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US-China Relations. The Iran (Non Issue????) And Please Pardon Stan's Swearing.

By Dan Harris and Steve Dickinson

The other day I did a post, entitled "On Not "Antagonizing" China. Or How Many Enemies Does The US Need?" expressing my frustration with a United States foreign policy that seems more interested in calling China out for trade and Google issues than in dealing with the far more troubling and potentially existential issue of Islamic extremism/Iranian nukes. Now Stan Abrams of China Hearsay, in a post entitled, "US Has Hard Time Getting China On Board With Iran Sanctions," in language far stronger than I would use (I have a 12 year old kid and Stan has cats that are apparently inured to his swearing) questions why in the world (that's my soft language, not his) China should go along with U.S. desires on Iran.

You know, it?s really easy to complain about Beijing?s treatment of Google, the value of China?s currency, the grumbling of foreign investors, trade disputes, and so on. And the U.S. might be on the right side of some of those issues. But in the international relations arena, none of that shit matters as much as who has leverage and who wants what. If Iran sanctions are a matter of top priority for the U.S., and the Obama administration truly believes that it has a shot persuading Beijing to get on board, then you don?t fucking sell weapons to Taiwan mere days before a renewed diplomatic initiative on the Iran issue. This doesn?t seem like rocket science to me, but what the hell do I know? It?s not like I have a graduate degree on the subject or anything. Perhaps there is an alternate explanation to poor IR execution: 1. Iran sanctions are not really a top priority for the U.S. Perhaps the Obama administration just wants to appear as though they care about sanctions. 2. Iran sanctions were never going to happen anyway. This is all theater because sanctions are untenable. 3. China was never on board. Might as well piss ?em off, they?re never going to agree anyway. Nah, I still believe that U.S. policy is uncoordinated.

I completely agree.

Full post as published by China Law Blog on February 12, 2010 (boomark / email).