China and America: Mutually Assured Bankruptcy.
Last week, in the midst of the debate over whether to purchase more F-22 fighter jets, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) absurdly suggested that we needed to purchase the maligned plane to defend against our ally, India. You read that correctly. Quickly clarified by his staff, Senator Cornyn clarified that he meant China, not India.
Wow. Even Cornyn’s clarification is a head-scratcher, both for its style and substance.
First, the Texan Senator shown stunningly poor timing. He fingered China as America’s greatest national threat just asits Vice Premier Wang Qishan arrived in Washington this week to discuss the relationship that President Obama has said will shape the 21st century in a new era of “sustained cooperation, not confrontation.”
This cooperation that makes large-scale military confrontation almost unfathomable. Love it or hate it, with $1.5 trillion in US securities currently owned by Beijing, the United States and China are sharing the world’s economic driver’s seat for the foreseeable future. Because of our ever-increasing co-dependence, the financial tidal wave that would follow any military confrontation is almost unthinkable–if China stops buying American Treasury bills, the US would effectively go bankrupt. And then a bankrupt America can’t buy Chinese goods.
Or to put it another way, the bankers will stop a war before the generals start one.
Second, Cornyn grossly misunderstands the strategic military landscape. While it is true that China’s military poses the greatest challenge to American firepower, it’s important to put China’s capabilities in context: think Washington Generals vs. the Harlem Globetrotters. A Sino-American war twenty years would look like that game too — China’s military spending and technological advancement - while formidable and increasing - won’t catch up to the US for about two decades even if DC didn’t spend another dime on military hardware.
The Chinese of course know this, which is why they’ve shifted away from a militiary-on-military paradigm, as detailed nicely in Andrew Krepinevich’s recent Foreign Affairs article. China’s military strategy is focused on “area denial”, which acknowledges the shortcomings in its firepower and seeks instead to limit American access to strategic locations, thereby driving up the cost of any American offensive.
Any way you slice it, Cornyn’s strange justification for the F-22 just doesn’t pass muster.
It’s 2009, and today’s enemies don’t have the nice, neat answers that conservatives would like. When they wake up to today’s reality, it will be a good morning for American security.
Posted in China, DoD, PPI, US foreign policy, conservatives, integrated security, military, procurement, spending
November 21st, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Obama and America’s banker Hu-Jintao
November 17, 2009 by politicalsnapshots.wordpress.com
Obama and America’s banker Hu-Jintao
“As with any nation, America will approach China with a focus on our interests. And it is precisely for this reason that it is important to pursue pragmatic cooperation with China on issues of mutual concern — because no one nation can meet the challenges of the 21st century alone, and the United States and China will both be better off when we are able to meet them together. “
But, all nations are not of equal importance to the national interests of the U.S. Some are more equal than others. The United States of America needs China more than ever as China is the engine that is driving the stimulus package in the U.S. China is the largest holder of U.S. Treasuries to the tune of $800 billion dollars.
Times have changed. Even though, the U.S. is still the top dog, more than ever it needs the support and council of other nations (as in Iraq, Afghanistan, N. Korea, Iran, Somalia, etc). When it comes to the economy of the U.S. most of all, America needs China. America’s version of Capitalism, (anarcho-capitalism: an economic system that destroys government regulation of the economy, and creates anarchy within the global economic system) is a disaster.
Anarcho-Capitalism created an atmosphere where a criminal and an immoral greed were allowed to grow and create havoc within the U.S. economy. The U.S. economy was on the verge of collapse. The U.S. government was forced in to infusing billions of dollars in to the economy to save the day. For this, the support of China to jump start the economy of the U.S. was exceptionally critical.
President Obama comprehends China’s decisive role in saving America’s economy. His ambitious commitment to strengthening the U.S. economy has no choice but to cooperate with China. The Chinese on their part need a strong U.S. economy, as it is their lucrative market.
Finally, what is humorous in all this, is the fact that the Chinese are lecturing to America, to save more, to reduce its deficits, and not to continuously print the dollar.
Professor Mekonen Haddis.
December 11th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Obama seeks to destroy of economic stability and impose a progressive nanny state socialist order of third world standard. It is his radial progressive socialist dream. He is seizing the moment of financial panic to install these policies and controls which will further turn us into a society of weak, spineless, oppressed, hopeless, social robots based on the socialist engineer Czar’s design.
China currently has a stake in our prosperity and future economic stability. They are warning Obama to tread carefully and to be financialyl responsible and accountable. Obama’s accelerated political TARP driven plunge towards socialism is undermining our nation’s financial stability. Economic collapse is being driven by poor financial management based on nanny state social programs that consume our national wealth and increase our debt…health care, ACORN, HUD, social security, Medicare, run away special interest spending on both the left and right and insecurity based on rising taxes and/or interest rates. I have no resentment of federal social programs as long as they are financially accountable and balanced. A temporary federal safety net to help those who fall on hard times. No system is perfect and corruption and natures 80/20 law is always at work. The cycles of capitalism are manageable if one practices good economic values both as individuals and nations…save for a rainy day, keep debt manageable and only spend what you are worth. Its not capitalism that is to blame it’s our politicians, lobbyists, larger government and runaway deficit spending in support of votes for entitlement programs that threaten our future. Our politicians need a wake-up call. Vote those who do not practice sound common sense economic polices out regardless of political agenda’s. Regulation is not the answer we need accountability and less entitlement intrusion into our economic system. Capitalism can self regulate when based on sound economic management and accounting guidelines. Less regulation and more accountability. Socialism is not the answer it is the government of the weak and oppressed who lack enough individuality and courage to stand on there own. Freedom and individuality is not free you must fight and bleed to maintain it. If our society lacks these traits and strengths then it fails and individuality and prosperity will fail with it. I ask only to live and die free as an individual I will accept my own failures and strive to rise above them. I will oppose socialism and individual rights oppression to my dying breath. You may kill me but you will never enslave or kill my free spirit. Wake up our politicians are scamming us to support there own quest for greed, power, control and radical warped social order oppression …vote them out deny them!!!!