New Pentagon report outlines China's military buildup

[thomasglee]

If China did start a war, why would they pick Taiwan ...

Are you familiar with the Chinese mind? If so, you'll understand that PRIDE more than anything will cause them to go after Taiwan.

As far as Red China is concerned, Taiwan IS their possession, just another province. I've heard that view not only within PRC from Beijing to Guangzhou, from gov't and citizen alike, expatriot PRC citizens, young students and long-term resident aliens. Its a view that is presented to them as preschoolers and reinforced throughout their lives.

Essentially a PRC attack on Taiwan would be a civil war and would probably fracture into a larger civil war along the old north south lines w/ Taiwan and Southern China joining forces against the Red north, quickly involving the United States and Japan, spreading to a reignition of Korean civil war and Indian Pakistani war, etc. etc. etc.

One cannot realistically imagine how swiftly it will happen and how profoundly life will change when this or one of a million possible other scenarios plunges us into the next world war. It may be another decade, or it may be tomorrow. I'm conflicted about which would be better, as the later it happens the greater the number of the number of more horrible weapons the PRC, Pakistan et.al. will have. I pray for peaceful resolution but have read too much history to expect it, barring a real miracle.

I understand where you're POV is coming from. Historically, China has never been able to maintain central government control over the country for very long (typically approximately 100 years). So we can expect to start seeing fractures developing within China based on sphears of influence developing in various provinces. Primarily the coastal provinces.

[Tyler520]

I continue to find it baffling as to how the West continues to portray the US as the warmongers while the middle east, China, Russia and Marxist Nations of South America continue to set the world on fire.

But as you stated in the article, there simply is no rationale to these peoples' behavior

[Trevor]

Much as I hate to it, the next year might be best. The longer they have to build up, the more difficult this war will be for us. We can beat them today, although even in a conventional war, we'd suffer considerable casualties. 5 years down the line, victory is much less certain.

[Trevor]

Now that 2012 is here, I wonder what their official military budget for this year will be. Admittedly, I don't know what their fiscal year is, but we'll find out soon enough.

[wizarc]

It's now 5 years later, so obviously, things will have taken longer to unfold than predicted if they play out this way at all, ever.

Trump is now about to succeed Obama, and while president elect, Trump, according to news reports, "ticked off China" by taking a phone call from Tawain government.

Trump's stated foreign policy so far is to beef up the American military while making friends with Russia.

If the military industrial complex is to march on as it has for so long, it needs another big war sometime on the horizon.

Syria is winding down now it seems, a capitulation to Russia, in alignment with Trumps stayed foreign policy.

Is the Middle East is going to quiet down some, in favor of the long talked about "Asian Pivot", with a confrontation with China the next big move?

It's hard to imagine we won't see Israel back on the scene against Iran real soon and if so, it's hard to see Trump getting out of that one, even if he's trying to do business, not war with Russia.

But, is Trump's call with Taiwan a bit of fuel being added to this China vs US fire you predicted could have started by now?

With the way the foreign reserves in China are heading and the global bond slaughter, the euro on the precipice of their crisis reigniting, I think someone (probably Gerald Celente) once said about the Banksters, "when all else fails, they take you to world war"...