Thursday, January 03, 2008
Parity can be a good thing
When you are talking about professional sports because most people just don't like seeing the same faces in the winners circle every year. When it is a matter of nations, those on top usually have a well founded dread of parity, which makes this bit of news seem quite odd, until you remember that Our Dear Embattled Leader is much more comfortable being a loser.
Six months ago, the Bush administration quietly eased some restrictions on the export of politically delicate technologies to China. The new approach was intended to help American companies increase sales of high-tech equipment to China despite tight curbs on sharing technology that might have military applications.And it does fit nicely with the Republican policy of profiting from everything you can, even if it endangers your country.
But today the administration is facing questions from weapons experts about whether some equipment — newly authorized for export to Chinese companies deemed trustworthy by Washington — could instead end up helping China modernize its military. Equally worrisome, the weapons experts say, is the possibility that China could share the technology with Iran or Syria.
The technologies include advanced aircraft engine parts, navigation systems, telecommunications equipment and sophisticated composite materials.
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