12-06-2010, 10:25 AM
Peter Presland Wrote:Frankly I can't help suspecting that there are much deeper things than alluded to by Mark and Helen in all this.
Russia especially has been behaving very strangely these past couple of years. Ostensible indignant posturing over 'anti'-missile missile systems in Eastern Europe - and a host of other things - but no significant action.
There is deep collusion going on here I fear.
Serious courtship by the US: help us isolate China and there will be benefits, up to and including NATO membership, presumably.
The inevitable note of caution: we don't know the full range of US incentives and inducements. My guess would be that the US has traded quite a bit to get this resolution through.
Peter Presland Wrote:As for China - I just don't know. They seem to take action over the US/Taiwan arms thing - Korea too to a degree - but then it all just fizzles and they roll over.
The most remarkable feature is the degree of political control exercised over the Chinese military: will this hold?
"There are three sorts of conspiracy: by the people who complain, by the people who write, by the people who take action. There is nothing to fear from the first group, the two others are more dangerous; but the police have to be part of all three,"
Joseph Fouche
Joseph Fouche