picking up on the last thread
I think that it is important to remember, and well overlooked in public discourse over the past 5 plus years, that the Bush administration came into office ready to be very tough with China. The "war on terror" has distracted all of us, but a few months ago Rumsfeld was complaining about China's military build-up (still a fraction of the US defense budget), and then Rice echoed that sentiment a few days ago. China is happy to buy oil from African countries with no regard for human rights--that is,in fact, their official policy. They do not involve themselves in the 'domestic' issues of other nations when such issues would be inconvenient to China's energy interests. Russia is moving in the same direction, and both are following the US model of securing energy interests with military force. I think the recent deal the US made with India needs to be looked at in this light as well. We are hitching our star to the Indian rocket and hoping that they will develop faster and more powerfully than China. At any rate, we are looking for an ally against China.
As for the 'war on terror', India is a country with a government not much loved by Muslims, so the deal does a lot more to anger the 'muslim world' than a half-day stop in Indonesia for a picture opportunity with Muslim school children. They are also a country which proceeded with developing nuclear weapons in violation of International Law--the very same crime Iran is accused of committing. When the US gives India nuclear technology after such a violaton, it is the US who loses credibility and makes their reference to law in regard to Iran either very funny, or infuriating.
Oil is scarce and cannot last forever. The world's major economies have done not a thing to lessen their dependence upon it. The likelihood of a real world war with armies and bombs and all of that is a very real possibility. None of this is to mention global climate change. New energy sources should be the political demand of every citizen in every democracy--particularly in the US. Tomorrow I will write about nicer things.
As for the 'war on terror', India is a country with a government not much loved by Muslims, so the deal does a lot more to anger the 'muslim world' than a half-day stop in Indonesia for a picture opportunity with Muslim school children. They are also a country which proceeded with developing nuclear weapons in violation of International Law--the very same crime Iran is accused of committing. When the US gives India nuclear technology after such a violaton, it is the US who loses credibility and makes their reference to law in regard to Iran either very funny, or infuriating.
Oil is scarce and cannot last forever. The world's major economies have done not a thing to lessen their dependence upon it. The likelihood of a real world war with armies and bombs and all of that is a very real possibility. None of this is to mention global climate change. New energy sources should be the political demand of every citizen in every democracy--particularly in the US. Tomorrow I will write about nicer things.
posted by athensinternational at 12:44 AM
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