The military budget of China is $230B, a fraction of the U.S. defense budget, $813B (Biden FY 2023). The U.S. targeted China as the most serious competitor and highlighted with rhetoric that China is a threat to the U.S. and to the world. It is a fact that the military budget of both countries have been increasing since the end of WW II (mutual insecurity complex?), seemingly it can be correlated with the warfare (or inversely peace) of the world (more wars cause insecurity). This is an unfortunate fact which deserves mankind’s attention (especially for Americans): Is the military budget a cause or consequence of warfare? Should citizens of every country have a say on the country’s military budget? In particular, what is the causality logic of the military budget of a great nation with nuclear arsenal? The author was struck by an article published by David Stockman (AntiWar.com, April 7, 2022), entitled, The Warfare State’s Infinitely Mendacious Echo Chamber. This excellent article contains lots of military spending data and facts of war activities, especially the current Ukraine war. It is a great report that every citizen should read. Dr. Wordman would like to append to Stockman’s well-articulated essay with a discussion on the questions posed above. Hopefully, this column will inspire fellow American citizens to take actions, speaking up and writing to their Congressmen to terminate the U.S. being a warfare state.
 
Stockman, a two time Congressman and a director of the Office of Management and Budget during the Reagan Administration, correctly pointed out that the Biden 2023 military budget, $813B, is a “grotesquely large”, being a fountain nourishing the “war fevers, Russophobia and sweeping disinformation that now gushes from the Washington war machine and its auxiliaries in the mainstream media.” To his statement, the present author may add: ‘the hyped China-Threat theory’ has also been feverishly portrayed in the media with an evil motive. Stockman also rightly stated, “the fact is, never before in the history of mankind have economic resources of this gigantic magnitude been showered upon the blob-like military-industrial-intelligence-foreign aid-think tank-NGO-lobbying complex that is now well ensconced in the world’s leading national capital.” Stockman didn’t explicitly discuss whether the gushing of resources is triggering more wars or caused by wars; the current Ukraine-Russia war is a clear example pondering the causality question. The very existence of the huge military budget supporting “the complex” over the years, nurtured NATO, making the U.S. the leader of NATO to become a warfare state, that is a state generating wars all over the world.
 
Stockman described, “there are literally hundreds of thousands of uniformed and civilian government employees and private contractors and consultants operating within the confines of the beltway (DC) and its outlying nodes.” They have vested interest in keeping the military budget growing by inventing and hyping the national security threats to warrant a defense budget of humongous size. What is not explicitly said was that to justify their existence actually induces them to do so. Endless research and study and funds supporting the think tanks, NGOs and consultants to simulate war scenarios and create actual wars and to fuel a massive and exaggerated national security threat. To the American people, we are lost in the causality logic when the wars are prolonged across many years of military budget cycles, was the budget fueling the war or the war fueling the budget?!
 
As clearly explained by Stockman, the U.S. military budget at the height of Cold War during President Eisenhower’s Administration was $52B (today’s value $370B, 45.5% of Biden’s $813B), a budget he felt adequate for national security. Recalling Eisenhower’s farewell speech, he delivered the warning of the dangers of unchecked power in the military-industrial complex. According to Stockman, Biden’s military budget is 2.2X of Ike’s 1960 budget, 2.0X of Nixon’s in 1972, 2.2X of Carter’s outgoing year 1982 and 1.54X and 1.33X of Reagan’s in 1986 and 1990. The 1990 was supposedly a dropping off point for U.S. foreign engagement, because the Soviet Union was having economic problems and China was raising debt to finance her economic development. The end of Cold War should have changed the trend of military spending. The U.S. was the only superpower in 1990’s and the U.S. military-industry complex was in full control. Why wasn’t the warfare state stopping expanding? Why was our military budget kept on rising?
 
The explanation has to be in the nature of “the complex” that was created in the U.S. First, there is the greed nature alluded to by Stockman. Second, the causality logic between warfare and military budget is inter-looped in complexity. The warfare is a multi-year affair and the budget cycle is an annual event subject to Congressional scrutiny. In a representative democracy, the citizens usually do not track closely on foreign affairs (thus vulnerable to brainwash). Hence, during each year’s budget time, only a few Congressional delegates who would look back on war expenditures and war threats or pending threats to make appropriations on military budget. If there was no war, the budget might get cut, so “the complex” would have to keep the war going, often using the existing money from past budget or employing creative financing (remember selling drugs?) to sustain or create new wars. The complex would often lobby the few key Congressional delegates to pass its desired budget. Perhaps, “the complex” has become “the Congress-military-industrial-intelligence-foreign aid-think tank-NGO-lobbying complex.”
 
Stockman also commented (reference Patrick Lawrence, Casualties of Empire, Consortium News, March 8, 2022) on the fake news created during the current Russia-Ukraine war, such as Russian bombing the maternity ward, then the theater, then the school and the massacre in Bucha town in Kiev killing the civilians with 410 corpses exposed in the Bucha street. The evidences were suspicious (corpses wearing white bands indicating neutral or pro-Russian citizens) and they were denied from UN inspections. The media reporting of the war was full of propaganda designed to paint Zelensky as a hero, Ukrainians were brave and winning, and Russians were committing genocide and war crimes, all for the purpose of prolonging the war passing the U.S. election. This author has written numerous times about the problem of distorted media and suggested that an UN World Media Organization (WMO) should be established to prevent and clean up fake news wars. The consequence of fake war news is that unnecessary wars can be encouraged and triggered and peace negotiation can be sabotaged. This is exactly happening to Ukraine. The media machine has become the evil tool in the causality chain of warfare and military budget. On the one hand, it is used to create and exaggerate the war threat to justify military budget and weapon development and on the other hand it is used to paint and horrify the war results to justify spending and winning cruel warfare.
 
So to American citizens, it is irrelevant to consider whether military budget caused warfare or vice versa, either way we will be falling into the warfare-military budget inter-loop. It is important to understand that our national security today is never worse than Eisenhower, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Obama eras. (Ukraine not joining the NATO may even enhance our national security.) It is crucial for American citizens to stop “the complex” to keep fueling the threat-warfare-military budget inter-loop. The most critical part perhaps is to break the Congress from “the complex”. Please start by writing to your Congress representatives asking why the U.S. is a warfare state having wars in 99% of her history of independence?! Why can't the U.S. start a peace movement for a change?!

Ifay at ICU of Northern Westchester Hospital, New York State
What a difference an hour can make in one’s life?!
 
On a sleepy Saturday. Afternoon, I was invited by Teresa to substitute in a Pickleball game in the Reis Park for an hour or so.
 
At the park, I was surprised by a Pickleball tournament filled with all my family members. What a surprise?!
 
First partnered with Kieren and we won the first game, not bad for an old body at all. Then the games went on. In an hour, I was on a losing. Streak!
 
Winner stays on, losers rest, I was resting but strangely a chest pain came over me. I walked around with Julie but avoided uphill to lessen the heart pain and waited to go to an Italian restaurant for a feast in an hour?!
 
Teresa drove me back home to freshen up before going to the restaurant but heart pain persisted. I asked Teresa to go to the restaurant and I would stay home rest, but Teresa won’t leave me alone at home. As pain persisted, we called 911 emergency aide.
 
Within an hour the emergency crew took the ECG (Electrocardiography) and rushed me to the Northern Westchester Hospital!
 
With an hour, I was operated on with a Catheter inserted into my heart, Dr. Boston said, this is a classic heart attack, we must fix it as fast as possible!
 
After the procedure, the pain was totally gone, within an hour I was hungry and devoured an salmon dinner! Poor Teresa had no dinner, no chance to even sign my operation approval papers, she had to leave the ICU probably with a groaning tummy.
 
The ICU was brightly lit with a comfortable bed even a TV set, the staff were efficient and kind absolutely ready to take care of you, taking more blood, administering medicine and including assisting me to do number one and number two duties! My family said I looked good on the video chat, that’s when I realized I have got a fresh life. Catheter warranties for 10 years, but with my engineering background, extending life beyond warranty is just a piece of cake!
 
Next day, I was totally at home at ICU proudly doing the private duties in my bed without assistance. All day my family members came to visit adhering to two people at a time within an hour limit from 11-7 visiting hours. They even brought me a piece of my birthday cake, very delicious but I had to leave the cream behind thinking of that warranty!
 
Patrick and Julie showed the Kudoboard Teresa secretly designed since March for my 80th birthday with lots of photos, video, best wishes and love, some clearly expressed and some I could feel. I said to myself I would have to watch and enjoy these when it hits midnight, the beginning of my 80th birthday and the beginning of my new life with my family, my Angel and mother Teresa taking care of me. I owe this life to all people who signed on the Kudoboard wishing me a happy long life. Of course I must also thank that tiny catheter and all people at hospital signed on the warranty issuing me a new life.
 
At the night entering April 4th, I tried and tried to send messages on Kudoboard, but I couldn’t pass its robot test to send my thank you messages. I figured it was not my brain got deteriorated, it had to be the catheter, Kudoboard thought it was a robot! When I get released from hospital, I will let Kudoboard know my story and let the catheter be exempted from being a robot!
 
What a difference an hour can make to my life? Best birthday present, my happy 80th birthday!
 
Ifay
April 4, 2022

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China's leader Xi Jinping and Russia's leader Vladimir Putin had announced a joint statement declaring a broad and far reaching agreement in mutual understanding, support and cooperation on a list of political and economic matters at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic (2022BWO). The choice of timing and location is unusual and the statement is exceptional in the diplomatic sense. Why did the two strong leaders want to make such an important statement detailing their beliefs and desire to cooperate to the world? Why did Xi and Putin choose the 2022BWO venue to deliver the joint statement? What messages did they intend to deliver in and beyond the statement? What were the reasons motivating them to do so? Understanding these questions are just important as comprehending the 60 critical points listed in the joint statement. The author shall make an attempt to answer these questions and  comment on the joint statement.
    
A country must have resources and talents including media power to organizing large international events and dealing with international relations, The U.S. has hosted eight Olympics (Summer and Winter four each) expecting to host another Summer Olympic in the cosmopolitan Los Angeles in 2028. The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic was hampered and delayed due to the Pandemic and the 2022BWO was under even more pressure from the rampant variants of corona virus. China had managed the pandemic well and was determined to hold the 2022BWO and Olympiad as scheduled. However, the U.S. driven by her decade-long hyped-up anti-China foreign policy made an open attempt to spoil the 2022BWO by urging her allies to “diplomatically boycott” it with an unsubstantiated claim of “Uighur genocide”. This was disputed even by Muslim countries and by the attendance record of the 2022BWO. The West media's smear on China has motivated her to make a public statement calling for peaceful cooperation and development among nations rather than creating tension leading to war.
 
The Ukraine situation has developed into a hotspot for war. Internally, separatists are demonstrating and engaging battles. Externally, Russia has increased substantial military force at their border. The root of the problem is NATO's post-Soviet strategy of continuous expansion of its membership (wooing  countries including Ukraine to join NATO) causing security threat to Russia. The recent Biden-Putin virtual summit did not relieve Russia's concern of arming Ukraine (and surrounding NATO countries) with missiles targeting Russia (similar to U.S. concern of placing Soviet missiles in Cuba). The U.S. leads the NATO and dictates its strategy. The Ukraine tension was further inflamed recently when the U.S. and her allies were sending military weapons and supplies to Ukraine. However, Russia and some EU members (including some Ukraine voices) do not think the Russia-Ukraine war being imminent as the U.S. claimed. This is one important reason prompting Russia to make a joint statement with China during 2022BWO to signal that Russia's defense gesture really desires peace not war. Russia has legitimate security concern regarding NATO since Warsaw pact no longer exists. 
 
There exist many conflicts between the U.S. (plus her allies) and China and Russia, which can be seen from the Russia-China joint statement. The reasons for China and Russia wanting to make the joint statement at the 2022BWO may be complex but their puzzle, fear, and concern for the U.S. hysterical behavior may be revealed as we tally and summarize the current events and the joint statements below:
 
1. The Ukraine hotspot is getting hotter judging on the U.S actions and no progress from Biden-Putin dialogue. 2. U.S.-China relations continue to deteriorate with anti-China actions broadening from trade war to technology sanctions, media smear, and military plots such as QUAD+, AUKUS, etc. 3. Launching of China Initiative blankly charging Chinese scientists and academicians as spies.  4. Even the  Olympic is politicized by the U.S. (diplomatic boycotting) and used as an anti-China tactic (Targeting China as an enemy with all-out mentality even ignoring the rising anti-Asian crimes and re-percussive discussion on genocide on American Indians.) 5. Since the U.S. is attacking China and Russia driving them to reflect on security issues jointly, the 2022BWO becomes the most convenient and timely venue for the two leaders to address their concerns. 6. China advocates “common entity for mankind” facing common challenges (the pandemic, supply chain, energy etc.)  but the U.S. shows no interest of cooperation (continue smearing China on Corona Virus and opposing Russia-Europe gas-pipeline) 7. The theme of 2022BWO – 'Together to the Future' gives Xi and Putin the perfect backdrop to voice their concerns and fear for U.S. aggressive hegemonic behavior.
 
The essence of the joint statement, though versed in diplomatic terms, do reflect the above discussed reasons and the two leaders' motivation for making a joint statement.  The statement title, International Relations in the New Era and Sustainable Global Development, suggests that the two leaders want to define the future international relations and emphasize taking a cooperative and sustainable global development path. The opening remarks acknowledge a changing world with transforming societies developing into a multi-polar system, a globalized economy, and multi-cultural relations. Nations have more connections and mutual dependency with restructuring in international stacking order. International communities call for more peaceful and sustainable development. Currently, spreading and complicated international and regional security threats are challenging, yet some international forces still insist on unilateralism and power politics, interfering other nations' rights, creating conflicts and divisions, and impeding the improvement of human society. China and Russia urge all nations to consider the welfare of all mankind and their common values: Increase understanding and mutual trust and protect peace, justice, freedom and democracy. Respect nation's rights, security and interests in selecting its own development path and protect the UN system for world peace, stability and sustainable development. These opening remarks took a moral high ground and denounced any nation practicing the long-arm interference in other nations.
 
The remaining joint statement contains four parts, I. Defining Democracy (6), II. Urging International Cooperation (12), III. Issues on International Security (25) and IV. UN System and Obligations (17). The four categories listed a total of 60 key points summarized as follows:
 
I. Democracy should be judged by each nation's own people. Both China and Russia are great nations with long history with experience, tradition and confidence about their path of democracy. No single country can set standard for democracy. Defending democracy should not be a tool for interference. UN in its constitution and its Declaration of Human Rights have established principles for every nation to follow with its cultural background and social system in consideration. This defensive statement points at the U.S. using human rights as an excuse for interfering in another nation's domestic issues.

II. The twelve points on international cooperation call for peaceful and pragmatic development highlighting transportation, climate change, green development and pandemic cooperation. Both nations will push common infrastructure building (BRI). Russia supports 2022BWO and both give high marks to the International Olympic Committee.
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III. The 25 statements on international security covers core interest in sovereignty. Russia supports Taiwan as a part of China. They welcome no nuclear proliferation (five nations' no nuclear war declaration), emphasize transparent space development, forbid bio-weapon development, and call for Internet and data security measures. China supports Russia's proposal for legally binding long-term security for Europe and both support the UN effort and resolutions regarding international security and peaceful cooperation.

IV. The 17 items emphasize support for UN and UN's responsibility. Russia supports the concept of Humans as a Common entity proposed by China. Both defend WW II victory results and order established. They emphasize China-Russia new relationship, based on mutual respect, peaceful co-existence, friendship and win-win cooperation abandoning Cold War model. Both support diplomatic coordination and multilateralism citing good platform and success in WTO, G20, BRICS, SCO and APEC as well as ASEAN Forum, ASEAN  Defense Minister Forum, etc.   
 
This joint statement sends an urgent and open message to the world in reaction to the U.S. behavior in foreign policy. President Trump surrounded with hawkish aides (Pompeo trashed Nixon's legacy and invented Uighur genocide) was impulsive and acting alone on the world stage carrying his America First and Anti-China flags, unnerving the international community. President Biden as a seasoned politician versed in wheeling and dealing replaced Trump with identity politics surrounding him with aides balanced in color, gender, sex, etc., but not well prepared for complex international affairs. Biden continued Trump's anti-China policy but had no genuine strategy except changing from 'me-alone' to 'we-wish' tactics antagonizing and pushing China and Russia together to unite. Their concern and fear for a reckless U.S. (Cold War mentality still believing can defeat rivalry China and Russia) are reasons enough for Xi and Putin to choose the supposedly harmonious and peaceful Olympic venue to make a joint statement to awaken the U.S. from an irrational state.