China has upset many countries in the Asia-Pacific region with its release of a new official map that lays claim to most of the South China Sea, as well as to contested parts of India and Russia, and official objections continue to mount. What is the map, and why is it upsetting people so much?
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It seems significant, then, that Beijing chose to release the map on the heels of a late August meeting of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and just before China is to participate in top-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 rich and developing nations.
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In releasing the map now, Beijing is widely seen as signaling it has no intention of backing down on any of its claims and is making sure that its positions are fresh in the minds of other countries in the region.
_gestures at the world _ source Another one
Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see any territories that have been incorporated into the US since WWII. The military interventions and soft power stuff hasn’t added any territory.
If you’re okay with military interventions and soft power; surely you’re okay, or at least ambivalent, with China doing the same thing.
It depends entirely on the reason. I am not universally opposed to military intervention. But I think the US has wrongfully intervened before as well. It all depends on whether it’s a just war.
It’s in China’s self-interest to expand their financial hegemony and weaken America’s. To them, it is just. American Exceptionalism is a myth. We are no better than any other country, and the readers here need to be reminded.
This guy is definitely a troll, he shows up on a lot of posts to try and deflect any criticism back to America. Im guessing if you check his profile you’ll see what I mean but his name has stood out a couple times now on other threads.
I’m human and American. Not a troll. I just see the world as objectively as I can, not how I want it to be. I live in America, but I don’t let my selfishness cloud the reality that America is the cause of many of the world’s problems. You don’t have to agree with me. That’s fine. I’m just here to elevate the discussion beyond the myth of American Exceptionalism.
You’re truly exceptional and everyone else is dumb and biased.
No. I have biases and I’m consistently wrong and corrected. But I do try to temper my predilections and use empathy to see other points of view. Compassion is a virtue. I do think I’m smart, not exceptional though. I enjoy learning and encourage everyone to do the same. There are many people on here that are smarter than me, and I welcome their criticism.
Do you have a moral compass? A set of values you compare other things against? If so, does it apply to your views on foreign policy?
Yes. I am a utilitarian and a consequentialist. I’m concerned for the world, not just America’s interests. So all my foreign policy considerations flow from that.
Ok
Self interest is not absolutely just. Morality isn’t defined by what the local government says.
For example, the US in Cuba was unjust though it was in their best interest.
Correct. Utilitarianism is contextual and relative.
But even utilitarianism needs an ultimate goal to maximize utility towards. Is that ultimate good the good of humanity, or the good of China or the US?
The good of humanity.