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North Korea Problem Complicated By China And Russia

2021-10-21T06:50:16+00:00

North Korea Problem Complicated By China And Russia

The North Korean problem is not just that this rogue nation state possesses ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, but that if America gets into a major armed conflict with the Kim regime, both China and Russia could join the fight on behalf of North Korea.

Apart from the fact that all three nations are communist regimes, both China and Russia share a border with North Korea and neither nation will allow territory on its border to be influenced by America. This is a primary reason why neither nation would allow the unification of the Korean peninsula under the leadership of South Korea, an important ally of America.

The experience of the Korean War should be all that is needed to prove this point. During the Korean War, China fought with the North Koreans against America and its U.N. allies and the Soviet Union supplied many of the weapons that were used by the North Korean army.

What this all means is that solving the North Korea problem through military action may be more difficult than it may at first appear.

North Korea Problem Complicated By China And Russia2021-10-21T06:50:16+00:00

It’s Never Too Early To Prepare

2019-12-16T05:09:37+00:00

It is wise for America and its allies to remember the following quote by the former 19th Century British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston when he referred to the critical necessity to be prepared for any possible war. He said:

“if these defensive works are necessary, it is manifest that they ought to be made with the least possible delay; to spread their completion over 20 or 30 years would be folly unless we could come to an agreement with a chivalrous antagonist, not to molest us till we could inform him we were quite ready to repel his attack.”

This approach is even more relevant today. With the constant advancement of military technology, it often takes many years to produce new armaments. The sooner we advance the building of offensive and defensive weapons the better chance we have of winning the next major war.

It’s Never Too Early To Prepare2019-12-16T05:09:37+00:00

Understanding What Motivates China

2021-10-21T06:53:25+00:00

Understanding What Motivates China

When dealing with China it is important for America and its allies to realize that China harbors legitimate grievances against the West and Japan.

During the 19th century many European nation states controlled and/or invaded parts of China for their own commercial and security interests. In the 20th century, Imperial Japan invaded China and committed unspeakable atrocities. These illegal incursions caused China to experience political and social chaos, something that is embedded in the memory of the Chinese.

While these ‘humiliations’ do not justify China’s recent aggressive moves, they must be considered in attempting to gain a perspective on what motivates Chinese behavior.

Understanding What Motivates China2021-10-21T06:53:25+00:00

The Home Front

2019-12-05T02:05:04+00:00

The concept that the public, especially in a democracy, is a critical ingredient to achieving victory in war goes back to at least the First World War. According to the renowned British military historian Michael Howard, it was the home front that made the difference between victory and defeat. To quote from his book War in European History:

“The outcome of the Great War…had made it clear that war was no longer decided by traditional military skills. It had shown that armies in the field could not be defeated so long as they could be kept supplied with manpower and munitions. War…was not as it had been in the past, a conflict between armed forces alone, or even between treasuries. It was one between the will-power and the morale of the belligerent populations. What had ultimately brought the war to an end had been, not military victory in itself, but the disintegration of what had…become known as ‘the Home Front’: the solidarity of the civilian population behind its leaders, their willingness to go on bearing the burdens of deprivation and suffering which ‘the war effort’ demanded.”

This is a reality that American citizens and the citizens of its allies need to take to heart.

The Home Front2019-12-05T02:05:04+00:00

Make Your Intentions Clear

2019-11-18T04:06:11+00:00

The wrong message can lead to misunderstanding and disaster.

Consider that in January 1950, the American government stated that the United States would rely on naval and air forces to hold a defensive perimeter of certain offshore islands. These primarily consisted of Japan, Okinawa and the Philippines. This basically said to North Korea’s Kim Il-sung, China’s Mao Zedong and the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin, that the rest of East Asia was theirs for the taking.

Less than six months later, in June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. In spite of the earlier declaration, America went to war to protect its ally South Korea from North Korea, a Communist ally of China and the Soviet Union. Over thirty-six thousand Americans died fighting that war.

Today, that original 1950’s American declaration still leaves Taiwan at the mercy of China. America needs to be very clear about its intentions and capabilities in order to deter future aggression.

Make Your Intentions Clear2019-11-18T04:06:11+00:00

Veterans Day

2021-10-21T06:56:06+00:00

November 11 is Veterans Day in America. A day to honor each and every veteran who has served in the United States Armed Forces.

Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day to mark the armistice which was signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany. Signed at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 it marked the end of the First World War.

It was first declared in 1919 by President Woodrow Wilson which makes this year the 100th anniversary of its establishment.

Other American allies around the world also honor their veterans in varying ways on this special date including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

So however you choose to enjoy this Veterans Day, please don’t treat it as just another holiday, and be sure to take time this week to remember that our lives would not be what they are today if our brave American veterans did not serve, sacrifice and risk their all. Take a moment to give thanks, it is the very least you can do.

Veterans Day2021-10-21T06:56:06+00:00

A Problem With Deterrence Theory

2019-11-04T04:38:21+00:00

Deterrence depends upon America’s overwhelming economic, political and military capability against an adversary and the belief by that enemy that America has the intent to use that capability if attacked. However, that does not mean that if America places an enemy in an untenable position involving its fear, honor and/or critical interests, that the enemy might choose war rather than back down. An example of a massive failure of deterrence theory was Japan’s decision to wage war against America during the Second World War. Even though Japan’s leaders believed they could not win a long-term war against America, they still made the decision to attack us at Pearl Harbor, hoping in vain that America would eventually settle for peace. The point is that battles and wars break out for numerous reasons, and it is dangerous and wrong, to rely only on deterrence theory for protection.

A Problem With Deterrence Theory2019-11-04T04:38:21+00:00

Hegemonic Wars

2019-09-30T00:39:04+00:00

The primary security concern currently facing America is the threat of a major hegemonic war with China. There have been at least three hegemonic wars in modern times which completely changed the way society was organized.

The first was the Thirty Years War (1619 to 1648). This war was fought over three political, economic and ideological issues dealing with the European state system. The specific issues were: Was Europe to be controlled by the Habsburg imperial dynasty or independent nation-states; was feudalism or capitalism to be the primary mode of economic organization; and was the Catholic or Protestant religion to be dominant.

The second modern hegemonic war was the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars (1792 to 1815). These wars also dealt with political, economic and ideological issues namely: Whether France or Great Britain would control Europe’s political system; whether mercantilist or market mechanisms would organize economics; and whether republican or conservative political forms would be the basis of domestic society.

The third modern hegemonic war was World War One (1914 to 1918) and World War Two (1939 to 1945) which can be considered one long war. Among the primary issues of World War One was the British-German naval arms race which was a classic version of a status quo nation-state being threatened by a rising power; the French-German animosity dating back to France’s defeat by Prussia/Germany in 1871 which gave Alsace and some parts of Lorraine to Germany; and the Russian-German/Austrian rivalry in the Balkans. World War Two was in many ways dealing with the unfinished business and failure of World War One’s Treaty of Versailles (1919) which led to the rise of Nazi Germany and Imperialist Japan.

The possible fourth modern hegemonic war could involve America vs. China. Once again the issues would be political, economic and ideological. Will America continue to dominate the economic (free markets over socialism) and political/ideological (democracy over authoritarianism) systems of most of the world or will China supplant America’s leadership position and will China use force to do so.

The bottom line is that hegemonic wars change everything and bring about a new regional or world order. Time will tell if we, in the near future, are about to engage in and witness yet another life-changing hegemonic war.

Hegemonic Wars2019-09-30T00:39:04+00:00

China Has Revealed What It Really Thinks

2021-10-21T06:57:40+00:00

Just a few years ago in 2010, the careful non-aggressive, non-coercive diplomacy that China had been conducting for many years was brutally repudiated by China’s Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi when he told the ASEAN conference meeting in Hanoi that the world better get used to the concept that there are “big countries” and “small countries.” The implication was clear. China was big and the rest of them were small.

His quote sounded reminiscent of the infamous quote from Thucydides when quoting the ancient Athenians who said, the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

Are we again going to make the mistake of not listening to, or believing, what people say. We should not forget that Adolph Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” told the world in the 1920’s what he planned to do if he were to gain power.

It is imperative that we listen carefully to what China’s representatives are saying and deconstruct the truth from the lies. We need to discern China’s real aims. In that regard, when their Foreign Minister states that the world better get used to the concept that there are big countries and small countries we should accept that this is how China really views the world and understand the unspoken threat included in that statement.

China Has Revealed What It Really Thinks2021-10-21T06:57:40+00:00

Forward Presence Vs. Offshore Balancing In The Western Pacific

2019-12-05T02:02:36+00:00

There is some controversy over the current strategic concept of military ‘forward presence’ in the Western Pacific in order for America to project power and continue to maintain its and its allies security in the region. There are some who think that ‘offshore balancing’ should replace this costly military strategy. Offshore balancing basically means letting other nation-states in a region of the world deal with any aggressive hegemon in that region.

The problem with the concept is that this approach tends to lead to an arms race among many of the stronger countries in the impacted region which then destabilizes the security environment, making armed conflict more likely than less. The concept also presumes that if offshore balancing is not successful that America would come to the aid of its allies in that region if they were not able to deal with the hegemon on their own. Offshore balancing is what America initially tried to do during the First and Second World Wars however that resulted in a very deadly although ultimately successful outcome. While America was able to become a force in ending those wars, it came at a terrible cost in lives and treasure because America had to fight to take back territory that the enemy had already seized.

So, while maintaining a military forward presence in the Western Pacific is expensive, it is the least risky concept for America to continue to follow. In fact it has worked to prevent any major near-peer war in the region since the end of the Second World War.

Forward Presence Vs. Offshore Balancing In The Western Pacific2019-12-05T02:02:36+00:00
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