[Modernman]

I really think that the endstate for China is a civil war (not a revolution--think more along the lines of our own civil war).

It certainly wouldn't be the first time in Chinese history. The Chinese leadership has done a very good propaganda job of glossing over the fact that China has had a lot of historic problems when it comes to actually keeping the country in one piece.

It would be ironic if an attempt to unify with Taiwan (a territory that has only ever been under direct Chinese rule for something like two decades) leads to a massive civil war and fracturing of the current incarnation of the Chinese Empire.

[Poohbah]

Here's the nasty thought, though:

Suppose that both sides in our Civil War had possessed (or had access to) nuclear weapons.

[Paul Ross]

Splintering of Chinese communist control? Won't happen. They control the guns, as Mao said. And their propaganda, which pushes a strident Chinese triumphalism and global hegemony is lapped up by the impoverished masses. There are ZERO signs of their imminent crack up, despite the delusional beliefs of the psuedo-free-traders. They want to believe it will happen...but that doesn't make it so.

Meanwhile, there is clear evidence right here of GWB's defense budget crack up. Betraying all the promises he made in the campaign in 2000. Too much being squandered on domestic 'priorities',...so much so that it is sucking the life-blood out of maintaining our ability to maintain a legitimate strategic defense structure into the 21st century.