George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 70

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Globalization is the world moving towards a single system. Simply put, the final stage of globalization would be a single world government, like the Earth Federation often seen in science fiction novels.

Some people use complex examples to illustrate globalization’s impact. But you can understand it simply by looking at a bag of mixed nuts. It contains nuts from India, the United States, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

In any case, binding systems into one, whether naturally or deliberately, ultimately means refining existing systems or harmonizing them through mutual agreement.

However, history shows that power is not equally distributed in the world. As long as countries exist that can suppress others, a naturally integrated system is a distant prospect.

Therefore, for a single system to be completed, all countries must either abandon their national identities and become one, or a powerful nation must oversee and unify the world.

The prelude to globalization existed even in the 19th century. Back then, great powers like the British Empire promoted it under the guise of ‘civilization.’ However, information took too long to travel, so true globalization couldn’t be achieved, and their efforts were only partially successful.

Therefore, at this point, globalization largely means the Americanization of the world by the sole superpower, the United States.

Everyone once favored Europe. Furthermore, French, which once dominated the world, lost its popularity and declined, leading to increased spending on English education—specifically, ‘American English,’ not ‘British English.’ French still holds sway in Africa for now, but that will likely change soon.

Anyway, the United States’ ‘Asia Grand Strategy,’ which has been gradually dominating the world, is nearing completion. This has evolved beyond the existing East Asia strategy, aiming to encircle China through a network of alliances across Asia.

The U.S. military was establishing bases near the Indian border and in Delhi, and the budget for the South Korean camp, established after the Korean War, was 1.2 times higher than the previous year. Another aircraft carrier was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Although there were no U.S. troops in Afghanistan, American companies, sensing opportunity, were establishing themselves there.

As a result, Afghanistan and India’s security was bolstered. South Korea’s claim to Dokdo [a group of islets also claimed by Japan, known as Takeshima] and Japan’s claim to the Senkaku Islands [also claimed by China and Taiwan, known as Diaoyu/Diaoyutai Islands] were recognized by the UN and the United States, organizations representing international society. In reality, the UN’s influence is proportional to its financial contributions, making the United States and the UN practically one entity, though many haven’t realized this yet.

“Now, all that’s left is to become friendly with Southeast Asia.”

Bush was doing bench presses at home while talking on a wireless earphone. The sound quality wasn’t great, but considering it was the end of 2001, it was acceptable. This wireless earphone was custom-made to CIA specifications, incorporating various secret technologies from Silicon Valley.

But compared to the wireless earphones I used in 2019, everything from sound quality to convenience to weight was inferior.

「Thailand and Singapore are already on board.」

The person on the phone was the Chief of Staff.

“Singapore is great in many ways, but its military is small. Thailand isn’t bad, but Thailand alone isn’t enough to contain China.”

Because Singapore’s military power was limited, the connection was relatively weak. If Australia had a larger military, it could have been integrated into this ‘Asia Grand Strategy,’ but Australia, like Singapore, had a small military.

It was joked that their army could even lose to birds. Of course, this was an exaggeration, and even if the Australian army wasn’t a global powerhouse, it at least played the role of a regional power in its area.

Still, they couldn’t completely build a siege. Their power was decent, but geographically they were too far away.

「Ah, then how about Taiwan?」

“We can’t openly support Taiwan, especially while China is experiencing economic growth.” [Here, ‘savings’ is likely a mistranslation and refers to China’s economic boom.]

They were already asserting sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, so they must have felt betrayed and blindsided.

「Philippines.」

“Philippines….”

Bush took a breath while maintaining his posture at the bottom of the bench press. It was a call he could normally handle without problems, but with weightlifting involved, it was hard to even think. Remembering the risk of injury if he did the bench press wrong, he hesitated for a moment but was determined to finish the set.

‘The Philippines was a military ally of the United States, but its pro-China stance has made it less attractive. Instead, Indonesia has emerged rapidly. Of course, China’s influence is waning, so there’s no immediate need to worry. Still, I’m reluctant.’

“Let’s monitor the situation a bit longer.”

「Then what are you going to do?」

Bush was regaining his posture as he pushed the weight up. It wasn’t because he was weak, but because he was trying to maintain perfect form while thinking complicated thoughts, making it a real challenge. ‘Well, isn’t this what you need to do to be called a president!’

“ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)!”

「Yes? ASEAN?」

ASEAN was a regional organization created by countries in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia. ASEAN’s ultimate goal was similar to the EU’s goal of ‘complete national union.’ In other words, a Southeast Asian Union was the model ASEAN ultimately pursued, a minimum safeguard created by Southeast Asia to counter the wave of globalization.

Among these, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are considered ASEAN-5, and even in 2019, their combined economic size was comparable to China, which openly discussed Chimerica [a portmanteau of “China” and “America,” referring to the close economic relationship between the two countries].

The only problem was that their momentum was significantly lower than that of the EU, which they used as a role model.

“That region has been talking about community since 1967, but little has improved. Let’s step in and tie them all together.”

The ASEAN Charter, legally binding the regional community, was released in 2008, and the ‘ASEAN Community’ was launched in 2015. This encompassed economic, political, and social aspects, binding ASEAN together more effectively than previous efforts.

And Bush remembered all of this. He didn’t remember it because he particularly liked it, but looking back now, this information was incredibly helpful.

“Above all, if we have to respond to each country individually, our administrative and diplomatic resources will be stretched thin. There’s already a nominal community called ASEAN, so it’s not impossible.”

「That’s not a bad idea.」

It was true. The Chief of Staff could already envision the relief from reduced paperwork.

“It’ll be a lot of work to integrate them, but once they’re properly aligned, everything will move faster. And they’ll be receptive to it, right?”

「But how?」

In fact, the idea itself was obvious. But Southeast Asia hasn’t become like the EU for a reason. There are underlying issues, making it like a half-broken old car that starts and moves slowly.

“The Southeast Asian financial crisis was only 4 years ago. We can solve everything with the dollars we have.”

But the United States could accomplish this difficult task. With the dollar, the world’s most powerful currency, ASEAN could be molded to the United States’ liking.

“If we invest with a few conditions for the establishment of ASEAN, they will gladly cooperate. Southeast Asia has a strong pro-American sentiment.”

The key was to promote capitalism. If an economic community comparable to China was created as a national federation under U.S. leadership, it would be very beneficial. Specifically, companies would greatly benefit from entering the market or purchasing bonds. The military industry could also be revitalized by standardizing the army, navy, and air force’s weapon systems to American-made ones, securing orders worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Beyond these minor benefits, the United States would clearly be the first choice for major national projects. Even if they didn’t initially think so, it should be made that way.

Most importantly, once ASEAN was properly integrated, it would be difficult for China or Russia to expand southward, no matter what happened.

「But what if a strengthened ASEAN later turns against the United States?」

“That’s a very good question. What happened to Afghanistan?”

「…I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be an American official as I am today.」

‘This is the President of the United States! Look up to these solid chest muscles and shoulders that are so broad that the suit I used to wear can no longer cover them! You little muscles!’

“A strong physique is also a strategy in diplomacy. Yes, there’s a reason for doing it! That’s what I’m saying!”

‘So it’s definitely not a health addiction! This establishes and proves the need to make health mandatory for the President of the United States!’

「Yes?」

“No. It’s nothing. I’m just thinking about building another aircraft carrier fleet.”

Originally, I was going to say it after my vacation, but I ended up saying it because I felt like I had to say something.

“One more besides the George H.W. Bush?”

“Yes. I heard there’s a lot of talk in the Navy about building an Arsenal Ship [a proposed but never built type of ship designed to carry a large number of missiles].”

Frankly, the Arsenal Ship had more symbolic value than practical effect. The Arsenal Ship, equipped with 500 Tomahawk missiles, could serve as a deterrent for any country with aggressive tendencies.

Some people raise concerns about sympathetic detonation [accidental explosion of multiple munitions]. But if a war breaks out, will there be any missiles left in the Arsenal Ship’s hold? They’ll already be launched towards the enemy.

Anyway, this was just Bush’s positive view of the Arsenal Ship; experienced experts with practical knowledge might disagree.

So Bush thought this.

“I was wondering if we should just build another aircraft carrier fleet. Then they’ll shut up.”

This was a clever idea. But the Chief of Staff’s response was disappointing to Bush.

「Mr. President. I’m sorry, but even so, our budget isn’t that plentiful.」

The cost of building a proper aircraft carrier fleet was about $33 billion. The daily operating cost was about $8 million.

There were many ongoing short-term projects and future projects requiring funding, so the budget was already allocated. Of course, there was still some flexibility, but there needed to be funds in the national treasury to prepare for unforeseen events.

“Then let’s humbly and modestly build just two aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships as conditions allow.”

It’s debatable where the humility and modesty were, but increasing the number of aircraft carriers would allow existing ones to be replaced with new ones or operated alternately to reduce wear and tear. In addition, their usage was virtually limitless.

If the financial situation improved later, they might be able to build another aircraft carrier fleet.

「As you wish.」

“Oh, and next time, I’m thinking of allocating a generous budget in Congress for the development of a new generation catapult, the electromagnetic catapult [a system for launching aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier], so let’s try installing it on this aircraft carrier.”

「I understand.」

In that way, two new aircraft carriers reflecting Bush’s opinions at the end of 2001 entered the design phase.

And that night.

“Honey. You’ve been so busy lately, right? Hold still. I’m curious about something.”

“Wh, what!”

‘Ugh! Why is this woman so strong!?’

Due to Laura’s strong desire to see Bush’s body continue to improve, Bush entered the design phase for the next generation, which he had been avoiding. [This is a euphemism for intimate relations.]

The mandatory defense war was such a fierce battle that it rewrote the history of other wars, lasting about 3 hours and 30 minutes, and Bush was able to see the effects of the exercise. [Another euphemism, implying a vigorous and lengthy encounter.]

After that day, the awkwardness between Bush and Laura dissipated.