> Of course, the threat that China might pose to the US > in foreseeable future is not of an attack on the US > soil, but of an attack on its allies and possibly > bases in East Asia. (But deterrence capacities would > probably be a pre-condition for that.) It has been China, not the US, which has worked to reduce tensions in the region. Both in regards to the US spy plane incident and North Korea, the Chinese have avoided escalation. The US, on the other hand, pushed the issues without regards for consequences. If there is a war in the region, it would be more likely some sort of provocation by Bush. For example, to win the election, he could launch an attack on North Korea or create some sort of situation over Taiwan. yrs, andreas www.andreas.com ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html