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2003-07-12 Korea

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Posted by Paul Moloney 2003-07-12 7:31:00 AM|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 China used to be as nutty as NK.Free markets may not have brought democracy into China,but they certainly have brought sanity into it.Instead of being ruthless and mad,they are just being ruthless.I hope they are keeping Baby Kim on a short leash.

Posted by El Id 2003-7-12 10:49:52 AM|| 2003-7-12 10:49:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 I wish they'd just sit around getting high on white slag and Pyonyang primo, enjoying barnyard grass salads and baby finger sandwiches, while singing the latest Top 40 hit, "Kim Jong Il Can Suck A Golfball Through a Gardenhose While Sitting In a Sea of Fire" and leave the rest of the world alone.

Posted by tu3031 2003-7-12 10:59:55 AM|| 2003-7-12 10:59:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 As revealed this week in the Herald, these studies included the feasibility of Chinaâs Peopleâs Liberation Army conducting a lightning strike to disarm North Korea.

This is more disinformation from the Chinese. We'd like to hear that they're cooperating. We can't believe that they would jeopardize the trade relationships that they've built up with us over the years.

But the truth is that the Chinese are born gamblers (in more than one way - just go to any casino in Vegas or Atlantic City). In addition their worldview is distorted in an Alice in Wonderland* kind of way - in their view, American dependence on China as a production base will prevent any disruption to the trade relationship. I think the Chinese will put on a show of cooperation, but in the background, they'll continue shovelling ballistic and cruise missiles as well as WMD to any country they perceive as an enemy of the US. It's their way of constraining our freedom of action.

Finally, there is a real resentment at the US, even among ordinary people (stoked by warped history books and selective reporting in the Chinese media). China believes its rightful place in the sun has been usurped by America. (It's kind of like the Japanese mentality before WWII, but with 10x the population). At the leadership level, these sentiments are undoubtedly boiling over. Underlying all of this is the idea that other nations are vassal states must tremblingly obey** Chinese diktats. The present condition of American dominance is therefore untolerable to the Chinese, and they will do anything to knock us down a few notches.

* "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."

** From "Two Edicts of the Qianlong Emperor to King George III" in the 18th century - the Chinese Emperor orders King George to "tremblingly obey and show no negligence" in carrying out His edicts to the letter.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-7-12 11:42:43 AM|| 2003-7-12 11:42:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 "Yes it's SuperKim, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Kim Is Ill (mild mannered Dear Leader of a great Stalinist nation) fights a neverending battle for Juche, Songun and the North Korean Way!

Hope you folks are old enough (or big enough fans of retro-TV) to recognize and enjoy.

Posted by Hodadenon 2003-7-12 11:51:57 AM|| 2003-7-12 11:51:57 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 China used to be as nutty as NK.

The Chinese are still as nutty as NK. They just have a better public relations operation. Note that the Chinese have done a lot more actual damage to American interests than the North Koreans ever have. In particular, the Chinese fought in the Korean War, sent hundreds of thousands of troops into North Vietnam during the Vietnam War and financed Communist movements throughout the world (including Africa) during that period. Today, the Chinese method of constraining US power consists of selling ballistic (DF-series), cruise missiles (Silkworm/Seersucker) and WMD technology to our enemies. For the Chinese, it's a twofer - they achieve their strategic goals, and also get to profit from achieving these goals. The more things change, the more they remain the same.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-7-12 12:11:59 PM|| 2003-7-12 12:11:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 "selective reporting in the Chinese media"

I hope the Chinese media haven't sunk to the level of the NYT or the BBC. The thought of one billion people learning the news from Johnny Apple or Robert Fisk is pretty frightening.

Posted by Matt 2003-7-12 1:40:32 PM|| 2003-7-12 1:40:32 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 I hope the Chinese media haven't sunk to the level of the NYT or the BBC.

Funny. The Chinese media basically beams out pro-Chinese and anti-American propaganda. Check out the People's Daily to get a dose - in particular, the Chinese version is a pretty fun read (altavista.com has a clunky but serviceable Chinese website translator you can use).

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-7-12 1:55:41 PM|| 2003-7-12 1:55:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Well, I cheated and looked at the English language edition.

One of the PD headlines is "CIA Admits Mistake in Intelligence on Iraq's Uranium."

The comparable headline in the Guardian is "CIA Chief Takes Rap for Bush's False War Claim."

I vote for the PD version.

Posted by Matt 2003-7-12 3:35:05 PM|| 2003-7-12 3:35:05 PM|| Front Page Top

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