[Filibuster_60]

Empires built on repression and coercion ultimately don't have that much staying power, however well-armed and economically vibrant. Even the Chicoms probably realize this. Their thinking is definitely more defensive than many of us assume. In their minds we'll always be a bigger threat to them than they could be to us.

Personally I think the Chinese are in fact paralyzed by this crisis - it brings to the forefront the contradictions of their foreign policy goals and exposes their lack of confidence in their ability to resolve something to the world's benefit.

[shaggy eel]

,,, empires don't last and everyone has found that out, no matter what they're built on. China has embraced Capitalism without wanting to call it that. Their cashflow comes from a hand they don't want to bite... accordingly, the dispatched envoy to Pyongyang. The smart thing to do now is position some heat on a US base in Japan, that can be scrambled within fifteen minutes. A lazy sub or two off the coast as a "play ball with us or we'll stick the bat up your arse" move would be perfectly understandable too.