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winter 02/21/2011 05:26 PM Report
If the truth about climate change ever comes to a point of no return, we all meet at Limbaughs and Becks houses with scythes and torches.
TruthSayer 02/15/2011 10:38 PM Report
@ JimBullis: "Thus, while China takes constructive action to control CO2, we deliberate on inane notions of 'carbon' capture and sequestration. We also move to repeal the laws of thermodynamics with our new EPA automobile rating system, as proposed, which is a trick to make electric cars seem better than they are."
Yes Jim. So much for our civic engagement and democratic deliberation. I mean who the hell needs those when you can substitute all those Western-imperialist ornaments with the trappings of a centralized government characterized by quick exercise of perogative at the cost of ZERO accountability? No wait I stand corrected. You do because without them you wouldn't be posting your strange fawning for authoritarianism.
winter 01/15/2011 12:46 PM Report
Good luck trying to convince the mutants on climate change.
Limbaugh and Fox control public perception now ...and they're not letting go.
robse 01/11/2011 07:16 AM Report
Great interview Charlie and enlightening thoughts. If Chinamerica takes a lead and paves the way that G 20 could follow, the world in 2050 is going to be a better place for all the nations on the globe. I do believe that is the way to tackle the problems we face and we are somewhat inefficient as global society to handle yet: climate change, fighting the poverty etc. And finally, globalisation is a phenomenon that has delivered improvements to the world and will continue to do so in the future only if it is treated with care, like a Bonsai in order to deliver sustainable results
ptaaffe 01/07/2011 04:03 PM Report
My hopeful prediction: China by the middle of this century will be a prosperous world power with a similar standard of living for most citizens to that of South Korea or Japan today. I think it will, by then, be a democracy, with a transition modelled on that of other formerly authoritarian states in Asia, such as Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea.
BENEZRAA 01/06/2011 11:58 PM Report
SERENDIPITYDOODAH --SERENDIPIDTYDEH....
Muqdeda Al-Sadr is coming our way!
This infamous Shia Cleric amid much fanfare has just returned to Iraq from a three-year "self-imposed exile" in Iran (so it was reported). No fan of Al-Maliki, Al-Sadr's return to Iraq may challenge any tentative stability Iraq presently enjoys.
January is just busting out all over! Chinese leadership visits the USA boasting a brand new stealth bomber, Iraq welcomes home Al-Sadr, North Korea has a young new leader testing his oats, Israel is threatened with imminent war in the north from Hezbollah and in the south from Hamas, the Coptic Christian's of Egypt have just suffered a terrible deadly terror bombing, Pakistan's Punjab Governor was just assassinated, Karzai is badmouthing the entire West, the Ivory Coast is polishing the metal on the swords of imminent civil war, Christian southern Sudan may vote to succeed (with all the oil) leaving the repressive Muslim north to decide whether or not to really let go, the Japanese are reminding the Chinese that Japanese submarines are more than a match for the new aircraft carrier China is brining on line, Belarus suffers a totalitarian crackdown, Putin is likely to soon return to official total leadership of Russia (unlike Yeltsin at least Putin is not an alcoholic ....)....
(And I wonder: should the DOD switch it's car insurance to GEICO ????)
BENEZRAA 01/06/2011 08:34 PM Report
AND WHAT ABOUT THE NEW CHINESE STEALTH
BOMBER....
It was reported yesterday that China now has a
stealth bomber, designed using both American
and Russian technologies, and that the American
mainland is now a viable target.
Imagine how the Tibetans and Indians must feel!
India is sovereign, but, can be reached now by
a Chinese nuclear bombing run over the
Himalyas.
Tibet is occupied by China, is more easily
accessible to China than India, and the stealth
bomber capability may now be a defining factor
in the consolidation of Chinese imperialism
goals in Tibet.
"Time has come today...." Time!
JimBullis 01/05/2011 05:03 PM Report
The visit with Pres. Hu might be an opportunity to learn about a creative approach that he said China was taking to deal with global warming, specifically that of naturally capturing CO2 using standing forests. Roughly, a ton of standing forest mass captures the CO2 released from burning a ton of coal We might imagine that the great dam project would relate to this forestry project, since water made available by this reservoir would be important to stimulate forest growth.
I wrote previously here at this Charlie Rose site about how we might do a similar thing using a new system of water distribution on a continental North American basis.
President Hu said over a year ago, “— we will energetically increase forest carbon — we will endeavor to increase forest coverage by 40 million hectares and forest stock volume by 1.3 billion cubic meters by 2020 from 2005 levels.” ( This was reported by Joe Romm at his ‘climateprogress’ web site. See – http://climateprogress.org/2009/09/23/are-chinese-emissions-pledges-a-game-changer-for-senate-action- president-hu-un-speech/ )
I suggest that the 'engineers' that are the present Chinese government have understood how to build an industrial system while we seem to be determined to dismantle our advanced industrial system under control of a government lacking engineering talent. Instead we seem to be in a government dominated by environmentalists and lawyers that have little comprehension of energy issues relating to our developed world; and we add to this the oversight of Congressional bedlam.
Thus, while China takes constructive action to control CO2, we deliberate on inane notions of 'carbon' capture and sequestration. We also move to repeal the laws of thermodynamics with our new EPA automobile rating system, as proposed, which is a trick to make electric cars seem better than they are.
We might wonder how China sees the future for renewables and electric vehicles. So far, they seem like clear thinking engineers in guiding their country to a developed status, and might be a little tentative in pursuing energy matters like we do it. Thus, we might understand their very substantial forest development plan.
President Hu might enjoy the opportunity to show their sophisticated level of thinking.
JohnGelles 01/05/2011 04:48 PM Report
REMant's comment, #1 (at the bottom of discussion) can be used to focus on options we must face:
"...we have let this making the world safe for democracy business get way out of hand..."
Zbigniew Brzezinski (ZB) allows that if we codify the rules inviting closer non-antagonistic relations between China and the USA we may work toward regional balance within the Korean Japanese Chinese Taiwanese Vietnamese Pacific waters that will include a benign pacific role for American carriers, cruisers and submarines.
If that benign role is what we want, rather than return of our Navy to Hawaii with only occasional ceremonial visits to a Chinese "containment" zone, it will be because we have partnered with China to make the world safe for a democracy of sorts that we believe will soon include "Chimerica" as much as China and America.
If not, what are we saying to China that their elites and growing middle class want to hear?
Meanwhile, we are scuttling our own middle class. They will soon be as misinformed on the origins of their demise as they are world history, geography and future-studies.
Western Civilization has not replaced law with equity or money with purposeful prices. If the "democracy" it developed remains where Dostoevsky left it in Crime and Punishment, we have only ourselves to blame. China and Russia know our capitalist weaknesses. These weaknesses start with modern trade and money and end with ancient superstition about paternalism writ large. Feminism has not yet changed from what it was under Elizabeth and Katherine. And no other cultural change away from war and waste is catching on.
Perhaps we want more than nature's evolution strives for. Perhaps we want less pain than what is in store for us. And perhaps we want to know what's racing at us out of sight. Not to worry -- we'll never know.
CarolJ 01/05/2011 07:20 AM Report
Happy Birthday Charlie and many more.
JohnGelles 01/04/2011 08:35 PM Report
Zbigniew Brzezinski and Charlie Rose and commentators in this discussion offer great insights necessary for today:
Structures for future peace (or certainly for less than total war) are what counts most.
Economic structures for domestic and international trade are foremost on our mind -- focused on jobs, technological revolutions in progress (including the economics of information and money, trade, and multinational corporatism); and the transcendent issues of ecology, water, energy, and education, disease, flood, etc.)
Geo-political structures for borders, spheres of influence, treaty organizations, etc.; and ideological beliefs and discussions affecting human rights and human fears.
Military structures for war and prevention of war in cyberspace, space, deep water and neighboring lands.
Brzezinski's call for formal understanding of the Chimerica economic partnership -- to delay and even prevent antagonism from growing as sportsmanship evaporates -- is an unmet desire. Let us hope he has started something.
Meanwhile, we have a huge assignment before us-- to prevent austerity from trumping equity and cutting our ties to democracy.
Debt-based money cannot accommodate necessary reorganization of ownership claims. We must re-start our system at the level of the individual too important to be thrown under the bus: corporations too big to fail are not our only responsibility.
robdverity 01/04/2011 05:28 PM Report
nwrky - well said but naive - prob. solely because of its very naivety. Beyond mortal capabilities. Totally placeboic (wd?).
nwrky 01/04/2011 04:02 PM Report
Thank you Dr. Brzezinski. Your wisdom and experience, your 'whole picture' view and peaceful approach to the growing wealth of China was refreshing and welcomed. And thank you Charlie for giving him the space to speak. I have heard too many people complaining about China and India trying to take over the world when in truth, they are simply trying to do something to make life better for their people. Granted there are growing pains, but every country has them. And finally, to hear you say that China is simply trying to catch up to the 21st century and not concerned about world power, -will it was music to my ears. To know there is an intellectual and political voice like this was reassuring. It is indeed as you said, that Americans need to give up the notion that we will be the super power forever. There must not be another super power. The US has been the one concerned with maintaining this status to our and the entire world's detriment. A false ego is always dangerous. We have done despicable things in order to be number one. We will hopefully step back with grace and compassionate generosity and share the love of this earth, of life and liberty. We need to get on with the task of keeping our earth healthy and therefore all of us healthy as well. Again thank you. Hopefully you are in touch with the powers that can help us do this. PS. You remind me of my scholar father.
charlizecourriers 01/04/2011 03:28 PM Report
Just exactly who likes the Chinese government? It is a brutal dictatorship. And it will suffer the same fate as all dictatorships, tenured professors notwithstanding. Let us hope sooner, rather than later.
Piotr_W_Klamut 01/04/2011 02:52 PM Report
Well put and let me wish a Happy New Year, Dr Brzezi?ski !
The question if the pace of social change will outpace the pace of political change in China (to this part being probably rhetorical, unless I am underestimating specifics of far east society or ..wisdom of their governments), but then on abilities of, sort to say, minding that gap by the Chinese government – indeed seems crucial, also for then affecting both foreign policies as they become posed to evolve..
but of course that we should be remaining specific to the issues of disrespecting human rights in China - let’s not forget (to some of my predecessors comments) it directly translates to long years of living of many.
REMant 01/04/2011 01:50 PM Report
This is tho the kind of thing Zbig has to deal with: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2011/01/zbigniew_brezezinski_fancies_h.html
BENEZRAA 01/04/2011 01:26 PM Report
ON THE APPARENT REASONABLENESS OF ZB's ANALYSIS OF THE THREE WORLD POWERS, THOSE BEING THE USA, CHINA, AND RUSSIA.
RUSSIAN POWER:
Russian power tends to be underestimated at peril to those nations underestimating that power. The Russians are not merely great chess players and consumers of caviar. Hitler and Napoleon both found that out the hard way. The West may have emerged "victorious" post Cold War -- but, for how long? We may have spent and fought Russia for the obvious meal on the table; it remains to be seen, whether or not the Russians have drunk us under the table. Our economy is reeling, our population divided against itself, and our military is now for all practical purposes an entity unto itself and extended into the "civilian" sector by private armies.
AMERICAN POWER
The arrogance -- even if well founded arrogance -- with which ZB speaks of American power and simultaneously dismisses Russia and China -- this arrogance is not unique to ZB and may be the proverbial "pride before the fall" that the world at large thinks it wants to see and yet would regret overnight. Unless the USA unites it's citizenry together via a low-paid, large scale program of mandatory, combined, military and civilian services to convert our nation of sheep into lions, care for our less fortunate, and rebuild our infrastructure, then the USA may well advance from de facto totalitarianism to de jure totalitarianism and all the horrors that would inevitably ensue.
CHINESE POWER
Current Chinese power is feeling it's oats. A useful way for China to channel that energy would be for China to undo the damage it did to Korea in the 1950's [when it overran the Yalu River to push back American forces, leading to the division of Korea into North and South and a still existing state of war] by overrunning the Yalu River now in order to put an end to the current North Korean regime. It would then be icing on the cake, should China then withdraw and work with the West to facilitate a peaceful reunification of North and South into one democratic, westernized nation. This would be a timely way to put a stop to "rogue" North Korea. (This commentary may be criticized as being naive, as North Korea is obviously not a rogue State and is in fact a proxy for China by which China tests and strains the West -- and that criticism would be correct.)
Due to Chinese exercise of power in the forms of invasion, financial influence, and political influence, Tibet is now half-a-century overrun by China, a third of Kashmir is partitioned to China, and the Himalyas have become part and parcel of the New Great Wall of China. That "Great Wall" is the locus of conflict all the way from North Korea, Mongolia, and Russia through Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Nepal, and India all the way to Indo-China including Viet Nam.
If anything, the "future" is now and "Time has come today!" [reference: The Chambers Brothers].
Perhaps, if "engineer" orientated China could re-focus it's resources of power, men, money, and know-how by withdrawing from it's imperialisms (ergo, freeing North Korea, Tibet, Kashmir, etc.) for the purposes of terra-forming it's desert areas into flourishing farmland and functional industry, negotiating water resources from outside historical China in the north, west, and south, and developing desalinization plants with pipe and canal systems from it's eastern coast, China may yet be great without being imperialistic.
Human rights may not uniquely be a deficiency of China; and indeed the West has much need to look itself in the mirror; that said, China has much to do to alter the course of it's own human rights excesses, which may inevitably bring war upon itself from both within and without.
REMant 01/04/2011 11:38 AM Report
I didn't disagree with any of this, but it isn't the way I think of it and/or would put it. The problem is to dampen the jealous nationalism, which in our case often takes on a patronizing, envious character. We should be sympathetic with the goals of more liberality in China (and North Korea, Iran, Russia, etc, for that matter), but not dictate to them in that anymore than we should militarily. We could not possibly win a war anyway, and it wouldn't matter for more than a minute or two if somehow we did. So there's no point in going on about it. It only serves the reactionaries in both countries. It would be better to treat the latter like the wayward children they are, and ignore them. And we have let this making the world safe for democracy business get way out of hand, too.