Our Digital September 11th

First, I would like to say that I have no intention for this to become a "Chinaphobic" blog.
While I do cover stories about China when they are of importance, I think it's obvious that indulging in paranoid speculation regarding the East in specific, and China in general, is foolish and often leads others to respond by committing the opposite, equally dangerous error.

If I cover stories on China much more often than stories about other nations, it is for two good reasons. The first is that I have spent some time in that part of the world, and thus know, though perhaps by only a small degree, more of what I am talking about when I address issues from that part of the world. (As an example, one statement I could make from an experiential standpoint is that Chinese people in general, as distinct from their government, are not our enemies at all.) The second is that it is becoming steadily more clear to even the most opaque observer that China has for a long been our rival (declared rival, even) for the world's foremost superpower status, and fully intends to replace us as such, first regionally, then globally.

I say rival, but perhaps the term is misleading. On a national administrative and foreign policy level, it seems quite clear that those of liberal persuasion loathe our status as superpower so intensely that they are practically begging China to take the position from us. They have even taken numerous steps to ensure that they are prepared to do so, from Clinton's military technology transfers to the accumulation and transfer of unprecedented levels of debt into the Chinese government's hands.

One lesson we have from history is that the cultures which apologize for their own existence always give way before the cultures which do not. So, given the situation that exists between our two nations, the self-hating superpower and the would-be superpower, it is probably safe to say that the balance of power will be shifting very soon.

But enough depressing analysis, let us look at the string of stories which inspired today's entry.
Some are recent, others are from the past few years yet remain ongoing situations that have not been dealt with.

The Joint Strike Fighter program. (!)
The Pentagon. (!!)
The Naval War College Network. (?)
The NYPD. (!?)
Our power grid. (!!!)

China also plans, in the event of war, to heavily utilize "cyber" warfare.

You should read the above link if nothing else, there are some very interesting facts buried beneath the alarmist nature of the article.

The Chinese tend to handle things pragmatically. They cannot go toe-to-toe with our carrier groups, and so they develop anti-ship missiles, and extensive hacking networks.
Meeting the F-35 in the air is deadly. Meeting it in cyberspace, not so much.

For the sake of accuracy, I will mention that the Chinese government hotly denies all connection with the intrusions. Which of course, neither adds nor takes away anything from the situation, since that is what they would say whether or not they were involved.

I will say, that the Chinese are a convenient foe to blame every incident on.
Though in many cases, the attacks were traced back to China, the MSM have taken to automatically blaming Chinese hackers for every incident. (though the power grid report does mention that Russian hackers may also be responsible)

In some classes I have taken, they taught us that it's common for hackers in one area to route their attacks through another area. So these attacks may not all be originating from where they appear to be, and those tracing them may be tempted to stop at China when the trail leads farther back.

However, there is both direct and circumstantial evidence that the majority of these attacks are China-based. China has both the means and the incentive to perpetrate this kind of assault in the very high numbers we are seeing. There are also Chinese hackers claiming responsibility for some of the incidents.*

For years before the Sept. 11 attacks, radical Islamists were at war with us. Even through the first attempted bombing of the WTC, and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole, this fact was denied or minimized by the government.

What will it take for the government to acknowledge the ongoing cyber war with China?
What form will a digital Sept 11th take? The crash of our banking networks?
Using our power grid networks to turn off the lights?

We are currently putting up not even a token resistance; we are in essence being pillaged, outrageously expensive programs and highly sensitive information being compromised and taken with no repercussions.

If the US does not respond realistically, quickly, and practically, our national security will be even more gravely compromised, and lives will be lost as a result.

-()4|<.


*- Yes, we link to CNN too, even though we suspect that we, like the tea parties, might be perceived by certain biased media sources to be "right-wing extremists" and "anti-CNN"...