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The West's Libya dilemma according to bloggers in China

An interesting take on the general thrust of bloggers in China on the West's Libyan dilemma - 'The French really want to fight it out; the Brits pretend to want to fight it out; the Germans really don't want to fight it out; the Italians pretend not to want to fight it out; and the Americans have no choice but to fight it out.' (news.mingpao.com, 31 March, 2011)

'Safe nuclear does exist, and China is leading the way with thorium'

So says the Telegraph on 22 March 2011 Click here

According to the Telegraph correspondent Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, 'Norway’s Aker Solution has bought Professor Rubbia’s patent. It had hoped to build the first sub-critical reactor in the UK, but seems to be giving up on Britain and locking up a deal to build it in China instead, where minds and wallets are more open.

So the Chinese will soon lead on this thorium technology as well as molten-salts. Good luck to them. They are doing Mankind a favour. We may get through the century without tearing each other apart over scarce energy and wrecking the planet.'

Empire - The new arms race

An expert panel discussion on Aljazeera English delves into the whys and wherefores of this seemingly unending arms race after the end of the Cold War. See Empire

The Martians will probably think it's studpid for eathlings to spend so much money and efforts to chase their own tails. But the realities are amply illustrated in the TV expose: expand »

(a) The US feels the imperative to maintain global projection of American leadership and influence, if not dominance, against rising powers like China as well as nuclear and geopolicital threats from countries like Iran and North Korea, along with new asymmetric forces like terrorism (as reflected in the National Intelligence Council Project 2025 Report);

(b) This imperative is founded on the belief that military power is the ultimate arbiter in world conflicts, notwithstanding evidence to the contrary;

(b) This imperative is fueled by the long-entrenched American military-industrial complex that has its tentacles throughout the economy and politcal fabric of the United States;

(c) Globally, the classic 'security dilemma' drives other rival countries to build up their defences to safeguard territorial integrity, especially China which is still harboring psychological scars of a century of foreign subjugation or humiliation. This dilemma in turn causes the US to get more superior weaponry. And so the circle goes on;

(d) With globalization, large countries feel the need to protect sea lanes which, as in the case of China, are vital to industrial survival;

(e) Patriah states perhaps correctly believe that nuclear weapons are their best insurance;

(f) Less politically stable countries feel the need to maintain a strong military to maintain power and stability and many are customers of the world's military factory of which the US is a dominant producer.

So, until earthlings wake up to a better way to maintain security, to project power and to resolve conflicts, the Martians are likely to continue to look bemused.

Best regards,

Andrew

www.andrewleunginternationalconsultants.com

China leapfrogging in science and technology

Just a few examples:

China's new Cloud Computing City

China's Godson Chip Roadmap

Next generation of fast nuclear reactors