Sea-Change: A New Cold War (and Arms Race) with China

"Sea Change" is an idiom for broad transformation drawn from a phrase in Shakespeare's The Tempest en.wikipedia.org...(idiom)

Are seeing a "sea change" in our policy to China?

The vast build up of military assets in the Asia-Pacific signals a fundamental change in U.S. policy towards China. Washington no longer believes that China can be integrated into the existing US-led system. Recent actions taken by China– particularly the announcement that it planned to launch an Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) that would compete head-to-head with the World Bank and IMF— have set off alarms in the Capital where behind-the-scenes powerbrokers and think tank pundits agree that a more “robust” policy is needed to slow China’s ascendency. The current confrontation in the South China Sea–where the US has demanded that China immediately cease all land reclamation activities–indicates that the new policy has already been activated increasing the prospects of a conflagration between the two nuclear-armed adversaries.

“Washington is not looking for peace or war. They’re looking for domination. If they can achieve domination peacefully – that’s fine. If they can’t, they’ll use war. It’s that simple.” — William Blum, Interview with Russia Today

“The U.S. is frantically surrounding China with military weapons, advanced aircraft, naval fleets and a multitude of military bases from Japan, South Korea and the Philippines through several nearby smaller Pacific islands to its new and enlarged base in Australia…. The U.S. naval fleet, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines patrol China’s nearby waters. Warplanes, surveillance planes, drones and spying satellites cover the skies, creating a symbolic darkness at noon.” — Jack A. Smith, “Hegemony Games: USA vs. PRC”, CounterPunch

This past month may be remembered as the moment the United States lost its role as the underwriter of the global economic system. True, there have been any number of periods of frustration for the United States before and multiple times when U.S. behavior was hardly multilateralist, such as the 1971 Nixon shock ending the convertibility of the dollar into gold. But I can think of no event since Bretton Woods comparable to the combination of China’s effort to establish a major new institution and the failure of the United States to persuade dozens of its traditional allies, starting with Britain, to stay out. (Washington Post)

"It’s clear that Summers grasps the gravity of what has unfolded and the challenge the AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank) poses to US hegemony. Readers should note that Summers ominous warnings were delivered just months before Washington dramatically revamped its China policy which suggests that the announcement of the AIIB was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Shortly after, the Obama administration made “crucial changes” to the existing policy. Containment and integration were replaced with the current policy of intimidation, incitement and confrontation. Beijing was elevated to Public Enemy Number 1, America’s primary strategic rival."

Source: wakeupfromyourslumber.com...


Does this mark a "watershed" moment?

Used as a metaphor since the late 19th century, this sense of "watershed" has meant a dividing line, often a moment in time marking a momentous transition, as the Reagan presidency might be said, for better or worse, to have marked a "watershed" in American politics. This figurative use of "watershed" to mean "epochal moment" is widely heard in Great Britain.

In the U.S., however, there is a slightly different use of "watershed" in a technical sense to mean "the drainage area (often mountain forests) feeding a river or other water system." This has led to the metaphorical use of "watershed" in America to mean "an experience or event which produces profound effects later on," much as heavy rains in the mountains may lead to floods later on in the valley below. In this sense, growing up in suburbia might be said to have been a "watershed experience" for many modern American writers.

Now we can add "sea change" and "watershed" to reference how Washington has thrown down the gauntlet in the South China Sea.

a reply to: wasaka

Anything that challenges the IMF and World Bank will be met with strong opposition. I just read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", which describes how IMF, World Bank and covert participants use the system itself to throw developing countries into debt and use their influence to get UN votes.

I assume a similar destructive path will be scorched as a result of this AIIB, although IMF has decades head start on them.

The thing is, as long as we have the financial system that we do (with a complete monopoly in the banking industry and manipulation in the stock market), the wars both domestically and abroad will intensify as opposition grows and those in power see their $$$$ and way of doing things are in jeopardy. Less rights for citizens = more control by TPTB. Wars/military conflicts keeps fuel on their fire and challenges any defectors (i.e. the East, Russia, etc.)

The next 3 years are going to be a rollercoaster in the geopolitical arena, I can assure you this

Very interesting.. I'll be curious to see how this is aired in the media here in the UK. I notice that particular subjects are ushered in with not so much a sea change, but by stealthy guerilla positioning of information. The sea change in our broad-scope nationalistic sentiment only occurs when a subject has reached a critical mass of organic growth of group opinion arising from the tactical seed-planting.

This is the first I've heard about a possible strategic change, but looking back it's been easy to see that a few seeds were scattered here and there, regarding Japanese contention, changes to military base arrangements & the repositioning of hardware. Those seeds have clearly sprouted sufficiently for the 'farmers' to start drawing the wider attention of the world to the growth of a 'problem', and in so doing, I suppose they're preparing us for a new 'enemy', in time.

Usually it takes about two weeks for the UK media to catch up to ATS stories - I sometimes wonder if this is a 'scepticism laboratory', where our collective paranoia & suspicion is aimed at a new problem/strategy/injustice, and our opinions studied to 'close the loop' where any potential gap in the story can be plugged before being rolled out to the masses. Responding to the criticism of conspiracy theorists probably makes for good preparation to sell BS across a wider platform.

I think the powers that were are going to throw everything they can at resolving a problem that has gone past the point of no return .Every move the west makes now ,even their TPP agreement will not stop the new Silk Road and all the parts that go with it . With China having nearly 70% of economic activity sowed up and the west loosing ground every day because of stupid sanctions it will only mean less jobs and economic output for the west . imo

eta ..."By Ron Paul

June 08, 2015 "Information Clearing House" - If you look at the track record of the interventionists you might think they would pause before taking on more projects. Each of their past projects has ended in disaster yet still they press on. Last week the website Zero Hedge posted a report about hacked emails between billionaire George Soros and Ukrainian President Poroshenko.

Soros is very close to the Ukrainian president, who was put in power after a US-backed coup deposed the elected leader of Ukraine last year. In the email correspondence, Soros tells the Ukrainian leadership that the US should provide Ukraine “with same level of sophistication in defense weapons to match the level of opposing force." In other words, despite the February ceasefire, Soros is pushing behind the scenes to make sure Ukraine receives top-of-the-line lethal weapons from the United States. Of course it will be up to us to pay the bill because Ukraine is broke." www.informationclearinghouse.info... Besides Ukraine being broke the US is not that healthy either according to many people that understand such things . The US seems to have become more of a paper tiger in one sense . Sure having military bases all over the world might look good but the cost and the usefulness has got it's limits .

Couple corrections from your OP. Nope Russia is still enemy number one in the US's eyes. But I will give RT excellent points in their attempted deflection with more vilification of the US .



The build up in southeast Asia has nothing to do with new banks. It is solely due to China overstepping their bounds and claiming territory far beyond the limits of international law . It also has something to do with these things called "treaties" that US tends to recognize, unlike Russia and the Budapest memorandum .

China and then India will emerge as the new Superpower. The US administration will try to influence that fact for the benefit of US strategic policy and the benefit elite class in the US.
China won;t fight directly for a decade or two but through it's proxies such as Russia, China, Europe, Pakistan, North Korea, Europe, may choose to engage as is already happening with Russia, Syria, Iran.
A first move against China would be sanctions but they probably wouldn't be enforceable.
Perhaps swing Russia towards the West and a block that includes Europe, India, Indonesia as well would help balance Chinese influence.
a reply to: wasaka

originally posted by: FlyInTheOintment
Very interesting..

Usually it takes about two weeks for the UK media to catch up to ATS stories - I sometimes wonder if this is a 'scepticism laboratory', where our collective paranoia & suspicion is aimed at a new problem/strategy/injustice, and our opinions studied to 'close the loop' where any potential gap in the story can be plugged before being rolled out to the masses. Responding to the criticism of conspiracy theorists probably makes for good preparation to sell BS across a wider platform.

I have often thought this myself.

ATS is a good lab in those terms, but what do I know =)

Remember, "Everything is Under Control" as Robert Anton Wilson would say.

originally posted by: Greathouse
Couple corrections from your OP. Nope Russia is still enemy number one in the US's eyes. But I will give RT excellent points in their attempted deflection with more vilification of the US .

The build up in southeast Asia has nothing to do with new banks. It is solely due to China overstepping their bounds and claiming territory far beyond the limits of international law . It also has something to do with these things called "treaties" that US tends to recognize, unlike Russia and the Budapest memorandum .

Thanks for the opposing view.

However, it does appear that China is messing
with the Money Junkies. When you do that,
you get a military escalation. Is that just a
coincidence?

You may think this remarkable concurrence of events or
circumstances is without apparent causal connection,
but I doubt too many here on ATS would agree.

a reply to: wasaka

I doubt too many on ATS would agree

On that I totally agree .

Actual facts seem to fall to the wayside when there's some good US economic doom speculation to go around.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: wasaka

Anything that challenges the IMF and World Bank will be met with strong opposition. I just read "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", which describes how IMF, World Bank and covert participants use the system itself to throw developing countries into debt and use their influence to get UN votes.

Have you read "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism" (2007) by the Canadian author Naomi Klein? That book, together with "Confessions of an Economic Hitman", give the reader a realistic view of why history is unfolding as it is... and why this "sea change" with China is about money. What do you think the effect of Bitcoin (now most popular in China) will have on this dynamic conflict?

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: wasaka

I doubt too many on ATS would agree

On that I totally agree .

Actual facts seem to fall to the wayside when there's some good US economic doom speculation to go around.

How many threads on ATS are based on actual facts?

a reply to: wasaka

I find it truly ironic that the powerful USA will be destroyed as it is written

God it seems really loves irony

Unbelievable drama