Is Iran a proxy against China?

[Armstead]

Last year I heard a report on the BBC about the increasing degree of collaboration between China and Iran. I can't do a full search for it now, but it had a lot of sobering information about the increasing economic and military links between the two countries.

So if Bush is rattling his sabres agaist Oran, I wonder what the repercussions would be with China, and how that fits into the administration's calculations.

It's also ironic that while Bush and the Corporate CONservatives are selling our own nation out to China, we may actually stirring up a conflict with ourselves ultimately.

It be a cockeyed world these days. :crazy: :crazy:

[kurth]

1. There is very little Bush can do about Iran

except lobbing nuclear missiles at their underground facilities. China needs their oil, and so do American consumers.

[Posteritatis]

2. Could be

Asia's been proxied up between the great powers for two hundred years, after all; it's marginally more civilized now, but the "Great Game" never really ended. At the more cynical, realpolitik level, it would make sense for them to boost Iran in the long term.

If China's concerned at American actions the past five years (duh), I can see them trying to lend a visible hand to the less dangerous, more useful folks in the US' crosshairs. Iran's a big, (comparatively) wealthy, stable and powerful country; as long as they don't go too psycho they probably lend a stabilizing effect in that part of the world. If they went down or weren't there, the other major powers would be far less constrained.

I don't imagine any of the big players don't know that. China's not powerful enough to have global reach of any type that doesn't involve mushroom clouds yet, though, so that loss of restraint would be a Bad Thing for them. Iran's presence, however, is a restraint on the US, limiting their ability to influence or directly control the region. If China wants their western frontiers to be safe, or at least free from too much direct interference, Iran would function as a shield. Of course, to Washington, it's a roadblock.

(This is leaving out the fact that Iran's gonna go lib-dem in twenty or thirty years anyway and isn't exactly a Grievous Threat in the first place. Personally I almost want them to have nukes, if just because I think that's more likely to stabilize than destabilize the region.)

[donkeyotay]

3. It is very ironic that the corporate cons sold us out to China and now

claim we have to prepare to confront China's ambitions. Gee, I wish they'd thought of that before they shipped our economy and technology over there. They have weakened America in every way possible, and now they think we should pony up whatever blood and treasure we have left to worry about China? What's this "we" shit? What do I care if our corporate masters speak Cantonese?

[carolinalady]

4. Yesterday I heard on one of the news programs that China was

tentatively backing the US stand that Iran had gone too far. Today I heard that they oppose involving the UN. I am not sure what the heck is going on, but I too am interested in the outcome. Recently China announced that they are going to start divesting their money from their US investments and invest more globally. I am afraid this speaks volumes as far as distancing themselves from us. I think this mess will be affecting the US for many years to come.