http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2013-10/13/c_132794246.htm
QuoteCommentary: U.S. fiscal failure warrants a de-Americanized world
BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. politicians of both political parties are still shuffling back and forth between the White House and the Capitol Hill without striking a viable deal to bring normality to the body politic they brag about, it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world.
Emerging from the bloodshed of the Second World War as the world's most powerful nation, the United States has since then been trying to build a global empire by imposing a postwar world order, fueling recovery in Europe, and encouraging regime-change in nations that it deems hardly Washington-friendly.
With its seemingly unrivaled economic and military might, the United States has declared that it has vital national interests to protect in nearly every corner of the globe, and been habituated to meddling in the business of other countries and regions far away from its shores.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has gone to all lengths to appear before the world as the one that claims the moral high ground, yet covertly doing things that are as audacious as torturing prisoners of war, slaying civilians in drone attacks, and spying on world leaders.
Under what is known as the Pax-Americana, we fail to see a world where the United States is helping to defuse violence and conflicts, reduce poor and displaced population, and bring about real, lasting peace.
Moreover, instead of honoring its duties as a responsible leading power, a self-serving Washington has abused its superpower status and introduced even more chaos into the world by shifting financial risks overseas, instigating regional tensions amid territorial disputes, and fighting unwarranted wars under the cover of outright lies.
As a result, the world is still crawling its way out of an economic disaster thanks to the voracious Wall Street elites, while bombings and killings have become virtually daily routines in Iraq years after Washington claimed it has liberated its people from tyrannical rule.
Most recently, the cyclical stagnation in Washington for a viable bipartisan solution over a federal budget and an approval for raising debt ceiling has again left many nations' tremendous dollar assets in jeopardy and the international community highly agonized.
Such alarming days when the destinies of others are in the hands of a hypocritical nation have to be terminated, and a new world order should be put in place, according to which all nations, big or small, poor or rich, can have their key interests respected and protected on an equal footing.
To that end, several corner stones should be laid to underpin a de-Americanized world.[/u]
For starters, all nations need to hew to the basic principles of the international law, including respect for sovereignty, and keeping hands off domestic affairs of others.
Furthermore, the authority of the United Nations in handling global hotspot issues has to be recognized. That means no one has the right to wage any form of military action against others without a UN mandate.
Apart from that, the world's financial system also has to embrace some substantial reforms.
The developing and emerging market economies need to have more say in major international financial institutions including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, so that they could better reflect the transformations of the global economic and political landscape.
What may also be included as a key part of an effective reform is the introduction of a new international reserve currency that is to be created to replace the dominant U.S. dollar, so that the international community could permanently stay away from the spillover of the intensifying domestic political turmoil in the United States.
Of course, the purpose of promoting these changes is not to completely toss the United States aside, which is also impossible. Rather, it is to encourage Washington to play a much more constructive role in addressing global affairs.
And among all options, it is suggested that the beltway politicians first begin with ending the pernicious impasse.
http://thediplomat.com/china-power/what-china-thinks-of-the-shutdown/
QuoteWhat China Thinks of the Shutdown
In the midst of a domestic crisis, it is easy to forget that the rest of the world is watching. Now that the U.S. federal government has shut down for the first time since the mid 1990s, the talk of the town is the political problems of the world's largest economy and sole superpower. In China, most media reports about the shutdown have been merely informative, but every now and then they offer a rare insight into what the Chinese have learned about America's shortcomings.
"As far as the Chinese populace is concerned, the government shutdown is like the Arabian Nights," writes Wang Xuejing of Hong Kong Daily News. Evidently, for the citizens of a totalitarian state, the prospect of a government shutdown seems otherworldly. The newspaper Qilu Wanbao complains, "To us, far on the other side of the ocean, the information appears contradictory. Some say Americans are furious [...] Some say [everyday] life remains unchanged. Have or haven't Americans been affected by the federal shutdown?"
The notion of a government shutdown is strange for the average Chinese person because its consequences in the People's Republic would go far beyond closed federal agencies and parks. In mainland China, and increasingly Hong Kong, every school and every agency (national and local) answers to a party minder. Banking and internet traffic are also closely monitored by Beijing. Should the party overseers be absent one day, many organizations crucial to China's social structure would suddenly find themselves without official guidance. The effects of such an abrupt and unfamiliar decentralization are impossible to predict.
Yet other commentators find the federal shutdown inspiring. Dr. Li Xiaohui, Assistant Professor of Law at Xiamen University writes, "The life of the average American has not been greatly affected by it and the economy has continued to grow. This reflects the clear limits between America's government and the market. Our country should likewise move forward and decouple the government from the economy." Similarly, the newspaper Nanfang Dushi Bao commended the strength of American society for being able to function without the government. Interestingly, while the American public sees the shutdown as a government failure, some Chinese are seeing it as a sign of efficiency. The common belief that the Chinese words for "opportunity" and "crisis" are the same, though wildly untrue, seems applicable in this case.
While common Chinese citizens muse over the implications of a shutdown, China's leadership has been giving the impression of merrily promenading through Southeast Asia, stealing the international spotlight. Taking advantage of Obama's absence at the recent APEC and East Asia summits, President Xi Jinping visited Malaysia and Indonesia with a friendly demeanor that his predecessor would have likely avoided, greeting the Indonesian parliament in the local language and visibly travelling with his celebrity wife Peng Liyuan. In Brunei, on the other hand, Premier Li Keqiang stuck to the usual rhetoric of making progress on a code of conduct for the South China Sea disputes and indirectly urged the U.S. not to get involved.
But aside from bewilderment and contentment over the shutdown, there is also concern in China about the possibility of a future U.S. default. At a recent news conference in Beijing, China's Vice Finance Minster Zhu Guangyao said that the U.S. must protect its creditors, stating, "safeguarding the debt is of vital importance to the economy of the U.S. and the world [...] This is the United States' responsibility." Dr. Li echoed the Minister's message, "The shutdown of the American government is a warning to our compatriots that we should optimize the allocation of our foreign exchange reserves."
As the largest holder of U.S. debt, China unsurprisingly appears more concerned about American solvency than about the unfamiliar mechanics of a representative democracy. Despite this, China as a whole also appears to be learning a great deal from the shutdown, not only about the American political system, but also about itself and its future. As the shutdown enters its third week, it remains to be seen if America will learn something as well.
Isaac Medina holds an MIR from Peking University. He has previously worked for The National Bureau of Asian Research and the American Foreign Policy Council.
Suomalaiseen kulttuuriin palaaminen tekisi hyvää, koska tällä hetkellä julkinen keskustelu on pitkälti sitä, että erilaiset amerikkalaiset hapatukset ottavat keskenään yhteen.
Mieluummin seuraisi vaikka pohjalaisien ja hämäläisien välistä huutelukilpailua.
Varsin voimakasta kerrontaa Kiinan viralliselta uutistoimistolta. Yhdessä vaiheessa luin aika paljon juuri noita Xinhuan englannin kielisiä uutisia, enkä törmännyt mihinkään mikä olisi voitu tulkita amerikkaa kritisoivaksi tai provosoivaksi. Se jopa kieltäytyi ottamasta mitään kantaa amerikan suorittamiin Kiinan vastaisiin toimiin. Nyt on sitten ääni muuttunut - tai sitten kyseessä on yksittäistapaus.
Kiinan politiikkaa hallinneet Viisi Periaatetta Rauhanomaiseen Yhteiseloon (http://wiki.china.org.cn/wiki/index.php/Five_Principles_of_Peaceful_Coexistence) sisältävät myös periaatteen olla puuttumatta muiden sisäisiin asioihin eli sisäpolitiikkaan. Tässä selvästi puututaan. Amerikka ei ole vielä jättänyt yhtään velkoja maksamatta tai rikkonut muita maiden välisiä sopimuksia. Ainoastaan amerikan oma hallinto on kärsinyt taloudellisia menetyksiä.