THE BEAR IS BACK.

IAN HAMET has posted his analysis of the Chinese protests he reported on earlier. And he’s also got a copy (with translation) of the Chinese email that organized the protests. Bottom line:

Furthermore, one aspect of Chinese culture you don’t read much about is a nationwide inferiority complex. I don’t know what else to call it. There’s overcompensation everywhere. . . .

Another aspect is dissatisfaction with the present government. Oh, you’ll never hear anyone say that, of course. But Tiananmen Square is only 16 years in the past, and I think someone in Beijing, someone who is all too familiar with both The Prince and The Art of War, has been working to divert frustration to a more acceptable target. Add in the natural xenophobia that Chinese culture has always harbored, and you’ve got a brilliant play to keep the present oligarchy firmly entrenched, as well as justification for foreign adventures, should the need arise. . . .

I’m convinced someone in Beijing orchestrated this, even as the demonstration was declared “illegal” yesterday. The police didn’t try to quell the crowd at all, weren’t even in riot gear. They just steered people away from the (very expensive) buildings in People’s Square.

Whoever he is, this Machiavel, he’s stirred up one hell of a hornets’ nest. I sincerely hope that he’s frightened by how angry it is; if not, there’s even more trouble on the horizon.

Read the whole thing.

UPDATE: Brian Dunn has more thoughts.

And there’s more at The Mudville Gazette. Related thoughts on China, from The Belmont Club, here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: SimonWorld has loads more on the anti-Japanese riots, as well as a report on different riots in Huaxi that ought to be worrying the Chinese government much more: “The current Japan/China tensions may in part be orchestrated by the government. But these spontaneous outbursts are a different beast. Interestingly at the moment the Chinese Government doesn’t seem sure how to handle either.”

STRATEGYPAGE ON MILITARY PROCUREMENT:

This rush of new, cheaper and more effective technology is beginning to bother the traditional manufacturers. These large outfits make lots of money by building high tech, high dollar, items. The new guys are building inexpensive stuff that works better. Now you can’t come right out and complain about this. At least not while troops in combat zones are singing the praises of inexpensive gadgets like micro-UAVs. But large corporations think in the long term. . . .

There are also new communications technologies that threaten mainstream military contractors. The U.S. Army, in particular, is desperate to install as much “battlefield Internet” technology as possible. Rather than wait for the traditional military manufacturers to devise, develop and manufacture such systems, the army (often just the troops) is taking stuff off the shelf and adapting it to battlefield use. These interlopers are drawing sharp criticism from the traditional manufacturers, and the PR effort has an impact. But because of combat veterans lauding the new, cheaper, gear, and that news getting spread through new, non-traditional information outlets (mostly web based), it’s not been so easy to shut down the new manufacturers.

Very interesting.

MICHAEL TOTTEN IS VIDEOBLOGGING as well as photoblogging, over at the Spirit of America’s Lebanon blog. Check it out, and consider donating if you’d like to support democracy in Lebanon, where things are still touch-and-go.

IAN HAMET witnessed anti-Japanese protests in Shanghai and has posted a full report. And a reader in Shanghai sends these photos, and reports:

Here are two picts I took at the anti-Japanese protest today in Shanghai. The mob smashed everything Japanese along the march route and around the embassy, but the police stopped all attempted looting. All in all it was very orderly, with lots of smiles and laughing among the participants.

I’ve noticed tensions rising over the past few months. There used to be only one guy at my office who refused to buy Japanese items; now it’s more than half, even very no-nonsense people who’s judgement I trust. One of my coworkers has been dating a Japanese guy for four months now, and she’s scared that someone at the office will find out. Another foreigner and I are the only two people she’s confided in. There has also been acts of violence against Japanese people on the street. Just a few days ago two Japanese exchange students got their asses kicked by a group of Chinese guys.

Protest highlights:
A shout of “Don’t take pictures with Japanese cameras and and cell phones!” was met with nervous laughter and stuffing of cameras and cell phones into pockets.

Chains of Chinese people holding Chinese flags and standing in front of Japanese restaurants where they worked. Along the march route they were pushed out of the way, but they managed to protect some businesses that were off the main path.

Chinese people don’t play baseball. The rock and bottle throwing was comically poor and inaccurate.

That’s some comfort. I suspect that the Chinese government is stirring this up. I suspect that it will get out of hand, if it continues.

THIS WEEK’S CARNIVAL OF CORDITE, collecting gun-blog posts from all over, is up.

UPDATE: And don’t miss the Carnival of the Recipes!

VICTOR DAVIS HANSON pens a masterful “I told you so,” aimed at the predictably-wrong trio of Scowcroft, Brzezinski, and Albright, among others.

MEMPHISLAMISTS? I’m glad Memphis is at the other end of the state.

SOD OFF, SWAMPY: The sequel.

I STILL THINK THAT BILL FRIST would have been better off following my advice.

Josh Chafetz observes: “I can think of few better ways to drive me and my fellow independents into the arms of the Democrats.”

UPDATE: James Joyner: “I support Frist’s efforts to get judicial nominees an up-or-down vote and even support invoking the so-called ‘nuclear option’ to get it done. However, this particular move is not only unseemly but likely to backfire. . . . This is clearly an issue the Republicans should be able to win on the merits. The idea that the president’s nominees should not be able to get a vote in a Republican majority Senate is simply bizarre. But arguing that Democrats are defying Jesus with their obstructionism is unlikely to turn this one around.”

Hugh Hewitt feels differently.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Matt Rustler: “Is it any wonder that some people believe the ‘Religious Right’ is trying to establish an American theocracy? I’m starting to worry, too, and I am — er, was? — mostly on their side.”

EUGENE VOLOKH DOES THE MATH on false rape reports.

THE ANCHORESS CLAIMS AN EXCLUSIVE: Excerpts from Mary Mapes’ book treatment. I don’t think it’s a spoof.

EAST IS EAST AND WEST IS WEST, and Cathy Seipp has thoughts on their meeting.

PROTESTS IN MONGOLIA continue.

HISTORYBLOGGING: The latest History Carnival is up!

I HAVEN’T FINISHED South Park Conservatives yet, but you can read reviews by Orrin Judd and Ed Driscoll elsewhere.

UPDATE: Here’s one from Joshua Claybourn.

MICKEY KAUS accuses the Washington Post’s Robin Givhan of practicing “the new phrenology,” but Bill Quick takes the critique a step farther.

MICHAEL SILENCE offers demographic advice to politicans and media folks from the northeast.

THE INTERNET GIVETH, AND THE INTERNET TAKETH AWAY: Thoughts on music and the Web, over at GlennReynolds.com.

MICHAEL COSTELLO writes in The Australian:

How has it happened that the Left of politics across the world has ended up opposing a foreign policy philosophy of spreading democracy in favour of supporting the traditional conservative agenda of stability, sovereignty and the status quo? Because that is what the Left is doing in its hostile reaction to George W. Bush’s second inaugural address.

Read the whole thing, and read these further thoughts from Austin Bay.

IN THE (INTEROFFICE) MAIL: My colleague Bob Lloyd’s essay, Hard Law Firms, Soft Law Schools, in the latst issue of the North Carolina Law Review. Lloyd applies the ideas in Michael Barone’s book Hard America, Soft America, to legal education. (Here’s an essay by Barone that states the same themes.) I don’t think Lloyd’s piece is available online, but here’s a key bit:

This Essay analyzes Barone’s ideas in the context of twenty-first century law practice. It concludes that American law practice, like American business, has become Harder in recent years. At the same time, American law schools have become Softer. The result is that law schools are doing a poor job of preparing students for practice.

He talks about new forces that may Harden legal education in spite of itself, and suggests some things that ought to be done. I think that readers in legal education will find it well worth their time.

UPDATE: The citation is 83 N.C. L. Rev. 667 (2005).

BRENDAN LOY: “The U.N. oil-for-food scandal gets the buried-on-Page-A22 treatment for months… and then a Texas oilman is indicted, and suddenly it’s the top story in the New York Times. Sheesh.” The NYT is nothing if not predictable. Read this, too.

MASS ARRESTS IN PAKISTAN: Gateway Pundit has a roundup, but notes that it’s hard to tell what’s really going on.

“I WOULDN’T MENTION PARIS. IT’S POOR SALESMANSHIP:”

French media has dismissed as unconvincing President Jacques Chirac’s efforts to persuade his country to vote for the EU constitution in an upcoming referendum.

Meanwhile Friday, campaigners for a “no” vote accused Chirac of scaremongering by telling voters in a prime-time TV broadcast that France “could cease to exist politically” in the EU if they reject the charter on May 29.

The two-hour town hall-style meeting on Thursday evening marked the start of his push to promote the constitution, which is intended to reform EU decision-making after the admission of 10 new members last May.

However, the “no” campaign is leading in the opinion polls, and analysts suggested Chirac’s debate with 83 carefully selected young people would not reverse the trend.

There may be hope for Europe after all. More bad reviews here.

THE ARMY is running into recruiting issues, something I’ve worried about for a while. StrategyPage observes:

The army expects to reverse the recruiting shortfall by lowering standards (which will increase training costs), add more recruiters and spend more money on advertising. The army is also offering larger bonuses (up to $90,000, in one lump sum) to get existing troops to re-enlist. Past experience indicates that these methods will probably work, but will increase personnel costs as much as ten percent.

This is why proposals to enlarge the Army, discussed during the campaign last year, were probably impractical.