i support scaling back our international military operations significantly. we need to focus on our own country rather than maintaining a constant state of war and having endless brinksmanship with other large countries.
Isolationism is not a solution as global oriented as the world has become. If you've noticed the resurgence of Putin's Russia, you would have also noticed that there is a country, multiple ones in fact, that would be more than happy to step into any vacuum, gap or crack we leave, much to our future jeopardy, peril and weakness.
No, the US doesn't go a seek these things, these things are thrust upon it, as if to dare a response, and a response the US should deliver.
however, i have to edit my opinion on this one, as i didn't have all of the info. just started a new job, and i haven't had time to follow the news as closely. apparently, this isn't about the stupid island fight with Japan. according to what i heard on the radio, China created some fake islands on reefs, probably just for this purpose. that's dumb. i still wouldn't specifically cruise by the damned things just to stick a finger in their eye, but you can't just invent an island out in the middle of the ocean and then act like nothing can come within a thousand miles of it. if i would have known that from the get go, my opinion would have been different.
Well, that is the case. A case of long held international waters remaining so. To withdraw and allow this to happen will only further embolden China and other nations, as it will be seen as international weakness.
either way, if we're going to play "my military can beat up your military" and "you can't swim in my ocean" constantly with China now, it's time for some boycotts and tariffs. we can make a ****ing computer here just fine if we have to, and honestly, we probably should anyway. they steal technology all of the time, and they make all of the equipment that the info is stored on.
Why go to trade war, suffer the economic impact of one, one which the UN in it's ever paper tiger status will probably rule against the US? No one wins in a trade war anyway, it's at least as economically damaging to yourself as it is economically damaging to the other party, and it's also economically damaging to other nations who have no part in this. Why economically damage them? What have they done to deserve this economic damage?
It's the prefect opportunity to have the Navy practice their exercises. Aren't we kinda paying for them already anyway? May as well give them the opportunity to practice and hone their skills.
Remember the long cold war? All that was driven by necessity. While we may not be in a cold war at this moment, the continued military and political posturing on the international stage is driven the same by necessities.