Gold9472
08-28-2006, 08:58 AM
US: Possibility of world war never too far away
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/28/eng20060828_297500.html
8/28/2006
A few days ago, American political scientist Bernard Lewis wrote an article claiming that "our world is on the brink of another World War" and "it will originate on August 22 in the Middle East." Known as the US authority on the study of Islam, Lewis is US President George W. Bush's favorite historian. The prediction had an explosive effect and caused uproar around the world.
August 22 has passed. It seems that Bernard Lewis' fears were baseless and his warning about a world war sensationalist and baseless.
Americans talk on and on of an impending world war.
In fact, Bernard Lewis is not the first person to propagate theories about a new world war. Back in October of 2004, Michael Ledeen, Pentagon adviser and holder of the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, suggested that targeting Iran would lead to a worldwide war.
Following this, R. James Woolsey, former CIA Director who argues that the Cold War was in fact World War III, published an article entitled: "The Fourth World War: Why shall we fight? Who are we fighting for? How shall we fight?"
Neo-conservative representative Norman Podhoretz also wrote about ¡®World War IV' and once declared that countries in the Middle East were artificially pieced together after the Ottoman Empire declined.
"Some countries that were created during World War I can be dismantled in World War IV."
Earlier this month, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives said: "It seems to me that we have got caught in the initial stages of a new World War."
Before long, David Bosco, Senior Editor of well-known US magazine Foreign Policy, bought in to the argument, writing : "Could this be the eve of a new world war?"
From scholars to officials, the world war argument continues, gaining momentum from the sense of crisis in the US. However, it seems like a figment of the American imagination.
"The world fights," or "fight the world"
For over half a century, the United States seems to have been preparing for world wars to break out. After World War II concluded, US Army General George Barton called Soviet Union Marshal Georgi Zhukov a "son of a bitch" after their armies joined forces at the Elbe River. This statement almost caused a serious war. Five years later, the United States was involved in a civil war in North Korea. General Douglas MacArthur also claimed that the US would launch the third world war.
Although there has been no war in the style of World War I or II, primarily because of nuclear deterrence, there is another kind of war emerging. The US has developed its own method of "seek and destroy", weeding out and defeating countries one by one. Since the end of World War II, the US and its allies have been engaged in war; North Korea (1951), Vietnam (1961), Grenada (1983), followed by Libya, Panama, the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Today it is pointing its sword towards Iran and North Korea. The flames of war ignited by the US are spreading across the world.
A book by British scholar Dr. Vassilis K Fouska entitled, "New American Imperialism: Bush's war on terror and blood for oil," caused widespread concern in Europe and the US. In the book, the author points out that "the new American imperialists often use splendid rhetoric to disguise themselves. [They use phrases] such as ¡®maintaining peace' and ¡®democracy and freedom.'"
United States has taken the reigns by playing the role of ¡®world savior' in its foreign policy since 1945. Now, the United States has replaced ¡®war on communism' with ¡®war on terrorism' as an all-purpose excuse for global military and political expansion. It's an old American trick to drum up hype about a new world war. They are only entering a new stage of the world war they have been engaged in for years.
New world war reflects US strategic inadequacies
Historically, whenever the US has been in trouble on the battlefield, there has been group of people who believe the answer is in fact to expand the war. This seems to have become a part of US strategic culture. The US considered using nuclear weapons several times during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Now it is focusing on the Middle East.
Today, Americans believe themselves to be most qualified to talk about world wars. Only Americans are brave enough to launch a world war. The US has won two world wars and the Cold War. The American military can mobilize anywhere in the world. With nearly a thousand military bases across the world, the US military has unprecedented fighting capacity.
The US lacks a certain self-awareness and the ability to objectively examine themselves. If the US, with all its military power, cannot dismantle a loose organization lacking support from a national political entity (such as Al Qaeda), how can they believe a new world war is the answer?
The United States has won all the previous world wars. However, those were wars between one ¡®world' and another. Now, the US wants to conquer the whole world. Without morality or justice on their side, the US is not as powerful as it thinks. Moreover, it does not clearly understand the ¡®world' of its enemy. In recent conflict it has become apparent that military forces only have a limited role to play.
The US government has in fact lost confidence in warfare. They are relying more heavily on diplomacy than warfare. However some people have been caught up in the hype about another world war and are refusing to let it go. White House advisers who are not willing to accommodate the status quo, but cannot find a suitable excuse to escape their predicament, find themselves in a difficult situation.
http://english.people.com.cn/200608/28/eng20060828_297500.html
8/28/2006
A few days ago, American political scientist Bernard Lewis wrote an article claiming that "our world is on the brink of another World War" and "it will originate on August 22 in the Middle East." Known as the US authority on the study of Islam, Lewis is US President George W. Bush's favorite historian. The prediction had an explosive effect and caused uproar around the world.
August 22 has passed. It seems that Bernard Lewis' fears were baseless and his warning about a world war sensationalist and baseless.
Americans talk on and on of an impending world war.
In fact, Bernard Lewis is not the first person to propagate theories about a new world war. Back in October of 2004, Michael Ledeen, Pentagon adviser and holder of the Freedom Chair at the American Enterprise Institute, suggested that targeting Iran would lead to a worldwide war.
Following this, R. James Woolsey, former CIA Director who argues that the Cold War was in fact World War III, published an article entitled: "The Fourth World War: Why shall we fight? Who are we fighting for? How shall we fight?"
Neo-conservative representative Norman Podhoretz also wrote about ¡®World War IV' and once declared that countries in the Middle East were artificially pieced together after the Ottoman Empire declined.
"Some countries that were created during World War I can be dismantled in World War IV."
Earlier this month, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives said: "It seems to me that we have got caught in the initial stages of a new World War."
Before long, David Bosco, Senior Editor of well-known US magazine Foreign Policy, bought in to the argument, writing : "Could this be the eve of a new world war?"
From scholars to officials, the world war argument continues, gaining momentum from the sense of crisis in the US. However, it seems like a figment of the American imagination.
"The world fights," or "fight the world"
For over half a century, the United States seems to have been preparing for world wars to break out. After World War II concluded, US Army General George Barton called Soviet Union Marshal Georgi Zhukov a "son of a bitch" after their armies joined forces at the Elbe River. This statement almost caused a serious war. Five years later, the United States was involved in a civil war in North Korea. General Douglas MacArthur also claimed that the US would launch the third world war.
Although there has been no war in the style of World War I or II, primarily because of nuclear deterrence, there is another kind of war emerging. The US has developed its own method of "seek and destroy", weeding out and defeating countries one by one. Since the end of World War II, the US and its allies have been engaged in war; North Korea (1951), Vietnam (1961), Grenada (1983), followed by Libya, Panama, the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Today it is pointing its sword towards Iran and North Korea. The flames of war ignited by the US are spreading across the world.
A book by British scholar Dr. Vassilis K Fouska entitled, "New American Imperialism: Bush's war on terror and blood for oil," caused widespread concern in Europe and the US. In the book, the author points out that "the new American imperialists often use splendid rhetoric to disguise themselves. [They use phrases] such as ¡®maintaining peace' and ¡®democracy and freedom.'"
United States has taken the reigns by playing the role of ¡®world savior' in its foreign policy since 1945. Now, the United States has replaced ¡®war on communism' with ¡®war on terrorism' as an all-purpose excuse for global military and political expansion. It's an old American trick to drum up hype about a new world war. They are only entering a new stage of the world war they have been engaged in for years.
New world war reflects US strategic inadequacies
Historically, whenever the US has been in trouble on the battlefield, there has been group of people who believe the answer is in fact to expand the war. This seems to have become a part of US strategic culture. The US considered using nuclear weapons several times during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Now it is focusing on the Middle East.
Today, Americans believe themselves to be most qualified to talk about world wars. Only Americans are brave enough to launch a world war. The US has won two world wars and the Cold War. The American military can mobilize anywhere in the world. With nearly a thousand military bases across the world, the US military has unprecedented fighting capacity.
The US lacks a certain self-awareness and the ability to objectively examine themselves. If the US, with all its military power, cannot dismantle a loose organization lacking support from a national political entity (such as Al Qaeda), how can they believe a new world war is the answer?
The United States has won all the previous world wars. However, those were wars between one ¡®world' and another. Now, the US wants to conquer the whole world. Without morality or justice on their side, the US is not as powerful as it thinks. Moreover, it does not clearly understand the ¡®world' of its enemy. In recent conflict it has become apparent that military forces only have a limited role to play.
The US government has in fact lost confidence in warfare. They are relying more heavily on diplomacy than warfare. However some people have been caught up in the hype about another world war and are refusing to let it go. White House advisers who are not willing to accommodate the status quo, but cannot find a suitable excuse to escape their predicament, find themselves in a difficult situation.