Comments by "Carey\x27s Corner" (@careylymanjones) on "Zeihan on Geopolitics"
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@mrgyani Peter's thesis is that Globalization is living on borrowed time, because it is dependent on America, and America is tired of Globalization. And when America stops supporting Globalism, the countries that depend on it face economic disaster.
India stayed out of the Globalist system, so when America goes full protectionist and calls its navy home, India will lose nothing, while China will lose everything.
As an American, I think Peter is right about America's declining support for Globalism. In 7 of our last 8 Presidential elections, Americans voted for the less Globalist candidate. And in the last one, NEITHER candidate gave a damn about Globalism.
China's days are numbered, and that number is getting smaller, by the day. India should be eternally thankful it did not climb out on the Globalist limb. It's about to break off.
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Short version is that prior to globalization, you traded within your empire, which was defined by what YOUR navy could protect. Trading beyond your navy's reach, or at least what armed merchantmen could reach, was an invitation to piracy, possibly state-supported piracy. As an example, the Spanish had problems with Brits raiding their treasure fleets from the Americas.
The current Globalist system replaced the hodgepodge of imperial navies patrolling the seas with the US Navy, which was larger than everyone else's navies, combined. This let anyone trade with anyone for anything, and a lot of nations were able to industrialize by importing commodities they lacked. But America is tired of sending its ships abroad to protect and subsidize the profits of Chinese slavemasters. The only reason we started, in the first place, was to buy allies against the Soviets. The Soviets are 30 years gone.
Globalism was never profitable for America, compared to what leveraging its market's power for domestic growth would have yielded. It is time, and past time, that America quit subsidizing its global competitors.
When America stops being the policeman of the world's oceans, the First Island Chain will become Pirate Central. ALL of China's global maritime trade will be vulnerable to piracy, including state-supported piracy. None of China's neighbors would weep over Chinese losses to pirates. It's not difficult to see India charging "tolls" on China's Middle Eastern oil shipments. China would have little choice but to pay whatever India demanded, as it lacks the blue water ships to contest the Indian Ocean against the Indian Navy AND Air Force.
ANY sea lane beyond the reach of anyone's navy will become a haven for piracy. The Strait of Malacca and the West Coast of Africa will see upsurges in piracy.
Finally, some of the nations that were able to industrialize by importing needed materials will be unable to maintain their industries. They will de-industrialize and have to go back to agrarian economies that may not be able to feed their people
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@liveinsea1 We were unwilling to fight WWIII, at the time. If China starts a war with the US, China will not enjoy the way that war unfolds. China is extremely dependent on oil arriving by tankers, from Vladivostok and the Persian Gulf. About 2/3 of China's oil comes from those ports. Oil from Vladivostok must pass by Tsushima Island, transiting either the 50 mile-wide Tsushima Strait, or the 50 mile-wide Korea strait. Antishipping missiles on Tsushima Island would easily close that route. Tankers are big, slow, targets. Fifty miles is easy range for antishipping missiles, and double hulls are no substitute for armor.
The PLAN is simply incapable of operating in the Indian Ocean in sufficient strength to escort tankers to and from the Persian Gulf. The vast majority of China's naval ships are short-ranged corvettes, frigates, and torpedo/missile boats, that are formidable, within the China Sea, but lack the range to project power beyond the First Island Chain. If China's long-ranged ships were to sortie beyond the coverage of China's land-based air and missile support, they would meet 4-5 Nimitz-class carriers and quickly be sunk.
Without the oil from Vladivostok and the Persian Gulf, China's economy collapses. Much of the remaining oil would have to be allocated to China's agricultural sector, to avoid famine. Most of the rest would go to just keeping the lights on. China's military would be unable to conduct major operations, due to lack of fuel.
And that doesn't count what a campaign of commerce raiding would do to China's exports. Container ships are rather easy targets, and satellite reconnaissance would make them easy to track and intercept. And that, of course, assumes that America and its allies didn't simply close their markets to Chinese goods. Without exports, China can't even BUY the oil it needs, never mind the difficulties of shipping that oil.
China, as we know it, is probably doomed by the end of the decade. But if China starts a war with the US, China as we know it, won't last to the end of next year.
Of all of America's enemies, I worry about China the least.
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Globalization tends to be bad for workers in all but the lowest-wage countries. As the world de-globalizes, there should be opportunities for workers in wealthier countries, such as Japan. And if people around the world are tiring of China's cheap crap, they may look at countries, such as Japan, with a reputation for high-quality. My favorite company, for camera lenses is Sigma, which is not only based in Japan, but makes its lenses there. Got three of their lenses, all made in Japan, all top-notch.
China's cheap-ass Chinesium crap has had it's day in the sun. I look forward to a world where people prefer quality. That's a world where Japan can do well.
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Whatever else happens in the world. The US has the Great Plains, the world's largest contiguous region of high-quality farmland in the world. It is served by the Greater Mississippi River System, the world's largest inland waterway, in terms of navigable miles of river. It has arguably the world's strongest borders, even if FJB is determined not to secure them. It is energy sufficient, in spite of FJB's best efforts to kill domestic energy production. It is the world's greatest immigrant magnet, so American demographic deficiencies are helped by a steady flow of newcomers, and even without them, America's demographics are better than most of the developed world.
In short, whatever happens, Americans aren't going to run out of food, energy, or people, and, in the immortal words of Mr. T, "Ah pity da fool" who starts a military conflict with us. No Eurasian power has the naval strength to challenge us, and no American power has any chance at all, of successfully invading us. What part of, "a rifle behind every blade of grass" do you not understand?
America's two great strategic adversaries, Russia and China, are demographic sh¡tshows. Neither has the TIME to build up the necessary forces to challenge America, before their demographics collapse. The future belongs to those who show up. China and Russia apparently didn't get the memo.
So yeah, we ARE "mostly ok" and "the rest are screwed". I have my differences with Peter, but on this, we agree.
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