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Politicians telling the truth and nothing but the truth when speaking about actual reasons for going to war is an extremely rare occurrence, particularly when they are part of the political establishment in the US. However, a Republican congressman from Texas, Michael McCaul, recently did just that, although he was quick to revert back to the official narrative after realizing his inadvertent and somewhat naive “mistake”.
The unexpectedly revealing admission featuring the Republican Representative from Texas happened on April 9, when Chuck Todd of NBC’s Meet the Press interviewed him about why the US should “defend Taiwan”. McCaul bluntly stated that the US would go to war over China’s breakaway island province on the basis of “protecting the world’s semiconductor supply”.
“Make the basic case for why Americans not only should care about what happens in Taiwan, but should be willing to spill American blood and treasure to defend Taiwan,” Todd asked at the beginning of the interview, to which McCaul responded: “Nobody wants that. I think the deterrence is key here. We traveled to Japan, South Korea, we are in Guam, we are meeting with our allies, our partners here, if you will. They don’t have [an organization like] NATO in the Pacific, but they do have partners. We want to make sure that they are ready and supportive of the United States and Taiwan. The case for Taiwan, it’s a very good question. About 50% of international trade goes through the international straits, but I think, more importantly, you know Chuck, is that the TSMC [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company] manufactures 90% of the global supply of advanced semiconductor chips. If China invades and either owns or breaks this, we’re in a world of hurt globally.”
This surprisingly straightforward answer was most likely never scripted before the interview and left Chuck Todd a bit bemused, so he responded by comparing semiconductors to oil, clearly indicating that this is now America’s No.1 excuse to start new wars of aggression in the 21st century. His exact words were:
“Congressman, it almost sounds like the case that would be made in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s of why America was spending so much money and military resources in the Middle East. Oil was so important for the economy. Is this sort of the 21st-century version of that?”
It was only after this rather “unpleasant” comparison that the Texas congressman realized the “problematic nature” of the analogy, so he immediately retrogressed to the official narrative by responding: “You know, I personally think it’s about democracy and freedom.”
If anyone ever wondered about what US politicians have in mind when talking about “democracy and freedom”, this interview should forever dispel any doubts and/or illusions about that and Washington DC’s official narratives when trying to justify its aggression against the world. It’s important to note that the United States has never actually “defended” anything or anyone and especially not for the sake of the world. In fact, it’s been quite the opposite for most of its relatively short existence. In addition, a politician talking about going to war for publicity purposes is hardly unheard of. However, McCaul is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, one of the most influential positions within the framework of the broader US foreign policymaking.
Taking this account, his comments become significantly more consequential and are surely taken very seriously in Beijing. China is often accused by Washington DC of alleged “aggressive moves and rhetoric” in regard to Taiwan, but given the fact that such revealing statements are coming from top US policymakers, who could possibly blame the Asian giant. After all, Taiwan is part of China, a fact that even the US itself officially recognizes. On the other hand, it’s extremely likely that the vast majority of Americans would have major trouble even finding Taiwan on a map, let alone realize its (geo)economic and geopolitical importance. And yet, their elected officials want the American people to be ready to die for “its freedom and democracy”.
It should also be noted that these two terms have been so excessively (ab)used by the US-led political West, that we are now at a point where not only do they mean nothing to the vast majority of the globe’s population, but could even be considered a derogatory phrase that has forever lost any connection to its original etymological meaning. Whenever one hears that “freedom and democracy” are involved, what’s sure to follow is complete chaos, death and destruction that directly affects tens of millions in the unfortunate country targeted by those “actively promoting” the said “values”, usually with plenty of bombs and cruise missiles. This results in an exponential increase in support for “authoritarian” (i.e. actually sovereign) leaders and governments that can truly protect their people from the aforementioned “freedom and democracy”.
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Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst.
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