| mai said:
I understand that "rising China" is new world's bugaboo in the mass-hysteria-media among others, but please leave it at that, any military confilct between China and the US will be decided in the South (or East) China Sea no further. Their "hands" are too short for anything else for the time being. Hawaii? Alaska? Who the f**k needs them :D Stupidest thing to make NOW for the US is sit on the fence (literally and metaphorically). |
The key word is "rising", while China may currently be quite limited in what it's capable of, that may not be the case 10, 20 years down the line (and by "may not", I mean "almost certainly not"). Although the USA is currently by-far the world's most advanced military, it will not be able to keep this up if it goes bankrupt. One of the easiest and most repeated ways that "empires" have gone bankrupt in the past, is by over-extending their military presence. I fear this is the path the US are taking.
And, btw, I'm not some war-mongerer that fears that China will launch an attack against the USA the second it gets a chance to, I know the world isn't that black and white, I know that they are too economically tied to eachother, and that the world may be a very different place when China does grow to a reasonable counter-strength. I just believe that the primary role of the US Government is to defend its borders, which means keeping a step up on any potential threats, in that regard, I believe the USA is doing the right thing. I also believe that this is the primary role of any Government, and all countries should be trying to get a "step up" on potential threats, while doing everything possible (such as, enhanced trade) to reduce those threats.
The fact of the matter is, the USA has an extremely weak southern border, and the Government needs to fix that. It should get its own affairs in order before messing with other people's. Hawaii and Alaska (aswell as the other non-state territories in the Pacific and North America) are part of the USA, and its borders need protection, whether or not you joke about it.
A Ron Paul presidency won't just be "sitting on the fence". Although Paul talks about bringing home all the troops, he has still maintained that he will keep the US the dominant force, which means some bases will still exist, for strategic entry. He will also keep the US Navy in the seas. US force will still be over the planet, it will just be focused more on the carrot, than on the stick. Under Paul, the USA will be able to repel any attack just as it can today, it's just that his policy is more focused on reducing the amount of attacks tomorrow.
