Must We Have An Arms Race?

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/peter-g-cohen/53809/must-we-have-an-arms-race

Must We Have An Arms Race?
by Peter G. Cohen | January 23, 2014 - 10:02am

~snip~

Until now, the United States was the only nation with a hypersonic (ultra high speed) missile system capable of penetrating any antimissile defense system. Now, China has tested a missile capable of flying at ten times the speed of sound! --South China Morning Post, Jan. 15, 2014.

~snip~

President Obama’s “pivot” from the Middle East to Asia and the plans to modernize our nuclear weapons and delivery systems of planes, missiles and submarines for hundreds of billions of dollars, has alarmed China. The U.S. is also expanding the navy and building larger bases in Asia, including the ones on Jeju Island, S. Korea and Okinawa, in spite of unusual resistance by local people.

At the same time, we have negotiated the Trans Pacific Partnership, another “free trade” agreement with the nations of the Western Pacific. The purpose of this agreement is to limit Chinese trade with its neighboring nations.

Given these military and economic attempts to contain China, it is no wonder that China is growing its military budget and development activities.