[quote=4plexowner]”an increasingly brutal war for resources”
I believe it is necessary to have a big picture view of the world and what is going on in it
this ‘war for resources’ is part of that big picture IMO
while the US has been wasting their resources in pointless wars, China has been going around the world buying up the resources they will need in the future
Australia, Canada, Africa – China has secured streams of resources from these countries and more while the US has piddled their resources in the desert (and continues to do so)
China plans for the next 100 years while the US plans for the next quarter and the next election …[/quote]
4Plex: I’m reminded of the late 1980s, when Japan, Inc. was credited with the same foresight as China is now enjoying. In spite of the tale being spun about Japanese technological superiority and how MITI’s centralized planning was providing Japanese industry with a drive and focus that US industry lacked… well, we know how that turned out.
I don’t debate that China is having one helluva coming out party. However, China is also riddled with huge structural defects and the pretty coat of paint the Chinese leadership has troweled over the exterior is starting to flake.
They have been ginning up their economic numbers for quite a while now, and there is significant social and cultural dislocation taking place, whether we’re discussing internal security issues with Muslims, Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, or the problems emerging as unemployment soars.
Their costs of labor are increasing rapidly and its proving ever more difficult to find qualified mid- and upper-management personnel, along with attorneys and financial professionals.
I don’t discount the Chinese, however, I also don’t buy into the story of them as some unstoppable juggernaut. There are some very large obstacles for them to overcome and I remain unconvinced that we’re now seeing “Pax Cathay” replacing “Pax Americana”. As Cricket points out, the Chinese are finding it difficult to assert themselves in other parts of the world, in spite of the massive sums they’re spending and they lack the singular, American ability to project power.
Attenuated as we may be after eight years of war, we still represent TR’s “Big Stick” and the dominant military force for at least the next generation. Let’s see China put a carrier battle group in someone’s back yard to make a point and then I’ll be impressed.
