The volume and cadence of the so-called “drums of war” risk drowning out the talks of peace
6 May 2021 | CCCA (Image: Lasse Moller/APAC News)
The War Drum Symphony playing over the waves of the South China Sea has many movements with ups and downs that include crescendos and decrescendo. For the sake of world peace, the symphony should go into diminuendo (low volume and slow).
In the US, the war drums are pounding in unison with the military industrial complex wanting more money for their military toys. The hawks circling the sky locating the newly created enemy targets – all for domestic consumption. Meanwhile President Biden continues with the America First chest thumping exercise, albeit not so hard as President Trump. At least, President Biden’s poundings of the war drums were soft and his speeches circumspect.
At home, the Symphony is repeated with Australia pounding the war drums and at times much louder than the Americans.
As reported in the SMH (4Apr2021), Australia started with a soft pounding when the new FM Dutton said that Australia wants to work with China to ensure Indo-Pacific peace.
Our comment in the SMH: Australia wants to work with China to ensure peace in the Indo-Pacific region. If this is the genuine goal of the Australian government, then the Nobel peace prize should go to Dutton. Never mind all the rest of the chest beating statements that followed. It would be statesmanlike if Dutton would use his influence and ask the Americans to do the same.
Our hopes of no war was dashed when this article “Australia must stop beating the drums of war against China” by Peter Boyle (5May2021) appeared in the Green Left. “Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo have been brazenly beating the war drums in the latest round of verbal aggression against China. They have escalated the federal Coalition government’s anti-China propaganda to a dangerous new level.”
The drum volume increased when the Nine Newspapers article appeared. “Conflict with China high likelihood says a top Australian General”. Our comment in the SMH: Australia has been pounding the war drums in unison with the US in the SCS, Now, the war drums are beating loudly at home. Do we want a war with China? Do want a nuclear holocaust? We already lost $20 billion in exports and do we want to lose more?
The way the media talked about war so casually prompted two important “NO” war articles in John Menadue P&I: by two prominent Australians.
Bob Carr – May 3, 2021 Where are the grown-ups? The talk about China and war is dangerous “So what’s the plan?” asked an investor after I had spoken at the Lonsec Symposium about Australia-China relations. Days earlier, Defence Minister Peter Dutton talked war over the Taiwan Strait. His former department head said our “warriors” were ready to go fight.
By Colin Mackerras May 4, 2021 Please, no war with China “In an unprecedented speech, a senior public servant has floated the possibility, and even necessity, of Australia’s taking part in a war against China. This is profoundly shocking and worrying and is symptomatic of a new low in our relations with China.
When the naval build up in the SCS approaches saturation, it would be like a pile of dry timber ready to be ignited. All we need is a crash of a Taiwanese aircraft and blaming it on the PRC navy is sufficient to ignite World War III.
This commentary is supplied by the Chinese Community Council of Australia Incorporated: Founding President, Dr Anthony Pun OAM, President, Mr Kingsley Liu. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors.
