The American Empire Strikes Back

As the great powers of Europe were scrambling for Africa, with even Bismarck's Germany and little Belgium demanding "places in the sun", Uncle Sam was of course doing his own level best to shoulder the White Man's Burden by building up the American Empire in the Philippines.

The fact that on both sides of the Atlantic now that is all shoved behind us long ago and far away does not change the fact that the English-speaking world's remaining "military presences" here there and everywhere in the wake of empire remain important. (Witness the Falklands! Witness Diego Garcia!)

When America and Red China eventually have their war over the invasion of Formosa, it will de facto be a war between the remnant of the American Empire and a new, frighteningly powerful Chinese Empire.

It is of course just possible that all of China's military preparations for the upcoming war are really just tai chi - Chinese "shadow boxing". It gives the army something to do. It gives your rival partners something to worry about.

But history tells us we should be more cautious.