Keep calm and carry on is a catch phrase often quoted by "Morning Joe" headliners. Unfortunately the British people sense that the massive defense cuts forecast by their leadership is helping to diminish the UK on the world stage.
They're right and just like here in the US, the people are getting it before the politicians. Additionally with the UK and the rest of Europe (with the exception of the former Soviet bloc countries and 'gasp' France) falling back into a fortress Europe crouch, its up to the US, Australia, Japan and S. Korea to keep China at bay.
Read the whole story here, but I posted a snippet below.
"The reality of the Prime Minister's foreign policy so far is a shrivelled role for Britain in the world at the expense of British interests."
Sky News' political editor Adam Boulton said: "If you wanted to sum the speech up in a phrase it would be 'keep calm and carry on'.
"Sometimes these annual speeches by the Prime Minister on foreign policy come at moments of crisis and they have become very significant in the years that follow.
"...its up to the US, Australia, Japan and S. Korea to keep China at bay"
ReplyDeleteHow hilariously outdated and misinformed!
You might as well omit ROC, Singapore and India while you are at it. Keywords: String of Pearls.
One thing is for sure: PRC's sphere of influence can't be "kept at bay" by military deterrence alone.
so i left out a few nations....one thing is certain...even you didn't include the UK in your list.
ReplyDelete'nuff said.
I notice that all the nations you mentioned have one thing in common, they are all effectively neighbours to China, the UK isn't, so why should it be our job?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree that Britain shouldn't be diminishing it's global position (a concept that has been greatly overblown, we're still one of the biggest spending nations in defence) I don't think it should use that position to be trying to contain China, it's inevitable that they are going to become a superpower whether that is good for us in the West or not. It does have over 1/6th of the world's population remember and has been the worlds largest economy for most of the last 2000 years.
Maybe it'd be better focusing our efforts on getting China to change for the better so that they become a more Westernised nation.
While the UK may not share a border with China, its interests most certainly come at odds with them. China has been trying to secure access to natural resources in central asia and africa for quite some time. With resources becoming more precious, it is in British interest to secure it from as many sources as possible.
ReplyDeleteChina is already an economic superpower, and is rapidly improving military capabilities. With such a large population, China has a right to be a superpower, but that isn't to say it should not be balanced by other powers. By so thoroughly gutting the military, and especially the naval assets, the UK will find itself unable to wield any significant international influence and leave British industry lacking access to markets and raw materials.