CRISIS INFLAMES BIAS AGAINST ASIANS

["Paul Flewers" <hatchet.job@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Re the San Francisco Chronicle article posted on this circuit, 'CRISIS
INFLAMES BIAS AGAINST ASIANS:  Ethnic stereotypes in broadcast, print media
prompt protests', by Marsha Ginsberg, Chronicle Staff Writer

It's interesting what's happening in Britain. As far as I know, the New
Labour government has not made much of the US spy plane affair;
nevertheless, a few days ago there was a joint US-British air raid on Iraq,
just like there was at the time of Blair's visit to George W Bush after his
coming to office. Was this a casual or causal coincidence?

Blair is in a bit of a pickle over his super-Atlanticism, not least because
he is trying to straddle two stools over the European Rapid Reaction Force,
the genesis of a Euro-army, by saying that it's no threat to Nato and isn't
even an army. He's wrong; it will have a parallel command structure to Nato,
and will inevitably develop its own interests. Blair, as a keen pro-Europe
politician, can't oppose the ERRF, but as a keen Atlanticist, he can't be
too enthusiastic. It was OK under Clinton, who felt that ERRF-Nato tensions
could be contained, but the more isolationist Bush doesn't want a potential
rival to Nato arising.

Similarly over China; Blair & Co have been very quiet about Bush's attempt
to revive the Cold War with a new 'Evil Empire'. I don't think that any
European government is keen on a new Cold War, including Blair's, but what
can the poor lad do? The same goes for the 'Son of Star Wars' project; no
one (a few Tories in Britain apart) in Europe really wants it, officials in
the British Foreign Office and Defence Ministry aren't happy about it. Blair
hasn't come out in favour of it, and although eventually I'm sure he will,
he's keeping quiet at the moment. Life as the US poodle in Europe can be
difficult.

Never mind, if there's a difficult moment, one can always bomb Iraq.

Paul F