Hi Sam; Re: "Yes, but it made the locals more willing to become a part of China than they would have been if they were, say, Malays, or Vietnamese."
The thought of the wealthy population of Hong Kong, population 7 million, fighting off the army of the People's Republic of China is ridiculous.
"Willing" is not a term that has much value in military calculations. And it's not like it was the Arabs (or the US) that invented this fact.
It appears that we are talking past each other from a "realist" and a "liberal" point of view. I am of course reminded of the Melian dialogue from Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian war. A short quote from it will give the flavor. Athens [strong] is demanding that Melios [weak] cease its neutrality and instead actively join the Athenian cause and pay tribute to Athens [contribute to the joint defense against Sparta]:
Athenians. For ourselves, we shall not trouble you with specious pretences- either of how we have a right to our empire because we overthrew the Mede, or are now attacking you because of wrong that you have done us- and make a long speech which would not be believed; and in return we hope that you, instead of thinking to influence us by saying that you did not join the Lacedaemonians, although their colonists, or that you have done us no wrong, will aim at what is feasible, holding in view the real sentiments of us both; since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.
mtholyoke.edu
-- Carl |
