I'm John Besser with Jim Finel and Brad Thayer. Their new book is Embracing

Communist China, America's greatest strategic failure.

While the PLA Navy is demonstrating its threat against the ally Taiwan and the whole of

Western Pacific threatened by the PLA Navy, including our allies in Japan and

the Philippines and Australia.

We look to 1919, as Jim and Brad have identified as a moment when the British Empire lost the Second

World War.

Why?

Because Germany was in ruins, nothing to worry about.

In fact, let us help them as best we can with our

diplomats, but not too much. Let them sort it out. Let them use the Weymar and

the Parliament and their own disorder with communism.

And we can take confidence of the 10-year rule.

Jim, what was the 10-year rule that the British Empire employed in 1919 that led to the defeat of 1940.

I'm going to let Brad answer that one.

Well, I'm happy to.

Jim, the 10-year rule was put in place by defense planners

in United Kingdom.

And the idea was that for the next 10 years there would not be a major

conflict that would involve the UK. So as a consequence you didn't have to spend

money, right? That money would go would not be spent by the ex-chequer on defense, but would be spent on other priorities. Now that was overturned in the early 30s when the British recognized that the world had changed, the

distribution of power had changed significantly, but that lost decade in more

...