You need to be registered to the New York Times to read this fascinating column on how China sees this war. Many Chinese who lived through Mao's Cultural Repolution and the massacre at Tiananmen Square, know only too well what life under Saddam can be like and, therefore, fully support the war to depose him. Younger Chinese are more familiar with the US bombing their embassy in Belgrade.

"While the shift to a market economy has improved the lives of millions, political reforms have been put on the back burner. To distract attention from this failure, and to fill the vacuum left by a bankrupt communist ideology, the state has done its best to build nationalist sentiment. It has done a very good job, especially among those under 30. Anti-globalization and anti-Americanism — and thus opposition to an American-led war — are natural byproducts of this campaign. The United States is portrayed as a wealthy bully that will try to beat back China or any country (like Iraq) that dares challenge it"

Sound familiar?