THROUGH UNTRUE
During the past few days, there has been a relentless flow of news about the hostile confrontation between Chinese and Philippine personnel in the South China Sea. Mainstream media and social networking sites describe China as "committing brazen acts of aggression, employing physical attacks, water cannons, blaring sirens, and blinding strobe lights."
In contrast, the media often shows a suave, clean-shaven American diplomat, emoting exquisitely in perfect pitch voice and with just the right level of indignation: “The United States stands with its ally the Philippines and condemns the escalatory and irresponsible actions by the People’s Republic of China."
These images make us conclude that China is our enemy and America is our friend. However, it is crucial to remember that pictures and images do not come with built-in instructions on how to interpret them. We should not immediately think that what we see on television or various social networking platforms tells us the whole picture. The truth about the South China Sea controversy is often glossed over by Western media’s mythmakers who seem to delight in stoking our anxieties, making us think that war is inevitable.
As Jimmy Carter, the only US president who did not wage a war during his incumbency, said: "The first casualty of war is truth. When we listen to news about a war, we know every American who died in the war. Yet, we don’t know how many were killed on the other side. We are unable to acknowledge that the other side consists of human beings with equal human value and equally valuable stories to tell."
He adds: "Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with any nation? None. How about the U.S.? Except for 16 years, the country has always engaged in wars during its 242-year history. This makes it the most warlike nation in the history of the world."
Carter's reluctance to engage in or provoke war is reminiscent of Thomas Paine's position: "It is unpardonable when countries provoke or exacerbate the quarrels among nations, and by sowing discord and cultivating prejudices."
History has shown that America's foreign policy is based on its belief that geopolitical space is important to maintain power. So, to expand its power, America continuously attempts to reorganize space. Often disguised as humanitarianism or a crusade to protect other nations, America reorganizes space in three ways. First, by establishing a "balance of power" among competing nations through subtle diplomatic measures or military interventions.
As early as 1995, the US Department of Defense East Asia Strategy Report declared: "We reaffirm our commitment to maintain a stable forward presence in the (Asia-Pacific) region, the deployment of US forces and access and basing rights for US and allied forces. If the American presence in Asia were removed, our ability to affect the course of events would be constrained, our markets and our interests would be jeopardized."
The second way is by influencing the spatial distribution and transport of resources, like oil. This created the uneven economic and political developments that divided the world into First and Third Worlds.
The third is the restructuring of our perception and understanding of space through its hold on various media of communications. America has perfected the techniques of distorting spatial representation through its ubiquitous television conglomerates and influential social networking sites. To catalyze war, America simply distorts our perception of reality through exaggerated visual images that ignite our fear and makes us believe that American intervention is the only way to tame a hostile and aggressive China.
So, is China our enemy and America our friend? Demonizing one and extolling the other might be too simplistic.