The John Batchelor Show

VIDEO: Aggression

May 28, 2015

Wednesday   27 May 2015  / Hour 1, Block A:Arthur Waldron, Lauder Professor of International Relations in the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania, in re:  PLA navy has built artificial islands in the South China Sea to intimidate its neighbors: Japan Philippines, Indonesia, Micronesia, Australia. Global Ties says hat war with the US in inevitable unless the US "lets China have its way" in ht Spratleys.  China did not expect that anyone would much object to China's taking over; when it decided to bash its weakest neighbor,  Philippines, which it did several times, Had that world according to plan, other states would have given in.  However, Philippines went to the World Court, is sedulously  pursuing, Japan has been donating the latest patrol craft to Manila, which has not bowed. China has got itself impaled on that self-created problem and the other neighbors are all upset, Problem is beginning to crest. Cf Schlieffen-Plan* to sweep through Belgium and take Paris.  Didn't count on Belgium resisting; has the only rail link 'twixt Berlin and Paris.  Nazis so angry they burned Louvain's priceless library of Medieval manuscripts; finally failed.  Germany's master plan failed on its first move; similar to China's master pan, which has got hung up. Now the US Secy of Defense has said,  "We'll all go wherever it's legal to go and ignore Chinese restrictions." Will China shoot down US planes? Not a great idea. The seminal Global Times editorial was not only in English, was also in Chinese.  Oops. No easy climbdown.
US Navy has four options: can fly over; sortie with warships; blockade; or land on one of the artificial islands. There'll likely be some shooting incident; we need to find a way for China to back off.  Russia has fouled up negotiations with China – esp since there's a lot of Pacific territory that China thinks was stolen.
Der Schlieffen-Plan war ein strategisch-operativer Plan des Großen Generalstabs im Deutschen Kaiserreich, der auf eine Denkschrift zurückgeht. Er wurde nach ...