Robert Gates Lectures China, but US Lacks Moral High Ground
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates came to Asia this week to speak to Chinese and Korean officials. One of the major concerns he expressed with Beijing is their enormous recent military build up. Western countries are beginning to get concerned about the intentions of the Chinese who seem to be putting more and more of their growing resources into the country’s army.
The problem with the US opposition to Chinese military build-up, is that the Bush government has squandered away virtually all of its moral authority. America has long been the world leader in military spending, something that can be justified easily if the government manages to project an image as a beacon of hope. Following September 11th America was a highly sympathetic place–a shining nation on a hill. Unfortunately the events of the last six years have cut away at this claim to be a the moral leader of the world.
The terrorists who attacked America were correctly seen to be intolerant remnants of centuries past. They were a group so out of touch with reality that they thought their own strict interpretations of the Koran were more valuable than societies that discuss problems openly. For most of the world the US was the counter-measure to this. The country values democratic ideals, and allows dissent. Open discussion is supposed to be more important than oppressive dogma. When a country is seen a ray of hope in a time of darkness it is easy to justify a military build-up and discourage others from following suit.
And now six long years have past. In these six years America has gone from a shining nation on a hill, to a pariah in international community for much of the world’s populations. We have invaded two countries, one correctly and one in flagrant violation of international norms. Iraq is in a state of chaos, if one can call it a state at all. Contrary to Republican belief, it is not only a result of poor planning, but also a consequence of poor foresight. There was a fundamental misunderstanding of the Middle East, and the world in general. Broad support never existed for the invasion. Coalitions only exist when there is broad sentiment. With Iraq the US was all but alone, and that is no way to maintain the image as a moral authority. With the only thing potentially now keeping the US out of Iran being the debacle in Iraq, America can no longer go places and make lectures about what is right, and what is wrong.
Robert Gates, who seems to be an honest and good man, is in an impossible situation. No one wants China to build up its military for fear that it might strike one of the longest standing democracies in the region, or decide to wield its power elsewhere. Yet what must Beijing think as Bush’s military envoy to the world comes here and lectures the leadership about how to use its own army? There must be more than a wink-wink, nudge-nudge as Gates talk about wanting to avoid military adventurism. Sure we’ll try not to abuse the use of our military.
The blunders and short-sightedness of Bush policy extend far beyond the Chinese military build-up, something which the world should be legitimately concerned about. In Burma the White House also had its hands tied. Why? When the Burmese military dictatorship rounded up protesting monks they inflicted horrible medieval torture on them. What could possibly hold the neo-cons from criticizing such barbaric practices? The method the Burmese used was water boarding, the very same technique the Bush administration has approved in Cuba. It’s not easy to explain why torture is sometimes okay.
Gates’ visit to China and South Korea underscores the damage the US has done to its sense of legitimacy in the world following September 11th. What the neo-cons did not realize is that it is not only elections that have consequences, as they are so fond of saying. Foreign policy has consequences too. There is a real court of world opinion, and the US cannot ignore that and still expect to be revered.
China politely listened to Robert Gates as he told them that spending more than 10% of the national budget on the military was inappropriate and counterproductive. He expressed support for Beijing’s vehement opposition to any moves toward independence by Taiwan. They listened, and they nodded, and they smiled. But when he left, they surely thought to themselves, “Who is this guy to lecture us on morality?” Certainly they would not have thought this six years ago.
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Bobby responds:
Posted: November 8th, 2007 at 11:20 pm →
The US is the only major power that has a legitimate claim to be democratic and also an open society. It has not handled the situation in Iraq well, but it ousted a horrible dictator. In Afghanistan is toppled a regime that attacked America. Where exactly is it doing anything wrong?
China occupies other countries and holds one of the region’s earliest democracies hostage. Comparing a US and Chinese build up is ridiculous.
Lonnie responds:
Posted: November 9th, 2007 at 11:43 am →
Bobby,
Taiwan is to democracy as Vegas is to family vacation….It is still a jail offense to speak ill of the government there and the People’s Party has a long history of ruling by violence and bloodletting….
And give your democratic stump speech to people who have not been stripped of their jobs by the real power in America: corporations and special interests….We lost our claim to true democracy a long time ago…
Maybe you missed the 60 Minutes report on our stellar intelligence on Iraq and the fraud that brought us into that war….That we got a shotgun wielding madman out of power and hung him in a barbaric display of hypocrisy is no great chapter in the war against evil. And it in no way justifies the deaths of tens of thousands in a bogus cause: bombs for oil….I am a proud ex-vet/DAV and I cannot tolerate the lies draped in nationalism the Chinese propaganda masters must envy…
Afghanistan is seeing its worst destabilization since we “liberated” them….The tide is turning against us there and despite the fact that the Russians killed 1,000,000 citizens in their incursion (when we were supporting the Taliban) we have a reputation for being far more reckless and devoid of humanity. My roommate in the military, an Afghani interpreter/interrogator, became a C.O. after seeing how humane our efforts really are….
did you get paid to respond…Ya, America, the bastion of free speech, pays folks to spam blogs in countries that don’t agree with Homeland Security’s agendas….
Zuraffo responds:
Posted: November 9th, 2007 at 2:58 pm →
Laughable Claims:
1. US is a democracy.
US is only as democratic as a Hollywood production: It’s all fake.
2. Taiwan is a democracy.
Taiwan is a democracy only if you believed that “The Earth is Flat”.
I am tired of US bashing, but again and again Americans proved to be laughably full of themselves.
And the most disappointing aspect of all, for me at least, is that the US could have been a great country.
Josh responds:
Posted: November 10th, 2007 at 11:59 am →
Zuraffo,
You make some bold claims without offering much evidence. I’ll grant you that in recent years the US has not looked like the type of democracy that it once was, and again could be. However, making a blanket statement that it is not a democracy at all makes me wonder how you define a democracy. Please explain more fully and give examples to make your point.
Hehe responds:
Posted: November 11th, 2007 at 4:32 am →
Democracy, so what? Because you are democratic or you think you are democratic or you are perceived as a democracy, you can go around in the world lecturing people, have military bases everywhere, invade other nations at will, kill people democratically?
“The US is the only major power that has a legitimate claim to be democratic, and also an open society ”
Bobby, this is childish, you only make people laugh at you.
“It has not handled the situation in Iraq well, but it ousted a horrible dictator. ”
but, another but, at the expenses of Iraqis. So the US has democratically decided that the cost of lives of hundreds of thousands people in a place thousands of miles away were worthwile for the the holy cause. Great democracy! Bobby, could we democratically decide that the US should be bombed to rubble next week, because we think you holy president is a tyrant?
“China occupies other countries and holds one of the region’s earliest democracies hostage. Comparing a US and Chinese build up is ridiculous.”
Bobby, you make yourself a fool, sorry about the comment, but it is true. You need build up some basic knowledge about the rest of this world, like many Americans do.