A New Cold War: U.S.-China Battle for Hegemony

In response to the Obama administration’s “pause” in U.S. military aid to Pakistan, China has slipped in to fill the gap. This is just the latest development in the passive aggressive power war between the U.S. and China; any new regional allies for China represents a threat to U.S. leverage in the region. Also in the news today was the visit to China by Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was sent to China “with a vow to maintain the U.S. military presence in Asia and a warning that recent incidents in the disputed waters of the South China Sea could escalate into conflict.” This was a response to China’s recent calls to the U.S. to stop holding military drills with our vassal states like “Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei,” as they are seen as a provocation. Mullen reportedly acknowledged China’s regional power, “but urged its military to ease regional concerns about its rapid modernization by playing a more cooperative, responsible and transparent role in the world.” Translation: stop threatening our military and technological hegemony; We Own the World, not you.

“The U.S. is not going away,” [Mullen]  said. “Our enduring presence in this region has been important to our allies for decades and it will continue to be so.”

I wrote about this clash between the reigning U.S. empire and China’s rising ambitions to be the successor last month:

In Singapore last week, Defense Secretary Gates spoke at an International Institute for Strategic Studies meeting and argued for “sustaining a robust [U.S.] military presence in Asia.” He spoke of overcoming “anti-access and area denial scenarios” that the U.S. military faces in Asia, which threatens America’s access to strategic markets and resources. Predominantly, Gates explained, U.S. military presence in Asia-Pacific is important in “deterring, and if necessary defeating, potential adversaries.”

While perhaps more straightforward than reigning politicians and diplomats, Gates’ explanation of U.S. military strategy was nothing new. As was reiterated in the 2002 National Security Strategy, it was of foremost importance that “our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equaling, the power of the United States.”

[…Asia is] a region of emerging markets that the U.S. national security state wants command over. It’s also one where attempts to terrorize the world into deference to U.S. hegemony has failed to prevent a rising military rival like China.

America’s debt crisis has yet to incentivize Washington to cut the defense budget, and while a great deal of that is because the Afghan and Iraq wars are not drawing down, another primary reason is that maintaining U.S. military hegemony throughout the world is a major aim of the ruling elite. China’s audacious requests for less U.S. imperialism in the region, along with their increasing military budgets and capabilities, is likely to push America’s military budget still further. Any global competition is the Pentagon’s foremost concern. The potential for an arms race between the two is seen as likely by many experts, portending eventual insolvency for the U.S.

But the real concern is what may happen in the meantime. The U.S.-Soviet arms race not only empowered state war machines manifold, but it also became the pretext for numerous proxy wars (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Nicaragua among the most egregiously treacherous). This sort of military one-upsmanship is good for the state and for the glorification of war, bad for peace and liberty.

61 thoughts on “A New Cold War: U.S.-China Battle for Hegemony”

  1. American arrogance will be its undoing. Eventually China will push the rotten USA right out of east Asia and the western Pacific.

  2. Our Empire will end in our collapse. The best we can hope for is a Soviet Style collapse and that the rats will flee the sinking ship sooner rather than later. The worst would be a full out Nuclear war, if they decide to go down fighting.

    The only thing we can do right now is try and wake enough people up so that when the crisis hits that the tipping point goes against war. This is why I support Ron Paul and honestly believe he is our best chance at this point, regarding getting an anti-war message to the people. Even though the MSM marginalizes him every chance they get the word is getting out and the lies that are spread about Dr. Paul are being seen through more and more every day.

  3. The passivity of the American electorate is beyond my scope of imagination! We, the People, are empowering the military-industrial complex, we, the People, are allowing them to lead us to the slaughter. The only force, capable of resistance, is not our liberals, they are too weak, but the people organized by the grass root movements like this Antiwar site…

    1. The key is to educate yourself, to take the time to learn, and not to listen to the MSM Bull****.

  4. At the meeting in Beijing, the General Chen commented that America spends too much on defense especially given its current financial woes.

    This was a brilliant thing to say. Of course it is true, but it will be interpreted by paranoid chickenhawks (who control our defense budget more or less) as a reason to spend even more, because China said not to. Thus, we will spend less on infrastructure, go deeper into debt, earn more enemies, etc….all of which works to China's advantage.

    By they way, I don't think it's right that your site spellchecks "chickenhawk" :-P

    1. Yes, it works for him either way. That's what happens when your economy is growing stronger, and you've managed to avoid getting into any wars over the last two decades. You just sit back and wait, and things will go your way.

      Somoene has learned a lesson from the Soviet experience of overinvesting in military expenditures. And it's not us.

    1. Americans are the least qualified when it comes to lecturing China on military adventurism and expansionism.

    2. Mind explaining to me how America is China's neighbor? You ever hear of the Pacific ocean?

  6. The author says:
    "I wrote about this clash between the reigning U.S. empire and China’s rising ambitions to be the successor last month…."
    But China's policy is "peaceful rising" to gain an economy which can bring the prosperity of a developed country to 1.3 billion people, a fifth of humanity. China's military policy is defensive. These policies are reflected in China's current actions and in its culture both before (for millennia) and after the revolution of 1949. China cannot turn its back on economic development without leaving its people in poverty.
    The US would be wise to take this at face value, work with it and see whether it leads to a win-win situation as the Chinese claim it will. But I am afraid that the culture and history of the West are aggressive and offensive-as is the current behavior of the US. This must be reversed before tragedy befalls us. It is up to us.
    John V. Walsh

  8. Is the year 2025, the begining of WW3, when china will replace US as the first economic power?

  9. Pingback: Nová studená válka: Boj o hegemonii mezi ?ínou a USA « Sociologická trafika

  10. This is a big fat LOL. The Americans have been lecturing other countries on international behavior and economic prudence. While at the same time waging a string of illegaal and unprovoked wars with no end in sight and an domestic economy that is build on a mountain of (hidden) debt that is now collapsing. The Chinese are simply giving the Americans a taste of there own medicine and the Americans apparently don't like that.

  11. Not many members of Congress have Lofgren’s clarity, and many of their votes on authorization are up for grabs. Each of us can help affect the outcome by demanding that our senators and representative oppose the war resolution. We should make our voices heard in all sorts of public venues.

  12. Not many members of Congress have Lofgrena??s clarity, and many of their votes on authorization are up for grabs. Each of us can help affect the outcome by demanding that our senators and representative oppose the war resolution. We should make our voices heard in all sorts of public venues.

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