Setting a hawkish tone in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations committee, nominee for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, laid out calls for the US to take aggressive action, arguing that the US ought to deny China access to the islands that China has built.
US officials have been railing against China for building islands in the South China Sea for years, arguing that such construction does not increase their maritime territorial claims. This is true, but there is no strict ban on building islands, despite US “outrage” at them doing so.
Tillerson took the claims much farther, arguing that building islands was “akin to Russia taking Crimea” and that the US needed to take a more aggressive position, to “send China a clear signal” that they not only can’t build more islands, but that they also won’t be allowed access to the islands they’ve already built.
While Tillerson’s comments set the stage for a major confrontation with China in the South China Sea, he did not indicate how China might even theoretically be blocked from accessing the islands that they built, something which would appear impossible short of open warfare.
What is going on here????? Every ttime I put an opinion up here, it goes bye bye.. Can’t use the “d” word for unexplained absent writings… Or it too goes missing….??? Nothing scurulous, just my take on moral equivalence… What is the problem…..????
You’ve posted 27 comments at Antiwar.com in the last week. Precisely one has been deleted.
Thomas, please remember the rules as you have already had to point out to me. All other posts that are opinion only should not be tampered with. Or if you do need to delete posts then please at least inform us all of other rules we have to follow.
i would strongly suggest that the number of times any person posts on this site is not an issue. And in fact, it’s probably in the best interest of this site to have more posts on any topic than less.
Thanks for your consideration.
Don.
Don,
I do, in fact, remember the rules as I have pointed them out to you. And I follow those rules. If I need your advice on how to do my job, I’ll ask for it.
And thank you again Thomas. I had no intention of advising you of the rules or of how to administer them. It was only a plea to you to not delete comments that are politically contrary to yours or maybe even Raimondo’s. And along with that I suggested that you perhaps shouldn’t object to the number of posts any person makes. It was because just recently you reminded me of the number of posts I had made. I took that as you objecting to the high number but I may have been wrong.
And please give me a bit of slack on account of my mental illness.
In the spirit of antiwar.com and in peace,
Don.
OH REALLY? THE obamaites exceptionalists are done yet — and THIS guy comes around for more of the same – doubling down on sanctions on russia and being ”leader of asia?”
exactly where do americans get their delusions?
asia has one word to say to USA like tillerson, trump or whatever — on this account:
GO AWAY — you are foreigners and invaders and occupying imperialists — GO AWAY – asia doesn’t need you . NOT ONE WHIT!!!
i say THAT as a citizen of the philippines. GO AWAY.
Power concedes nothing without a fight. Unless China and Russia can defend themselves and create an economic system outside of Western control this type of thing will continue. I would love for mordor on the Potomac to collapse from its own corruption but until Asia and the world can block US methods of power and control the world is screwed. Good luck kicking the US military out of the Philippines. Hopefully your president is serious.
Oh I think Russia and China are itching to feel us out right now We humiliated both of them by illegally attacking and destroying Yugoslavia .We fired a missile into the Chinese embassy accidently on purpose . While U.S. general Wesley Clark issued orders to shoot the Russian soldiers because they will try to protect Christian civilians . In Yugoslavia the United States sided with the Muslim terrorists even some of the same ones that the flew the planes into the twin towers on 9 /11 .But in Yugoslavia they were our terrorists .When we bombed Belgrade we destroyed Yeltsin’s new Liberal democracy in Russia . Since 1999 Russia and China are the best of friends They both have been sharing information , it is 17 years latter , They have a lot of new equipment . When Putin went to Syria he did not go to be humiliated again . Russia has the fastest most capable fighter planes in the world in Syria and both 300 and 400 anti air craft missiles in Syria . We only have two . 5th generation planes that could fight maybe beat Russia’s planes The F22 and F35 , But the F 35 is not ready yet and we only made 187 F 22s . I don’t know if you noticed China also went to Syria . Any American policy that thinks they are going to make deals that separate Communist China from Christian Russia doesn’t realize how mad and scared they both got when trying to save Yugoslavia .
The transition from Obama to Trump will not have any speed bumps on the way to WW3.
Secetary of State’s job is peace and diplomacy. We don’t need two Secretaries of War.
Boy that Tillerson sounds like a tough guy . The senate war hawks probably will nominate him . I doubt if Kelly Anna will approve of not letting China use the Islands they built . The only difference in a aircraft carrier and a Island is a aircraft carrier is a floating island that cost a whole lot more money ..