Hi Michael - ROTFLMAO, at 1st, I thought I was one of the early christians volunteering to the lion's den. Then, I realize that I am really the clown in the bull fight, who would get into the ring long enough to distract the raging bulls and quickly sneak back to the safety of the barricade <G>
Jesting aside, you brought up many good points, especially in the light of the fact that this is an investment forum for us capitalists to explore ways to profit - even though the ideological debates can be quite seductive.
Agreeing with Steve Y, rational people simply cannot take an attack of Taiwan lightly. Why? If the PRC is going to blockade ROC, the PC Notebook supply will be of a concern! Maybe S Korea may benefit at the expense of ROC in the short term, but if sh*t hits the fan, it may trigger a global meltdown.
Interestingly, if the participants on the NewsHour are correct in their citing of polling response, both the mainlanders and the taiwanese prefer the status quo [i.e., protracted negotiation,] to any sort of escalation.
Regarding the PRC morphing possibility, I don't know the specific details, but I think the tug-of-war between centralism and regional powers will continue. I think the central govt is very concerned about fragmentation for both selfish and not quite selfish reasons. It is simple psychology that the loss of control is a frightening experience. On top of that, the disintegration of the USSR doesn't serve a good example. Unfortunately, the dualistic response is to cramp down.
Taking this opportunity, kudos to posters like Randy who have made intelligent posts based on their deep knowledge of the region's histories and cultural habits. Thanks
best, Bosco |
