			Foreign Correspondent

		      Inside Track On World News
	    By International Syndicated Columnist & Broadcaster
		 Eric Margolis <emargolis@lglobal.com>

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THE US NAVY KEEPS THE PAX PACIFICA 
by
Eric Margolis  4 April 1996
 
China's hamhanded attempts to influence Taiwan's first democratic
presidential election backfired badly.  The plucky Taiwanese
emerged triumphant. China's squabbling communist leadership ended
up looking like thugs, and inept ones at that.  

The US Navy, which threw a protective `cordon sanitaire' around
the beleaguered island, played the decisive role in damping down
this crisis.  The two American carrier battle groups that came to
Taiwan's succor rendered  impossible a successful Chinese
invasion of the island, demonstrating, once again, the vital
importance of US naval power in maintaining international
security.  

The US Navy's carrier battle groups  precisely performed the two
principal role for which they were designed: 1. projecting power
on key geopolitical pressure points, and 2. allowing the US to
use its military power to shape events without having to resort
to war.

In this fascinating crisis, the US flawlessly executed its role
as a great power, demonstrating a textbook example of the
difference between using power and using mere force.  

By lobbing missiles and bombastic threats at Taiwan, China came
across as a bully, an Asian Iraq. (Interestingly,  Iraq's claim
to Kuwait probably has more validity under international law than
China's claim to Taiwan.)  

China used force, but it lacked sufficient power to make the
force effective. Beijing ended up with egg foo young all over its
red face.  

The most striking thing about the recent Taiwan Strait crisis,
however, was not what happened, but what didn't happen.  Rather
like the famous Sherlock Holmes story in which the key clue was
the dog that didn't bark.

The non-barkers in this crisis were, of course, other democratic 
Asian nations,  and members of the much ballyhooed `Pacific Rim'
group.  Japan, the world's second economic power, remained mum
over Taiwan. The Japanese government busily studied its fan while
the crisis raged.  Taiwan is a mere 160 miles from the nearest
Japanese territory, the Ryukyu Islands.  Japan ruled Taiwan
longer this century than did China.  But as far as Tokyo was
concerned, the crisis could have been happening on the Falkland
Islands.  

South Korea, an important military power, also averted its eyes,
though Taiwan has been a staunch ally of Seoul for decades. 
Seoul at least had an excuse: it was too busy watching for an
attack by dangerous North Korea, which may, or may not,  be
backed by China. 

The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and
Malaysia all went inscrutable over the crisis.  ASEAN, the
regional alliance that's supposed to keep the peace in south
Asia,  proved just as much a wet paper bag as the Mideast's
pathetic Gulf Cooperation Council. 

Canada, which styles itself a key Pacific Rim player, also ducked
for cover.  Not a peep came from Ottawa's moral mandrins over
Chinese threats against Taiwan's infant democracy.  The other big
Asian power, Russia, tacitly encouraged China's bellicosity. 

In short, a panorama of dazzling multi-national irresponsibility
and cowardice.  Asia's motto: `Don't tick off your biggest
customer.'  No one, Canada included, wanted to risk a loss of
business in China's 1.2 billion-consumer market for the sake of
22 million Taiwanese. And particularly not Japan, which, after
Hong Kong, is the largest foreign investor in China.

And so to whom did Asians turn for help? Why, as usual to  that
favorite target of criticism in Asia, the US Navy. Once again,
the US was left to do Asia's dirty work  -  shaking the big stick
at China, and reminding Beijing's bumbling communist bosses to
act like responsible leaders  of a great power, rather than like
a bunch of Yangtze River pirates.

Back in the 1930's, the US Navy used to patrol the Yangtze and
keep it safe for commerce.  Today, a World War, various regional
wars, a Cold War, and the Asian Economic Miracle later, it seems
the US Navy and American taxpayers must still keep Asia's peace. 


copyright  Eric Margolis    1996

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