Well, those PICs are allowed to make up their mind. However, they are PICs and it went this way in the last war. It may take us longer to island hop given the ranges, and we may have to do EVERY island given the ranges of current weapons systems that might be put on the islands...but the fact remains they and the Chinese would have to defend EVERYWHERE while we could attack where we desire, when we desire, and overwhelm their defenses. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
If the PICs want to be hostile, or short sighted, or simply try to black mail the US...let them make their bed...but they seem to have forgotten the lessons of WWII, including their occupation before we liberated them. The US will be a great friend to anyone...but we won't force you. Want to play the game of being our enemy? That is OK too. Just don't be shocked if we have to come knocking at your door.
Not that we should abandon them out of hand, but if they can't be persuaded to their own benefit then what are you to do but accept it and plan accordingly?
All accurate observations. However, the resources-to-requirements ratio is a little different now for the US than it was then, and the people in charge lately tend to be short-term thinkers, and to be prone to assuming they've got some source of plot armor, for lack of a more precise term...maybe (ahem) the arc of history bends inevitably their way? The temptation to "give canned sunshine a chance" may become strong.
None of this is to contradict TrustbutVerify's observation, and we may well have to go as the one suggests. If it becomes necessary, I hope we're up to the job. A war of that kind could drag on a decade or more, at much greater cost and intensity than Afghanistan or Iraq.
It's also funny how the headlines in Australia read: " China shelves plans for security deal", when all they will do is wait and figure out who/what the holdouts want. I can't see anything that Biden/DC is doing to counter China in this area...giving up already?
Simply show China's track record with countries that trusted them in the past or present for that matter and they will see how underhanded the great deals they were promised turned to poop.
Well, those PICs are allowed to make up their mind. However, they are PICs and it went this way in the last war. It may take us longer to island hop given the ranges, and we may have to do EVERY island given the ranges of current weapons systems that might be put on the islands...but the fact remains they and the Chinese would have to defend EVERYWHERE while we could attack where we desire, when we desire, and overwhelm their defenses. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
If the PICs want to be hostile, or short sighted, or simply try to black mail the US...let them make their bed...but they seem to have forgotten the lessons of WWII, including their occupation before we liberated them. The US will be a great friend to anyone...but we won't force you. Want to play the game of being our enemy? That is OK too. Just don't be shocked if we have to come knocking at your door.
Not that we should abandon them out of hand, but if they can't be persuaded to their own benefit then what are you to do but accept it and plan accordingly?
All accurate observations. However, the resources-to-requirements ratio is a little different now for the US than it was then, and the people in charge lately tend to be short-term thinkers, and to be prone to assuming they've got some source of plot armor, for lack of a more precise term...maybe (ahem) the arc of history bends inevitably their way? The temptation to "give canned sunshine a chance" may become strong.
None of this is to contradict TrustbutVerify's observation, and we may well have to go as the one suggests. If it becomes necessary, I hope we're up to the job. A war of that kind could drag on a decade or more, at much greater cost and intensity than Afghanistan or Iraq.
Always incredible writing and analysis to wake people up. Thank you.
It's also funny how the headlines in Australia read: " China shelves plans for security deal", when all they will do is wait and figure out who/what the holdouts want. I can't see anything that Biden/DC is doing to counter China in this area...giving up already?
Drawing zones on map is nothing like controlling them.
Simply show China's track record with countries that trusted them in the past or present for that matter and they will see how underhanded the great deals they were promised turned to poop.