China - Secular Oligarchy & Sustainability

Submitted by Robert (United States), Jan 10, 2017 at 14:31

Dear Prashant,

I like you because I love India. When I first learned my math history, I was taught that we eventually acquired the Arabic Numerals, 0, 1 ... 9, which replaced the Roman, I, V, X, L, C .... Only later did I discover that these were re-labeled the Hindu-Arabic Numerals - since the Arabs merely transmitted these to the West from the Hindus.

Unfortunately, however, you seem only to focus on your experience with Muslim Pakistan, which though it is a Secular Republic, I gather you do not consider it a Secular Republic.

However, (mainland) China too is Secular. But it isn't a Democracy. It is ruled by the Communist Party; but it may not even be an Oligarchy, if the is ruled from the top down by President Xi.

Perhaps your argument should be that no Dictatorship, Autocracy, or Authoritarian Regime like the Theocracy of Iran, is ultimately UNSUSTAINABLE. However, from that it does not follow that the United States should engage in Regime Change, or even in State Building, since this appears not to be possible in every instance without huge investments in Money and Time.

Places like France, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, etc., were a success, when the United States disengaged.

So it seems the only course left is Realpolitik of the kind engaged by Henry Kissinger - who is advising the Trump administration, which any close reading of the news media shows.

The good thing about Rex (a King?) is that in being from the Business world, he isn't prejudiced by any ideology, or Diplomatic protocols, or Foreign Policy doctrines. He reminds me of the Godfather movies, and especially of Lucky Luciano's Organized Crime. And during World War Two the United States did contact Luciano in order to secure the Docks against Nazi Sabotage.

So, if you cannot destroy Dictatorships, the next alternative is working with them until they Implode by themselves - as was the case with the Soviet Union.

I am only guessing, but it seems that Rex is in an excellent position to make a deal with Orthodox Christian Putin against the current belligerent stands of not Democratic Communist China.

But the issue here, in this Web space is the Middle East. And here we know of Trump's extremely strong affinity towards Israel. Israel is an extremely strong power on the border of failed-state Syria. We also know how Trump views almost-nuclear Ayatollah-ruled Iran.

I forecast Rex to ally with Israel, and make the Muslim fanatics "offers they cannot refuse" - which they will, but at their own extremely high costs.

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