Former US President Jimmy Carter has slammed American jingoism and its attitude toward international conflicts, comparing it with the Chinese approach to becoming a superpower.
In response to the former US President Donald Trump’s interview, Carter said, “You are afraid that China will surpass us, and I agree with you. But do you know why China will surpass us? I normalized diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1979, since that date…you know how many times China went to war with anyone? Not once.”
Carter said that fighting wars across the globe seemed like the cornerstone of US diplomacy. He said that the US invaded countries to impose its will and Western values on them to no avail. He also criticized those in Washington to launch wars in order to take over the energy resources in other countries.
He said, “We’re constantly at war. The United States is the most warlike nation in the history of the world, as it wants to impose on states that respond to our government and American values throughout the West, and to control companies that have energy resources in other countries.”
He said the real difference between China and the US was that Beijing has made extensive investments in its infrastructure instead of launching military campaigns. He said China was now expanding its influence by launching regional and global trade and connectivity projects.
Former US President Carter said, “China, for its part, is investing its resources in infrastructure projects, intercontinental and transoceanic high-speed railways, 6G technology, robotic intelligence, universities, hospitals, ports, and buildings instead of using them for military expenses.”
Carter said that had the US not wasted $300 billion on useless, inconsequential wars, all of that money could have been spent to elevate the standard of living of the common American.
The former Democratic president said, “How many kilometres of high-speed railways do we have in our country? We squandered $300 billion in military expenditures to subdue countries seeking to break out of our hegemony. China has not wasted a single cent on war, which is why it surpasses us in almost every area. And if we had taken $300 billion to install infrastructure, robots and public health in the US, we would have high-speed transoceanic bullet trains. We would have bridges that don’t collapse, free health care for Americans not to infect thousands more Americans than any country in the world through COVID-19. We would have paths that are properly maintained. Our education system would be as good as South Korea or Shanghai.”
