tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post5822750135489316347..comments2024-02-24T19:42:39.876+05:30Comments on Bill the Butcher: China and the Taiwan QuestionBill the Butcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08436195659154078021noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-19685109534944821302017-11-01T19:55:29.297+05:302017-11-01T19:55:29.297+05:30Well, having managed to survive the damn fool war ...Well, having managed to survive the damn fool war of choice in Vietnam, I for one, hope that the PRC can hang on and wait to reunite with Taiwan in an economic way that will not include any war.<br />Yes, 'Merikkka IS a dying empire and as you pointed out, empires do not die quietly. They lash out against all enemies, real and imagined. Hell, this damn fool empire is doing great harm to its own citizens right here in 'Merikkka itself. Giving extra tax breaks to the very, very rich is "good for the economy". Feeding and housing, let alone giving health care, to the working class and poor is vile, nasty socialism. 'Merikkka still claims to be "exceptional" and/or "indispensable". What a bloody damn joke! The only way this country of my birth is exceptional is in the way it tries to be the global police force, and NOT to protect and serve as so many US police cars have that slogan on them. The only protecting and serving is for the very richest of the ruling class. Kronkats Kornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356981317059108859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-14308330860831131872017-10-28T06:16:45.770+05:302017-10-28T06:16:45.770+05:30One minor typo: The Qin Dynasty was contemporaneou...One minor typo: The Qin Dynasty was contemporaneous with the Roman Empire. The last Dynasty was the Qing.<br /><br />***<br /><br />At the end of the previous era, a Greek historian went to Egypt and found histories that went back 10,000 years. Modern historians say that history started just 5,000 years ago. I'll assume the dates the Greek historian saw might not have been accurate, and we only have 5,000 years of history. For 90% of history, China was the richest, most powerful nation on earth.<br /><br />Then, in the 15th (Western) century, China was on the verge of an industrial revolution, and the emperor felt much as Dickens would feel when the industrial revolution hit England. The emperor ordered that if Confucius didn't have it, China didn't need it (a precursor of the Amish.)<br /><br />After which, the Manchu conquered China, then the British, who generously shared, first with all the other European mercantile powers, then with the US, and finally with Japan, all of whom had 'concessions' where the laws for invaders were the invaders' laws (the Chinese were under both the Chinese and invader's laws, whichever was harsher). The invaders took most of the food, and many Chinese starved to death.<br /><br />Then the invaders had a war among themselves, after which Chairman Mao was able to drive the few remaining invaders out of China, and he also forced every Chinese child to learn to read.<br /><br />Then, after Mao's death, came Deng, who introduced modern agricultural methods, which meant less than 10% of the peasants were needed for agriculture, so 90% went to work for industrial (and now service) companies that produce much of what the rest of the world imports.<br /><br />And China is, as it usually was, the richest (by PPP) nation on earth, and a significant military power.<br /><br />None of which the US knows. The US has anti-missal tests, where the US missiles used for the tests have self-destruct devices set to go off when the anti-missal is launched, so the anti-missal system always works perfectly.<br /><br />The US is certain MAD is no more. The US is now so powerful that if any nation is so foolish as to stand up to the US, it will be the AD of America's enemies. If the US orders Putin to step down, he'll have no choice but to meekly step down. And the same goes for Xi.<br /><br />The chance that the Americans are right is slim. The chance that they think they're right is close to a certainty.<br /><br />MichaelWmeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7826101215822428783.post-44109170295089747472017-10-28T02:19:13.100+05:302017-10-28T02:19:13.100+05:30It's rather sad that the United States feels t...It's rather sad that the United States feels that it should have control of the South China Sea. Geography will speak volumes in this matter. John Kanieckihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02964552236103975861noreply@blogger.com