Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
And yet you tell me with great confidence, from India, that:
With that much of confidence as a person as Mark Tulley, or William Dalrymple, who have lived their lives in India and care for India, and while concerned about the Sino Indian situation, are not as concerned as Indians.



On what basis do you make this assessment?
If the Filipinos were that uppity about their national identity, sovereignty and their 'independent' space wherein they threw the US out without any hesitation, then what could be the reason that they are now allowing US troops on their soil, euphemistically covered as 'rotational'?

If that is not eating crow, what is?

Imagine India which 'threw out' the British allowing British troops on their soil on 'rotational' basis. Whatever would they do that for, unless they are incapable of defending themselves and require the British to help them on their way?!



Possibly a minor point, but the first time he was elected pretty much nobody thought there was a threat from Iraq or Afghanistan.
And the second time?

When the bodybags were coming in, in torrents?


Can anyone claim to have "ingrained oneself in the psyche and mindset of all sections of the people" in any land, native or not? There are a pretty diverse range of psyches and mindsets in most lands.
Sure.

Does an Anglo Saxon mind think like a Han?

Can a Anglo Saxon mind think like a Filipino?

If so, then there would be no requirement for diplomatic dialogues. All would be on the same grid!

I can tell you with some confidence that most Filipinos feel far more threatened (with good reason) by the mendacity, corruption and ineptness of their own politicians than they do by China, and that the Filipino elite feels more threatened (with equally good reason) by domestic threats than by anything the Chinese might do. That's pretty obvious just from observing the discourse on both sides.
Nothing earth shaking at what you say.

What is more important?

Survival from daily problems created by domestic policy errors or Foreign Policy errors?

What concerns the Americans first? Jobs or if Iran is to be attacked?

Isn't that obvious?



Discussion of an expanded US military presence, by both those who favor it and those who oppose it, tends to revolve far more around local issues than around the supposed China threat. Of course the situation with China is part of the discourse, but it's not a dominant part and there's little to indicate that any part of the populace feels imminently threatened. Of course various groups are trying to use the "China threat" card to their advantage, both in relations with the US and in domestic politics, but that is based as much on opportunism as on perceived threat.
The threat of external forces can never be dominant, when domestic life is at strife.

Isn't that obvious?

Do Indians put the threat from China, before worrying about the Budget that will burden them further?

Do Americans put the threat of Iran before thinking if the economy will return to normal and they can live their lives again in the way they are accustomed to?

I'm not at all convinced that what's happening is the result of brilliant strategy on the part of the US (some here would think that an oxymoron). I don't think it's centrally directed at all, just a matter of a number of nations reacting to a changing situation in the way they see fit.
That is the brilliance of the US strategy of late.

Like China's Peaceful Rise, they are not appearing belligerent or appearing to be ganging up as is the popular perception of the past.

US has quietly broken the OPEC cartel and now they are breaking up the Middle East in a quiet and calm way. Has any US govt been able to break up the Muslim solidarity till now or even get Gaddafi to eat crow? They have cleverly sold their favourites like the Egyptian dictator, given the impression that the US is 'pro people', generated the latent desires of the population of the Middle East, and has gone whole hog to encourage uprisings.

Of course, not all the uprisings will go the US' way for the moment, the second phase will balance it all.

It is all very well to abuse the US Govt as a bunch of chumps, but I see a method in the madness and it is fools who underestimate the US.

I suspect that you're somewhat overstating the extent of a rise in both Chinese belligerency and the reaction from the US and local powers. Exercises in the area have been going on for a long time; they tended to be somewhat larger back in the days when Clark and Subic were operating. The pushing and shoving with the Chinese has been going on sporadically for a long time as well. Just because there's more media notice now doesn't mean things have fundamentally changed. The one thing that is substantially different is the Vietnam/US engagement, but of course that traces back to a whole host of factors, and the Vietnamese have more reason to fear China than most in SE Asia do.
The pushing and shoving is not the same old pushing and shoving.

The US has it mission and they are doing it real well without the usual US signature and instead a very diplomatic manner that misses the eye and that is the greatness of the current foreign policy success of the US.

A very matured way indeed!