Military eye candy: The U.S. B-2 Stealth Strategic Bomber
sends shivers up the spine - and that's the whole idea.
B-2s to Korea: Russians
and Chinese 'Aren't Wrong' to Worry (Le Temps, Switzerland)
"Within
hours, the United States is capable of destroying the military of their enemy.
... The message of the B-2s is addressed as much to Beijing as it is to
Pyongyang. China is indeed the main challenger to the Pax
Americana. Its rise - and not Pyongyang’s arsenal - is the main source of
concern for neighboring countries. ... The Russians and
Chinese aren't wrong to warn of the risk of an uncontrollable spiral."
Apart from nuclear weapons, B-2 Stealth Bombers are the most
spectacular symbol of American military supremacy. Their performance (speed,
arsenal, invisibility), their arrow-like shape, and color of black, exert both fascination
and fear. That is their primary function: to impress - in the absence of being adapted
to the evolution of conflict. Last Thursday, two of these machines made a very
noticeable round trip between their base in Whiteman, Missouri and the Korean Peninsula
to deliver its "inert" ordinance. A total of 20 hours of flight at a cost estimated
by the American press at $5.5 million ($135,000 per flight hour, nearly twice
the cost of any other military aircraft!).
This demonstration of strength, unprecedented on the
peninsula, is an element of this year's annual U.S.-South Korea military
exercises, which involve 40,000 troops. Not since the 1953 armistice have
tensions with North Korea been as high. On Friday, the young dictator of Pyongyang,
Kim Jong-un, ordered his troops to prepare for
missile strikes on U.S. territory. North Korea has also reappropriated the
famous Bush doctrine of pre-emptive strikes in the event of threats. Most
observers, however, tend to see the risk of an open conflict as dependent on
other factors. In the days to come, Pyongyang may just pound one of South
Korea's islands, as it did in 2010.
If Kim Jong-un is agitated at this
point, it is primarily for domestic reasons: he must establish his legitimacy as
head of the army. Indeed, the little grandson of Kim Il-sung, partly educated
in Switzerland, has no military experience. He is still forging his image of a
commander-in-chief.
Pyongyang, however, when there remains no peace treaty with
the United States and South Korea, has good reason to be concerned and to protest
exercises that are perceived as a challenge to its sovereignty.
It this particular context, sending the B-2s should be
understood as a muscular response from Washington to threats of a strike by
North Korea. Within hours, the United States is capable of destroying the
military of their enemy. But the journey of the B-2s, the movements of which
are typically subject to the utmost secrecy, carries another, just as important,
message. It is not intended for Pyongyang, but for all the states in the region
that are allied with the United States: they can count on the American
umbrella. Washington is ready to deploy all necessary means to fulfill its security
responsibilities. The B-2 is an important deterrent capability in the
Asia-Pacific region, said a statement by the U.S. military.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
This highly-publicized flight is intended to anchor in the
mind Barack Obama's Asia pivot strategy, which makes the Asia-Pacific the
center of American geopolitical concerns. The message of the B-2s is therefore
addressed as much to Beijing as it is to Pyongyang. China is indeed the main
challenger to the Pax Americana. Its rise - and not
Pyongyang’s arsenal - is the main source of concern for neighboring countries (except,
of course, for South Korea).
This staging of stealth bombers in such tense circumstances,
moreover with a mixed message, is not without its dangers. The status of
communications between Washington and Pyongyang is such - that is to say null -
that any misinterpretation of an opponent’s move may lead to an uncontrollable
situation. How many wars began with a misunderstanding of the gesticulations of an adversary?
If one is to stand firm against a regime like the one in Pyongyang, one mustn't
fall for warlike rhetoric created for domestic consumption. At other times, in moments
of tension, Bill Clinton preferred to cancel U.S.-South Korean maneuvers. In a more volatile context, Barack
Obama has chosen to arm-wrestle. The Russians and Chinese aren't wrong to warn
of the risk of an uncontrollable spiral.
