The American Eagle Fails to Provoke
Fight with an Ascending Dragon
By MIKOspace
Last week and for the
very first time, the United States (US) sent one of its most powerful warship,
the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen, to conduct a patrol within 12 nautical
miles of a collection of islands disputed by China, Vietnam, Taiwan,
Phillippines, Brunei and Malaysia. The US called the mission around the
disputed islands in the South China Sea "an assertion of freedom of
navigation and as a means to balance power in the region". Observers noted quickly that the USA herself
is not a direct party or a party of interest over the islands per se.
Officially, the US
claimed that its first naval patrol in the area did not target China but was
aimed at safeguarding the freedom of navigation on what she considered to be “international”
waters. The US warship would conduct its patrol around various man-made
features that China, Vietnam and the Philippines have built up in that South
China Sea region. There is however no evidence that maritime navigation or commercial
shipping have been affected by the territorial claims by various countries. As it happened, Chinese navy ships watched puzzlingly
at the rather aimless manoeuvres of the US warship which lasted several
hours. It was also unclear what she had
accomplished as she sailed away to return to her home port about 4,000km away at
Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan.
And as the surrounding
ASEAN countries watched the political show out of bemused amazement and unfunny
concern, it was abundantly clear that the US’ move was designed to harass so as
provoke an irritated response from the Chinese, who of course did not take the
bait of a rather childish faux pas. No
one thought that the USA had any intention to launch a military clash with
China over a region where she has no specific interests at stake. Perhaps,
this warship sideshow was somehow timed and planned to ease the passage for a
Defense Spending Bill where the delusion of a “looming and imminent war” with
China would provide the much needed boost to the US military industrial complex
in the absence of their 2 highly “profitable” wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The US was actually
warned to stay away from Chinese territorial waters by virtue of the other
islands and reefs in the Nansha Islands under her undisputed control. Neither
has China broken any international laws in building structures and land reclamation around 2 of the disputed
reefs. Other countries in the dispute have already embarked on various civil
constructions before the Chinese. China's
construction work in the area is completely legal and the US would grudgingly
acknowledge that. Never mind US fears
that the changing geopolitical situation in the area could be changed following
China's island reclamation and that China would gain the advantage for control
of all the Nansha Islands and the adjacent seas. In the event however, no US interest would be
affected or harmed.
From a regional security
perspective, ASEAN countries watched with utter disbelief to behold a military
superpower like the USA flexing its maritime muscles in such blatant display of
irresponsible brinkmanship. There was
nothing to be gained by it and nothing was gained. And
the US also lost tremendous prestige to have her modern warship “retreating”
with her flag literally between her propellers.
Entirely of her own making, the
proud American Eagle was thoroughly humiliated and routed by a smarter
Ascendent Dragon who refused to play the silly and childish game of “Gotcha”.
In stark contrast, the
US did not display such “righteous” belligerence when her prestige and
interests were actually challenged by the Russian Bear in March 2015 when
Russia forcibly annexes the Crimea peninsula of Ukraine. Three US Presidents, who are all alive today –
Clinton, Bush and Obama, all reiterated and emphasised US power to safeguard
the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
This was in support of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum on Security
Assurances, a political agreement signed with Russia and the United Kingdom in
Budapest, Hungary, providing security assurance guarantees for its sovereignty
and territorial integrity to then newly formed Ukraine.
Today, Crimea remained
annexed to Russia. No US naval ships challenged the internationally condemned
annexation by sailing into Crimean waters, nor did US warplanes fly into
Ukraine airspace above Crimea.
Effectively, in spite of the words and promises of three US Presidents,
the US had simply abrogated its promises and turned its back on Ukraine. In
March 2015, the American Eagle chose not to confront but to surrender without a
fight to the Russian Bear over Ukraine where it had definitive interests as
NATO backyard; yet, it chose to provoke but fail to arouse the Chinese Dragon
in a region where it has no specific vested interests. Such is the
shameful failure of American Foreign Policy – the absence of clear interests,
the ambiguity of her values and the lack of decisive leadership to act and lead
where they matter.
Americans and their
leaders apparently have forgotten the words of a former arch-enemy, Japan: "I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him
with a terrible resolve” said by Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto,
upon learning of Japan’s successful attack that he masterminded on Pearl Harbor
in December 1941 killing more than 1,400 Americans and wounding another 1,200.
Beware awaking the Ascendent
Dragon and fill her with a terrible resolve.
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