Reply #17: That old saw of Barbara Tuchman springs to mind whenever I read that kind of

[Joe Chi Minh]

triumphalist talk by an American: 'War is the unfolding of miscalculations.'

The idea that the former Communist countries of Russia and China are weaklings compared to the US is pitiable. You don't now how advanced China or Russia are on the military front. We talk a lot about the brilliance of German engineering, and rightly so, yet in WWII, it was a Russian tank, not the Tiger that earns the plaudits as the best, nor has it weaponry been found inferior. China, too, has had an effective space programme for many years now. Moreover, beause neither country has sunk to the level of decadence of the West their levels of competence in most fields, including management, would be likely to be significantly superior.

Has it ever occurred to you what would happen to the US if China 'came the ugly' and foreclosed on US debts to it. What you don't have you don't miss, so don't imagine China would suffer too much to envisage such a possibility.

But you miss the point by scoffing at Chinese bases as 'meaning nothing'. It's a statement to the whole world. Just as the US coming down hard on the little countries who step out of line is. It's a bedrock priniciple of organised crime. 'Let them hate us, as long as they fear us.' China's saying, 'You're dealing with a major player now. Whatchew gonna do about it?'

Two more can play at America's game, and China and doubtless Russia are going to do so increasingly. Are you aware that, as well as possessing a large land mass, they have quite a large population, which, moreover, is accustomed to being regimented and working together for the public good. It was particularly evident in news clips of floods they've had there. Even post-Katrina would be unthinkable. They're not into 'disaster capitalism', at least, yet. White-collar fraudsters are shot like the dirty dogs they are, just like any street-level hoodlum.