The US has finally acted on its word. The first war of the 21stt Century, as President George W. Bush called it, is officially underway. This war may be indicative of things to come in the new century. It is expected to change not only the US, but the entire world. In the post-Cold War era, the greatest changes to the world order may originate from this war.
This is a US war, and Bush's war. A US defeat would be the end of Bush. He is a new president, yet he has been presented with a challenge of immense proportions. He had to accept the challenge and he had to respond to it with war.
This is a difficult but necessary war. The US is defining it as a war against terrorism, emphasizing that it is not a war of civilizations. Osama bin Laden and Islamic countries, including Afghanistan, on the other hand, are calling it a "holy war" against the US, intending to strike back with the force of the Islamic world. Is it just an anti-terrorism war or will it unfold into a war of civilizations? It depends on who wins the war.
The Taliban government of Afghanistan is obviously trapped in diplomatic isolation. The US strategy is not to occupy Afghanistan, but to overthrow the Taliban. But it has to launch attacks against Afghanistan in order to do so. Afghanistan is known as a country that is difficult to invade yet easy to defend. In the past, superpowers trying to invade the country have never been successful. Great Britain was defeated there. The former Soviet Union suffered the same fate. If the US is able to defeat Afghanistan, it may just end the myth of Afghanistan's invincibility. Is the US interested in a "hit and run" exercise or in the complete destruction of Afghanistan? We'll have to wait and see.
Bin Laden, the alleged terrorist targeted by the US, has openly called on TV for the Arabs to launch a "holy war." He has also threatened to create havoc in the US. The US must fight, and, at the same time, guarantee homeland security.
Can the US succeed in preventing another attack by the terrorists? It is reported that the US has already installed a nuclear arsenal in Central Asia.
The US goal is, of course, to threaten terrorism with the possible use of nuclear missiles. Is a nuclear war possible? This is an issue which merits a great deal of attention.
The 20th Century has been characterized by historian Eric Hobsbawm as "The Age of Extremes." How will the 21st Century be characterized?
Chin Heng-wei is the editor in chief of Contemporary Monthly.
As Taiwan’s domestic political crisis deepens, the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have proposed gutting the country’s national spending, with steep cuts to the critical foreign and defense ministries. While the blue-white coalition alleges that it is merely responding to voters’ concerns about corruption and mismanagement, of which there certainly has been plenty under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and KMT-led governments, the rationales for their proposed spending cuts lay bare the incoherent foreign policy of the KMT-led coalition. Introduced on the eve of US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the KMT’s proposed budget is a terrible opening
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus in the Legislative Yuan has made an internal decision to freeze NT$1.8 billion (US$54.7 million) of the indigenous submarine project’s NT$2 billion budget. This means that up to 90 percent of the budget cannot be utilized. It would only be accessible if the legislature agrees to lift the freeze sometime in the future. However, for Taiwan to construct its own submarines, it must rely on foreign support for several key pieces of equipment and technology. These foreign supporters would also be forced to endure significant pressure, infiltration and influence from Beijing. In other words,
“I compare the Communist Party to my mother,” sings a student at a boarding school in a Tibetan region of China’s Qinghai province. “If faith has a color,” others at a different school sing, “it would surely be Chinese red.” In a major story for the New York Times this month, Chris Buckley wrote about the forced placement of hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children in boarding schools, where many suffer physical and psychological abuse. Separating these children from their families, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to substitute itself for their parents and for their religion. Buckley’s reporting is
Last week, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), together holding more than half of the legislative seats, cut about NT$94 billion (US$2.85 billion) from the yearly budget. The cuts include 60 percent of the government’s advertising budget, 10 percent of administrative expenses, 3 percent of the military budget, and 60 percent of the international travel, overseas education and training allowances. In addition, the two parties have proposed freezing the budgets of many ministries and departments, including NT$1.8 billion from the Ministry of National Defense’s Indigenous Defense Submarine program — 90 percent of the program’s proposed
RSS