Your CdM's China Warmongering Thread du Jour

[The Minsky Moment]

It does recall the US idea that it is a "nation-builder", without pondering that the results it got in Western Germany and Japan just might have had more to do with the fact that these were disciplined peoples who worked hard, and that thus any effort in the Middle East will result in failure, as those populations lack those characteristics.

See Jake, the problem isn't anti-Americanism at all; it's racist stereotyping.

[Tamas]

Wow, a full on Nazi apologist. They are so rarely seen in the wild these days!

Obviously, you haven't been to Hungary lately.

[The Minsky Moment]

The common folk DOES believe that their troops will help the countries they invade, that they WON'T harm the locals; they DO believe privatization and liberalization is the best economic answer for everything; they REALLY believe that the mockery of 'Democracy' that they have is the most wonderful system EVAH. They DO think that there is very little corruption in Liberal Democratic regimes, and that systems like the Chinese are full of it.

Taking the US, let's go one by one:

1)  The common folk DOES believe that their troops will help the countries they invade, that they WON'T harm the locals.
Popular attitudes in the US have almost always opposed nation-building, which is why Bush ran against it in 2000.  Recently polling data show spikes in support for isolationism which is now a majority position.

2) they DO believe privatization and liberalization is the best economic answer for everything
Which is why the voters elected Obama, why the US government spends more on health care than anyone else in the world, why the US has the toughest financial regulation and enforcement in the non-commie world and continues to pile on new laws, why the US never privatized the post office, etc. etc. ?

3)  they REALLY believe that the mockery of 'Democracy' that they have is the most wonderful system EVAH
Do you have any historical or present alternatives you would propose?

4) DO think that there is very little corruption in Liberal Democratic regimes, and that systems like the Chinese are full of it
Compared to China or Russia, there is relatively little corruption

[derspiess]

You could acquire Marxist histories in the US, or Britain or Canada, or France at any time during the Cold War.

The Soviet embassy sent my bro a shitload of their little books when he wrote them for research help on some school paper. I wish they were kept.

They were a hoot.

I have some similar material from East Germany from the 80s, in English.  They are also a hoot.  Apparently the DDR had tons of free speech, religious freedoms *and* a perfectly functioning "socialist" system.  Everyone was happy, and their GDP automatically grew by like 7% each year.

[Siege]

I think the Mimzy moment did kik Martinus sock puppet out of the ski.

[Siege]

You could acquire Marxist histories in the US, or Britain or Canada, or France at any time during the Cold War.

The Soviet embassy sent my bro a shitload of their little books when he wrote them for research help on some school paper. I wish they were kept.

They were a hoot.

I have some similar material from East Germany from the 80s, in English.  They are also a hoot.  Apparently the DDR had tons of free speech, religious freedoms *and* a perfectly functioning "socialist" system.  Everyone was happy, and their GDP automatically grew by like 7% each year.

[Alcibiades]

I always taught my guys the right way to do it, and get away with it:
1- No women, no kids, unless they got guns.
2- MAMs (military age males) are fair game, even without guns, as long as you can talk your way out it, convincing your chain of command the dudes were a threat.
3- Never kill 16 at ONE TIME. I mean, come on. You can get away with 40, in twos and threes, but not with SIXTEEN at ONCE.

(It seems that Yi, using selective memory, 'forgot' the thread: it's always 'forgotten' if it involves GIs)

Are you really quoting siege?  I mean really?   He's an old mediocre soldier from Israel, and an E-4(maybe E-5 now?) to boot.  Nobody listens to him, he has no sway and maybe is able to influence 3-4 soldiers if they don't already realize he is batshit crazy.

It's like referencing the crazy hobo on the corner holding a sign saying the world is ending.  He's either completely talking out of his ass or insane.

[jimmy olsen]

You didn't win Korea.

Are you sure?

Seoul


Pyongyang

[CountDeMoney]

All those pictures tell me is that Seoul has some pretty fucked up rush hour traffic, while I could be home in Pyongyang in 7 minutes.

[Grey Fox]

Most of the Pyongyang pictures we are shown always seem to be in the Fall. Is there no summer in the PRK?

[Jacob]

All those pictures tell me is that Seoul has some pretty fucked up rush hour traffic, while I could be home in Pyongyang in 7 minutes.

Yeah, but you'd be living in Pyongyang.

[Syt]

Still would be way easier to find out which car now has his stolen license plates.

[CountDeMoney]

All those pictures tell me is that Seoul has some pretty fucked up rush hour traffic, while I could be home in Pyongyang in 7 minutes.

Yeah, but you'd be living in Pyongyang.

You got a problem with the Revolution?

[Valmy]

You do see a shift in tone after Vietnam, but that shift seems to have been temporary. 

Eh before WWII the US was dealing with the trauma of the Civil War.  After a few decades of mutual accusation and bloody shirt waving we decided to invent the myth that the war was nobody's fault, it seems those states were forced to secede by like the Demi-Gods of history or something, and we had all these Blue-Gray reunions to try to get the veterans to kiss and make up.  The first couple meetings were really tense but eventually they got with the program.  Which led to a period following WWI where we decided the whole Civil War was a mistake and a huge waste of life for no reason at all and a tragedy...which was totally not influenced at all by the experience of WWI.

I think the super-patriotism that followed WWII was another attempt to finally end the sectional divide and trauma of the Civil War.  Then Vietnam brought up a whole bunch of new issues that we are still dealing with, the culture war and all that.  And I think the return to American 'rah-rah' is an attempt to deal with that issue.

I am pretty amazed the 150th anniversary of the ACW has come with barely a peep from anybody.  It looks like the burden of it and slavery is finally being lifted from the US' shoulders.

[Valmy]

I have some similar material from East Germany from the 80s, in English.  They are also a hoot.  Apparently the DDR had tons of free speech, religious freedoms *and* a perfectly functioning "socialist" system.  Everyone was happy, and their GDP automatically grew by like 7% each year.

It was sorta sad how much our western intelligence agencies seemed to believe their garbage as well.  They considered the DDR one of the strongest economies in the world before the wall collapsed and we learned the truth.

Of course over-estimating Soviet Bloc strength also had certain bureaucratic advantages for the CIA and company...