There He Goes, Again

Ted Carpenter is the one who dangerously meddles in foreign affairs, in my view. He boasts of  writing 9 book and more than 500 articles on foreign affairs, but they are all the same thing--America should run from any threats because we are the problem, there is no threat to us, and somebody else will solve them, anyway. He thinks we have no business worrying about China, of course.

He's upset that the Senate weighed in on the issue.

I'm not going to go through all his drivel in regard to territorial disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea. But for a so-called expert on foreign affairs, this description of our policy is so wrong that it must be called out in particular:

Lest anyone in China miss the underlying message, the resolution went on to emphasize Washington's support for Japan's continuing administration of the Senkaku Islands (which China claims under the name Diaoyu Islands) and stressed that the bilateral U.S.-Japan defense treaty covered those islands, despite their disputed status. So much for the professed U.S. "neutrality" regarding territorial controversies!

Let me explain this as clearly as I can.

One, we are neutral on the question of ownership of any of these islands. If Japan and China freely agree to split islands, we aren't going to object.

Two, we are not neutral in the manner to settle these disputes. So if China forcibly seizes an island from an ally, our defense obligations do kick in.

Three, regardless of who owns the islands, we insist on the traditional freedom of navigation in the region and deny China's expansive claims to restricting US military forces in what have always been international waters under international laws. Exclusive economic zones apply (strangely enough) to economic matters and not military and intelligence assets going through that water or air space. So far, China is the power objecting to that acceptance to traditional maritime law and interpretation of the Law of the Sea.

Is that really so difficult to understand?

Maybe the 510th book or article Carpenter writes can take that into account.

Seriously, Carpenter single handedly makes me disregard the Cato Institute on anything dealing with foreign affairs.

UPDATE: Strategypage is better on China's recent actions. Carpenter might want to note that China declared much of the South China Sea their territorial waters (which is way beyond what even that awful Law of the Sea envisions with exclusive economic zones--EEZs) and recent "civilian" aggressiveness is all planned for this year.