Michael Klare, a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, a TomDispatch regular, and author most recently of Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet, talks about the US military's expanding presence in the Pacific, and how it may lead to a new cold war in Asia.
Download mp3 at www.archive.org
6 comments:
Prof. Klare's observations on US naval dominance raise the question:
The US asserts freedom of the seas in international waters. This would naively mean that all shipping of goods would not be hindered by the US. The only disputed waters are those of the South China Sea in which the coastal countries have conflicting claims. The US could take sides in these claims, but short of a blockade, I don't see how US naval power could interfere with peaceful Chinese commercial shipping without violating the freedom of the seas that the US proclaims. Could Mr Klare please explain?
What of the ongoing covert war by the CIA in Iran? Iran still has among the largest reserves of oil in the world. China's very much involved in Iran.
What about the likelihood of popular democratic uprising in China?
How can the American public throw off the centralized power of the Pentagon, CIA, State Dept?
And even if somehow the US were successful in some kind of naval blockade or greater control of sea traffic, China's surpassed the US in the yearly output of PhDs http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110420/pdf/472276a.pdf
There number of wealthy people in China will only increase. Already, the rich are demonstrating conspicuous consumerism: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20111201000003&cid=1102
I find "consumerism" to be a misleading term and a poor term for disapprobation. After all, we live to enjoy life, and if better products make life easier, less drudgery, more engaging and entertaining, fine!
The problem is certainly not consumption of goods and services we enjoy. It is the abandonment of citizenship by the public in favor of escapist pursuits and interests. That is the bad!
Descriptors of that are civic irresponsibility, miseducation, selfishness, .... Another "ism" must be found to replace "consumerism". It misleads.
I just finished a very good book: Red Alert: How China's Growing Prosperity Threatns the American Way of Life. It is about their rush to control the future supply of valuable and ever more scarce raw materials.
Until universally accepted rules for access to the increasingly scarce materials, resources, water, arable lands are adopted, we shall have wars.
With growing populations, we did not need AGW to make matters worse; but we have it. The powerful nations, especially the US, do not seem disposed to find acceptable rules.
I am 79yo. I may escape seeing how terribly human irrationality plays itself out, if I am lucky!
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