oh, and don’t forget the trade war, tech war, cleavering of the world, bifurcation of galaxy, and hard-forking of universe. I hope the boomers are up for these, the same, that which we might call Thucydides Trap war for lack of more convenient term.
And, for the most part... American's couldn't give a shit... just don't care... don't pay attention... because mostly they have better things to do. We hire guys to take care of that crap for us... so we don't have to think about it... and we don't.
If it turns out things are being badly managed enough... that we have to turn the TV off to take care of it, and saunter down to the kitchen in bare feet to see what's going on... well, then, when that happens... then we'll find out what the roaches have been up to when the lights were off ?
China seems very, very interested in having a war with the U.S., like to talk about it a lot. Spoiling for it. Or, rather, they believe they are already in a war with America... just being very sneaky in how they conduct that war... and therefore "winning" ? America, though, is not in a war with China. I'm always at great pains to point out to people... you don't always get to choose if you are in a war or not...as when someone seeks to impose one on you. But, for the most part, American's will just ignore what China considers vital... and not be wrong for doing so. American's, if they think about it at all, mostly wish the Chinese government would quit being so insistently annoying... and, oh, yeah... quit putting people in concentration camps... stop paving over coral reefs in other people's oceans... stop oppressing the people of Hong Kong. But, whatever, dude...
Otherwise, we'll look forward to having March Madness, again... and expect the damned politicians to keep the noise of sausage making down to a dull enough roar that we can hear the TV over them...
Of course, there is Isoroku Yamamoto's sleeping giant quote.
The link is amusing, as its wastes the first paragraph in a discussion of Hollywood's coverage and the authenticity, or not, of their rendering.... as if that's what matters. Only then does it get to the point:
In The Reluctant Admiral, Hiroyuki Agawa gives a quotation from a reply by Admiral Yamamoto to Ogata Taketora on January 9, 1942, which is similar to the famous version: "A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack." [6]
The truth of that, from the American side... is that, yes, America tends to be very slow to anger... which will tend to be true when you're not paying attention, less so when forced to confront... whatever... and have tended to be overly generous... which some have found as "exploitable weakness"...
But, our markets are not Sicilian vegetable stands... where the sellers control the market. And they never will be. Trump has won more than a tacit acceptance of his opinions on that... but, without him... would any other think it useful to address... or all they all neck deep in the brand of corruption ?
In poking at the web to address this... ran across another use of the Hollywood creation... Waking the Sleeping Giant... is "a documentary film telling the story of the effort to build a re-energized progressive movement in the United States". Haven't seen it. Still made me laugh... as a proto-typically breathless self promotion effort of the left... failing to consider that if they do wake the damned giant... he might well be pissed off at them and just squash them like a bug... rather than "rally to their cause and leadership" ?
Be careful what you ask for, because you might get it... is what my granddad used to tell me...
That there may be disconnects between what the American people expect, and want, and believe... and what the cooks have been up to in the kitchen... sort of comes with the territory... and that will continue to be true as long as the American character and interest is such that it leaves us happy to leave policy management to the policy geeks. As long as they don't make us come back there and.... we will pull this car over...
Otherwise, Harvard's got a guy who wrote a book... and flogged an idea to sell books ? Hmmm.
The Atlantic seems all in on it:
The Thucydides Trap: Are the U.S. and China Headed for War?
The analysis is pure sophistry. They should start with an analysis of all the wars that have occurred between powers in which there wasn't a reason for conflict... or a disparity in power ? Just for context ?
The book makes a point... but it is hardly a new idea... or an idea that isn't patently obvious... much less a useful idea... given that the best uses of history... are probably those which actually get the history right ?
Find it interesting that in "case studies"... they consider on line 6 the United Kingdom and France at war in the late 18th early 19th centuries... but don't mention the American Revolution ? Or the War of 1812 ? Why is that ? But mention the U.S. in context of the U.K in the early 20th century ? The startling revelation of the book is thus only... not every conflict causes a war ? This is what passes for scholarship ?
This gets closer:
There is no Thucydides Trap
But its much simpler than that, still. There is no "trap" with or without Thucydides... because there is choice.
And, there is that lurking reality, again, that the only choices you control... are your own.
If others choose to attack you.... whether "hiding" their choice or not as a tactical expedient, hoping to hold them "below some threshold" while still being deliberate in the purpose... the choice has still been taken from you by others taking that initiative.
And so, America finds itself at war with China... without knowing it ? LOL!!!
Then, there's change that can happen....
We saw that recently vis a vis Iran... as Trump proved less tolerant in turning a blind eye than Obama had been in ignoring Iran's interference conducted in and through Iraq.
And, there is change occurring right now, too... because of the virus... which seem very likely to make American's aware... in a way they cannot ignore... that China's choices are... choices...
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