The article reflects on the legacy of American involvement in Vietnam and examines how Asia has now adapted to a new geopolitical reality led by China. It draws from a personal narrative of a war reporter's experience during the fall of Saigon and contrasts it with the contemporary Chinese presence throughout Asia. The piece highlights China's expanding influence, particularly through military and economic ventures, as well as its impact on regional dynamics, stressing the importance of understanding this new power structure.
My father believed in the domino theory, how a cascade of Communism might deluge Asia. A veteran of World War II, he wrote a book titled, without much irony, Not Without the Americans.
It's clear how Asia is learning to live, if not without the Americans, then with a new great power: China. Beijing's imprint is everywhere.
From the contested waters of the South China Sea, where delicate coral reefs have been churned up to build Chinese military bases, to remote villages in Nepal, where Chinese goods are flooding markets via Chinese-built roads.
A Chinese Coast Guard ship firing a water cannon at a Philippine Navy chartered vessel that was conducting a routine resupply mission last year to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
Collection
[
|
...
]