Re: China and Nato

Majid, I usually do not like to comment on a post like yours in a
piecemeal fashion. In this case, however, I think that there is a common
theme, namely the relevance of China. I think that it is quite sensible
for the West to make China largely irrelevant in human rights actions.
Happenstance has put China in a position to veto practically all such
actions by the UN. Since China not only has a dismal record on human
rights but also  openly threatens its neighbor Taiwan with war, should
the latter take it logical place in the world as an independent country,
it may well be one of the violators of human rights against which a
future action ought to be taken.


Majid Tehranian wrote:

> "My view is that the bombing was a warning to China on the Taiwan issue,"
> a senior professor told me.  "As another warning to China, North Korea
> will be the next U. S. target of bombing."

This is not surprising, Majid. I assume that you realize that children
in China are taught from elementary school through university that
Taiwan is part of China and that the Chinese have a natural right to
take Taiwan by force at any time. They are also quite Sinocentric as you
noted, another product of government education. The problem lies with a
dictatorial government that brainwashes children and denies freedom of
speech and press. What the West does in Yugoslavia is relatively
unimportant for Taiwan's security and for China's aggressiveness unless
NATO and the US demonstrate a weakness. Whenever China feels it is
strong enough and/or that the U.S. will not intervene, it will invade
Taiwan. So far, I can't think of any reason to believe that  the Kosovo
intervention has had any effect on China's assessment of the likelihood
of a successful takeover of Taiwan.

You can bet that your senior professor's view is not challenged in the
classroom by the predominantly different views of Western scholars and
journalists. When one of these is invited to Beijing U. or to a
Communist Party Central Committee meeting to counter such ideas (and if
they are guaranteed safe passage, including protection from student
demonstrators), it will be time to change one's views.


> In view of the Chinese, PAX NATO is arrogating to itself the right of
> intervention without going through the United Nations.

This is not a surprising view, since China has veto power over any such
action taken by the UN.


> In an age of high
> and low tech weapons of mass destruction propelled by competing national
> ambitions, the world desperately needs the rule of law.

It seems to me that this is precisely what NATO claims to be trying to
establish, albeit a rule of law that respects individual rights to life,
property and determination of leaders through a democratic process.


> That force can better assist in
> bringing the refugees back and reconstructing a war-torn country. That
> would persuade China and others more effectively than NATO's protestation
> of good will.

If China was a major military power, such persuasion would be needed.
But, in spite of its efforts to acquire the highest military technology
by hook or crook, it is not. We can be thankful that its history of
poverty until the partial liberalization of the 80s put its technology
years behind the West. We shall be fortunate if by the time it catches
up, its increasingly rich people demand protection of their human and
property rights and demilitarization.


> The lesson of Kosovo
> is that the UN must now develop an early warning system to identify and
> effectively deal with such violations of human rights before military
> interventions make a peaceful resolution nearly impossible.

But China surely will not to permit such interventions. It seems to me
that to hope that the UN will effectively deal with violations of human
rights is unrealistic.

-- 
Pat Gunning, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
Web pages on Subjectivism, Democracy, Taiwan, Ludwig von Mises,
Austrian Economics, and my University Classes
http://www2.cybercities.com/g/gunning/welcome.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/barclay/212/welcome.htm