In the United States today, Americans are celebrating the return of the aircrew from China. President Bush is being widely praised for his deft handling of the hostage crisis. In China today, the government-run media are celebrating a great "victory" over the American superpower. Chinese leaders are being praised for extracting an apology from the United States for its aggressive invasion of Chinese territory. Who is right to celebrate? Comforting as it would be to …showed first 75 words of 988 total…

…showed last 75 words of 988 total…now that the hostages have been released are engaging in self-delusion. If we simply try to put the crisis behind us and return to "normal," as so many China hands, foreign policy "realists," corporate executives and our secretary of state have suggested, the message to the Chinese leaders will be that they will pay no price for an assault on American interests and honor. No message could be more dangerous or more dishonorable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**