China has long emphasised non-interference in the affairs of another country as a basic tenet of international law. So why is China adopting a policy of disapproval - but not outspoken condemnation - of the US invasion of Iraq?......
For China, this sends an uncomfortable signal not only about US military expansionism, but also about the fundamentalism of American politics, which is taking on an air of theology.
Analysts in China ask whether the war against Iraq is intended to supply fuel for the US' military-industrial economic model.......
The US government's debt burden of trillions of dollars to support its military-industrial growth may be mitigated by its military expansion and control over the Gulf region. Under this scenario, America's main creditors like Japan and China - which hold large amounts of US Treasury bonds - will become dependent upon US-controlled oil supplies for their own growth, giving the US unprecedented leverage over their economies.......
Historical parallels are worrisome. Half a century ago, Japan's East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere envisioned conciliatory regional governments (read: puppets) all "sharing" prosperity, built on Japanese military-industrial might and the raw materials, energy sources and cheap labour of Asian nations. The US military expansion in Central Asia and the Middle East envisions puppet governments in Afghanistan and Iraq, client states in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and a carving up of Palestine in the name of security.......
