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2004-09-18 Home Front: Politix
Why Americans hate foreign policy
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Posted by tipper 2004-09-18 10:18|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 
China is supposed to be mighty, but the Chinese leadership quakes when a couple of hundred Falun Gong members do tai chi for Jesus.
ROFLMAO!
When other countries demand a role in the exercise of global power, America can ask another fundamental American question: "You and what army?"
Ain't it the goddamn truth!

Thanks, tipper! :-p
Posted by Barbara Skolaut  2004-09-18 11:11:02 AM||   2004-09-18 11:11:02 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 If China was truly a great power they wouldn't have a fit when Taiwan's president visits th eUS. They are weak, internally and mentally
Posted by Frank G  2004-09-18 11:26:34 AM||   2004-09-18 11:26:34 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 I'm wondering what effect China's birth control policies is going to have on their military. Human wave attacks and death in battle is a lot more feasible when every family has lots of spare sons to donate. When virtually all sons are sole surviving sons, tactics that sacrifice large numbers of them look pretty different. When Junior goes down, the whole family goes down.

No doubt there are smart fellows at Leavenworth and Carlisle looking at this, even as we speak...
Posted by Fred  2004-09-18 11:49:36 AM||   2004-09-18 11:49:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Peej is back! In recent months his stuff has been pretty weak, especially that "interview" (more like softball batting practice) with Powell in the Atlantic Monthly. Maybe he has been saving all of his best gin-laced bile for the new book. Can't wait for my copy to show up.
Posted by Matt from Ill 2004-09-18 1:11:14 PM||   2004-09-18 1:11:14 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Americans find foreign policy confusing. ... America's great game is pulling the levers on the slot machines in Las Vegas. We can't figure out what the goal of American foreign policy is supposed to be.

Which is why so many in the outside world, in the absence of evidence to a contrary, decide to imagine what America's intent is. Hence projection from the likes of France, Iran's mullah's, South American leftists etc. They fill the vacuum with whatever the guess fits the void. Usually, I suppose, it's what they think they'd do in the same situation.
Posted by Bulldog  2004-09-18 1:27:19 PM||   2004-09-18 1:27:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 It's been available in the US for some time (though I suppose Borders keeps "losing" its copies...). I have it and it is far superior to "CEO of the Couch" or "Age and Guile..." It probably beats "Eat the Rich" "All the troubles..."

Yes, I have every one of his books.
Posted by jackal  2004-09-18 2:14:07 PM|| [http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html]  2004-09-18 2:14:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Bulldog - America's intent - foreign-policy-wise - is leave us the hell alone.

It just doesn't seem to work out in today's world, though.

Didn't work out too well in yesterday's world, either.

Maybe we need something along the lines of "Since most of the world wants to come to America, let's help them make the rest of the world more like America so they can stay the hell home." Of course, people would whine about that, too.

Seriously, I think most Western countries would prefer if the rest of the world had more liberty and less government corruption and thuggery. It's just that no one seems to know how to bring it about. Though plenty of Westerners seem to know how to prevent it.
Posted by Barbara Skolaut  2004-09-18 2:23:04 PM||   2004-09-18 2:23:04 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Russia used to be a superpower but resigned "to spend more time with the family."

Time for them to take away the kids' Chechens' car keys.

When virtually all sons are sole surviving sons, tactics that sacrifice large numbers of them look pretty different.

Fred, you'll be happy to know that major upheavals are already happening in China because of their "one family - one child" policy. Peasant girls from the rural districts, who were once the least desirable sort of wife and thereby doomed to spinsterhood, now have their pick of the city boys. I predict some big changes regarding women's rights and their status in Chinese society.

Despite whatever social stigma most Asiatic cultures attach to homosexuality, China is going to see a massive uptick in gay numbers due to this same shortage of women. It's not like foreign brides are flocking to the communist Chinese lonely hearts websites.

In light of China having the world's largest medically caused AIDS epidemic (needlessly exacerbated by subsequent coverups that permitted thousands of undiagnosed and infected individuals to migrate into large metropolitan centers) and the anticipated increase in homosexuality that is on its way, there is a predictable sociological implosion looming on their horizon.

China's potential $500 BILLION worth of bad bank debt will come home to roost like a vulture amongst the various delayed and scaled back infrastructure projects. In this Internet age, a lot more people are going to get pissed off a lot sooner when China's economic bubble bursts. The politburo needs to make a close examination of Japan's synthetic economy of the 1980's before proceeding any further at their breakneck pace. Their monumental hubris will likely prevent this and that's just too f%&king bad.
Posted by Zenster 2004-09-18 2:30:07 PM||   2004-09-18 2:30:07 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 I love reading P.J's stuff, but when it comes to his books I wish he's go back to one article per chapter (like in Holidays in Hell, and Give War a Chance) instead of creating a bastardized blend of somewhat related articles glued together to get longer chapters (like in All the Trouble In the World, and Eat the Rich).

I also wish he'd write more.

Just my $.02.
Posted by RJSchwarz 2004-09-18 7:22:39 PM|| [http://politicaljunky.blogspot.com]  2004-09-18 7:22:39 PM|| Front Page Top

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