US trying to provoke a military arms race in Asia-Pacific: Pundit

The United States is trying to provoke a military arms race in Asia-Pacific in order to imperil “decades of peace and prosperity” and return to the region, an American academic and political analyst says.

Dennis Etler made the remarks in an interview with Press TV on Tuesday while commenting on a statement by US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Scott Swift who said on Monday that the arms race could engulf the entire Asia-Pacific region, calling on countries like China to seek arbitration to settle the disputes.

"My concern is that after many decades of peace and prosperity, we may be seeing the leading edge of a return of 'might makes it right' to the region," Swift said in Hawaii, according to Reuters.

Etler, a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California, said the United States “in typical fashion goes about creating a conflict and then cautions others that they should seek a ‘peaceful’ resolution to it.”

“US actions in the South China Sea from the outset were to make a difficult situation worse by emboldening its client states in the region to challenge China's historic claims to the islands and atolls in the South China Sea,” he added.

“That there are a number of claimants to the territories in question is acknowledged by one and all. The US has however seen fit to take advantage of this situation by inflaming tensions and by inserting itself into the situation rather than allowing the contestants to figure it out amongst themselves.

“The whole aim of US policy in the region is to see happen exactly what Commander Admiral Scott Swift cautions against, which is ‘a military arms race that could engulf the region.’

“Such an arms race would suit the US fine because it would as Admiral Scott suggests, create conditions that would imperil ‘decades of peace and prosperity’ and  hearken a return to ‘might makes it right’ in the region.’

“But isn't that exactly what the US ‘Asian Pivot’ policy and actions are all about? The US would like nothing better than to see China and the countries bordering the South China Sea embroiled in acrimonious conflict over their competing claims and will do all in its power to exacerbate tensions between the contending parties.

“This allows the US to revive its faltering alliances in the region in order to counter China's rise. It also allows US arms dealers to find new clients for their wares.”

China between rock and hard place

Professor Etler said “China finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place. Prior to the ‘Asian Pivot’ China saw no need to engage in extensive island reclamation projects in the South China Sea although others had already begun to do so.

“The US decision to direct most of its military resources to the Asian theater however could only be seen by China as an immediate threat to its vital sea lanes that had to be countered. This necessitated a proactive policy of reinforcing China's historic claim to the South China Sea and by establishing self-sustaining outposts on the areas it held.  These could be used to project Chinese naval power in the region to counter any US attempts at interdiction in a period of crisis.

“China could either acquiesce or take a proactive stance. It chose the latter, even though it could result in some resistance by other countries with their own claims. China has obviously seen that its vital national interests supersede regional discord brought on by US meddling.

“The US policy is always to try and destabilize a region and create conflicts so it can then fish in troubled waters in order to divide and rule. China however realizes that its gravitational pull is too great for the US policy to prevail. Over time China's economic weight will counterbalance whatever attempts are made to challenge its regional influence.”

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