Posted on 11/22/2005 7:47:59 PM PST by Hoosier-Daddy
The overwhelming assessment by Asian officials, diplomats and analysts is that the U.S. military simply cannot defeat China. It has been an assessment relayed to U.S. government officials over the past few months by countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea. This comes as President Bush wraps up a visit to Asia, in which he sought to strengthen U.S. ties with key allies in the region.
Most Asian officials have expressed their views privately. Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has gone public, warning that the United States would lose any war with China.
"In any case, if tension between the United States and China heightens, if each side pulls the trigger, though it may not be stretched to nuclear weapons, and the wider hostilities expand, I believe America cannot win as it has a civic society that must adhere to the value of respecting lives," Mr. Ishihara said in an address to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Mr. Ishihara said U.S. ground forces, with the exception of the Marines, are "extremely incompetent" and would be unable to stem a Chinese conventional attack. Indeed, he asserted that China would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against Asian and American citieseven at the risk of a massive U.S. retaliation.
The governor said the U.S. military could not counter a wave of millions of Chinese soldiers prepared to die in any onslaught against U.S. forces. After 2,000 casualties, he said, the U.S. military would be forced to withdraw.
"Therefore, we need to consider other means to counter China," he said. "The step we should be taking against China, I believe, is economic containment."
Officials acknowledge that Mr. Ishihara's views reflect the widespread skepticism of U.S. military capabilities in such countries as Australia, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. They said the U.S.-led war in Iraq has pointed to the American weakness in low-tech warfare.
"When we can't even control parts of Anbar, they get the message loud and clear," an official said, referring to the flashpoint province in western Iraq.
As a result, Asian allies of the United States are quietly preparing to bolster their militaries independent of Washington. So far, the Bush administration has been strongly opposed to an indigenous Japanese defense capability, fearing it would lead to the expulsion of the U.S. military presence from that country.
On Nov. 16, Mr. Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. The two leaders discussed the realignment of the U.S. military presence in Japan and Tokyo's troop deployment in Iraq.
During his visit to Washington in early November, Mr. Ishihara met senior U.S. defense officials. They included talks with U.S. Defense Deputy Undersecretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Richard Lawless to discuss the realignment of the U.S. military presence in Japan.
For his part, Mr. Ishihara does not see China as evolving into a stable democracy with free elections.
"I believe such predictions are totally wrong," Mr. Ishihara said.
First post. Practice makes perfect.
Great screen name... hate to bum you out but this one is already posted:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1527028/posts
They're absolutely right. If the war isn't won by our military in a month, our politicians will step in and surrender.
Telling China that they will win a war assures us that they'll start one. No one starts a war they think they'll lose.
The hell kind of scenerio is that???? When and why would we war with China?
Not to mention the other three posts that were locked or deleted.
With the Democrats and the Left Wing Media in charge of propaganda--- we'd lose to France.
Talk about a bunch of people making assumptions. As if we'd fight that war the way we fought Iraq.
Additionally, if the causes belli were an invasion of Taiwan, I believe it would go nuclear pretty quickly.
China couldn't handle two carrier battle groups. As for occupying China, then way we are occupying Iraq, I'm not sure that would be necessary. First, China has plenty of internal pressures to deal with already. Tibet would fall away quickly. Manchuria would as well. There are almost a dozen different ethnic geographies in China that would love self government over Beijing and Communism.
The Chinese aren't idiot Muslims either. They aren't stuck in the seventh century, and what's even more important - Asians were the original free enterprisers. They are capitalists from the womb. Given support from their neighbors, the average Chinese citizen wants to make money. All put our all volunteer force against their conscripts any day.
The REAL question on the table is, can the US military prevail against the US mainstream media establishment?
Though it is a little early to call Bush's visit a failure, he clearly got bitch slapped by the Chinese and comes home empty handed on piracy, trade, and currency issues.
Traiditional All Out War Vs. China?? That would be fricken WW3! If that was the Case, and nukes werent used for some odd reason, the US would still win. China would be allied with N.Korea, Iran, Syria, maybe Pakistan, and some other arab losers, no way in hell would they win in Convential Warfare.
If this is true, the government needs to issue automatic rifles to every household. With that done, the Chinese could never come to this country.
Must be over Taiwan. As you can see, the Dims screeching is sending the wrong message to the rest of the world.
" He must be the Japanese version of a Dem."
You got it.
Good point, though I can't imagine that conflict would spread to the China's mainland.
"The overwhelming assessment by Asian officials, diplomats and analysts is that the U.S. military simply cannot defeat China."
This assessment made clear by the keystone of the Asian foreign policy establisment---the governer of Tokyo! In other words, a completely local official.
This article is bushwah.
Whatever happened to supporting the military and our country? What is it that the media wants instead of the U.S., as their right to express themselves will be the first thing to disappear?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.