Our Southwestern Underbelly

I haven't had time for a full roundup in awhile, but I have been keeping my eye on developments in China and Latin America.

First of all, the Washington Times reports that China has successfully tested as submarine-launched missile with a range of 6,000 miles.

The JL-2 is estimated to have a range of up to 6,000 miles, enough to hit targets in the United States.

A defense official said the missile test was a major step forward in China's strategic nuclear missile program and shows an improved capability to produce and launch submarine-launched missiles. "It was a successful test," this official said.

Of course, this was not news to followers of Ultraquiet No More, which reported this in a post by PigBoatSailor Friday. Beneath a map that shows how far away the Chinese can be and still hit the continental United States, he adds:

Oh, and yes, the article adds, a Chinese "nuclear submarine cruised around Guam and entered Japan's territorial waters. If China develops SLBMs further, the entire mainland of the United States would come within range of the missiles." So, it was right where a boomer would have to be to launch on us. The article claims, "The United States believes China is ready to deploy the Dong Feng-31 and has estimated that Beijing will have 100 warheads targeting the United States by 2015." I am not sure where that number comes from, so I cannot speak to its veracity. However, it is sounding as if China is trying to start its own little arms race with us. She has got a lot of catching up to do, but she is off to a good start.

This is very bad news. It gets worse. Recall that China is heavily invested in Latin America and especially with Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, with which she has favorable oil contracts. The Miami Herald today reports on the overall strategy of Hugo Chavez.

Oil revenue has been stolen to finance government political campaigns, buy off opponents, pay off the Cubans, buy weapons and establish relations with terrorist nations and terrorist organizations.

It is here that the actions of Chavez are most worrisome. Chavez has financed campaigns in other countries to topple democratic governments, such as in Bolivia and Ecuador.

Chavez has established relations with North Korea and has boasted of building a nuclear program with help from Iran.

Reports are that Chavez will redirect the oil he currently exports to America to China by 2007 [italics mine].

The United States cannot accept the manipulation of its economy by a dictator bent on conquest and empire. It calls for two things: Adoption of an American energy policy that not only frees us from imported petroleum but eventually from oil altogether; and a major push for the establishment of democracy in Venezuela.

Note that Chavez will deal America a double blow by redirecting its oil.

And meanwhile, note that Chavez is working with both North Korea and Iran to get nukes.

Oh yeah, spot Bush Iran, not that he deserves it. What are we doing about North Korea? We're feeding its military to the tune of 50,000 metric tons!

The United States will provide 50,000 metric tons of food to North Korea in a humanitarian decision that the Bush administration said is unrelated to stalemated efforts to get Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons program.

Trying to ease the needs of the North Korean people and efforts to halt the weapons program are not linked, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said today in announcing a decision.

But even with this aid, "some segments of society have been reduced to one meal a day." Wouldn't it be more "humanitarian to free these people from the communist yoke, not to mention, better for our national interests than our pining-away for six-party talks that haven't happened in over a year and are of dubious value anyway?

Worse, still, our administration (1) realizes that this food is likely being diverted to the North Korean military (!) and (2) refuses to consider using food to gain diplomatic leverage!

At the White House, press secretary Scott McClellan said: "We've been a big supplier of food to the North Korean people and the president has said that he does not believe that food should be used as a diplomatic weapon."

"We have always had concerns, though, that that food is getting to the people who need it — the people who are starving, the people who are hungry," McClellan added. "We want to make sure there are assurances that that food is going to those who need it — not to the government and not to the military in North Korea."

WTF?!?! Assurances? Like the ones about us holding six-party talks any time soon? Or the ones we'll get from such talks?

The worst bit about our refusal to use the "diplomatic weapon" at our disposal is twofold. First, we asked China to do exactly the same thing with oil, which they refused to do. (So we already know they won't be any help.) (2) Second, we have just told North Korea that they needn't fear consequences from ignoring what we keep asking them politely to do.

In a word: Alarming.

-- CAV