Comments by "Doncarlo" (@doujinflip) on "Military Bases and Commercial Ports Reveal Strategies to Extend Global Reach | WSJ U.S. vs. China" video.

  1. What's not mentioned is how the host nation often wants a US presence, even if as merely a lightning rod to conveniently deflect domestic unrest towards those "imperialists" down the street. It's far more risky to national security to ask the Americans to leave, looking at what happened to Iraq (ISIS), Afghanistan (Taliban), and the Philippines (China). And this Pax Americana is arguably a bargain for global trade compared to previous and actually imperial Pax Romana, Pax Mongolica, and Pax Britannica. The "hegemony" is key because the "multipolar" world that critics (themselves often ironically pro-authoritarian) argue for simply introduce friction and stoppages to free trade when crossing the transition into another "pole" of regional domination.
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  2. Likely significant ownership, allowing preferential berthing and services to Chinese vessels. On top of being great listening posts at critical chokepoints of commerce.
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