America: a Beacon, not a Policeman	So You Want to Go to War with China	Americans Against World Empire  Homepage

So you want to go to war with
China?  by Charley Reese

Published April 22, 2001      ORLANDO SENTINEL

I've been intrigued by the responses to a column I wrote
suggesting that our China policy ought to be spelled
out and submitted to the American people for approval.

First, some people irately took issue with my calling
the airplane a "spy plane." It is not, they stoutly
contend, because it is overtly intercepting electronic
signals.

Let's suppose a clearly marked police van parked on
the public street in front of your house. Let's suppose
the officers began to intercept your telephone calls,
whatever information appeared on your computer
screen and even your verbal conversations. Now, would
you feel spied upon or would you say, "Hey, that's only
electronic intercepts, and they are operating openly on
a public street."

Then there is the more logical argument that we need
to spy on the Chinese in case we have to fight them.
My point exactly. Why do we have to fight them?

We certainly should not fight them over Taiwan. Our
own beloved Jimmy Carter unilaterally abrogated the
mutual-defense treaty. Our own tough anti-Communist
Richard Nixon publicly agreed that Taiwan is part of
China and, therefore, falls under the category of China's
internal affairs. What's to fight about?

If Taiwan declares its independence, I would expect
Chinese leaders would emulate Abraham Lincoln and
use force to prevent it. For all my little old Southern life,
I've heard Yankees say Lincoln was right. What's good
for Honest Abe is good for Honest Jiang, right?

Then there is the argument that we must not lose our
position as a "Pacific power." Geographically, since we
granted independence to the Philippines, we are not a
Pacific power.

I see no reason why we should wish to be a Pacific
power in a military sense. What's to be gained?

The two natural Pacific powers are Japan and China.

The funniest response has been alarm about China's "military buildup." I would
say that if China did not engage in a military buildup after watching the United
States go bomb and missile crazy during the past 20 years that it would be
derelict in its duty. But let's keep this in perspective. The Chinese have about 20
ICBMs; we have hundreds. Their defense expenditures are somewhere around
$50 billion; ours, in excess of $268 billion.

Furthermore, Chinese strategy, as discussed in their own military journals, is to
develop the ability to defeat us in their immediate vicinity. That means clearly that
if we keep our nose out of their affairs, no military clashes are likely to occur.

Civilians, too, need to be reminded that military forces are about making war. We
should never have changed from the honest name, War Department, to the
Newspeak name, Defense Department. Armed forces are either fighting wars,
training to fight wars or planning to fight wars. That's what they do.

It's also what the military forces of every other country do. Just because a
country's military makes contingency plans to fight some other country doesn't
mean that they intend to initiate a war.

Unfortunately America is full of jingoists, usually pot-bellied gray-hairs or 4-F
journalists and policy wonks. They are always eager for the teens and
twentysomethings to go somewhere and get killed or maimed. In most cases,
within five years of their youthful deaths, nobody can remember why they had to
get killed.

Korea ended up divided exactly the same way after the war as before the war.
Vietnam became communist, which it could have become without 57,000
Americans dying in it. We went to war presumably to preserve the oil contracts
with Kuwait Inc., and now Americans are driving around with gasoline refined from
Iraqi oil.

As for you "love-it-or-leave-it" blockheads, you leave it and go fight instead of
sending someone else if you are such grand warriors. What I love are the people
and the land, not the government.

The lives of a nation's youth are its most precious treasure, and I'm damned if I
will stay silent while armchair generals propose to risk that treasure in some
stupid, ignorant, corrupt or unnecessary war.

You can reach Charley Reese at 407-420-5315 or creese@orlandosentinel.com

Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel