Clinton heads to Pacific islands to renew clout

Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi earlier this year praised China as a better friend to the region and said that the United States had neglected the South Pacific because it does not have wars.

Hilarious...because its true. To be sure, however, this brave PM will utter a much different opinion on China and the US after he has been properly Clinton-ized.

Hilarious...because its true. To be sure, however, this brave PM will utter a much different opinion on China and the US after he has been properly Clinton-ized.

When the U.S. gets involved in a region, it's "meddling". When it doesn't get involved, it's "neglecting". The U.S. can't win.

Pathetic attempt to peddle influence. Anything offered will come with a web of strings attached. The devil is in the details.

When the U.S. gets involved in a region, it's "meddling". When it doesn't get involved, it's "neglecting". The U.S. can't win.

Its the US version of "soft power." The US meddles when it is in the interests of the US. It neglects when there is no advantage for its involvement. It is interested in these islands only because the Chinese are making headway. Some of these islanders are actually intelligent and see what's going on.

Hillary is heading to the Cook Islands because they are the farthest place she could get from the Democratic National Convention. She knows when to bail from a sinking ship.

Suzu1 Aug. 31, 2012 - 01:04PM JST

Sadly, I could only give you 1 thumbs up.

The hard fact： where is the US, where is the war, US is the largest beneficiary of war.

@efisher: Hillary is a lady and she is jealousy China's growing influences around the world, please spare some face for her for god's sake! You know when Germany under Angela Merkel leading a high level delegation to Beijiang for saving Europe money crisis...etc. Was that necessary to struggle with Mrs Clinton about 'influences' over some most remote corner on earth? The Australian has expressed they have been 'adopted' with Chinese diplomacy in the southern pacific through 'money talks'!

For some reason I am imagining the Imperial March from Star Wars when Hil's plane touches down... Spreading the influence of the US Empire far and wide. The navy must be in need of more refuelling or R&R stops.

Its the US version of "soft power." The US meddles when it is in the interests of the US. It neglects when there is no advantage for its involvement. It is interested in these islands only because the Chinese are making headway.

And China doesn't?

And China doesn't?

Well, despite decades of fear-mongering, China seems generally more interested in protecting its borders, what many feel is one of the founding principles of the US as opposed to the referenced "soft power" of the past 3 decades which has seen the US fight wars on three continents either to convert countries to client-states or protect the existing client-state relationship. To be sure, China puts conditions on its aid as well, but, so far, those conditions have not included military bases in over 100 countries. And while China's actions against its own people and Tibet are indefensible, countries like Samoa seemed pleased with the Chinese.

You'd have to be mad to trust China over the US.

You'd have to be mad to trust China over the US.

Don't trust either to be honest with you. That said, the recent past does not hold the US up as a sterling example of how to wield power. Killing innocent people for political and economic advantage is hardly banner material for the Americans.

I'll take my chances with the Yanks.

“You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.” - Winston Churchill

We must be in that trying everything else phase. As with all things, only time will tell.

See the huge deficits of US, US can't survive if it loses the war game and financial game. Japanese should know well about how US influenced Yen to benefit US.