G'day all - Ramsey, certainly, China is trying NOT to follow the former USSR's footstep. In that sense, she has indeed been overboard in cracking down on minorities; however, I don't know if the US policies are based on the "basher of the year" strategy. I will grant that it is uneven and mysterious - and downright political in posturing at times. However, it seems to me that there are indeed serious issues. As a matter of opinion, the current administration is giving a lot of leeway, much like the Mexico situation, in the hope of exertion some influence on China [I will get to that later.] Don't take my words for it <g>, it seems that other people hold that view too
pbs.org
To continue my POV, I don't know how the US policies can cause China to go the way of the former USSR, when you say
We all know US foreign policy is based on "basher of the year" strategy. Why China is chosen again this year is puzzling? Is the intent to drive China down as the same path as the former USSR? I doubted if the current Chinese regime can be suckered the same way Gorbachev did. Did we not learn how naive our ideas are and how totally inapplicable to countries like China? Do we really want to send 1.2 billion Chinese down the same path as the Russians and the former soviet block countries?
since, as the participants in the Newshour pointed out, there is precious little the US can do. Like it or not, China has more trump cards than the US. However, IMHO, so long as both sides refrain from escalation of rhetorics, China will give a couple of goodwill gestures [not enough to effect any real change, mind you] and the Clinton Administration can pretend to have done due diligence and get Congress off its back [I don't think partisan politics will get the Administration out unless it provides something - anything.]
best, Bosco |
