Pannetta: US Navy shift to Asia doesn't have shit to do with China; China ROR's

[katmai]

Why would he start now?

[Kolytsin]

I would agree that China's attitude is doing it no favors.  It's probably a major factor in Myanmar's willingness to approach reform.  They certainly don't like the idea of being a Chinese vassal state.  In fact, the only country that really likes that idea is North Korea.  In an odd way, China's actions buttresses American power in the area by forcing nations like Vietnam to seek favor from the other dominant hegemon.

I still feel Panetta may be telling the truth.  I don't think that Washington's actions are meant as a challenge against the Chinese, but are intended to reassure her allies in the area by redeploying an adequate number of dwindling ship resources to support them.  America goes a long way to avoid diplomatic tiffs with China.  However, there is almost no way that the Chinese can see it as anything other than a challenge. 

[Monoriu]

Where does this attitude come from?  Surely the media and school system have a part.  Who controls the media and school system?  The same people you claim are victims of this attitude.

I agree that the attitude exists.  I don't buy that the government is just giving in to it.  Particularly when it comes to claims from Chinese officials that amount to nothing more than the colonialism they themselves decry.

To a certain extent I agree with this.  But "the government" is not a uniform entity.  Different people, different factions and even the same people in different times have different opinions.  It may also be an unintended consequence.  The guys who started to promote nationalism in schools and the media 20 years ago don't know/don't care that their actions will affect Chinese diplomacy on some island in the South China Sea a generation later. 

[CountDeMoney]

To a certain extent I agree with this.  But "the government" is not a uniform entity.  Different people, different factions and even the same people in different times have different opinions.  It may also be an unintended consequence.  The guys who started to promote nationalism in schools and the media 20 years ago don't know/don't care that their actions will affect Chinese diplomacy on some island in the South China Sea a generation later.

"Brave words. I've heard them before, from thousands of species across thousands of worlds, since long before you were created. But, now they are all Borg."

[grumbler]

To a certain extent I agree with this.  But "the government" is not a uniform entity.  Different people, different factions and even the same people in different times have different opinions.  It may also be an unintended consequence.  The guys who started to promote nationalism in schools and the media 20 years ago don't know/don't care that their actions will affect Chinese diplomacy on some island in the South China Sea a generation later. 

I agree that they didn't know that their actions would affect Chinese diplomacy specifically over some small islands, but think they knew that jingoism would affect diplomacy in some fashion.   That's a price they were willing to pay for the domestic support boost - just like the last two Tsars and their pan-Slavism.

Let's hope China's self-induced jingoism doesn't drive Chinese diplomacy the way Pan-Slavist jingoism drove Russian diplomacy leading up to WW1.  The 1914 version didn't end well for anyone.