Is China US' real or imaginary enemy ?

fatdragon

The USA come across as wanting to be surrounded by compliant vassal states. Anyone who can challenge their perspective is squarely lined up in their gun sites. Initially the Americans relied on ''shock and awe'' tactics such as they used in Iraq but they have learnt that occupying countries is expensive and does not resolve their objective unless the populace actually wants them there. So their more recent tactics involve creating political and financial instability in the hope that the government can be replaced by one of their own choosing or, if not, will have bankrupted the country in question thereby taking them out of the playing field.

Ted180

Yes, there are US commercial interests that benefit from the purchase of weapons that some justify by a need to contain China. And, clearly, these interests lobby against the resolution of problems between China and the US. However, the fault is not entirely on the US side. China should not be as aggressive in its South China Seas claims, and should remove all DPRK's nuclear weapons. If China were to propose a reasonable settlement of issues with the US (basically: 1. US to support Taiwan rejoining China with a Hong Kong type solution, 2. DPRK nukes and Kim family removed, 3. US forces to leave ROK, 4. All islands under dispute to be internationalized, demilitarized, and resources shared), the US would accept this and the US weapons lobby would be defeated. The fact is that China is not exerting itself enough to change US public opinion and policy.

sfphoto

Ted180 Post time: 2016-1-23 18:33
Yes, there are US commercial interests that benefit from the purchase of weapons that some justify b ...

Ted, you need to read between the headlines and see behind the smoke and mirrors show going on. The U.S.A. Empire is threatening the entire world by destabilizing regions, fomenting wars, arming rebels, selling weapons, etc., all for the benefit of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex. Ever since Reagan, every single U.S. administration has failed to downsize the U.S. Military because it is a captive of the U.S. Military-Industrial Complex. Their policy hacks in the Pentagon, CIA and the State Department need to constantly invent new enemies in order to justify their defense budget. But the U.S. government has run out of money. It's already bankrupt.

mbursian

The US Military-Industrial Complex is a large and powerful beast that's deeply ingrained and woven throughout the entire fabric of the American government.  As President Theodore Roosevelt stated... "If you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow."

Without an "enemy" or adversary, the military-industrial complex would stagnate and the American economy would simply collapse.  Politicians, lobbyists, and business leaders who've gained power and coercive control through the MIC would become powerless an ineffective... that's a bitter pill to swallow.

In his Farewell Address to the Nation in 1961, President Eisenhower warned of the MIC's influence...
"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment.  Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience.  The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government.  We recognize the imperative need for this development.  Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications.  Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.  In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military–industrial complex.  The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.  We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.  We should take nothing for granted.  Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."

Is China a "real" or "imaginary" enemy of the US?  Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, China assumed the role of "enemy" in the eyes of American politicians and the MIC, there's no doubt about that.  China simply fills a need.