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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
ANTAGONIZING CHINA OVER NMD
(New 6/20/01.)
lobal peace and prosperity depends to a remarkable degree on robust exchanges between the world's richest nation and the world's most populous. Considering that fact, the leaders in Washinton D.C. and Beijing have been either tragically star-crossed or remarkably cavalier about provoking confrontation.
In 1996 Beijing fired a pair of ballistic missiles across the Taiwan Strait under the pretext of "military exercises", prompting the U.S. to send a carrier battle group in response. In 1999 the U.S. bombed the Chinese embassy in Kosovo and ascribed it to an intelligence error.
In mid 2000 the two nations seemed about to put the bad blood behind them when President Clinton struck a deal for U.S. approval of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Then George Bush vowed to commit untold billions to building a space-based national missile defense (NMD) system to detect and destroy ballistic missiles that might threaten the U.S. A clear effort at upsetting the global balance of power, charged Beijing, vowing to commit whatever resources necessary to counter NMD. Its predictably harsh and intransigent stance toward a crippled U.S. spy plane forced to land on Hainan Island produced another standoff which, for several tense days, seemed capable of triggering a shooting war.
What American wouldn't want a shield from foreign ballistic missiles? But the NMD is hardly a sure thing. It's premised on technology that won't exist for a decade or more. It will end up costing well over $100 billion dollars. Meanwhile its mere existence on drawing boards sours relations with China, Russia and other nations. At present all it guarantees is another arms race. The only way it makes strategic sense is as a means to bankrupt a nascent geopolitical rival by forcing it into an arms race it can't afford. Look at what the nuclear arms race did to Russia.
Does the U.S. stand to gain or lose by using the NMD to threaten and alienate China?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
JJP,
Russia signed the treaty in order to gain economic trade with the USA. China already has trade with the USA, there is no incentive for them to join NATO.
You are missing the big picture of how these big military projects fit into our economy and progress in pure R&D in the USA. Unfortunately, the big military projects also need a justifiable enemy to be presented to Congress. I'm sorry but a bunch of middle eastern terrorist would not motivate us to have these big military projects.
AC Dropout
Monday, June 03, 2002 at 06:12:08 (PDT)
I think that the Chinese government, finally, has realized that it gains nothing from taking an intransigent attitude towards the United States. Doing so only helps China's political enemies here on both the political right (people normally dismissed as crackpots unless China behaves the way it did during the spy plane incident) and on the political left (who seem to think that human rights violations only occur in China). Ideally, China's communist government will join its bretheren in the ash heap of history and China, like Japan, S. Korea, and Taiwan, will adopt democracy and be welcomed into the civilized world.
I think, as China moves in the right direction, it will become less concerned about NMD and its nuclear deterrent, and will come to see that its future security depends on complete integration into the world economic and political system. If China wants to be a great power, it has to be welcomed as such by the western world (this includes Japan). In order for that to happen, it has to change. First, it has to stop being so paranoid about the intentions of the United States. Russia was able to put aside its reservations about NMD and signed on to the alliance of great powers. There's no reason China can't do the same. But the necessary preconditions are not there yet.
JJP
Saturday, June 01, 2002 at 22:04:52 (PDT)
ka,
"The Eagle is not destined to fight a war of Manifest Destiny with the Dragon, now that the big bad Bear is dead"
Didn't you learn anything from Old HK Kung Fu flicks. The only way to way to defeat the 5 deadly vemons is to use the combined chi of Toad, Scorpion, and Snake. Centipede chi will not do.
AC Dropout
Saturday, June 01, 2002 at 10:57:56 (PDT)
I have yet to see Hindu extremists going into Pakistan and attacking Pakistani civilians. Many will say...what about the 1,000 Indian Muslims who were burned alive?...yes, maybe...but who started it? THE POINT:...Pakistan needs to STOP sending terrorists into India...and India needs to calm the hell down.
bringittogether
Friday, May 31, 2002 at 13:25:18 (PDT)
NMD is a stupid idea because it's an uproven technology, where Pentagon will undoubtedly force tax payers increase an exorbitant amount of tax dollars. Here some hawk can say, "oh geez, but one nuke can destroy New York City, suredly $40 billion(or whateever exorbitant amount) justifies the lives of over 10 million people." Yes yes yes... even half of that money can be used to create incentives to stop other nations from launching nukes at us.
The Eagle is not destined to fight a war of Manifest Destiny with the Dragon, now that the big bad Bear is dead.
Please notice how the U.S. never talked about missile defence prior to the decades where China had nuclear capability. When North Korea showed "promising" developing in both nuclear and missile technology, that's when this NMD debate has started. (nuclear/missile technolgy which China shared with North Korea.) As Condoleeza Rice states that China is already modernizing it's military and sooner or later, increase it's nuclear capability as well. NMD cannot possibly protect U.S. from an all out nuclear assault from China, even the fallout alone would be devastating. NMD is for the handful of strangling nuclear missiles North Korea or any other irrational political actors might use to threaten the U.S. Like I said, NMD is not worth the cost. Both Democrats and Republicans alike have been bending over backwards to mitigate issues of human rights in China. I wonder if Chinese Americans really want the U.S. to look the other way every time Beijing does something that is not in the best interest of the Chinese people. Power balance between U.S. and China has always been skewed, but Chinese government have been focusing on economy and working in cooperation with the U.S. against Russia since Nixon-Deng. Alienate China? Threaten China? Because the U.S. has bombed a Chinese embassy and hit a Chinese jet fighter, you guys are losing focus of the big picture. A U.S.-China nuclear confrontation is not coming. I don't see it. If China does not want the U.S. to build NMD, China should be more aggressive in it's dealings with North Korea.
On the otherhand... Indian Pakistani nuclear confrontation... It's unfair to demonize Pakistan while not pointing out to India's own problems. They are both willing users of nuclear weapons, and their governments are both lax on muslim/hindu extremists who carry out acts of vengeance. Even without nuclear attack, Indian-Pakistani conventional war would be devastating enough. What's really saddening is that the only reason why the international community cares is, because everyone is afraid of nuclear fallout and nuclear proliferation. I wonder how many people care about Pakistani Indian lives. India, the nation where Ghandi first practiced non-violent methods to achieve desired results, should lead the way to peace. India as the more developed nation than Pakistan, has the responsibility to show greater magnanimity and leadership. I'm not saying Pakistanis can continue to send assassins to India, I'm saying perhaps implementing Ghandi's Hindu wisdom might convince the Pakistanis that they are perverting the Qu'ran if they allow extremists to commit wanton murders.
ka
Thursday, May 30, 2002 at 08:16:21 (PDT)
[ We have deleted two sentences of your post as we don't want to devote time to responding to blatant mischaracterizations of our editorial policy. --Ed]
Yaqoot wrote:
"Why the constant complaining and moaning about our missles. grow up Israel and India have you ever heard Pakistan moan and groan about your missles?. Silly propaganda should stop."
Well, yes, propaganda should stop. Of that I agree.
But, what amazes me is the bluster that both Pakistan and India have on their disputed Kashmir area.... bluster than includes use of Nukes as a FIRST-CHOICE WEAPON!
In case nobody here has studied the way these types of missiles work, usage of a nuke in any fighting over Kashmir will result in death tolls unlike the world has ever seen before. How does 12 MILLION DEAD sound to you? How does RADIOACTIVE CORRUPTION of the bombed area for several miles, lasting for 100,000 years sound to you? How does RADIOACTIVE DUST, which will float to other countries, poisoning yet more land and water, sound to you?
For reference, boiling water doesn't get rid of the radioactivity.
B.E.Verins beverins@aol.com
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 at 12:07:16 (PDT)
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