By Robert Farley
Let’s not get too caught up in the notion of credibility.
Does the United States suffer from erectile dysfunction?
In a recent interview following a speech by U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, PLA General Zhu Chenghu, dean of China’s National Defense University, argued that the United States was simultaneously engaging in the dangerous escalation of disputes in the South and East China Seas, and also that it lacked the gumption to follow through on its commitments. Zhu argued “We can see from the situation in Ukraine this kind of ED [extended deployment] has become the male type of ED problem: erectile dysfunction.”
At the same time, Zhu emphasized the threatening nature of U.S. commitments: “If you look at what the U.S. is doing on China’s periphery — things such as reconnaissance, exercises, massive deployments, strengthening military alliances, taking sides on territorial disputes — these things are not good at all.”
This is an odd combination; on the one hand, Zhu is contending that the United States is a paper tiger, unwilling to meet its international commitments. On the other, he’s arguing that U.S. commitments are threatening, aggressive, and contributing to an unhealthy climate in East Asia. But if the U.S. is too weak to defend any of its commitments, how can it threaten China?
Read the full story at The Diplomat