Whats Washington Doin in Central Asia Now?

Yep Tecoyah, it is just you.

What you might consider instead, is to read the author's book, which has been around for decades and was written well before the current situation, entitled: A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order. It is a well researched and well reviewed book and worth the effort to read. Imo.

A free .pdf download is available HERE.

 

What exactly....would a decades old book have in some way to do with the topic of this thread?

I generally avoid downloading things recommended by strangers on the internet.

 

You were dubious about the writer's credentials. That book established them. Besides that, what applied back in 1992 still applies today.

 

An opinion piece built on other opinion pieces. You seem to be dazzled by authority.

 

I questioned a web magazine (which is little more than a blog) and expressed doubt about opinion based literature stated as fact.

 

I'm dazzled by facts and factual writing. Whereas you're dazzled by opinions. Particularly your own.

 

You don't focus on the quality of the envelope if you receive a letter do you. Likewise, you shouldn't focus on the website but rather the writer and his content.

There are so few decent journalists out there these days that it behoves people to read what they say if they want to be informed, imho. Few, if any, can make any sort of decent living writing stories that are inimical to, or critical of, western foreign policy, and often need to supplement their incomes from other means. There are fewer and fewer outlets for their work, also. None of those I read are in any way part of the corporate media circus; all are independent minded people who, I think, feel they need to share what they know as a sort of anti-toxin to what is shoved down our collective throats by the agenda laden mainstream media.

The foregoing is a fairly recent turn of events that has occurred over the last two decades. The media wasn't always quite so supine to political and economic pressure, or so subject to corporate interests that are closely align with political and financial interests.

There is no longer a Fourth Estate worth the name and we in the west now suffer from unalloyed propaganda as a result.

 

Translation: Sly Lampost: I can't discern the difference between opinion and fact.

 

Ha! What a wonderful propagandist you are...

 

No. He has opinions. The fact that he doesn't provide links or footnotes (which he is obligated to do so if he wants any credibility) is proof that there are no facts but just opinion. "Oh but, these are things EVERYBODY is already supposed to know so there's no point in actually referencing the evidence". I wish you and I were lawyers and you and I were on opposing sides of a major trial. Easiest win ever.

 

Are our ships preventing Chinese trade ships from sailing? Do we harass or detain or attack them? Are the US and China in a state of hostilities? No... Hmmm. That's interesting. So again I ask the question... WHAT. THREAT????

Actually, if you did some ACTUAL research, we do the exact opposite. The waters around south east Asia, primarily the South China Sea, which is also where nearly 1/4 of the worlds commerce travels through, is one of the three biggest pirate operating areas in the world. The US naval presence in those waters is the leading contributor to the decline in pirate attacks over the past 5 years. And is a huge moral boost to investors and business that have their goods and ships sailing those waters, which includes Chinese businesses. China should be thanking, and does thank, the US navy for being there. So not only is the idea of the US pacific fleet being a "threat" to Chinese trade retarded, but I actually just disproved the entire OP. I'm good, no?

 

Oh so then by that logic all this talk from you kremlinites about how RUSSIA defeated Nazi German is just crap? Better call Putin and tell him to cancel the victory parade. Russia didn't defeat nazi Germany. The SOVIETS did. So there is no reason whatsoever for any Russia today to celebrate of feel good about it. They had nothing to do with it. Just the soviets.

 

I'm not out to diminish your 'know it all' brilliance in anyway, but we can all live and learn...and it would be smart for people to know what they are talking about...unless they want to appear as fools.

This is a report to the Council on Foreign Relations by Robert D. Blackwill and Ashley J. Tellis: Revising U.S. Grand Strategy toward China.

http://carnegieendowment.org/files/Tellis_Blackwill.pdf

“China represents and will remain the most significant competitor to the United States for decades to come,” they write, judging that “the likelihood of a long-term strategic rivalry between Beijing and Washington is high.” They also argue that China has not evolved into the “responsible stakeholder” that many in the United States hoped it would.

To the contrary, Blackwill and Tellis see China as having adopted a grand strategy for itself that is meant to increase state control over Chinese society and, beyond its borders, to pacify its periphery, cement its status in the international system, and replace the United States as the most important power in Asia.

What flows from this assessment is nothing less than a call on their part for “a new grand strategy toward China that centers on balancing the rise of Chinese power rather than continuing to assist its ascendancy.”

The two authors acknowledge that this new policy “cannot be built on a bedrock of containment”; they also say that policymakers cannot simply jettison the prevailing policy of integration. But they do advocate what they describe as “crucial changes to the current policy in order to limit the dangers that China’s economic and military expansion pose to U.S. interests in Asia and globally.”

Basically what it comes down to, is that Russia is a military threat to US hegemony, and China is an economic threat...and guess what, they joined forces.

 

The West's growing use of blockades and "economic games" is aggression.
A blockade on the high seas is not out of the question, is it.
We almost just done it on Iran in the Persian Gulf over Yemen. Eh.

Opps, what am I suppose to "know it"?


Moi

r > g

View attachment 35139
The Evil Empire​

 

Control of the area of the new silk road is what is behind the current wars in the Middle East. The US is willing to destroy countries and murder millions to get control of the area to exploit trade between Europe and Asia.

 

I honestly find you to be quite daft. Sorry to say that, but...

 

Has a US fleet blockaded or even threatened to blockade Chinese trade routes? No. Ok then. What is your point. It's also not out of the question for magical flying fairies to spring out of Putins ass and turn every Russian into a gay. Doesn't mean it's going to happen.

 

Clearly you are unable to think in the abstract or creatively, so go ahead and knock yourself out on your opinions.

Or you could, as I said earlier, listen to Friedman's Youtube clip and listen to what he says. But I suspect the only person you listen to is yourself.

Have a nice day.

 

You entitled to your opinion. Problem is when you start trying to equate your or other random internet trolls opinions as magical facts based purely off the fact that it coincides with what you WANT the truth to be. I notice that in not one single reply you make to people, who for the most part are actually trying have an intelligent argument with you, do you ever actually try and refute or disprove their contentions. You merely start attacking their personal character. Why is that?

 

Yes, you're right, I agree. The foregoing "is just crap".

 

And what part of ANY OF THAT had ANYTHING even REMOTELY relating to the thing you and I were just talking about??? Jesus christ kid.

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See once again. No actual argument or presentation of facts. Just insults and personal attacks. Why are you even here?

 

Does any other nation "Play Blockade"?
Only America, eh.

It is an American Option no other nation thinks of employing.
Again, ref American Fleet to watch those Persians, next move - Blockade, si?


Moi
If you're going to be inane
Take the Last Word, Please


r > g

No ​

 

Besides other far more important things I simply enjoy annoying you...

 

Hahahahahahahhahahah. Thank you for winning this argument for me.

"Does any other nation play blockade? Only America eh?"

"It is an American option that no other nation thinks of employing"

Lmfao. Where to begin. Well for starters, blockades are a standard military strategic practice by pretty much every nation that has ever gone to war and had the capabilities to perform one.

Second off the United States is FAR from the only nation that "even thinks of employing" a blockade. In the last 20 years alone there have been dozens of blockades by dozens of different nations. Israel and Egypt's blockade of Gaza. Turkey's blockade of Armenia. Serbian blockade of Croatia. Australian blockade of indigenous "boat people". Sri Lanka blockade of Mullativau. UN blockade of Iraq. Oh, this one is really interesting, CHINESE BLOCKADE OF TAIWAN! Look at that crazy (*)(*)(*)(*) right?

In fact, the last blockade the US took part in was Iraq. What is going on in Yemen isn't even a blockade.

So do you really want to continue to play this game????

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Who's annoyed?

 

Who cares?