Part 7/11:
Are these bombings purely anti-narcotics efforts, or do they also serve as messages to Beijing? Given that many vessels involved are seemingly primitive, handmade craft with leaky hulls, the high costs of missile strikes suggest a symbolic rather than tactical military effort—sending a message rather than engaging in a full-scale operation.
The Shadow Conflict: A New Cold War in the Making?
The ongoing tension with China resembles a kind of shadow cold war, characterized by intelligence battles, economic dependencies, and strategic maneuvers rather than direct military confrontations. Unlike the Cold War with the Soviet Union, today’s U.S.-China rivalry is complicated by intertwining economies—both nations rely heavily on each other for trade, raw materials, and manufacturing.