US tone deaf to East Asian history

This is where the Hudson Institute goes for expert views on what the Chinese are thinking:

North Korea slams US subcritical nuclear test...

SEOUL, May 20 (Yonhap) -- North Korea threatened Monday to take powerful deterrent action against what it claims is the U.S. nuclear threat, denouncing Washington for its recent subcritical nuclear test.

The U.S. carried out a subcritical nuclear test in Nevada last week, the third of its kind under President Joe Biden. The U.S. said it was designed to collect "essential data" about its nuclear warheads.

An unnamed spokesman at the North's foreign ministry said North Korea cannot but reconsider the measures necessary for improving its overall nuclear deterrence posture, adding that the U.S. is not qualified to talk about nuclear war threats from others.

North Korea "will not tolerate the creation of strategic imbalance and security vacuum in the Korean peninsula, but firmly defend its security, rights and interests through powerful deterrent action against the evolving nuclear threat from the U.S.," the spokesman was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency, without elaborating.

South Korea says NK threats undermine peace after Lavrov's criticism of joint drills with US, Japan

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Thursday that North Korea's nuclear and missile threats are what undermine peace and security on the Korean Peninsula, after Russia's top diplomat denounced Seoul's joint military exercises with the United States and Japan as a source destabilizing the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after a ministerial meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Monday that the U.S. and its allies are "aggravating the security situation in the Asia-Pacific with their 'provocative actions,'" referring to the joint military exercises with the South and Japan, according to Russia's TASS news agency.

Lavrov said that North Korea has recently expressed its concern over the joint drills, adding the situation is worsening to the point of "a hot phase."

On Thursday, South Korea's foreign ministry rebutted Lavrov's claims.

More on Rahmbo's visit to the two westernmost islands in the Okinawa Prefecture closest to Taiwan:

Integration of Japan-US forces needs support of local residents

The prefectural government maintains that U.S. military use of civilian airports should be restrained except in emergencies.

Considering China's improved missile capabilities, the U.S. military has adopted a new strategy of "dispersing" forces, including on remote islands, and is considering using civilian airports in addition to SDF bases for dispersing air power.

The ambassador's visit via a U.S. military aircraft might be an attempt to lay the groundwork for such tactical moves.

The central government has started designating and upgrading airports and ports across the nation for “specific use” to ensure smooth utilization by the SDF and the Japan Coast Guard in peacetime and during emergencies.

Yonaguni Airport and New Ishigaki Airport, which were used by the U.S. military aircraft for Emanuel’s tour, have been candidate sites for utilization.

In US foreign policy all must be seen in light of the potential application of military force, iow war. On the other hand, how realistic the prospect of winning such a war may be seems to be irrelevant. What is this potential war about? Ostensibly, a war over a part of China, Taiwan. The fact that Taiwan was a former Japanese colony and then subsequently occupied by the US forces is never discussed. I guess it's irrelevant.

Cyrus Janssen makes some excellent points about the comparative competitive status of the US and China and the alleged effort via tariffs to restore US "competetiveness." In most areas of production, the US doesn't have a realistic chance of "making up the gap." Another example of the unrealistic if not completely fabricated rationalizations of US anti-Chinese policies. It isn't something that China did to the US, it's something US corporate and political elites did to the US.

I visit Cyrus' channel once or twice a week, yet I was taken aback by his ongoing hair restoration project. It detracts somewhat from his presentation. He needs some makeup work there.

I noticed that the youtube algorithm for "Korea news" won't pull up Hankyoreh, which is the best of the standard news sources in South Korea. I couldn't find it there today, just get all the conservative mainstream. I have to type in Hankyoreh to get it. Also, I was looking at Yoon's wikipedia entry and it claimed that former Justice Minister Chu Mi-ae's effort to discipline Yoon while he was still Prosecutor General had failed because it had been overturned on the first judicial review. Wrong. A higher judicial appeal sustained the Disciplinary Board's findings that Yoon had committed professional misconduct and went further and noted that he could have been fired rather than just suspended for two months due to the serious nature of his professional ethical violations.

Yoon vetoed an independent special investigation bill by the National Assembly into alleged presidential office interference in the "independent military investigation" report of the death of Marine Corporal Choi. The Colonel who ran the service investigation was directed by superiors to reverse his findings of command incompetence. Command incompetence probably led to negligent homicide of Corporal Choi while searching to recover remains of civilian disaster victims in a flooding river without appropriate safety gear or precautions. When the colonel conducting the service investigation was asked to change his findings, he refused saying the order was unlawful and was subsequently charged with "mutiny." Another vote will be held on the appointment of a special investigation into unlawful interference in the service investigation by the Yoon administration, this Tuesday in the National Assembly. It doesn't appear likely to override the presidential veto, but is going to be very embarrassing anyway as many see Yoon's vetoes as tantamount to admission of guilt. Some democratic politicians are openly discussing impeaching Yoon, but they have to demonstrate the ability to overcome a veto before they can do that. The same 2/3 vote is required to impeach the president.

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TheOtherMaven's picture

even sometimes their own.

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

soryang's picture

@TheOtherMaven

I'm taking a narrow view of this perhaps because it is consistent characteristic of US Asian policy and always has been. I was inspired by the work of historians like Bruce Cummings and Stephen Kinzer especially with regard to US myopia toward Asia in particular. I'm also thinking of recent references to quotes I came across of Asian stereotypes observed by US officials in the past. "Life is cheap to Asians." "Asians follow dictators like lemmings" and that sort of thing. "The war will be over by Christmas," Douglas MacArthur's projection in 1950 on the Korean conflict is one of my favorites. Which is along the same lines as "the light at the end of the tunnel" and body counts. Past statements that Russia is losing, will lose, or has already lost the war in Ukraine, are in the same category.

All that being kept in mind, it is really not much different from Custer's view of Native Americans. And to be sure, there is a similar American myopia with respect to all foreign lands and peoples. The density of US misapprehension toward Asia at least seemed a level deeper because of its remoteness and relatively steep cultural and language barriers. There is also its historical position as a virtual colonial outpost for the so called west. For example would US military commands in Germany consider adopting a swastika motif on their unit badge to identify with their mission in Germany? I guess this level was reached recently with Ukraine. Was it Blinken who was seen in a bar or something with Nazi Ukrainian insignia on the wall? This is about the same level. It's a level of unnecessary ignorance and provocation that is hard to fathom. The Japanese Imperial flag motif (욱일기 ) is on that level. I guess that's why the book was called the Ugly American.

I think when I first read Bernard Fall's work on Vietnam when I was a teenager, it made a lasting impression. I'm sure the same phenomenon applies to the Arab world, Iran, Russia and the global south in general. The US views the world through a jaundiced racist and ideological lens.

(Source YTN News - 9.3.19) South Korean legislator says cheering for the Rising Sun Flag is an IOC contrivance.

(Source- JTBC News 9.4.19) The medal design for the Tokyo paralympics brings to mind the Rising Sun Flag but is ostensibly a design based upon a fan. This is a transitional device much like the athletic uniform worn by Japanese athletes (shown below) during the 2012 London Olympics to condition the world to the revival of Japanese militarism desired by the west to counter China's rising influence.

(Source- JTBC News 9.4.19)

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soryang's picture

@humphrey @humphrey I knew about the Chinese exercise but didn't see the inaugural speech of President Lai Ching-te that prompted the Chinese. So I took a look for it.

Inaugural Address of ROC 16th-term President Lai Ching-te

I'm thinking it's section VI near the end of his speech, that was the most provocative. He keeps referring to Taiwan as a nation, with sovereignty etc.

VI. With greater solidarity, we become stronger as a nation

Thanks for the comments/links Humphrey. Especially like the map graphic.

(edit- corrected Lai's given name)

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