"Sheer ignorance, fed by malign intent, historical prejudice and mutual misunderstanding, is often the crucial spark that ignites simmering international conflicts. If Adolf Hitler, remarkably ignorant of the US, had grasped the true extent of American industrial might, would he still have fatefully declared war on Washington in 1941? When the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, it evidently had no idea what it was getting into. Humiliating defeat contributed greatly to its subsequent disintegration."
"When (not if) China takes charge, vetted patriots will govern Taiwan in a Beijing-approved regime modelled on Hong Kong, the articles said. Say again? Viewed from Taipei and the west, Hong Kong is a cautionary tale of nightmarish repression, brutal security laws, censorship and broken Chinese promises dating back to the 1997 handover from Britain. How astonishing that even the most indoctrinated communist apparatchik may think Taiwan's citizens, who cherish their democracy and de facto sovereign independence, would voluntarily follow this path."
Sheer ignorance, amplified by malign intent, historical prejudice and mutual misunderstanding, frequently triggers international conflicts. Past strategic blunders include Hitler's misreading of American industrial power, the Soviet Union's miscalculation in Afghanistan, and Saddam Hussein's mistaken attack on Kuwait. Such stupidity produced disastrous, often fatal, outcomes. Contemporary China exhibits similar hazardous blindspots in its approach to Taiwan. State media explanations promise a Beijing-approved, Hong Kong-style regime and repression of secessionists, revealing a profound misreading of Taiwanese attachment to democracy and de facto independence. Beijing's campaign combines escalating military pressure with economic and diplomatic isolation, spying, cyber-sabotage and mass surveillance.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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