Illinois 8th District Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congresspersons, has a strange way of practicing foreign policy.
He’s defending his recent visit to Taiwan with Pelosi as sending a strong signal to China not to expand its recent threats to Taiwan, including nearby military exercises and economic sanctions.
The strong signal that Krishnamoorthi claims will intimidate China to ignore Taiwan had the opposite effect: greatly expanding Chinese military maneuvers and economic sanctions against Taiwan. It further degraded US China diplomatic relations needed to resolve many issues, the most critical being how to combat climate destruction. Keeping Taiwan from being reunited with the Mainland won’t have much value if the world burns up.
These totally unneeded visits, the newest part of US “pivot to Asia” begun by President Obama in 2011, only further gut US policy of “strategic ambiguity” which worked well for 4 decades after Nixon’s rapprochement with China in 1972 and US establishment of a One China Policy.
Krishnamoorthi ended his bizarre defense of his Taiwan visit with this incredible declaration: “our congressional delegation’s visit should serve as an unequivocal statement that the United States will stand firm against the ambitions of military autocracies, and behind Taiwan, our partner in democracy.”
Provocative US actions threaten to ignite war 8,000 miles from the US that can only be won with nuclear weapons. Please, someone, have Congressman Krishnamoorthi and his congressional colleagues take remedial courses in sensible political science. The fate of the world is at risk with their foolish political grandstanding.
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
Visiting Taiwan was not a wise decision. It provoked China into expanding sanctions and military exercises near Taiwan.
Visiting Taiwan is part of the US plan to convert Taiwan in another Ukraine to fight and degrade China in the world stage.
People like Krishnamoorthi, assuming that they are being truthful in their reasons, are the useful idiots which always abound in these situations.
The explanation that Krishnamoorthi gave (as sending a strong signal to China not to expand its recent threats to Taiwan, including nearby military exercises and economic sanctions.) is total nonsense.
When Nixon went to China it was agreed that with China that there was only one China. Nevertheless US officials starting with Trump have been pushing the envelope by sending official delegations to Taiwan as if it were a separate country.
So what is the strong signal that Krishnamoorthi sent? It was, to hell with Nixon’s agreement, we will do what we want.
Congress is full of narcissistic swamp monsters who think they know best when in reality they all flunked world history.
The Democrats are to the right of Nixon.