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Last login: 10 hours agoLaodan: laodan is a guy from Milford, Pennsylvania, USA.; Likes 1,599 pages, 24 videos, 8 photos • 228 fans • Received 65 reviews; Member since Aug 08, 2005

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Informed Comment: Global Affairs: CHINAS COMING OUT PARTY: Apr 9, 6:11pm 1 review china, us, geopolitics, eu
http://icga.blogspot.com/2008/04/chinas-coming-out-party.html; CHINA'S COMING OUT PARTY in Informed Comment: Global Affairs, by Philip J. Cunningham
And then what? What good can the gratuitous and unthinking humiliation of a trauma-racked nation of 1.3 billion people possibly serve? The antic cheerleading of demonstrations seen in recent weeks, when not outright rude or violent, has the one-sided nature of school spirit, being true to one's school at the expense of others. In trying to bring attention to one set of problems without thinking through the consequences of attention-grabbing shocks, racist chants and media stunts, a whole new set of problems is set into motion. Racially-tinged currents of rejection, betrayal and resentment are surging to the fore in a new, yet wholly unnecessary, confrontation between East and West. CHINA'S COMING OUT PARTY Beware an angry China The Protests, The Olympics, And The Yellow Peril. Excellent, Excellent article. Cunningham is right on the mark. These last few days of what appeared as rejection, in our windows on the world, has the potential to drive us all straight toward a future confrontation between East and West; a wholly unnecessary confrontation that whiteman is bound to lose. The 20th century has illustrated how the capitalistic competition between European "micro-nations" (micro at the scale of the world) could lead to the barbarity of 2 very destructive wars. Today's capitalistic competition is between world-blocs: - China and the larger Confucian area make up over 25% of the world population and are the most successful at the capitalistic game. - Europe and the US barely make up 10% of the world population and are in economic retreat. - Everything indicates that the other nations representing the remaining 65% of the world population, in case of conflict between East and West, would align in their very large majority with China against the West. Is this what we want as an outcome?

Robert Reichs Blog: Obama vs. McCain, and The Four Stories of American Life: Feb 13, 2:13pm 2 reviews politics, us, change
http://robertreich.blogspot.com/2008/02/obama-vs-mccain-and-four-stories-of.html; The Four Stories of American Life by Robert Reich in his Blog Robert Reich is the nation's 22nd Secretary of Labor and a professor at the University of California at Berkeley.
1. the art of the political narrative. The Triumphant Individual. The Benevolent Community. The Mob at the Gates. The Rot at the Top. 2. A little history 3. Comes George Bush 4. The challenge for progressives The Four Stories of American Life Consider that nations could very well behave, kind of, like individuals and observe how: - the US is like the adolescent among nations - the EU is like the adult among nations - and China is like the grand-mother among nations Fact is that the narrative of adolescents is different from the narrative of adults that is different from the narrative of grand-parents. Robert Reich gives us a masterly description of the adolescent narrative about nations. It is a non-dualist approach that fits the canon of modern theories of change in dynamic environments as well as the logic of the Tao. - "The Triumphant Individual" is the young active polarity (young yang) that ages into "the Benevolent Community" which is the old active polarity (old yang). - The old active polarity then degenerates into "The Mob at the Gates" which is the young passive polarity (young yin) that in turn transforms into the old passive polarity "The Rot at the Top". - The old passive polarity then degenerates into a new young active polarity, thus, engaging a new cycle of change. The mass movement for change behind Obama illustrates the emergence of a new young active polarity possibly signaling the start of a new cycle in American societal life. At the light of this narrative of change in the American adolescent nation the present electoral cycle takes an interesting intellectual twist.

Move over US -- China to be new driver of world&039;s economy and innovation | S…: Jan 24, 6:21pm 1 review science, china, us, globalization
http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/move-over-us-china-be-new-driver-worlds-econom...; China soon to be new driver of world's economy and innovation in Science Blog by Georgia University
A new study of worldwide technological competitiveness suggests China may soon rival the United States as the principal driver of the world's economy - a position the U.S. has held since the end of World War II. If that happens, it will mark the first time in nearly a century that two nations have competed for leadership as equals. The study's indicators predict that China will soon pass the United States in the critical ability to develop basic science and technology, turn those developments into products and services and then market them to the world. ... "It's like being 40 years old and playing basketball against a competitor who's only 12 years old - but is already at your height - Newman said. "You are a little better right now and have more experience, but you're not going to squeeze much more performance out. The future clearly doesn't look good for the United States." China to be soon new driver of world's economy and innovation Georgia Tech's "High Tech Indicators" study We are witnessing an ultra-fast rebalancing of economic power among the world actors: - China shoots up in all fields. It established itself as the factory of the world and is now investing in science and technology and also in culture... - The US is immobilized in a debt trap of its own making that could take a whole decade to resorb. The awakening shall be rude and the country's exceptionalism shall now rapidly melt away.

China And The United States And The Balance Of Financial Terror - China Law Blog…: Jan 13, 8:24am 1 review economics, china, us
http://www.chinalawblog.com/2008/01/china_and_the_united_states_an.html; The Balance Of Financial Terror in China Law Blog by Dan
Brilliant (word NOT used lightly) article, entitled, The $1.4 Trillion Question, by James Fallows over at The Atlantic Magazine (h/t to China Economic Review Blog) Thesis is that China has essentially been subsidizing the United States for a long time and the key questions are whether this will continue, for how long, and what mind end it. Conclusion seems to be that it will continue because it is in the best interests of both China and the United States, but some major event might trigger its end. The Balance Of Financial Terror The $1.4 Trillion Question Chinese Yuan Rising? -- But What About China? Dan at "China Law Blog" is one of the best commentators about China that I know about. The rise of the RMB (Renminbi yuan) is indeed only for reason to mollify the US and EU. But what really matters is China's domestic politics and its strategy of economic growth at all risk. The 1.4 trillion dollar question is therefore how the Chinese government will answer the strengthening perception by its people that the nation's capital, generated at the cost of its workers' sweat, is being invested to keep afloat US consumption. Voices are growing louder in China claiming that capital generated by Chinese workers should be invested to answer the needs of a growing local consumption... In light of this; dollars held by Chinese institutions should thus, from a Chinese standpoint, be invested in US and other foreign productive assets instead of sustaining US consumption. One thing is sure. This is not going to help keeping interest rates low in the West...

China Matters: In the Shadow of Lal Masjid: Nov 9, 2007 9:26am 1 review china, us, globalization, geo-politics
http://chinamatters.blogspot.com/2007/11/in-shadow-of-lal-masjid.html; The China Factor in Pakistani Politics in China Matters by China Hand
So it's difficult for us to appreciate that the things we care about "like the global war on terror" may not be the most important factors in Pakistani affairs. Pakistan's alliance with China, which supports Islamabad's confrontation with India and underpins its hopes for economic growth in its populous heartland, is probably a lot more important to Islamabad than the dangerous, destabilizing, and thankless task of pursuing Islamic extremists on its remote and impoverished frontiers at Washington's behest. The China Factor in Pakistani Politics If you are interested in understanding what is going on in Pakistan don't listen to the mainstream media. Better check out what this guy is saying he is making sense out of the US incapacity at walking its own talk...

5 Myths About Sick Old Europe - washingtonpost.com: Oct 6, 2007 12:30pm 2 reviews economics, us, eu, cnina
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR20071005010...; 5 Myths About Sick Old Europe
1. The sclerotic European economy is incapable of leading the world. Who're you calling sclerotic? The European Union's $16 trillion economy has been quietly surging for some time and has emerged as the largest trading bloc in the world, producing nearly a third of the global economy. That's more than the U.S. economy (27 percent) or Japan's (9 percent). Despite all the hype, China is still an economic dwarf, accounting for less than 6 percent of the world's economy. India is smaller still. 2. Nobody wants to invest in European companies and economies because lack of competitiveness makes them a poor bet. Wrong again. Between 2000 and 2005, foreign direct investment in the E.U. 15 was almost half the global total, and investment returns in Europe outperformed those in the United States. ... corporate America is a huge investor in Europe; U.S. companies' affiliates in the E.U. 15 showed profits of $85 billion in 2005, far more than in any other region of the world and 26 times more than the $3.3 billion they made in China. 5 Myths About Sick Old Europe Excellent article redressing many wrong-headed beliefs about the relative economic power of the different big blocs... GDP: - EU: $US 16 trillion (33% of world GDP) - US: $US 13 trillion (27% of world GDP) - Japan: $US 4.3 trillion (9% of world GDP) - China: $US 2.8 trillion (6% of world GDP) Check how the different blocs perform in light of other parameters (FDI, profits of FDI, productivity, inequality, welfare, energy dependence on fossil fuels, climate changing emissions,...) For most of those parameters Europe is occupying the head position...

Closing the &039;Collapse Gap&039;: the USSR was better prepared for collapse th…: Aug 1, 2007 12:42pm 14 reviews economics, us, collapse
http://www.energybulletin.net/23259.html; The USSR was better prepared for collapse than the US in the Energy Bulletin by Dmitry Orlov
The subject of economic collapse is generally a sad one. But I am an optimistic, cheerful sort of person, and I believe that, with a bit of preparation, such events can be taken in stride. As you can probably surmise, I am actually rather keen on observing economic collapses. Perhaps when I am really old, all collapses will start looking the same to me, but I am not at that point yet. And this next one certainly has me intrigued. From what I've seen and read, it seems that there is a fair chance that the U.S. economy will collapse sometime within the foreseeable future. It also would seem that we won't be particularly well-prepared for it. As things stand, the U.S. economy is poised to perform something like a disappearing act. And so I am eager to put my observations of the Soviet collapse to good use. Closing the 'Collapse Gap': the USSR was better prepared for collapse than the US The housing crunch that is so much feared nowadays is one of the fields that got pumped up with easy credit supplied to avid borrowers these last 10 years by the financial sector. But it's the accumulated debt that in the last instance constitutes the real problem for the stock markets today. But Dimitry Orlov sees further than the potential financial meltdown that is in the waiting. His primary concern focuses on the "cascading failure" of the machinery actioning our ideology of economic progress and economic growth. His essay recounts how the US is on the road to closing the collapse gap initiated by the USSR nearly 20 years ago...

Asia Times Online :: Korea News - PART 10: The changing South Korean position: Feb 6, 2007 11:55am 1 review economics, china, us, globalization
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/IB07Dg01.html; CHINA AND THE US Part 10 : The changing South Korean position in Asia Times by C. K. LIU (chairman of a New York-based private investment group.)
South Korean politics has been evolving along two parallel paths since the Cold War. One path moves toward increasing resistance to US domination, and the other toward closer ties with neighboring China. Both paths lead to moderation of Cold War ideological hostility in South Korea toward its estranged Northern fraternal state. The lame duck and the greenhorn Part 1. The challenge of unilateralism Part 2. Dynamics of the Korea crisis Part 3. Proliferation, imperialism - and the 'China threat' Part 4. Kim Il-sung and China Part 5. Korea under Park Chung-hee Part 6. Clinton's belated path to peace Part 7. Bush's bellicose policy on N Korea Part 8. The North Korean perspective Part 9. The changing South Korean position Part 10.
A must read to understand the dynamics of the relationship between the US and China. C. K. LIU is a prolific writer offering non conventional views that are often filtered through the prism of finance. That means his views are reality based in the sense of the reality in "real politics"...

Project Syndicate: Sep 5, 2006 4:36pm 1 review economics, china, us
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/shiller40/English; Thrifty China, Spend thrift America in Project Syndicate by Robert J. Shiller (Professor of Economics at Yale University, Chief Economist at MacroMarkets and author of Irrational Exuberance and The New Financial Order: Risk in the 21st Century. ) The saving rate in China is the highest of any major country. Chinau2019s gross saving rate (the percentage of GDP that is not consumed immediately), which includes both public and private saving, is around 50%. By contrast, the saving rate in the United States is the lowest of any major country u2013 roughly 10% of GDP. Almost all other countries fall between these two extremes. According to recent World Values Surveys, 96.7% of Chinese expressed confidence in their government, compared to only 37.3% of Americans. Likewise, 83.5% of Chinese thought their country is run for all the people, rather than for a few big interest groups, whereas only 36.7% of Americans thought the same of their country. With this relatively higher trust, China's government and enterprises are better able to enact and implement strict policies that promote saving and growth. URL: Thrifty China, Spendthrift America

This is news to me. Having read the book "Trust" by Francis Fukuyama I had in mind that the highest trust in the institutions of a country was to be found in the US and here comes this World Values Surveys (University of Michigan) indicating that 96.7% of the Chinese versus only 37.3% of Americans trust their government. I think that I had accepted to easily the arguments of Fukuyama. The question of trust can't indeed be reduced to an abstract proposition towards a society as a whole. In their Confucian belief system the Chinese have traditionally considered that the only place that is safe is within the "5 relationships", meaning the family (father, mother, brothers & sisters) and the friends of the family. Out of the "5 relationships" danger lurks and trust should be withdrawn. That's how relationship is so crucial in accomplishing something in China (guenxi). So the distrust they perceive in their civil society is being compensated by their government who is perceived as acting in the interest of all the people. By contrast in America the citizens have a high trust in the working of their civil society and distrust for their public institutions...

3quarksdaily: May 26, 2006 3:11pm 1 review us, globalization, power, geo-politics
http://3quarksdaily.blogs.com/3quarksdaily/2006/05/the_us_in_peril.html; The US in Peril? I think the US, yes, is confronted by 3 plagues: indebtedness (public + private), energy (oil) and the sharing of a worldview (but the return to old religious belief systems will just not help, on the contrary, it blinds the country to the factors that will determine its future in a globalized world. Dumb indeed!). via 3QuarksDaily, Abbas Raza, in The New York Review of Books by Jeff Madrick """ Dependency on oil is one of three major tendencies that will seriously undermine America's future, he writes, the other two being the influence of radical religion and the growing reliance on debt to support the economy. For Phillips, these constitute "the three major perils to the United States of the twenty-first century," and he offers little hope that the US will avoid the consequences. """ URL: The US in Peril? URL: American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century by Kevin Phillips. Viking Press