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Sarasota News Leader February 8, 2013 Page 51 cash reserves. However, he views China as seeking to sustain "economic growth that is fundamentally unsustainable." To divert attention from economic problems resulting from slowing export trade, Chinese leaders are promoting nationalism. Gates sees "no … reason for China and the U.S. to be enemies." The Middle East received detailed attention. In Gates' opinion "the tectonic plate of the Middle East has shattered." Old regimes have been destroyed with nothing to replace them. Fledgling governments, such as in Egypt and Syria, are weak. He stated, "Not a single Arab state has building blocks for democracy." According to Gates, Iran does present a nuclear threat, particularly with respect to Israel. He stated it would be "catastrophic" if Israel, which lacks the "capability to destroy all [Iranian] nuclear facilities," were to attack Iran, a country that has "virtually no military ability to attack the U.S." Robert Gates (right) meets with then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Jan. 14, 2007. Photo by Cherie A. Thurlby, Department of Defense He also addressed the dysfunction in Washington, calling the capital a place where "few are lost in thought because it's unfamiliar territory." He cited gerrymandering, the decline of tough power brokers in Congress and the extremist voices of the media as reasons for the inability to reach bipartisan agreement on the issues of the day. The assault could result in a significant disrupIn addition, the country must get its finances tion in the flow of oil, he pointed out. in order while, at the same time, he said, the He believes the United States must retain mil- United States' leaders must put "patriotism itary forces in the Middle East. and national interest" above party politics. Gates described Afghanistan as presenting "steep challenges." He is concerned that if the U.S. exits too quickly, the Taliban will take over and increase its power. He believes the U.S. objective should be to "degrade the military ability of the Taliban" and increase support, including financial aid, for the Afghan government. In spite of a "world that is getting more belligerent and dangerous," Gates is "fundamentally optimistic" that the United States has the power and means to overcome its problems. A lively question-and-answer session followed the formal presentation. Among the highlights: Gates supports women in combat; a voluntary military force is preferable to returning to the Although he believes "military force should be draft; and he has never seen a movie or read the last resort, not the first option," in Gates' a book "that gets the CIA right except Argo," opinion "slashing the defense budget makes which he says is "for the most part an amazno sense." ingly accurate" portrayal. %