China's GREAT ambitions, and Russia's nuclear bunkers: A new Cold War?

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Sep 5, 2016 at 16:30

Hello, Daniel

It's interesting seeing you and Mr. Kassem hashing these things out; and also good to see you appreciate that Donald Trump is also hashing them out. Two people that DON'T seem to be hashing them out, I will interject, are Barack Obama and Hillary Chinton. Ideally, the candidates and the President will respond to the world situation, a process that takes some time. In the Case of Obama and Clinton, however, I see a severe disconnect between their thinking and the world situation: The world is changing, and they are ideologically frozen. That is why I am not afraid of a Trump presidency; but I shudder at the thought of Obama II = Hillary Clinton disrupting the world for four more years.

I think you were wrong about Donald Trump's visit to Mexico. Both he and the Mexican President handled it well, despite constant attacks by the English and Spanish press. The event elevated Mexico in they eyes of Americans, and elevated Mr. Trump in the eyes of both countries: The Donald was "presidential", occupying a place on the podium normally reserved for acting presidents; they had a diplomatically acceptable discourse, and parted civilly. Compare that with Obama's subsequent trip to the G20 summit, which began with a shouting match on the tarmac between American and Chinese security personnel, and ended with the President of the Philippines calling Obama a "son of a whore".

-- https://www.yahoo.com/news/philippines-duterte-calls-barack-obama-son-whore-115824870.html

Moving on to the G20 summit, in which I'm more interested at the moment than in the US Presidential Campaign Circus, I noticed two things:

1. The world's leaders agreed very little and on few things; and may even have made matters worse in many cases, and

2. China may have tipped its hand about how it sees itself in the world. One of the speakers at the "no questions allowed" press conference hosted by President Xi, a prominent Chinese scholar said he saw "China becoming the leader of the developing world, as the US was the leader of the developed world"

Decoding what he said, the "Developed World" includes:

a. NATO allies & Dependencies: Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, the US, Canada, the UK, Iceland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Czech R., Greece, Estonia, Slovakia, Poland, Lithuania, Portugal, Hungary, Latvia, Croatia, Turkey, Greenland, Guam, Gibraltar, Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Sint Maarten, Bermuda, Br. Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Turks & Caicos Islands, New Caledonia, Curacao, N. Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia

b. Major non-NATO US allies: Australia, New Zealand, S. Korea, Israel, Japan, Argentina, Bahrain, Kuwait

c. Members of the European Council: Switzerland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Cyprus, Andorra, Malta, Isle of Man, San Marino, Monaco

d. Other "Western-friendly" countries: Singapore, (Hong Kong,) Brunei, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, U. Arab Emirates, Chile, Montenegro, Mexico, Taiwan, Antigua & Barbuda, Oman, St. Kitts & Nevis, the Bahamas, Barbados, Seychelles, (Macao), Trinidad & Tobago, Nauru, Uruguay

-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country

Everything else, apparently, is fair game for Chinese "leadership", including:

1. China
2. India
3. Indonesia
4. Brazil
5. Pakistan
6. Nigeria
7. Bangladesh
8. Russia
9. Philippines
10. Vietnam
11. Ethiopia
12. Egypt
13. DR Congo
14. Iran
15. Thailand
16. South Africa
17. Tanzania
18. Myanmar
19. Colombia
20. Kenya
& many, many more.

China, in effect, is putting the world on notice, that it envisions the above as part of its "sphere of influence". Their ambitions, therefore, seem to go way beyond the Paracel and Spratly Islands. This reminds me a great deal, of the Cold War.

PS. Elsewhere in the news, I see that the Russians have been building some world-famous top-secret bunkers around Moscow, in preparation for a nuclear war.

-- http://www.cambodiantimes.com/index.php/sid/247367301

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