Friday, September 21

the empire strikes out

Last week, it took the Ph.D. of the ghastly Condy to warn the world that stabilising Iraq will be a lengthy process. And she's one of the smart ones! If it wasn't so tragic it would be funny.

The Aussie writer Larry Buttrose reckons
US forces are beaten ... by an enemy without fear or moral scruples, and by their own foolish commander-in-chief who dispatched them to a war that lacked any clear goal and was always unwinnable. They have been betrayed by a mixture of gullibility, bravado, greed and simple bloody-mindedness. They are spiritually defeated, beaten by men who possess little more than spirit. ... The cost of keeping them there is astronomical, but the final cost item ... is that while America has been making war, its real opponent, China, has been making money.

In Iraq, we may well be witnessing the eclipse of the US as the world's leading power. Lose, draw, stalemate in Iraq - especially lose, the most likely outcome - the US will never be the same. Once beaten, its spirit will not recover, and it will go the way of Egypt, Athens, Rome, the Ottomans and Britons.

Even before losing this war, America was said to be experiencing imperial overstretch: the total of the United States's global interests and obligations is nowadays far too large for the country to be able to defend them all simultaneously.

Could any blogvisitors who have studied American economic history comment?

Buttrose adds that the U.S.
... is being surpassed by peaceful, resourceful China, clever China, ruthless China, China one in nationhood and in spirit, a nation of history, of antiquity, which daily grows stronger and ... stands at the brink of economic triumph over the First World's first nation, the US.

The years 2001-08, September 11 to the Beijing Olympics, have been critical for the US, and may well mark its turning point towards eclipse. They are also the years of the Bush Jr presidency, when George W. made America history.
If you want more evidence, look at Mattel, the world’s largest toy maker, which recalled (allegedly) dangerous lead-painted Chinese-made toys, but today decided to apologize formally to China.

For an opposing view, see e.g. "China's growth is hollow".

Meanwhile, in other news, most world airlines are falling over themselves to equip their planes so that passengers can use their own mobile phones in flight. The world's most popular phone banality - "I'm on the bus" - may be replaced by "I'm on the plane".

The only rational news item is that Led Zep are reforming for one concert in November.

5 comments:

  1. Albert? One of the candidates for the Presidency in my re-write of The Real McCoy secretly wants to kill all the Chinese with biological weapons due to global warming and there being too many people in the world (God is telling him to). Anyway, the northern blue eyed ice warriors have always been the best at organising violence and if push comes to shove, the Chinese will be toast! Also, the USA owned 50% of the wealth of the world after the Second World War and with globalisation their corporations will probably end up owning more than that. Nations and countries should matter less and less. And the USA has a very flexible constitution and has never seen a revolution. The business of America is business, as Coolidge (I think) said. The USA doesn't have to invade and control land. That's not the way imperialism works anymore. When the Chinese get properly capitalistic, and their markets open to takeovers, the yanks will just buy them up. Don't write off Uncle Sam! The Chinese might implode just like the USSR. I don't know what a marxist would make of the notion of communist capitalists! Hotboy

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  2. Oh I would love to see Led Zep. Bruce Springsteen is making a tour also.

    Hope all is well with you. Have a great weekend Rob.

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  3. I wouldn't mess with China- so... inscrutible. They'll kick western ass just by flinging a bit of ch'i about.

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  4. I know, it seems like I just had a birthday. Do I get them quicker than everyone else???? It feels like it lately!
    Thank you for the birthday wish Rob, I hope you have a terrific week. I have really enjoyed hearing from you. I have missed you.

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  5. Albert? I saw Led Zep playing the Usher Hall in 1969/70. Riff band! Hotboy p.s. loved it though!

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