Hegemons aren’t like other nations. They operate extrajudicially on the world stage by their own rules — in pursuit of their aims, exploiting their own people at the same time.
The US is waging undeclared war by other means against all sovereign independent countries it doesn’t control, wanting them transformed into subservient client states.
It’s been a largely losing strategy throughout the post-WW II period.
Most targeted nations remain free from US control — notably Russia, China, Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela.
At a time of US economic collapse with around 38% of its workforce unemployed, conditions worsening, not improving, for ordinary Americans, compounded by the Trump regime’s indifference toward public health and welfare, its hardliners are escalating an anti-China blame game to shift responsibility for its mismanagement onto a favorite target.
According to establishment media reports, they’re weighing greater get tough on China policies.
The Washington Post quoted an unnamed Trump regime “senior advisor,” saying “(p)unishing China is definitely where (DJT’s) head is at right now,” WaPo adding:
“Senior US officials are beginning to explore proposals for punishing or demanding financial compensation from China for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic…”
Schemes reportedly floated include unlawfully stripping China of sovereign immunity so Washington, US states, entities, and individuals can sue its government for damages related to spreading COVID-19 outbreaks — what Beijing had nothing to do with, lawsuits to go nowhere if filed.
Commenting on this possibility, foreign policy analyst Scott Kennedy stressed that “(t)he chances of getting the Chinese to pay reparations is somewhere between zero and none.”
Yet Trump suggested that the US may seek hundreds of billions of dollars in damages from China, the notion alone more greatly straining already troubled bilateral relations.
Another possible tactic could be reneging on a portion of US debt obligations to China. It owns over a trillion dollars worth of US Treasuries.
Taking this step against any nation, entities, or individuals would damage the full faith and credit soundness of US debt obligations.
Reducing Chinese imports by pushing US firms to return their operations there to the US and/or raising tariffs on Chinese exports to America might be more likely options if any are taken.
At a time of the severest US economic crisis since the Great Depression — in an election year — Trump seeks ways to shift blame from himself onto others for what’s going on.
The strategy is widening the rift with China and most likely is doomed to fail.
Hardliners Pompeo and deputy national security advisor Matthew Pottinger are pushing the get tough on China policy.
Reportedly the CIA has been unable to find credible evidence of COVID-19’s origin in a Chinese biolab.
Beijing strongly denies it, calling claims otherwise US disinformation, maintaining that America is the source of the coronavirus.
On Thursday, Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said the US intelligence community “will continue to rigorously examine emerging information and intelligence to determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.”
Current DNI Richard Grenell earlier stirred controversy as Trump regime envoy to Germany for breaching diplomatic protocol by suggesting that he’d work against European governments not meeting his hardline standards, including host country Germany.
As DNI director, he seeks to blame spreading COVID-19 outbreaks on China.
What’s going on in the White House and by DNI against Beijing is similar to falsely blaming Iraq’s Saddam Hussein by the Bush/Cheney regime for WMDs that didn’t exist.
Despite no evidence suggesting it, claiming China is withholding information about the coronavirus is part of the scheme.
Pompeo is in the lead, calling China the origin of COVID-19, Trump and other regime hardliners playing the same China blame game.
When US officials say they have a “high confidence” about something related to a nation on its target list for regime change, it’s highly likely their claim is fabricated.
Accusations without solid evidence backing them are groundless.
US bashing of China, Russia, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and other sovereign independent countries is all about wanting them demonized, weakened, and isolated, part of US global dominance strategy.
The State Department deceptively claims that the US “seeks a constructive, results-oriented relationship with China.”
Reality is polar opposite. US war on China by other means rages.
Falsely blaming the country for spreading COVID-19 outbreaks and threatening retaliatory actions are the latest shoes to drop.
Bilateral relations hang in the balance. If Trump regime anti-China actions go too far, a major rupture may follow with unpredictable consequences.
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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Featured image is from OneWorld
