12-Aug-17 World View -- China and India prepare for border war at Doklam Plateau

[Guest]

Staying in Afghanistan? When you're in a hole, um, is it keep digging? Trump needs decent advisors, not these scoundrels who have wormed their way into the White House. I can't believe this. Trump hasn't fulfilled a single promise he made. Even by the low standards of politics, this is extraordinary (or is it?).

Killing terrorist? It seems to me that the terrorist threat is in Europe, not strolling down the Khyber Pass. Yet, according to the Pope, refugee needs trump national security! Pope Francis is truly a mad man. I hope he is brutally murdered with knives by one of his blessed migrants. Europe is lost.

Would Steve Bannon have approved of staying in Afghanistan?

I will never vacation in Western Europe again. If I must travel there on business, I'll be sure to wear a bullet (and knife) proof vest, a kevlar helmet, and, why not, a kevlar bag to put my entire head in-to protect me against acid attacks... Also, i'll be sure not to walk around in tourist areas, stroll across historical bridges to enjoy beautiful vistas...

[FishbellykanakaDude]

Staying in Afghanistan? When you're in a hole, um, is it keep digging? Trump needs decent advisors, not these scoundrels who have wormed their way into the White House. I can't believe this. Trump hasn't fulfilled a single promise he made. Even by the low standards of politics, this is extraordinary (or is it?). ...

Do you see the value of being in Afghanistan before and during the upcoming Crisis War, or do you not?

To leave Afghan-land is to give it to the Chinese-Sunni alliance. Is that REALLY a good idea?

Do you not believe that the war is coming?

[Guest]

Staying in Afghanistan? When you're in a hole, um, is it keep digging? Trump needs decent advisors, not these scoundrels who have wormed their way into the White House. I can't believe this. Trump hasn't fulfilled a single promise he made. Even by the low standards of politics, this is extraordinary (or is it?). ...

Do you see the value of being in Afghanistan before and during the upcoming Crisis War, or do you not?

To leave Afghan-land is to give it to the Chinese-Sunni alliance. Is that REALLY a good idea?

Do you not believe that the war is coming?

Let the Russians and Indians deal with it.

[Tom Mazanec]

Next deadline is the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

[FishbellykanakaDude]

Staying in Afghanistan? When you're in a hole, um, is it keep digging? Trump needs decent advisors, not these scoundrels who have wormed their way into the White House. I can't believe this. Trump hasn't fulfilled a single promise he made. Even by the low standards of politics, this is extraordinary (or is it?). ...

Do you see the value of being in Afghanistan before and during the upcoming Crisis War, or do you not?

To leave Afghan-land is to give it to the Chinese-Sunni alliance. Is that REALLY a good idea?

Do you not believe that the war is coming?

Let the Russians and Indians deal with it.

Not a bad response! But do you REALLY trust the Russians to be particularly effective in "holding the territory" for our "combined interest", and do you really think the Indians are particularly capable of "holding the territory" at all?

Iʻd rather be the controlling agent in that area when it becomes important, rather than having to wrestle with our "allies" to get things done when they really need doing.

[Guest]

Let the Russians and Indians bleed out. We don't need to hold territory in Central Asia.

[Coordinated fires]

The last ruler to successfully occupy Afghanistan was none other than Genghis Khan, and he was really good at occupying things.

[DaKardii]

> John,.. whatcha think of a "trade of crises", where China trades
> "containing Little Kimmie from playing with his toys" for the US
> "containing India to allow China to pass"?

> The Chinese HAD to know that that road would cause this kerfuffle!
> Could NK have been INSTRUCTED to get whacky by the Chinese simply
> to have a bargaining chip to "buy" the road permit through the
> Doklam?

Actually, I believe that the Chinese were completely surprised by what
happened. They expected to annex Doklam Plateau easily, by
overwhelming Bhutan's army. It should have been quick and easy, and a
great thing for Xi Jinping to brag about at the November Communist
People's Congress.

What China didn't expect was the intervention of India's army. Now Xi
Jinping is backed into a corner, and threatened with major humiliation
unless he starts a war with India, and he may be humiliated by that as
well.

Xi Jinping may well have committed the greatest foreign policy blunder in modern Chinese history with this crisis in Bhutan. Just one week before the crisis began, India and Pakistan became members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This event was hailed a major victory by both China and Russia, who have been trying to sell the SCO as the organization that ensures peace in Eurasia and serves as a counterweight to the West for years. Now, that narrative is on life support. If the SCO isn't enough to prevent war among Eurasian nations, then Russia no longer has any reason to see China as an ally against the West. This could very well be the event that results in the Chinese Politburo arguing amongst themselves over "Who lost Russia." This may well be the turning point that pushes Russia back towards the United States for the upcoming Clash of Civilizations war.

[Guest]

Get on with the war already. This is starting to become boring.

[Guest]

On Israeli TV (i24) today, the talking heads were calling Kim Jun un a "rational actor". I kid you not. The Israelis say they don't see a war coming. The talking head was a writer with a very odd accent from a magazine called "The Diplomat". I've never heard of it. Where do they find these people?