From Japan Times:
Ishihara says U.S. can't win war with China, calls U.S forces incompetent

Saturday, November 5, 2005 at 07:57 JST
WASHINGTON — Tokyo Gov Shintaro Ishihara used a speech in the U.S. capital Thursday to convey his views on China, arguing that economic containment is the best strategy because the United States would "certainly" lose a war with China, which he said would not hesitate to sacrifice its people on a massive scale when fighting against an enemy.

The governor, an outspoken politician known for his nationalistic views, also said U.S. ground forces, with the exception of the Marines, are "extremely incompetent."

"Therefore, we need to consider other means to counter China," he said. "The step we should be taking against China, I believe, is economic containment."
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Here's the audio of his CSIS presentation.

Ishihara, cantakerous nationalist and famous for urging a "Japan That Can Say No", often commits political faux pas, inconveniently saying what many think but are too polite to say. His meeting with Richard Lawless must have been entertaining. Tuck this one away.

A placeholder for some thoughts about pop star Gwen Stefani, her “Harajuku Girls” song, video and clothing line under her L.A.M.B fashion line (“Love Angel Music Baby” and the beginning of the New Order in pop culture memes.

For those not immersed in current pop culture, Gwen Stefani is a platinum haired up tempo pop star with a self-empowerment “grrl” vibe going. You've probably heard “Hollaback Girl” or the recent “Cool” (make sure to get the Richard X remix).

Her song, video and clothing line based on “Harajuku Girls” is a tribute to the high style, trend setting neighborhood in stylish Shibuya, Tokyo. (Here, a virtual tour of Harajuku).

Some images to tide folks over until we return to this meme: “What do 'Harajuku Girls' have to teach us about Great Power dynamics in the Pacific Basin?” And yes, this is a serious subject! Really! No. Really.





UPDATE: 10.11.05 08:15 AM

Don't believe there is more going on? Consider this:

TOKYO (Nov. 7) - “Doonesbury” and “Peanuts,” make way for “manga.” Come January, the Sunday funnies of several major North American newspapers will have doe-eyed women in frilly outfits, effeminate long-haired heroes and other trademark images of the Japanese comic style.

The reason? Newspaper editors want to attract more young readers. A study released earlier this year by the Carnegie Corporation put the age of newspaper readers at 53 and climbing - hardly a recipe for circulation growth.

“We thought if teens and young kids are reading manga, then why don't we get something in the paper that teens want to read?” said John Glynn, vice president at Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes comics and columns globally to newspapers. “Newspapers are being seen as their parents' medium.”

“The newspapers want the manga more even than we want the newspapers,” says Stuart Levy, chief executive of TOKYOPOP Inc., which publishes the cartoon strips that will be carried. “Newspapers are looking for new fresh ways to appeal to young people.”

If a species of humans as dense as newspaper industry executives can belatedly realize what culture is consumed by and looked up to by the under Matlock demographic, then it must be blindingly obvious . . .


The whole AP item

While ensnared in the self-made diversion in Iraq, the looming shadow of unfolding Chinese cultural, political and economic power serves as a rorschach test for explaining how many in the U.S. view the purpose and goals of U.S. power in the world. (And note to Richard Haas, we have been saying this for the last 5 years, including when you ostensibly could have done something as head of Policy Planning at Foggy Bottom).

On one side, we have Robert Kaplan's threat mongering profile of a China in need of containment and defeat by intrepid Americans in his now infamous The Atlantic piece. Here's the softcore tease: "The Middle East is just a blip. The American military contest with China in the Pacific will define the twenty-first century. And China will be a more formidable adversary than Russia ever was.

Expressly considering that and other alternatives, there is Fox News Contributor and Newsday columnist James Pinkerton, who in an earlier life was in the Reagan and Bush White Houses and with Lee Attwater won the 1988 campaign for "41".

Jim's piece,Superpower Showdown, presents a lucid case in support of his more measured teaser: America needs a new strategy for dealing with China, a country we can’t contain and can’t afford to fight. Jim's piece appears in the always intellectually interesting and provocative "The American Conservative".

The debate of the purpose, role and effectiveness of U.S. power will be a long running conversation here at Stop the Spirit of Zossen -- both on its own and in the code speak of "the China issue".

And we see already there are claims that intelligence is being manipulated, "sexed-up" and otherwise distorted to support apriori policy objectives. (Insert obligatory Casablanca gambling quote).

Here's one small example:

Assessing China's Military Space Capabilities
When: Thursday, November 10 at 11:00 am
Were: Senate Capitol, SC 6
Dr. Gregory Kulacki, Senior Analyst and China Project Manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, will join us for a discussion on China's Military Space Capabilities. In its recently released annual report The Military Power of the People's Republic of China, the U.S. Department of Defense states that China has developed and tested an advanced anti-satellite (ASAT) system. Dr Kulacki has analyzed the original Chinese-language source documents and his research poses serious questions about the quality of the information and the sources of US intelligence. [emphasis added by StiftungLeo Strauss] Are the Chinese developing anti-satellite systems? What do we know about Chinese military capabilities and intentions in space? What are the implications for intelligence collection and analysis?

More later.