Beijing Review on February 1 carried an interesting view of international developments by general Xiong Guangkai, former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and currently president of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies. (Beijing Review: Adapting to Change).
“By the end of November 2006, there were 593 terrorist attacks around the world, 65% higher than that of the same period of the previous year. They had killed 4,500 people and left more than 9,700 injured, up 55% and 35%, respectively.”
It depends of course what you call “a terrorist attack”, but let's assume the general's figures are correct. It shows that more than 5 years after Bush launched the “war on terror”, things are only getting worse. The military solution isn't working, because it is only converting more 'good' guys into 'bad' guys. This has nothing to do with ideology. The root cause of 'terrorism' is imperialism.
Back to general Xiong: “By December 15, 2006, the UN Security Council passed 78 resolutions, making it the most fruitful year in terms of resolution approvals.” And “in 2006, various regional organizations throughout the world convened over 40 summits, something rarely seen in recent years.”
While the international community is become ever more active, it seems to be incapable to rein in the No 1 rogue state, the major danger to international peace and security: the United States. One problem is that general Xiong and the Chinese leadership don't see the U.S. as a major danger, but as a “constructive partner”. Basically this is a tactic: keeping the U.S. as a friend as long as China is not strong enough to stand up to it. But in the meantime the U.S. is getting a free reign. China could do more to preserve international peace by opposing the warmongering of the U.S.
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