanders have perfected a
system of corruption that is so insidious as to make its eradication almost
impossible, short of destroying the country's entire political and
socioeconomic structure simultaneously. This is the "Revolving Door," the
system whereby people in the public sector work, in theory, on behalf of the
American citizen, to protect them from the excesses of capitalism, such as
price fixing, bid rigging, defective drugs, tainted food, insider trading and
financial fraud. These people may be the congressmen voted into office with
their charge, or the many employees of the various Washington agencies tasked
to oversee this protective mandate. But these positions are typically poorly
paid by comparison to the industries they supposedly regulate or oversee, so
the temptation to seek superior remuneration in these industries is great and
usually, given time, victorious. So the revolving door sees a public sector
regulator come in, full of idealism and good intentions, and a private
regulatee walk out, flush with bonuses, a hefty salary and inside knowledge of
what it takes to slip 'n slide past the government "protectors". This in and of
itself may be of dubious benefit to society, but human nature being what it is,
the tendency is for the regulators to seek these public jobs just so they can
pad their resume with prospects of future and better employment. A natural
corollary to this is the recognition that excessive zeal against companies that
some day may show interest in your skills and experience will backfire and keep
you out of that plush office, padded expense account and vacation in
Martinique. So this naturally acts to inhibit, deter and cast a blind eye when
such diligence could harm the prospective employer. ...
Hardy Campbell
Houston TX (Apr 12, '10)
[Re Japan and Korea thumb a
poisoned ledger, Apr 8] Peter Brown's article scants the growing witch
hunt in South Korea, re-examination of Japan's colonial rule of "Chosun" as it
pertains to the collaboration, willing or unwilling, of Koreans themselves. Roh
Moo-hyun, the late president, had a hand in this. He saw political gain in this
volatile matter against his conservative opponents. The present Lee government
has not shied away from using the issue to score political points. US scholars
are hardly well equipped to keep a balance in the recording of Korean and
Japanese history, owing to the questionable role their country has played in
these two countries. Striking an "objective" note in the writing of history is
always a thankless task.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 9, '10)
[Re China changes
its economic paradigm, Apr 7] It seems ever since Gordon Chang
prophesied nearly a decade ago China's imminent collapse, he's been wishing for
that outcome to justify his prediction and to help rack up sales of his book.
(Chang, by the way, proclaimed in 2001 that by 2011 the Chinese Communist Party
would be replaced by a more "enlightened" leadership. I hope he's not holding
his breath waiting for that to happen.) His latest offering, "China changes its
economic paradigm", represents yet another example of fanciful and misguided
thinking. Reading this article, one can't help keep asking, on what basis did
Chang arrive at his verdict that China's economic paradigm is not a "good one"?
Would Chang approve of China's policies if powerful foreign multinationals were
freely allowed to dominate the country's business landscape using rules set up
by the West? Any government in the world would want protection for homegrown
enterprises so that indigenous companies have a chance to be completive at
least domestically. This is not a matter of what constitutes fair play (because
there isn't any, as partly evidenced by Google seeking US help in an attempt to
strong-arm the Chinese government, a tactic that has worked time and again in
the past against lesser countries), but simply common-sensical behavior.
Moreover, having witnessed the corporate shenanigans that blighted the US
economy, China's leaders are undoubtedly leery of big businesses, especially
but not exclusively Western ones, becoming too powerful at the expense of
social stability and the welfare of the masses. Veering away from the
Anglo-American economic/business model and instituting a greater level of state
regulation may not be good for Google's already bloated purse, but they sure
seem pretty darned responsible practices on the part of the Chinese government.
John Chen
United States (Apr 8, '10)
[Re China changes
its economic paradigm, Apr 7] Gordon Chang's stance on any issue
regarding China is demonstrated clearly in this article. He mentioned that
Carlyle wanted to buy 85% of Xugong's asset and was disallowed by Chinese
government. No company will ever let an outside investor buy more than 49% of
its assets. The company would lose its managerial control. Why does Chang not
ask the US government why it stopped a Chinese company buying a tiny portion of
Conoco oil for security concerns? Why did the US initiate the policy of "Buy
American"? I hope to see Chang express his views in a more balanced way in the
future.
Wendy Cai
United States (Apr 8, '10)
[Re Google wins
and loses with exit, Apr 7] The bigger losers in Google's exit from
China are the Chinese people. The US Internet giant had a strong share of the
China market. It also had a superior product which Baidu.com couldn't match.
But Baidu had the advantage of government favor and patronage. Google stock
suffered a small hiccup of a drop considering its high value on the bourse. A
5% loss won day is easily recouped. That's the nature of the stock market.
Baidu might rule the roost, but its bow to the rigors of government censorship
means an inferior search engine for mainland users.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 8, '10)
[Re Collateral
Pentagon, Apr 6] I was not surprised by this video, to me this is only
the tip of the iceberg. I guess that for every undiscovered US atrocity goes
(at least) hundreds unrevealed. This happens for different reasons, like army
superiors unwilling to acknowledge these crimes, or "sense of false comradery"
that make soldiers to cover up each other according to the "donดt throw
stones to the glass house" principle. Anyway, what is disappointing is that the
same soldiers that claim to go to save, free etc, these people, these are the
same soldiers that massacre, rape and jail them.
Manuel de la Torre (Apr 8, '10)
[Re Collateral
Pentagon, Apr 6] What this video highlights is that several recent US
administrations from the president on down have an outstanding characteristic -
they lie so much that you can't believe anything they say unless you can verify
it from an independent source. This habit has brought us well on the way to
being a failed nation. The low level of trust in government as shown by public
polls is an indication of this.
Ron Mepwith
United States (Apr 8, '10)
[Re China sees US as hedge
for Taiwan, Tibet, Apr 6] In regards to Nakamura Junzo's letter [Apr 7]
where he makes the rather comedic quip that "Nonetheless, the US will not
abandon treaty obligations to Taiwan, nor sacrifice the Dalai Lama and Tibet on
the altar of expediency"; apparently Junzo is having trouble with something we
like to call reality.
Successive US administrations have consistently upheld the one China Principle
(from Bill Clinton to George W Bush to Barack Obama), have sacrificed key
concessional visits by the Dalai Lama (such as the aborted visit last year when
President Obama needed to expedite a Chinese funded Stimulus) and most
saliently, when the Bush administration pressured former Taiwanese (ROC)
president Chen Shui Bian into piping down on the independence rhetoric.
Hank
Australia (Apr 8, '10)
[Re China sees US as hedge
for Taiwan, Tibet, Apr 6] The United States has not stepped away from a
"One China Policy". But a new thinking has taken hold in the White House. The
US has given up on China turning towards Western-style democracy and more
enlightened capitalism. China, as recent events show, won't. So the US and
China will get along on issues of common interest. And each will go its own way
when there is no match of views. Nonetheless, the US will not abandon treaty
obligations to Taiwan, nor sacrifice the Dalai Lama and Tibet on the altar of
expediency.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 7, '10)
The trend of Asian brains getting their education in the US and repatriating
their knowledge and skills back to their home countries will not decelerate or
reverse, despite the illusion of Wonderland "recovery". These smarties can read
the tea leaves, and those say quite unequivocally, "The Past is West. The
Future is East. " And the likelihood of home-grown Anglo-Saxons taking up the
slack are slim at best. Indeed, those native Wonderlanders who do get their
degrees in high tech are unlikely to stick around either (they do, after all,
take the same Tea Leaves 101 course). The silent and underreported trend is
that of well-educated US citizens seeking better employment opportunities,
better education, less racism, more liberal politics and easier lifestyles
abroad. So the list of things that demonstrate the inexorable decay of
Wonderland needs to include more than just industrial flight, infrastructure
disintegration and political gridlock. While the TeaBagger racists rail against
poor, uneducated immigrants flooding our shores, the emigration of those
educated and entrepreneurial citizens that this nation depends on for the
future are making their prognostication on America's future heard by the sound
of their stampeding feet. But all is not lost, Wonderlanders. Just adopt the
philosophy that the US is an underdeveloped Third World nation, desperate for
foreign investment, ready to work for cheap wages, and the future will
brighten.
Hardy Campbell
Houston, United States (Apr 7, '10)
[ Collateral Pentagon,
Apr 6] There are some aspects of this article that need some clarification.
First of all, the United States military is the most ethical military in the
entire world. In American soil, terrorists get constitutional rights rather
than being publicly executed, our marines are prosecuted for having the guts to
kill the enemy, and the American military has to submit to the most ridiculous
rules of engagement ever. I believe that America bashing is not good journalism
anymore. Why don't we talk a little bit about the Chinese military or the
Russian military? Chechnya anyone? Xinjiang anyone? It is an embarrassment to
perceive censorship of the crimes of Third World gutters while twisting reality
against such a source of goodness like the United States Army. Second and
finally, America bashers cannot debate about anything. You pose a sticky
question such as the Arab and left-wing hypocrisy towards the Palestinians, the
crimes against the Chechens, the Uyghurs, or the Tibetans, and instead of
debating you, they censor you if they can. Such censorship is the greatest
shame of today's journalism. If you are so for the truth, why "rape" the truth
and establish such commitment with lies?
Ysais A Martinez
Pennsylvania, United States (Apr 7, '10)
[Re North Korea nuclear
talks 'a lot of hoopla', Apr 1] Defector Hwang Jang-yop's anger and
impatience are understandable. "Ideological warfare" against North Korea has
not worked, let's face it. China isn't going to abandon its ally and neighbor
for many reasons, the least not being a collapse of North Korea would
destabilize northeast Asia. Nor is it in the interest of South Korea. On the
eve of the 60th anniversary of the Korean war, it is more than about time to
come up with a plan to deal with all outstanding differences with Pyongyang,
including a peace treaty and the nuclear issue. Without that, Hwang's rage will
remain unassuaged.
Mel Cooper
Singapore (Apr 6, '10)
[Re The alienation of
Hamid Karzai, Apr 1] With his brilliant analysis of the situation, M K
Bhadrakumar clears a lot of fog standing around the whole Af-Pak mess. It is
unbelievable that with nine years of military and political game plans, the
situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is coming back to square one. Today
Pakistan's military apparatus has once again a clear and unambiguous upper-hand
there. Worse, America seems to be convinced that Pakistan military can be
sub-contracted to take care of the matters both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
What else is new? Frankly, President [Barack] Obama doesn’t need the likes of
[US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan] Richard Holbrooke who acts
like a viceroy and has done a lot of damage to America’s interests in the
region. Even Secretary [of State] Hillary Clinton cannot seem to think
different from the old ways of dealing Pakistan and Afghanistan. But if old
ways were not that good, we wouldn’t be in this grand mess today. Obama needs
to take a real fresh look at the situation or else thousands of lives lost in
Afghanistan and tens of billions of dollars spent there would have gone in
vain.
Haridas Ramakrishnan
Monterey
United States (Apr 6, '10)
Taiwan plans to rule the
waves , Mar 31] Even experts are bound by their professional realm of
fortes. A mainland attack on Taiwan is quite fanciful at this moment or in the
near future. The Chinese mainland will eventually first give Taiwan a chance to
negotiate for a Hong Kong deal before any possible direct attack. The Chinese
mainland will not overestimate Taiwan's resolve for the alleged
"self-determination" or underestimate Taiwan's willingness to accept a niche as
another Hong Kong instead of war. Taiwan's geography as an island so close to
the mainland is pivotal as it allows the mainland to exert tremendously
pressure on the island's economy without the use of force, or very little
force, with enormous standby.
The authors cite, "The Taiwan Navy advertises its chief missions as breaking
blockades and providing for SLOC security. Winning control of the seas and
skies adjoining the island is a prerequisite for both of these missions." The
allusion to blockades broaches Taiwan's geographical vulnerability to
attrition, but still evades the forthright conclusion. The purpose of blockade,
in reality or in threat, of various and increasingly obvious forms, is to cast
an unfavorable economic climate on Taiwan, not for the sake of blockade of the
material for one moment in time. The mere motion of blockade when applied for
long enough, with the background of ever increasing superiority, would erode
business confidence in the island. The mainland has time for the next few
decades for such pressure to occur almost naturally. The USA will not be able
or willing to prevent such pressure.
The authors continue, "Unless the ROCN is equipped to contend for temporary
dominance of vital sea and air expanses, it will be unable to take to the seas
to fend off a Chinese invasion force or protect shipping bound to or from
Taiwanese seaports." Forget about any Chinese invasion; the mainland will
eventually just harass oil vessels leaving Taiwan, when they are "beyond the
range of land-based air cover". No damage needs to be actually done for quite
some time. Business confidence in Taiwan will be eroded more and more. Taiwan
will never overcome the psychological burden of having to initiate any major
military offensive, to start a war, and will have to negotiate for a niche as a
part of China. The fanciful talk of repulsing a mainland attack will give way
to assessing the acceptability of being another Hong Kong, likely with the
right to have some acceded level of arms.
The Taiwan Strait exposes Taiwan's vulnerability to attrition from afar, but at
the same time the Taiwan Strait shields the island from micro-management after
a Hong Kong deal has been reached. Taiwan's geography induces autonomy as a
niche within China, without independence, for decades to come.
Jeff Church
United States (Apr 6, '10)
April 4 was the 31st anniversary of the death of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The
electronic media gave it quite elaborate and extensive coverage. Every Jiala
appearing on the mini screen rightfully praised the charismatic leader and
vowed to take his mission forward. Such avowed dedication looked, at least to
me, quite amusing, superficial and perfunctory in the wake of the treatment
being meted out to the masses by them. Kindly allow me to ask them (and the
politicians of other political parties as well) a simple question. Can anyone
of them swear by his/her mother that he/she spent the millions to contest the
elections just for serving the masses, the masses and nothing else but the
masses only?
Col Riaz Jafri (Retd)
Rawalpindi
Pakistan (Apr 6, '10)
[Re Obama imposing
a Palestinian state, March 31] The idea of "declaring a Palestinian
state" unilaterally has been floating around Europe for a while. United States
President Barack Obama may be tempted to join the United Kingdom, Russia, and
France, to put some muscle in the idea. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu has only himself to blame.
Nakamura Junzo
Guam (Apr 1, '10)
Political scientists make the assertion that usually the best foreign policies
are made not according to popular opinion but by the elite who have special
knowledge and intense interests.
West provokes China's 'hardened' stance [April 1] supports such an
assertion. It is difficult for ordinary people in the change-oriented countries
in the West to understand China. This is particularly true for people in the
United States, which was founded on successful usurpation of a vast foreign
land, where white immigrants form a rootless melting pot are in political
power. Most Americans have little patience in steeping themselves in history
and in considering how it motivates people in the more traditional parts of the
world. The American psychological profile has too slight a history to embrace
the future, since history exerts a moral charge that Americans want to abandon;
instead, Americans entertain their long-standing (white male) political
advancement and recent social progress, which is objectively quite substantial
and remarkable. On the other hand, the Chinese still cannot abandon all sense
of victimhood originating from Western racism, as China as a whole is still a
developing country. Most Chinese still do not enjoy the fruit of progress
enough to exorcize their sense of victimhood, oblivious to Western social
progress in ameliorating the same racism that once plagued China. It is hard
for many Chinese to understand that for 30 years they have been benefiting from
a new world order stemming from Western social progress, championed by the
World War II victors in the West. The assertion by political scientists is
correct and China will continue to have a more successful foreign policy toward
the West when popular influence is minimized - constructive authoritarianism?
The Chinese elite know that the Dalai Lama issue is a dead horse; the old man
will die soon. The Taiwan issue is more enigmatic, but if one focuses on
geography, the island's vulnerability to attrition, it too will pass with the
creation of another Hong Kong. Why is there outrage on sales of some arms that
Taiwan desperately want to never use, more precisely to be denied the chance to
use while it eventually accepts a Hong Kong deal in due course? Trade, the
environment, dealings with other developing countries in securing resources,
and nuclear non-proliferation are the real lasting issues to work out with the
West. Focus, balance, and compromises are necessary.
Jeff Church
USA (Apr 1, '10)
March Letters
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