By James R. Holmes
I blame Bruce Lee. Or maybe it’s Mao Zedong, who was once a cult figure in Naval Diplomat hangouts like Harvard Square, and still may be on certain college campuses abutting the Square. Or David Carradine, from his Kung Fu days. Blame them for what, you ask? For the Western fancy that Chinese officials are masters of diplomacy and warfare, preternaturally skilled in the dark arts of statecraft. It’s an Asian thing.
Balderdash. As warriors go, Communist China resembles Cato of Pink Panther fame more than it does the great Bruce. (Then who’s playing the part of Inspector Clouseau? – ed. Hmmm. Never mind that!)
Beijing’s latest misadventure: creating an air-defense identification zone (ADIZ) spanning much of the East China Sea. Now, ADIZs are neither new nor intrinsically objectionable. I learned about them in international-law classes many moons ago. President Harry Truman signed an executive order during the Korean War instituting the world’s first one. Canada followed suit in 1951. Countries like Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines joined the roster by 1965. China, then, keeps good company.
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