We are constantly scratching our heads trying to think of a solution to the never ending Israeli-Palestinian problem. We want both sides to live together side by side in peace. We tend to become consumed and obsessed with Jews and Arabs reconciling, when neither side has that much real power in the world.
Arab oil producers are awash in wealth. They have never been so rich. But the paradox is that, in spite of their great and growing wealth, their political weight in the world remains small, even derisory. They have not — or at least not yet — converted their wealth into political influence on a global scale.
If Israel did not have the United States nailed to its side, then it would be extremely weak indeed. So why are we spending so much time with this region? The talk by experts always comes down to the western world having some form of presence in the region to stop it turning into a raging ultra-superpower that will take over the world and turn us all into Islamic terrorists. That sounds very dramatic, but you know what I mean. In reality, the Middle East is a disparate group of tribespeople, religious zealots, and everyday citizens. Even in religious terms, Muslims and Jews don’t come together as a united group. With Jews, there are your Zionists, Hasids and liberal Jews. With Arabs, there are Christians, as well as Sunni, Shi’a and Sufi Muslims. This is a group of people that cannot even unite as a race or religious group, let alone become some sort of deadly superpower with one steady clear voice.
We watch the Middle East with both eyes, and glance across at China, just to see what that country is up to. I say glance, because we know what China does and how powerful China is, but we are too scared to touch them. We can pick on the Middle East because even though there is a threat of suicide bombings from the extreme elements of the Islamic world, the rest of the Middle East will not fight back. We pick on a soft target.
South Africa this week refused a visa to the Dalai Lama, as they did not want to offend China. Burma could release its stranglehold on its people, Tibet would be free, and North Korea would emerge from a communist regime rooted firmly in the 1950’s , if countries around the world stood up to China, made them accountable, and hit them with sanctions and made them work for the good of humankind. But China is too strong and we know we cannot hurt them. They know this too. China can be brought to its knees, we just need to unite to make that happen.
The shift in focus in the Middle East has moved to Afghanistan, the supposed ‘fight we can win’ as opposed to ‘the fight we can’t win’. The Soviets spent ten years there and achieved nothing. Afghanistan is very tribal. You’re lucky if two villages next to each other agree on anything. Centralised government is what we all want for them, but it is not what they want for themselves.
So here we are, hitting our heads against the proverbial brick wall, whilst China stands with arms crossed and a smile, standing over countries and getting what they want. Now I do realise that a trade deal with China is way more important than whether the Dalai Lama comes to town, but South Africa is a nation that rejected apartheid and fought long and hard for justice for all, black and white. Now the government is rejecting fairness, freedom and justice by going with the easy answer and not the right one. Australia has a trade deal with China too, but we welcome the Dalai Lama all the time, and let China know it.
China gives the impression it is assisting the world in many areas:
In the past six years, China has helped drive multilateral negotiations to reduce nuclear proliferation in North Korea and Iran; and promoted itself in Africa with a promise in 2006 to provide $5 billion in loans and credits and to double development aid by this year. In Southeast Asia, it is working to create a free-trade zone that would eliminate levies covering 93 percent of its imports from the region.
But what I see is strategic placement in some of the world’s most powerful organisations:
China’s new place at the global table is underscored by the appointments of Margaret Chan of Hong Kong as head of the World Health Organization in 2006 and Justin Lin, originally of Taiwan, as chief economist of the World Bank last year: They are the first Chinese to hold top positions in such prominent international organizations.
(both quotes- http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/02/17/asia/letter.php)
China is immensely powerful, even as one solitary country. They have a lot to offer, plenty of money to throw around, and all the resources that the rest of the world wants and needs. But if we as a global community allow China to become more powerful at the expense of human rights, then is that justifiable? Burma is a corrupt regime, as is North Korea. China has their finger in the Sudanese pie as well, and we have all heard about their President being up on war crimes. China can end the suffering of many with but a word.
But China cannot possibly put any pressure on Sudan, North Korea and Burma, because China is guilty of the exact same deprivation of liberty. It’s a classic case of ‘pot calling the kettle black’. China agrees with all these countries and the way they treat their people, so why should they feel obliged to pressure them?
Malaysian journalist Eddin Khoo has been recently quoted as saying that ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) is an entity that is, by and large, useless. They act to protect their individual sovereignty, and not the collective interests of the region of South East Asia. I actually think that ASEAN as a group of nations is a small example of what all of us in the larger global community are like. We think of ourselves, and our nations, first. The collective betterment of our international brothers and sisters can go jump off the nearest cliff.
It’s time the world turned the spotlight off the Middle East. This constant search for Osama Bin Laden is ridiculous. How can we not find a very tall distinctive looking man who has liver problems, walks with a limp and who lives in a very small area of the Pakistani/Afghan mountains? We all know where he is, but he has been sitting there waiting for us since 2001. Al-Jazeera television have actually been to his cave, and we still do not know where he is. Time to give it up boys and girls and starting turning the screws on China.
Let me leave you with the words of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The proof of China’s power is in this statement.
Mr Rudd said the International Monetary Fund would need more resources to deal with such an emerging crisis.
“So the question is, where do you get that more from? And part of the answer must lie in China,” he said.
Mr Rudd is pushing for China to be given a bigger role in the IMF and says that should happen if the world is to turn to the Asian giant for help.
Enjoy your day
