A Letter From News Editor Dave DeCamp

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A Letter From News Editor Dave DeCamp

Since I started writing full-time in the news section for Antiwar.com last September, Ive written over 1,000 articles. That sounds like a lot, but when youre covering an expansive world empire, the news never stops, and theres always more to do.

With the Biden administration in full gear, hardly a day goes by without dangerous Cold War escalations with Russia or China. The situation with Russia might be more pressing because a conflict could spark any time, but Washingtons attitude towards Beijing is even more unsettling.

In his first address to Congress, President Biden said the US was in a competition with China to "win the 21st century." He said he told Chinese President Xi Jinping that the US will militarize the Indo-Pacific "just as we do with NATO in Europe."

Biden has requested $753 billion for the military budget for 2022, which would be the highest of all time. When justifying the spending, the Pentagon cited China as the top "pacing threat" facing the US military. US Indo-Pacific Command has its hand out to Congress for an extra $27 billion for funding over the next five years. Included in the commands wish list is a request to position a new network of missiles near Chinas coast.

I know what most people think when presented with these facts: the US and China cant go to war because they are each others top trading partners. Most rational people understand this. But many of the people driving policy in Washington dont care. They live in an isolated world of corruption and cronyism where having a big bad enemy like China means more money and power for them.

Ive been covering the activity of the US military in the South China Sea and other sensitive areas in the region, activity that has significantly escalated just over the past year. The number of US warships and warplanes buzzing near Chinas coast makes an accident more likely. And with US-China relations so low, an accident could spiral into a catastrophic conflict.

Since few people in Washington are concerned about these dangerous escalations with China, its up to Antiwar.com to cover them.

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Dave Decamp, Antiwar.com News Editor