The two biggest countries in the world seem to be nerving themselves for another shove-about:<\/p>\n
India and China accused each other Tuesday of firing warning shots during a confrontation the day before at their disputed border in a marked escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.<\/p>\n
It was the first time in decades that both sides said shots were fired at the frontier, where long-standing, mutual protocols prohibit the use of firearms. [WaPo<\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Two nuclear armed powers with a lot of pride at stake – and a lot of people to potentially throw into a war. But the next paragraph is where the red flag really went for me:<\/p>\n
\n\n \n\nSuch protocols did not prevent the two countries from engaging in their\u00a0deadliest violence in more than 50 years in June<\/a>, when Chinese soldiers armed with clubs studded with nails and metal rods clashed with Indian troops in a remote area of the western Himalayas.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Minnesota is reputedly the land of passive-aggressive behavior, so perhaps I’m overly sensitive – but the Chinese behavior seems to be a planned & nuanced provocation, a jab into the ribs of India designed to get them to do something. I’m worried that now China has created an opening and will be taking advantage of it.<\/p>\n
And then what? India is run by a nationalist political party that has a lot of political and religious fervor. If China continues to be aggressive, will India up the ante? And where will it stop?<\/p>\n
Religious fervor<\/em>. That’s a phrase that worries me. Such people may, believing that their favorite divinity will protect them, start chucking nuclear weapons about. I have no prejudice against Indian believers, or at least no more than for just about any other religious believer – actually, some Christians are more frightening.<\/p>\n
But the magical thinking inherent in the deeply religious and nationalistic can easily be seen as generating excuses for an escalating war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The two biggest countries in the world seem to be nerving themselves for another shove-about: India and China accused each other Tuesday of firing warning shots during a confrontation the day before at their disputed border in a marked escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. It was the \u2026 Continue reading