Intelligence Community Sees Asia Rising

AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE ^ | February 15, 2009 | By Jim Garamone

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53103

Intelligence Community Sees Asia Rising

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2009 – (This is the second in a three-part series on the intelligence community’s annual threat assessment.)

U.S. intelligence planners predict the 21st century will be the time for the rise of Asia, the director of national intelligence said Feb. 12.

Dennis C. Blair told the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that “China and India are restoring positions they held in the 18th century when China produced approximately 30 percent and India 15 percent of the world’s wealth.”

While the current global economic crisis will slow growth in China and India, the two countries are likely to become the world’s third and fourth largest economies by 2025. China’s emergence as a world power is affecting the regional balance of power in Asia, Blair said in a prepared statement.

While the communist rulers of China have been successful in transforming the direction of the country, the government’s international behavior is driven by the need to maintain power. Leaders see their main missions as continuing prosperity and maintaining domestic stability, he said.

“Chinese leaders view preserving domestic stability as one of their most important internal security challenges,” Blair said.

Roughly 300 million Chinese have benefited from the current economic success, leaving 1 billion still in poverty.

Tibet and Taiwan remain problems internationally for the Chinese, but the election of a new government in Taiwan has tamped down tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic, Blair said.

From a military standpoint, China continues its modernization programs and operationally Chinese forces are prepared to move beyond the region, the admiral said. For example, a Chinese ship is cooperating with anti-pirate patrols in the Gulf of Aden, and Chinese troops may soon take part in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

On the equipment side, China continues to develop new, increasingly accurate missile capabilities that can reach U.S. forces throughout the region.

China is developing a robust anti-satellite capability, and Blair said this is among the nation’s highest military priorities. The Chinese also are modernizing their nuclear weapons capabilities.

Blair also spoke of India, which is harnessing the power of free markets after decades of trying to manage the economy.

“Like China, India’s expanding economy will lead New Delhi to pursue new trade partners, gain access to vital energy markets, and generate the other resources required to sustain rapid economic growth,” he said.

From a foreign policy and intelligence standpoint, relations with Pakistan dominate. The terror attack on Mumbai in November chilled relations between the two powers. Pakistan has vowed to crack down on extremists who used Pakistan to plan and train for the attack that crippled India’s major financial center and killed more than 130 people.

In Asia, North Korea is the odd-man out. In a region that reaped the benefits of economic growth, North Koreans are starving, and the government is pouring money into the military.

Blair said the U.S. intelligence community believes North Korea is operating a covert uranium enrichment program. While the country has nuclear weapons, Blair said he did not think North Korea would use them unless faced with a military defeat or loss of control.

North Korea continues to participate in the Six Party Talks -- with South Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the United States -- but progress is slow, Blair said. North Korea continues to proliferate nuclear weapons and missile technology, most notably to Iran and Syria.

“We remain concerned North Korea could again export nuclear technology,” he said.

Related Sites: Testimony

[Cindy]

SNIPPET - Quote:

http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20090212_testimony.pdf

Annual Threat Assessment of the
Intelligence Community
for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Dennis C. Blair
Director of National Intelligence
12 February 2009

February 2009

SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON
INTELLIGENCE

FEBRUARY 2009
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
ANNUAL THREAT ASSESSMENT

UNCLASSIFIED
STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD

[Cindy]

ping

[RetiredArmy]

China and India rising. America sinking into the dark abyss.

[RasterMaster]

Here’s a MUST SEE video series from the early 1990’s that shows what is to come from surrendering our manufacturing base to Asian countries...

Frontline Documentary - Trade With Japan

Part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GecyyDHmNg

Part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxPigywkkKE

Part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ2VvviC0PQ

Part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZLpULKK6XQ

Part 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGVcTqaKUU8

Part 6

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSgdXlZIGx4

[Cindy]

Thank you for sharing the links, Raster Master.

Manufacturing needs to start at home (home country) to make a country great and prosperous.

[Thunder90]

Even though Russia is struggling, it will weather this economic crisis much better than the US or the west.

[autumnraine]

China could sacrifice one person for every one of us and still have 1/3 of their country left. Think of how much land we have...

[autumnraine]

Not according to Neal Boortz, he says we should let manufacturing go elsewhere and let the dumber countries do it and we elevate ourselves in other fields.

I think in theory that is fine, but in reality you are taking an awful lot of trust in your enemies.

[CowboyJay]

Problem with Boortz’s theory is that not everyone either wants to work white collar, or is suited to. It’s also impossible to support the commercial sector indefinitely without an industrial base. So, if we follow Boortz’s advice, we’re going to have a BUNCH of idle people on our hands.

We have a few choices. We can let them starve, and hope they don’t riot and burn every last building in the country down first. We could pay them not to riot (welfare). We could put them all in prison (worse than welfare). We could pay them to rearrange the deck chairs (service economy).

Or we could look out for our manufacturing sector a little and let them live productive lives and actually contribute something to the economy and society in general.

[autumnraine]

I totally agree. Not everyone is cut out for college and/or desk jobs and it isn’t a sign of stupidity if you don’t want that. I think Neal is a snob in a lot of ways. I agree with a good bit, but every now and then his upper class snobbery comes through. Face it, we aren’t a nation full of country people. We DO have people who aren’t that smart and we need to make sure they have a way to support themselves as well as make sure we don’t rely on other countries for EVERYTHING to be shipped to us.

[autumnraine]

I meant to say “Country Club People”, not country people. Even though we do have those and those people have to be considered too. I have found that when people live a big city for too long, they tend to forget how many people live in between the big cities. It’s like they are so immersed in their world, they almost forget there are people who still deal with hay and cows.