Melos or Pylos? (Use Mod. Gk. Pronunciation)

Another piece that ended up being "just" a follow-up to the RogueClassicist, specifically to an Aug. 15 post...The "long version," with more detailed argumentation (and maps! and more quotations from Thucydides!), of the Taipei Times article comparing possible scenarios of U.S.-Chinese conflict over Taiwan to the roles of Pylos and Melos in the Peloponnesian War (as regards Melos, China is cast in the role of Athens; as regards Pylos, they're Sparta), is available online in the Summer 2005 installment of the Naval War College Review. Here are a couple of chunks from the conclusion:

If taken to heart, lessons of the Peloponnesian War could help clarify thinking—and dispel dangerous illusions—in Taipei, Beijing, and Washington. Does Taiwan’s predicament resemble that of Melos? Will China heed the lessons of Pylos and take a cautious stance in the Strait, or will it plunge ahead and risk suffering Sparta’s fate? Will the United States clarify its cross-Strait diplomacy and ready its military strategy and forces in case diplomacy fails?

Leaders in all three nations should take Thucydides’ lessons to heart as they frame their diplomatic and military strategies. On balance, the four factors examined above suggest that the belligerent logic behind the Melian analogy will eventually outweigh the operational constraints intrinsic to the lessons of Pylos—making war thinkable for Beijing. The Melian outcome was determined by basic structural features of international politics: power and fear. In contrast, the operational constraints demonstrated at Pylos may prove to be transitory for China, soluble as its military modernization continues. One thing is clear: Taipei cannot afford to put off work on its own defense needs. China is watching. Taiwan must put its own house in order—or run the risk of becoming a latter-day Melos.

Comments

[Cymnreemo]

Household Medications For Rabbits http://www.p90xforever.com/>buy modafinil online without prescription It may be used to treat ADHD, seasonal affect disorder which is also known as SAD. http://www.p90xforever.com/ - cheap provigil

[BrirlrabBaf]

Toothache Medicine http://goodburgerpa.com/ - alprazolam without prescription Unfortunately, Xanax is associated with some side effects. http://goodburgerpa.com/ - cheap xanax

[Orelubala]

Hi, Orelubala, http://creativemommying.com/ - neurontin 300 mg It helps in the treatment of drug addition because it seems to help curb the desire to use the drugs. http://creativemommying.com/ - neurontin no prescription