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Containing Chinese Expansion
China's Growing Military Muscle
Throughout the Cold War the United States worked
with its allies to contain the Soviet Union's expansion;
it's much the same today with regard to China
There's an old saying in journalism that "Nothing in politics is true until it has been officially denied." So, here is U.S. President Barack Obama giving a speech in Tokyo in November 2009.
The speech was reported by BBC News under the title "U.S. welcomes strong China – Obama; "President Barack Obama says the U.S. 'does not seek to contain' China's rise as a big player on the world stage."
Threat Posed by Communist Expansion
George F. Kennan was a high-ranking American diplomat. In February 1946, he sent what has become to be known as The Long Telegram, from his post in Moscow, capital of the Soviet Union, to Washington.
In that message, he outlined what was called the policy of containment. His analysis was that the Communist regime was intent on expanding its influence over the rest of the world. He advised that this expansion must be contained, and this became the objective of American foreign policy for the next 50 years.
Soviet Union Contained during Cold War
To start with containment applied to the Soviet Union, but after the Communists came to power in China in 1949, it became the foundation of U.S. policy toward that country also.
In practical terms, containment of the Soviet Union meant, among other things, setting up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The military alliance of Western democracies, including Canada, faced the Soviet Union and its allies across Europe.
Following World War II, the Soviets had occupied and overpowered many countries in Eastern Europe – Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc. Heavily armed NATO forces stood ready to prevent any further takeovers.
The Age of Proxy Wars
Containment was soon put to the test. On June 25, 1950, Communist North Korea, using Soviet-supplied weapons and Chinese political support, invaded South Korea. The United Nations authorized a counterattack and 17 nations, including Canada, answered the call. After three years of fighting that eventually included Chinese troops, a ceasefire was agreed to and the Korean War came to an end.
Whenever Soviet agents started to stir up trouble anywhere in the world, America and its allies were there with financial and military aid to block them. The reverse was also true as the Soviet Union tried to counter the expansion of the Western allies.
David J. Francis writes about these "proxy wars" in his 2006 book United Africa: Western nations thought it important to have "allies in Africa and to 'contain the threat of Communism.' "
Containment in Asia
Containment was again challenged militarily in Vietnam. Conflict between Communist North Vietnam and French occupying troops began in the mid-1940s. It reached full-scale warfare in the mid-1950s and eventually drew the United States into the bloody affair (below).
The Chinese supplied the North Vietnamese who prevailed when the United States pulled its last troops out in 1973.
Since then, there have been no direct confrontations and the United States and China are now much more likely to talk over the differences than reach for a gun.
But, the notion of containment has not gone away. With its massive military spending, the U.S. dominates the Pacific Ocean and intends to keep doing so into the foreseeable future.
In 2003 the U.S. Council of Foreign Relations published a book entitled Chinese Military Power. The writers noted that, "The rise of China has long been a growing concern among U.S. foreign policymakers. Of particular concern is the strength of Chinese military power and its relation to U.S. military capability."
Chinese Leaders Believe Containment still U.S. Policy
This has not gone unnoticed in Beijing, as a leader in The Economist (October 2009) pointed out: "Chinese officials still habitually complain that the world has not accepted China's emergence, and want to thwart its ambitions and 'contain' it."
Perhaps, this is why China put so much of its military hardware on display during a huge parade that marked the 60th anniversary of the Communist Revolution on October 1, 2009.
Tania Branigan and Jonathan Watts described the parade in The Guardian: "From the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the politburo reviewed an array of unmanned drones, Long Sword cruise missiles, and other modern weaponry, most of which was developed in China and being shown to the public for the first time."
China's Growing Military Muscle
Throughout the Cold War the United States worked
with its allies to contain the Soviet Union's expansion;
it's much the same today with regard to China
There's an old saying in journalism that "Nothing in politics is true until it has been officially denied." So, here is U.S. President Barack Obama giving a speech in Tokyo in November 2009.
The speech was reported by BBC News under the title "U.S. welcomes strong China – Obama; "President Barack Obama says the U.S. 'does not seek to contain' China's rise as a big player on the world stage."
Threat Posed by Communist Expansion
George F. Kennan was a high-ranking American diplomat. In February 1946, he sent what has become to be known as The Long Telegram, from his post in Moscow, capital of the Soviet Union, to Washington.
In that message, he outlined what was called the policy of containment. His analysis was that the Communist regime was intent on expanding its influence over the rest of the world. He advised that this expansion must be contained, and this became the objective of American foreign policy for the next 50 years.
Soviet Union Contained during Cold War
To start with containment applied to the Soviet Union, but after the Communists came to power in China in 1949, it became the foundation of U.S. policy toward that country also.
In practical terms, containment of the Soviet Union meant, among other things, setting up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The military alliance of Western democracies, including Canada, faced the Soviet Union and its allies across Europe.
Following World War II, the Soviets had occupied and overpowered many countries in Eastern Europe – Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc. Heavily armed NATO forces stood ready to prevent any further takeovers.
The Age of Proxy Wars
Containment was soon put to the test. On June 25, 1950, Communist North Korea, using Soviet-supplied weapons and Chinese political support, invaded South Korea. The United Nations authorized a counterattack and 17 nations, including Canada, answered the call. After three years of fighting that eventually included Chinese troops, a ceasefire was agreed to and the Korean War came to an end.
Whenever Soviet agents started to stir up trouble anywhere in the world, America and its allies were there with financial and military aid to block them. The reverse was also true as the Soviet Union tried to counter the expansion of the Western allies.
David J. Francis writes about these "proxy wars" in his 2006 book United Africa: Western nations thought it important to have "allies in Africa and to 'contain the threat of Communism.' "
Containment in Asia
Containment was again challenged militarily in Vietnam. Conflict between Communist North Vietnam and French occupying troops began in the mid-1940s. It reached full-scale warfare in the mid-1950s and eventually drew the United States into the bloody affair (below).
The Chinese supplied the North Vietnamese who prevailed when the United States pulled its last troops out in 1973.
Since then, there have been no direct confrontations and the United States and China are now much more likely to talk over the differences than reach for a gun.
But, the notion of containment has not gone away. With its massive military spending, the U.S. dominates the Pacific Ocean and intends to keep doing so into the foreseeable future.
In 2003 the U.S. Council of Foreign Relations published a book entitled Chinese Military Power. The writers noted that, "The rise of China has long been a growing concern among U.S. foreign policymakers. Of particular concern is the strength of Chinese military power and its relation to U.S. military capability."
Chinese Leaders Believe Containment still U.S. Policy
This has not gone unnoticed in Beijing, as a leader in The Economist (October 2009) pointed out: "Chinese officials still habitually complain that the world has not accepted China's emergence, and want to thwart its ambitions and 'contain' it."
Perhaps, this is why China put so much of its military hardware on display during a huge parade that marked the 60th anniversary of the Communist Revolution on October 1, 2009.
Tania Branigan and Jonathan Watts described the parade in The Guardian: "From the Gate of Heavenly Peace, the politburo reviewed an array of unmanned drones, Long Sword cruise missiles, and other modern weaponry, most of which was developed in China and being shown to the public for the first time."
