As China looms large, we should ... hold hands and watch

Rudd 'taking eye off' China's rise

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has come under fire from the Opposition for "taking his eye off" China's rising influence in the Asia Pacific region...

The Deputy Opposition Leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman, Julie Bishop, says ... China is moving into areas where Australia and New Zealand are leaving gaps.

"We must focus on our region - and our region includes Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Islands - and I believe that we are losing influence there," she said.

"We have to think very hard as to whether that's in our national interests and the interests of our region." ...

"I don't see it as a threat as such but we should be very well aware of what is going on and this significant influence that China is able to get through aid and development projects and the role it has through out the region," ...

"We're not going to be able to crowd them out with aid but what we could do is join with them."

If China is not a threat, then what are we worried about exactly? The silence is heavy with implication. But Bishop is not the only politician who believes in the power of watching ...

Smith says brace for more Afghan casualties

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says Australia needs to be prepared for more casualties in the war in Afghanistan...

STEPHEN SMITH: ... Afghanistan is very difficult, very dangerous. But we continue to be committed to our mission in Afghanistan which is to stare down international terrorism and to stop Afghanistan becoming again a breeding ground for international terrorism.

Why would two otherwise sane politicians be reduced to impotent policies of staring? Because they've dreamed the impossible dreams of thinking you can (a) take the imperial bully out of communist China by making it wealthy with trade and (b) take the head-chopping Muhammad out of Islam by ignoring history. Ms Bishop has impressive powers of staring that might work against a garden gnome, but against China and Islam? Tell her she's dreaming. Both problems will only be solved by policies of containment, not watching and hoping.

File under: watching and hand holding, the policies of choice for non-judgemental fatalists who are chained to the suicidal ideologies of taming Islam and liberalising China.