Massive U.S. Fleet Nears Disputed Islands

[Known_Unknown]

Could this be the start of WWIII? Mmm.....delicious.

 

[average american]

Asia is not depending on the USA for balance of power.

US is using Asian nations which have a convergence of strategic aims to pursuing US national interest to remain the sole superpower with the assistance of the Asian nations.

If it was not in the US interest, US would have just let the issue go!

Or wouldn't they?

If not, why?

There is a world balance of power, the US, European Union, China, but in Asia the only powerful country is China at the present time. Really India is not a significent military power. World Military Strength Comparison

 

[blank_quest]

There is a world balance of power, the US, European Union, China, but in Asia the only powerful country is China at the present time. Really India is not a significent military power. World Military Strength Comparison

GSLV and Domestication of Defense Industry will surely blow away the current hub dub predictions on Indian power in future events..

 

[Known_Unknown]

^^Forgot Russia? That's the other Asian power.....and stronger than China I might add, regardless of current manpower and equipment levels.

India may not be a significant military power, but considering the terrain in which a possible Indo-China conflict may take place (Himalayas), there's no possibility of an all out war and/or a comprehensive defeat of either side.

Japan & Taiwan already have a military pact with the US (which the US may or may not honour), and as for Vietnam, they are renowned Giant-killers.

Who's left? Some of the SE Asian countries such as the Philippines etc. They are small fish, not important enough for the US to go to war with China.

So you see, the security of Asia is in no real danger.

 

[blank_quest]

Its better for us that India rise silently. No misadventures like China.

 

[civfanatic]

The biggest headache in Asia are these small countries like Taiwan and the Phillippines who have become lackeys of the West. India and China should divide Asia between themselves, in two large spheres of influence.

 

[Known_Unknown]

^^For that, the Chinese have to shed their barely disguised contempt of India and work together to rebuild the East.......something that they always preach, but never put into practice.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

The biggest headache in Asia are these small countries like Taiwan and the Phillippines who have become lackeys of the West. India and China should divide Asia between themselves, in two large spheres of influence.

This is unlikely because Chinese view there economic interest and military interest along
the same lines.

 

[civfanatic]

^^For that, the Chinese have to shed their barely disguised contempt of India and work together to rebuild the East.......something that they always preach, but never put into practice.

Asians in general need to revive the Pan-Asian idealism of the early 20th century that early Chinese revolutionaries like Sun Yat-sen preached (see this: http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/military-history/41247-sun-yat-sens-speech-pan-asianism.html). Asian countries will always have more in common with each other than with the West. The idea that India and America are "natural allies" because we are both liberal democracies and speak English is not only extremely laughable but also reeks of arrogance, because it implicitly implies that the ~150 years of British rule were of more significance to Indian culture and civilization than the entire ~3,000 years before it.

Our "natural allies", if any, are not to be found on the other side of the world, but in our fellow Asian countries like Iran, China, and Japan, with whom we share thousands of years of history and cultural exchange. Whether they are democratic or not is totally irrelevant.

 

[blank_quest]

you know small problems are never solved. they are made as "issues" for using them as "bait" in International diplomacy. India can't ruin this "bait"...

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Asians in general need to revive the Pan-Asian idealism of the early 20th century that early Chinese revolutionaries like Sun Yat-sen preached (see this: http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/military-history/41247-sun-yat-sens-speech-pan-asianism.html). Asian countries will always have more in common with each other than with the West. The idea that India and America are "natural allies" because we are both liberal democracies and speak English is not only extremely laughable but also reeks of arrogance, because it implicitly implies that the ~150 years of British rule were of more significance to Indian culture and civilization than the entire ~3,000 years before it.

Our "natural allies", if any, are not to be found on the other side of the world, but in our fellow Asian countries like Iran, China, and Japan, with whom we share thousands of years of history and cultural exchange. Whether they are democratic or not is totally irrelevant.

There has always been talk of a Russia-India-China alliance which would if occured
would be twice as a big as NATO. But Chinese have been increasingly hostile towards
India since 1962 so this is unlikely. The divisions in Asia guarantees no Asian country
will have their "century".

 

[W.G.Ewald]

TRIPLETT: On China's many atrocities - Washington Times

Bullying and war threats are aimed at China's neighbors in the South China Sea.

 

[average american]

^^Forgot Russia? That's the other Asian power.....and stronger than China I might add, regardless of current manpower and equipment levels.

India may not be a significant military power, but considering the terrain in which a possible Indo-China conflict may take place (Himalayas), there's no possibility of an all out war and/or a comprehensive defeat of either side.

Japan & Taiwan already have a military pact with the US (which the US may or may not honour), and as for Vietnam, they are renowned Giant-killers.

Who's left? Some of the SE Asian countries such as the Philippines etc. They are small fish, not important enough for the US to go to war with China.

So you see, the security of Asia is in no real danger.

Russias not significent, only about half the military budget of China and their money does not near as far. Besides Russia has a 2600 mile border with China they could not hope to defend.

 

[The Messiah]

I hope the yanks start a fight there.

Two birds with one stone.

 

[Known_Unknown]

Russias not significent, only about half the military budget of China and their money does not near as far. Besides Russia has a 2600 mile border with China they could not hope to defend.

Don't poke the Bear and the Bear won't eat you. Simple. Even the Chinese know this. It doesn't matter how much the Russians spend, in times of adversity, they can go to extreme lengths, and this was demonstrated clearly during WWII. Russian leaders won't hesitate to put a fifth of their population in Gulags as forced labour to support the war effort if they think it will help them win. Not that they need to do that....their arsenal of nukes, the largest in the world, will ensure that no one dares to attack Russia.

 

[asianobserve]

Asia should not depend on the USA for the balance of power in Asia against China. India and Asians need to become organized and strong enought to reach an balanced equilibrium of power in Asia, power by nature abhors a vacuum.

Agree that Asians needs to get their collective acts together to contain China, actually we're doing it now. But we need the leadership of a strong outside power. Note that these smaller Asian countries also have their own entanglements with each other like SoKor against Japan or some ASEAN countries for some sections of the Spratlys. Without a superpower to moderate these grievances (in some extent suppress them) I'm afraid China will have a free reign dividing and conquering Asia.

 

[asianobserve]

Don't poke the Bear and the Bear won't eat you. Simple. Even the Chinese know this. It doesn't matter how much the Russians spend, in times of adversity, they can go to extreme lengths, and this was demonstrated clearly during WWII. Russian leaders won't hesitate to put a fifth of their population in Gulags as forced labour to support the war effort if they think it will help them win. Not that they need to do that....their arsenal of nukes, the largest in the world, will ensure that no one dares to attack Russia.

That bear has nothing to offer to the troubled areas in Asia. It can continue drinking their vodka and bullying its former satellites but it don't and can't contribute anything politically significant to the territorial tussles in East and South East Asia (heck it can't even resolve its territorial dispute with Japan). They can however supply us with some cheap weapons or do some joint R&D.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

Why would India do the clear up act of and for someone else, ever? If the east Asians, the Americans, and the Europeans feel so passionately about all that the Chinese are doing, they very well can do all that they want to.

We have our interests to keep on both the sides, and the GoI is doing a fine job. Using the situation, and the paranoia, we have made inroads where we had to, and now we only need to consolidate further and create the dependencies of others' on us.

As I have said, rather than crack your heads on which side to pick, make yourself strong enough that the world is forced to pick a side in our favor, till then, play everyone around to whatever benefit we can.

 

[asianobserve]

Why would India do the clear up act of and for someone else, ever? If the east Asians, the Americans, and the Europeans feel so passionately about all that the Chinese are doing, they very well can do all that they want to.

We have our interests to keep on both the sides, and the GoI is doing a fine job. Using the situation, and the paranoia, we have made inroads where we had to, and now we only need to consolidate further and create the dependencies of others' on us.

As I have said, rather than crack your heads on which side to pick, make yourself strong enough that the world is forced to pick a side in our favor, till then, play everyone around to whatever benefit we can.

A position that is neither here nor there... has it served India well during the last round of geopolitical tug-of-war? India may have advanced significantly in the field of economics this time around yet it is still not in a position to engineer a 3rd way. India's dream of a neither here nor there position it is only playing to China's hands by weakening the counter-China coalition. You should not forget that China is India's biggest strategic challenge.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

Asianobserve,

I am not even mentioning a 3rd option here, India is far from it for now. What India has been looking at is to create the space that remains beneficial to us in the immediate future, and a very well consolidated position in a couple of decades when we can shape the things as we want to.

Look at the India-US-China equation, the smartest cookie of the lot, no guess really, it's the US. Other than all the posturing, they have very cordial relations with both the PRC and India, but the relations between India and China, quite a few problems. It is where India ought to move.

Let the US and China have a go at each other for all one would care for, the only thing that remains of interest, what is it we end up gaining. When I talk about inroads, a decade back where was India in East-Asia? And today! You have to see the significant gains India has made strategically, and that too with a backing of a mere 2 trillion dollar economy, and East Asia is just one of the examples. If I may say, India's foreign policy have been the least evaluated one by the overseas analysts, and the gains have been significant from East Asia to West Asia as a whole to Israel/Iran/KSA in specific to Latin America to Africa for the country.

If you look from where I am looking, China is a challenge for everyone but India. They present us with the biggest opportunity by using their arrogance to our benefit. Just the way the crisis in East Asia was an opportunity, believe me you, China with it's arrogance will itself open up the space for us across the globe. Their arrogance works very well to our advantage, I would love them to do more of what they are doing and only keep getting aggressive by the day, dependencies on India would have only increased more, something that remains a necessity for India's real rise.