William J. Holstein

What Google China and Japan Tuna have in common
MARCH 25--Many tongues are wagging in the United States over China's refusal to allow Google to offer uncensored search engine results in China and Japan's insistence on eating endangered tuna species, as portrayed in the film, "The Cove."

The common thread is that the Chinese Communist Party does not accept the American hope that the Internet will undermine its grip on power. And the Japanese do not accept the American hope that endangered species can be saved.

In short, both cases reflect a fundamental conflict in values. These two nations, although very different in important respects, do not accept American attitudes and there is no way we can force them to do that. That's a very dated aspiration, harkening back to the missionary era. Those days are long gone.

I think one reason we have not been able to formulate a systemic national response to the competitive challenge to our economy is that we want to believe that if we wait long enough, the Chinese and Japanese will accept American values. They will become like us. This is the fundamental myth that needs to be attacked before Americans can ever understand the nature of these ancient civilizations.