Ah, Erika - this is what diplomacy and foreign relations are all about.
;)
Keep in mind that while this incident is really not that big a deal
(unless you happen to be a P3 crewmember or in the NSA), it doesn't
exist in a vacuum. The worse the US looks on the international stage
and the more 'making nice' it has to do, the smoother the path towards
other, more important goals for the Chinese. Maybe we don't hassle them
on permanent normal trade relations, maybe we don't send as large a
force on the next joint military exercise with the Taiwanese, maybe we
don't push the issues of imprisoned dissidents or prison labor or Tibet.
In any case, the Chinese have many reasons to make this a bargaining
chip.
Frankly, I'm afraid that the Chinese need our money less than we want
(if not need) their markets. Every nation wants to invest and sell in
China - and some nations don't even pay the scant attention the US does
to things like human rights, etc.
In the end, this will get worked out. We won't apologize and the
Chinese won't like that. They'll release the P3 crew but later than we
want. We'll only get the plane back at the point when it really doesn't
matter anyway. Then we'll all wait for the next go around. The Chinese
are the 1,000 pound gorilla of this century and the US doesn't quite
know how to work with them.
[finishes dusting my Poli Sci degree, puts it back on the shelf and gets
back to work]
Kevin
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Erika L Walker [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 12:29 PM
> To: CF-Community
> Subject: RE: Good Morning! - Chinese incident
>
>
> That's what I am realizing now, I guess, what "boggles" me
> really, is why
> they have to do all this politically correct, running around
> the bush, honor
> stuff, when there are a lot of other more important issues to
> take care of,
> on both sides of the ocean. I tend to think in such straight
> direct terms,
> that this tennis match seems a bit of overkill.
>
> The Chinese need our money, we need the Chinese....Regret and
> remorse is
> good, why can't they just accept it?
>
> If we can't *apologize* because we shouldn't, which I do
> believe we were in
> the right and not the wrong....but the Chinese won't back off
> because they
> think they are right...what happens? What was said before
> about if we do
> *apologize* just to get everything over with, then the
> Chinese can use that
> against our crewmen, that makes sense, but still leaves it at
> square one.
>
> Both countries are stubborn and those crewmen are stuck in
> the middle of a
> political TUG-O-WAR. I think that just stinks!
>
> *very sad*
>
> Erika
>
> "What's good about telling the truth is there's nothing to
> remember." - John
> Ford Noonan
>
> --------------------------------
> AIM: WebErika5
> Yahoo: WebErika
> MSN: WebErika
> AskMe.com Expert: WebErika
> --------------------------------
> Erika L. Walker
> Vice President
> RUWebby, LLC
> 973-626-2412 (c)
> 973-244-9120 (o)
> 153 Rutgers Lane
> Parsippany, NJ 07054
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