by Frank Li
The answer is “almost everything!” Here are three latest news stories that triggered this writing:
(1) Afghan leader Karzai condemns ‘US Marines body desecration’ video.
(2) Iranian nuclear chemist killed by motorbike assassins.
(3) Geithner prods China, Japan on Iran oil imports.
The following are my comments with regard to these three stories, respectively:
(1) Afghan: This story, once again, proves this historical perspective: little good comes out of a war, any war! In case you are unaware, nobody has ever “won” in Afghanistan, not the British in the mid 1800s, nor the Soviets in the 1980s. Why should it be different this time for the Americans?
(2) Iran: Why are we, Americans, so worried about Iran, especially its nuclear program? Just like we should let the Chinese worry about North Korea, we should let the people in the Middle East (e.g. Israelis) worry about Iran! Yes, Israel is our friend, but we must not do her job! Two questions:
a. Isn’t this assassination an act of terror? Condemn it publicly, which we already did, and help stop it, both publicly and privately, which we are unlikely to do!
b. Which country has helped Iran most to become a dominant force in that region today? The U.S.! How? Read this: the Iraq War!
(3) Geithner in China: What is Mr. Geithner (right) doing in China about Iran? China will always act according to its own interest, not the U.S. interest! Very importantly, didn’t we just refocus our military on Asia (i.e. Iran and China)? What a laughing stock Mr. Geithner must have been in China right now!
Because these three stories are all linked to the Middle East, it’s time for us to go back to a root point: 9/11/2011. All Americans with an open mind should read this: Ron Paul on 9/11: Ask the right questions and face the truth.
I largely agree Mr. Paul (left) on this!
Bottom line: It’s time to review our foreign policy holistically, as part of the discussion of this profound subject: What is the ideal form of government and how to get there from here?
One case in point: militarily, we are the only super-power on earth. Economically, we are much closer to Europe (i.e. bankruptcy) than to China, a rising star.
The 21st century belongs to either China or America for sure (Globalization 2.0: A Century for Sale, Any Taker?). But which one is going to come out on top? It depends on who can adapt and change as quickly as needed.
Change means, in no small part, which country will undermine itself less. Unfortunately, we keep screwing ourselves up, both domestically and internationally, while China seems to be finally on the right track, after badly hurting herself for more than 200 years!
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About the Author
Frank Li is the Founder and President of W.E.I. (West-East International), a Chicago-based import & export company. Frank received his B.E. from Zhejiang University (China) in 1982, M.E. from the University of Tokyo in 1985, and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in 1988, all in Electrical Engineering. He worked for several companies until 2004, when he founded his own company W.E.I. Today, W.E.I. is a leader in the weighing industry not only in products & services, but also in thought and action.
Dr. Li writes extensively and uniquely on politics, for which he has been called “a modern-day Thomas Jefferson”(see page 31).