ARTICLE: China's New Missile May Create a 'No-Go Zone' for U.S. Fleet, By Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg, Nov. 17, 2009

You have to remember here: the U.S. Navy doesn't pursue anti-ship missiles like China does because, quite frankly, there aren't any navies out there worth blowing up. But from China's perspective, there is ONE navy worth protecting against.

So big surprise: #2 develops an anti-access strategy on #1.

Is it a waste of China's resources? Yes, it most certainly is.

Is it clumsily provocative? Absolutely, but immature rising powers are wont to behave in this fashion--go figure.

But here's the continuing reality: we may end up signaling for years about the reality of our interdependence on global security before China eventually abandons the bilaterally-focused defense buildup and starts building a force more suitable to its actual worldwide security needs. As the more powerful of the two parties, we have to make the first moves--plain and simple.

And as the more mature party, we have to have more patience.

I know, I know, the Chinese think in centuries and all that bullshit. But I see nothing in their force modernization that suggests that whatsoever. Instead, they're thinking about as short-term and unimaginatively as they can.

Symmetricizing our vision to their narrow one is not the answer, no matter what the knee-jerks on the hard Right declare in their intense indignation.

We need to continue playing the longer game, just like we did with the Sovs while we taught them the meaning of MAD.

(Via WPR's Media Roundup)