US Warship Practices 'Freedom of Navigation' Near China, Ignoring Own History
The Independent breathlessly reports the USS Abraham Lincoln is conducting live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, following 'war games' by China near Taiwan. The narrative suggests a US flexing its muscles in the name of 'stability' (for whom, exactly?). Missing from this tidy picture is the historical context of global naval deployments. One might point out that the US Navy's 'presence' in
these waters is roughly 8,000 miles from San Diego, while China's exercises are, well, in China's backyard. It appears the 'rules-based order' applies selectively: for Washington, it means deploying carrier strike groups wherever one's perceived interests lie, while for others, operating in their own literal sphere of influence is deemed 'provocative.' The irony, of course, is that a superpower
with 800 military bases globally is now 'deterring aggression' by parking an aircraft carrier on someone else's doorstep. How many sovereign waters does one need to patrol before it becomes something else entirely?