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China-Japan-Koreas
Countering China's military might
2011-09-20
Posted by:ryuge

#6  The problem for the Chinese as it was/is for the Russians is a solid NCO corps. It's also a problem for the US if it decides to downsize and politicize its military. Good NCOs won't stay to play.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2011-09-20 21:07  

#5  Steve: Reagan didn't think the Soviet military machine was weak; he actively worked on plans to counteract where it was strong.

I suspect the Chinese are working on similar plans regarding ours. Keep in mind we've spent ten years of modernization funds on keeping troops supplied in Afghanistan and Iraq via hostile people charging us $ 200 per delivered gallon of gas.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2011-09-20 11:41  

#4  The Chinese have given you lots of goods in exchange for a lot of promises you can photo-copy away.

Who's been the rubes?

Exports are the price of imports. The Chinese have been thick.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2011-09-20 10:21  

#3  The Chinese are not giants but they are putting a lot of [our] money into their military. However, 4-5+ more years of a rudderless ship here and they might loom larger. That said, we owe them a lot of money and they don't mind the more than favorable trade with the U.S. I doubt it would be in their best interests to have a kerfuffle with the U.S.
Posted by: JohnQC   2011-09-20 10:13  

#2   China isn't that mighty.

Please read that again.

We went through this in the Cold War. The Soviets were alternately giants and midgets. Our intelligence people consistently misunderstood (and misrepresented) the Soviet threat. Then that blundering Reagan (blessings upon him) came along, disregarded all the experts, and knock down the Soviets in a decade.

I would not want us to underestimate the Chinese. But we shouldn't overestimate them either. They have their problems. If they decide to be our problem and challenger, then we should use their problems against them the same way we used the Soviets' moral rot against them.

The Chinese are not giants.
Posted by: Steve White   2011-09-20 09:59  

#1  I don't think that is going to happen until there is new leadership at the helm.
Posted by: JohnQC   2011-09-20 08:31  

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