WHY MARTIN WOLF IS 'FRIGHTENED' ABOUT THE WRONG THING

"Having heard prime minister Shinzo Abe twice already today I can only concur with Gideon Rachman’s assessment that he does not seem to regard conflict with China as unthinkable. Maybe, that is realistic and maybe such realism will protect the world from such a calamity. But it frightens the wits out of me. I was particularly struck by the almost casual way in which Mr Abe cited the World War I precedent. I wish the US would step more decisively on this nonsense".

Martin Wolf, "Davos debate: On accidents and Abenomics [sic]." The Financial Times. 22 January 2014, in www.ft.com.

It is with a degree of regret that one launches an attack on the very learned, intelligent and august Chief economics commentator of the Financial Times, Mr. Martin Wolf. However, the fact is that his reaction to the quite moderate and extremely appropriate statement by the Japanese premier Shinzo Abe leaves a great deal to be desired. I for not cannot fathom how Mr. Wolf fails to understand that it is only via raising the bar to potential Chinese Aggression in the East China Sea against Japan that premier Abe is endeavoring to ward off the likelihood of military conflict between Japan and China. Indeed, it is due to the 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' mentality that many appeasers of the regime in Peking has brought us to precisely this pass. The regime in Peking, flush with lots of money and flush with domestic conflicts and reasons aplenty to make mischief if not worse abroad, needs to be told diplomatically but forcefully, again and again and again that the end-results of its aggressive tactics vis-`a-vis its neighbors will be armed conflict. An armed conflict which the PRC will inevitably lose. To my mind, it is better that the latter point is highlighted to Peking now, rather than discovered post-facto ante bellum. With all the 'lessons' of what caused the Great War buzzing in our heads these days, many of such lessons utter rubbish, I am surprised that Mr. Wolf does not remember that it was the chief failing of Sir Edward Grey to sufficiently warn Germany that is alleged to one of the chief 'lessons' of that conflict. But then again, perhaps I am not as easily 'frightened' as Mr. Wolf is.