{"id":159439,"date":"2010-01-09T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2010-01-09T16:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/the-secret-anti-china-undertones-behind-americas-journey-to-yemen-2010-1"},"modified":"2010-01-09T11:13:00","modified_gmt":"2010-01-09T16:13:00","slug":"the-secret-anti-china-message-behind-obamas-mission-to-yemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/159439","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Anti-China Message Behind Obama’s Mission To Yemen"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gulf<\/p>\n

The war on terror is back, though the story has moved from Afghanistan (which is ostensibly now in nation-building mode) to Yemen, which up until recently, many Americans probably had never heard of.<\/p>\n

Asia Times<\/a> has an excellent overview of the situation written by former Indian ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. What’s most interesting is his analysis of Yemen through the lens of the broader tension between the US and China.<\/p>\n

Most important, however, for US global strategies will be the massive gain of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontrol of the port of Aden in Yemen. Britain can vouchsafe that Aden is the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgateway to Asia. Control of Aden and the Malacca Strait will put the US in an \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tunassailable position in the “great game” of the Indian Ocean<\/span>. The sea lanes of \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe Indian Ocean are literally the jugular veins of China’s economy<\/span>. By \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcontrolling them, Washington sends a strong message to Beijing that any notions \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tby the latter that the US is a declining power in Asia would be nothing more \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthan an extravagant indulgence in fantasy. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

In the Indian Ocean region, China is increasingly coming under pressure. India \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tis a natural ally of the US in the Indian Ocean region. Both disfavor any \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsignificant Chinese naval presence. India is mediating a rapprochement between \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWashington and Colombo that would help roll back Chinese influence in Sri \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLanka. The US has taken a u-turn in its Myanmar policy and is engaging the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tregime there with the primary intent of eroding China’s influence with the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmilitary<\/span> rulers. The Chinese strategy aimed at strengthening influence in Sri \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLanka and Myanmar so as to open a new transportation route towards the Middle \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEast, the Persian Gulf and Africa, where it has begun contesting traditional \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWestern economic dominance. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

China is keen to whittle down its dependence on the Malacca Strait for its \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcommerce<\/span> with Europe and West Asia. The US, on the contrary, is determined that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChina remains vulnerable to the choke point between Indonesia and Malaysia. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

An engrossing struggle is breaking out. The US is unhappy with China’s efforts \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tto reach the warm waters of the Persian Gulf through the Central Asian region \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tand Pakistan. Slowly but steadily, Washington is tightening the noose around \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tthe neck of the Pakistani elites – civilian and military – and forcing them to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tmake a strategic choice between the US and China. This will put those elites in \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tan unenviable dilemma. Like their Indian counterparts, they are inherently \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t“pro-Western” (even when they are “anti-American”) and if the Chinese \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconnection is important for Islamabad, that is primarily because it balances \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tperceived Indian hegemony.<\/p>\n

Read the whole story at Asia Times — ><\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

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