Posted on 05/20/2026 4:41:05 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Peace through strength deters war, appeasement invites war, and letting an enemy build up unmolested makes wars longer, costs higher, and risks greater.
Xi Jinping holds the titles of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Chairman of the Central Military Commission, President of China, and Core Leader of the CCP. President Donald Trump used the title "President" when meeting with Xi last week, but in reality, his CCP tittles are what matter. Xi’s title as Core Leader elevates him to dictatorial power on a scale held previously only by Mao Zedong.
The pomp and circumstance shown to President Trump was an obvious play to the American’s ego, but also a display of Great Power status on a par with, if not better than, the United States. Chinese state media, academics, and officials have long promoted narratives declaring the “rise of the East and decline of the West” and that “the Chinese model is more effective, more competitive, and superior to the American model.” Xi, in a not very subtle way, asked Trump if he had read Harvard professor Graham Allison's 2017 book Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides Trap? This was widely reported as an effort by Xi to promote peaceful relations, but such a view is not supported by the contents of the book and why Xi likes it.
Allison's argument is that too many wars, starting with the conflict between Athens and Sparta described by the ancient historian Thucydides, have been the result of an established power (like America today) trying to resist a rising power like China. The status quo power is cast as the aggressor. So, it is better to accommodate the challenger to keep the peace. This will take "huge, painful adjustments in attitudes and actions" writes Allison,
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
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Trump may be close to having China in a checkmate position. The difference between the USA and China is that the USA wants to prosper in our own hemisphere while China wants to rule the world (just like the muslims).
Both communism and Islam are confrontational and aggressive.
They both want me under their thumbs. The alternative to that isn’t pretty.
This is a fallacy. I watched this last night, and Victor Davis Hanson describes this very well...and I agree with him:
LINK: Victor Davis Hanson: China’s ‘Thucydides Trap’ Theory Doesn’t Hold Up
Both communism and Islam are confrontational and aggressive.
They both want me under their thumbs. The alternative to that isn’t pretty.Both communism and Islam are confrontational and aggressive.
They both want me under their thumbs. The alternative to that isn’t pretty.
both are collectivist ideologies
see tagline
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=the+body+language+guy+jesus+enrique+rosas&&mid=C222CC0DD5F18DD972FCC222CC0DD5F18DD972FC&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCwClkA2_fv3Zo36qKN5fcew&FORM=VAMGZC
Excellent episode. Masterful analysis.
Thank you for posting.
Yes-he is always a pleasure to listen to. I regard him as highly as I regard Thomas Sowell, and that is pretty damn high!
I had a funny experience recently, when my wife and I visited the Calvin Coolidge Homestead and Library up in Plymouth Notch, VT. They had a docent who was giving us a tour, and while we were waiting for the group to form up, the Docent, who was apparently some kind of retired professor of history, was talking at length about some Greek antiquity subject.
It was interesting, and I said “Oh, that’s great. You must be a fan of Victor Davis Hanson!”
He got all flustered for a second as his mask dropped off his face, and I could see that he not only knew who Victor Davis Hanson was, he despised him!
He stammered and immediately realized he did what someone in his position at a Presidential Library for a noted Conservative such as Calvin Coolidge should never have done, and then stuttered “Well, I have used some of his work in my research for my book...” and he left it at that.
He was okay for the rest of the tour, but he had exposed himself as a Leftist, but I give him credit. I listened closely for any trace of Leftism in his tour, but he knew that for his position, he could not let his mask down again, and he didn’t!
Yes. They are what is referred to (legitimately) as an “Asian Shame Culture”.
That is inclusive of China, Japan, and Korea...there may indeed be others.
Fun story.
It’s satisfying when masks drop. You can never unsee it.
Few people noticed how many backhands Trump has given Xi who had quietly been gathering strategic positions for 30 years.....
Trump’s foreign policy strategic defeats for China (2025–2026):
Greenland: Focus and economic and strategic defensive posture chasing Chinks out.
Panama Canal: Chinese firm CK Hutchison lost control of both ends after Panama court ruling and U.S. pressure.
Venezuela: U.S. raid removed Maduro; Venezuelan oil redirected away from China.
Cuba: Maximum-pressure sanctions cut Cuban oil revenue and limited Chinese infrastructure deals.
Iran: Secondary sanctions disrupted Chinese purchases of Iranian oil. Mullah’s killed removing Iran/Nork double squeeze vs US....
Latin America: Multiple nations (incl. Argentina) dropped Chinese military/BRI deals under U.S. pressure.
Energy access: Combined Venezuela/Iran actions raised costs for China’s discounted oil imports.
Chasing Chic-om’s out of Polynesia and from the stupid surrender by Britannia of Diego Garcia....
And some more.......but it’s not important to me, and what do I know?
Them being a very thorough organization when it comes to making plans over the last fifty years or so I wouldn't bet against purposeful.
Good list. Thanks.
None of this mentions China’s ongoing demographic collapse.
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