Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by emocivilblog on August 29, 2011 at 2:09am

The Western world's thirst for war has been sedated over the past few decades mainly because of the haunted memories of the Holocaust, Vietnam, and so on. And now the West is totally sick of meddling in the Middle East too. Our thirst for war, Christian or not, is virtually gone.
 
Alas, on current projections, you will have to ask China whether they have lost their thirst for war. Because they are currently arming themselves to the teeth, acting aggressively in the South-China Sea, setting up economic outposts as far and wide across the globe as their money will buy, pursuing a program to dominate space, planting a flag in Antarctica, mounting a sustained hacking campaign against Western military and businesses, arresting foreign business leaders who they don't like, expanding into Tibet, etc.
 
China is acting in a very old-fashioned manner of building an empire by fair or foul means, and barking at anyone who dares to question their intentions. The burning question is whether China, when economically and militarily empowered to do whatever they like, will feel any of the restraints that the West has learned the hard way. I fear they will not. All signs are that China is hungry and thirsty for world domination and they do not carry any haunting memories to restrain them. History repeats.
 
The lesson is to worry less about Christianity, but worry more about our economic policies that are feeding a monster. Who in their right mind would feel safe in a world dominated by China? Why are we pursuing economic policies that finance the rise of a power that we don't trust? Worry about the fact that the Western world has a serious case of paralysis through blind adherence to free-trade dogma, rather than Christian dogma.

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Permalink Reply by John McElwain on August 29, 2011 at 4:54am

China has a lot of economic, social and ecological problems to solve before ever attaining anything like superpower status. I don't have time to write at length, but two thirds of China's population could be classed as peasants, 60% of her manufacturing is done by foreign companies, and there's very little knowledge based commerce going on there. China will be powerful; but I doubt that world domination by China is possible in the near future.

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on August 29, 2011 at 5:23am

The West has not shown restraint, we have murdered, plundered, slain, assassinated all over the world. I see no reason why China would be any different once they reach that world leading status.

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Permalink Reply by John McElwain on August 29, 2011 at 4:48am

I've always felt that religious belief facilitates the waging of war. If people believe in an afterlife it seems psychologically easier to risk one's life or deprive others of theirs. Could the slaughter of WW1 have taken place if everyone had been a sceptical atheist? The US, however has a huge economic motive for continued militarization. The money being made through the sale of military materials, equipment, food and fuel is staggering. Even if not actually fighting the simple maintenance of military forces generates a lot of revenue. Of course many people who subscribe to religious beliefs, especially the fundamentalist Christian Right, seem to me to be more easily convinced of the necessity of going to war. Perhaps this is related to their inclination to accept authority, their disinclination to analytical thinking, or both.

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on August 29, 2011 at 12:55pm

Just a point of information... not that international aid relates to war...

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on August 29, 2011 at 1:31pm

That is a misleading graph. The fact remains in pure dollars, we are the greatest contributor of aid throughout the world.

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Permalink Reply by TNT666 on August 29, 2011 at 1:39pm

Absolute numbers are never as revealing as relative values. The USA is the 3rd largest population in the world and the richest, it is defacto going to be on the top of a gazillionn lists, the only way to make sense of them is to put things in their proper perspective.

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on August 29, 2011 at 1:50pm

That is not proper perspective. Every time there is a natural disaster, who is their to aid people? The U.S. is the greatest force for good in the world helping people when disasters and famine strike.

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Permalink Reply by Carl Pastor on August 30, 2011 at 12:47am

misleading? it says GDP, i dont understand how its misleading. graphs based on GDP are usedfor just about every country comparison there is. what? you want to use dollars, then every nation other then the US will go up or down every year even tho to them they are spending the exact same amount of their currency.

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on August 30, 2011 at 1:05pm

Everything can't be measured by GDP as throwing money at a problem is not the only answer. Who provides the troops (both commissioned and non-commissioned) during natural disasters and famines? Such expenditures and national effort is not included in these "GDP numbers". The U.S. is the one who sends the mass amount of ground force and support along with helicopters, planes, etc. which are not again included in these numbers. Who has helped organize and implement the massive programs such as the HIV programs in Africa which have saved millions of lives each year? Again, America. Throwing too much money at a problem can indeed have the opposite intended effect in increasing corruption. These misleading data do not take into account the whole picture and effects of aid and assistance.

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Permalink Reply by John McElwain on August 29, 2011 at 7:20pm

@Butterfly Ocean: We Canadians have stood with you in Afghanistan for ten years. Per capita, our casualties there were higher than the US or UK. The only thing that scares most of us is the fact that your Republican Party seems dominated by ignorant, superstitious, warlike bumpkins.

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Permalink Reply by Sassan K. on August 29, 2011 at 1:27pm

We are fighting a war on terror. Our foreign policy has nothing to do with Christianity. As long as there are Islamic radicals who want to attack us and our way of life along with violating human rights - the U.S. and the international community must stay resolved in taking the fight to them. Your whole premise is incorrect.

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