America and East Asia -- The Special Relationship

While I have only been following the American election season from afar (and I can't say I'm disappointed about that) I have noticed two very scary and frankly serious political ads that make me nervous (here and here). After watching these I'm forced to ask: what is happening America? Seriously, what the hell is happening?

Not surprisingly, there's some history here. Conceptualizing the United States beyond its borders usually leads one across the Atlantic, and for good reason. Those that colonized the United States came from Europe, and those that did a good deal of the manual labor came from Africa, meaning that America's roots lay across the Atlantic. But since then I would argue that the United States has pulled away from Europe, both figuratively (isolation policies for much of its history) and literally. The design of American history was sketched in Manifest Destiny, in which Americans moved across the continent and toward the Pacific. But that huge oceanic expanse would not stop them, and soon the American empire was being built in Asia, starting with Hawaii. As Edward Said has said, what the Middle East was to Europe, East Asia is to the United States. That has produced both good periods, and some very bad years. In the 20th century, the United States has fought wars against the Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians (and seen action in many more places in Asia). Besides Latin America, no other area has played a larger role in American history.

America's relationship with East Asia is dichotomous, simultaneously embodying mutual admiration and open hostility. But the hostility being displayed toward China in the past year is truly irrational. I use the word irrational here purposefully, mostly because this hostility is groundless and seems to have an unstoppable inertia. The American economy is permanently fused to China's (and vice-versa), and the destruction of one would cause a major disruption to the other. As James Fallows points out in response to the second video clip, a productive China is so much better for international stability than a stagnant Chinese economy (by the way, I completely disagree with Fallows's response to the first ad. Love Fallows, but he really misses the point of this ad, which I think is the pictures of Mao Zedong lining the classroom. There's only one message there. China is not only powerful, but they're dictatorial. It's meant to strike that Cold War funny bone. Be afraid. Verrrrry afraid).

But in truth, I don't care about the accuracy of these ads, nor about their effectiveness. Nation-states (especially those in decline) need enemies, and politicians need to blame others for their own failings. What I detest is the inevitability of America's current relationship with China. It's like watching a car wreck in slow motion. We can unpack every mistake and identify every missed opportunity. What we can't seem to do is stop it. I say this from personal experience. I've had more than one person tell me they're interested in Chinese history because they want to study America's future enemy. I'm baffled by this, but so many Americans have simply accepted that the United States and China are and will be enemies for a long time to come.The American government is no better than the American people. Many officials are content to attack China because it's easy, and because it delays addressing the problem, which is the fundamental decline of the United States. Real reform would require the voters to eschew both parties in favor of radical realism, but instead Congress and the Obama administration have decided to blame China. Example: Instead of currency wars, mutual recriminations, and hostility over America's high rate of unemployment, how about making a real commitment to green energy, an industry that could provide millions of jobs in the United States. The message is clear: There's nothing wrong with the United States; there's something very wrong with China. Real reform dies at the hands of the Yellow Menace.

There is much to criticize in Beijing, and the Communist Party is not helping its cause (in so many ways). But as Henry Kissinger has said (I don't want to quote him, but I must) the true test of the 21st century is going to be China's rise to power. If the United States can find a way to co-exist and recognize the benefits of a prosperous China, then that transition will go smoothly, and Americans will be reminded of the periods in their own history when relations with an East Asia country were positive and productive. If they believe cheap politicians, or if they get choose anti-intellectual jingoism over real reform, then this will be a very difficult century for the United States.