China, On American Threat - 13 March, 2003

As the USA intensifies the tension about Iraq, majority of experts pay special attention to emphasized cautiousness of China. When Russia’s Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov recently paid a visit to Beijing, he dropped hints that Russia could use the right of veto at a session of the UN Security Council. But his Chinese colleague Tang Jiaxuan just said general phrases on the desirability of settlement of the Iraqi crisis in political methods. Premier of the Chinese State Council Zhu Rongji didn’t mention Iraq in his report delivered at the recent session of the National People’s Congress. And during the session, Tang Jiaxuan artfully got out of replying questions whether China would use the veto right. Within several past weeks there was hardly a publication in the Chinese press with criticism in the USA’s address; this once again confirms China’s unwillingness to irritate the US Administration. It was quite a surprise that the other day the website of China’s central newspaper, People’s Daily, published an article under the title The Fourth Stage of the American Empire Formation. The publication was given without the author name, and readers were offered to discuss it in the forum of the website. 

The text of the well-reasoned, honest publication allows to suppose that China is tired of feigning cautiousness: America’s threat to the whole of the world has gone too far that it’s finally high time to call a spade a spade. And the ending of the article sounded a concealed threat! You may see it yourself from the abridged summary of the People’s Daily publication below.

“At the time of its founding in 1776, the United States was composed of only 13 British colonies in the East Coast, its territory at that time was like a small long strip. 

In a short space of 200-odd years' time, the United States has developed  into a peerless empire of today, the reasons for this are: besides the fact that the country enjoys perennial relative political stability, continuing scientific and technological innovations and new achievements in economic development, but an important reason for this is, without doubt, its constant external expansions.

The American history of expansion can be divided into four stages: First, continental expansion stage; second, overseas expansion stage; third, the stage of global contention for hegemony; and fourth, the stage of world domination. The continental expansion stage features mainly traditional territorial expansion, the second, third and fourth stages feature mainly the expansion of its economic, military and cultural influence. Completion of the expansion process in each stage brought tremendous benefits to the United States.

Continental expansion stage extended from the founding of the United States to the eve of the American-Spanish War. This stage featured prominently territorial expansion. In the early period after its birth, the United States was very weak in strength, but it took advantage of the good opportunity offered by Europe which was busy coping with the Napoleon War...  Thereafter, the United State began large-scale westward movement. By the end of the 19th century, US territory had extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.

The overseas expansion stage extended from the US-Spanish War to the end of World War II. During this period, the United States had become one of the principal capitalist countries in the world, with substantial strength and began to contend for colonies with other colonialists.  The US-Spanish War resulted in the expansion of US spheres of influence beyond the Caribbean region and Central America, finally forming its direct or indirect political and economic control over Latin America. Before the outbreak of World War I, the United States turned Latin America into its own "backyard". During this period, US influence rapidly expanded from the continent of North America to the Pacific region, East Asia and the entire Latin America.

The stage of global contention for hegemony ranged between 1946 and 1991, i.e., the Cold War period.  As World War II just ended, US President Harry S. Truman put forward Truman Doctrine, contested with the Soviet Union for the vast intermediate zones.

The disintegration of the Soviet Union after the conclusion of the Cold War led to the disappearance of the only power that could confront the United States which put on rising hegemonic airs and did whatever it pleased, characterized by its simultaneous use of military, economic and cultural means.

After the "September 11" incident, the theory on establishing the American century or a new empire has acquired a bigger market.  After the "9.11" terrorist attacks, the United States began a new round of powerful expansion, with the aim of expanding the US spheres of influence to the whole world. Iraq was chosen as the first target for this new round of expansion.

If US war on Iraq could end in victory, it would further give a powerful impetus to the force for the establishment of US empire. But many American experts and scholars maintain that the United States should not choose a road by which to establish global order or an American empire through unilateralism-based military actions. Only when the United States refrains from taking the road of pursuing global empire, can it avoid terrorists' bombs or other forms of attacks befalling on its own territory”

Andrey Krushinsky
PRAVDA.Ru