BigWahoo Loc: Kentucky

"But here’s the truth about China’s epic wall: It was a failure.

The Great Wall “didn’t do what it was supposed to do, it was enormously costly, and there’s no question that it caused great suffering among the people who built it,” says Arthur Waldron, an expert in Chinese military and diplomatic history at the University of Pennsylvania who has written a book called The Great Wall of China: From History to Myth.

It’s also not really a wall—at least not a continuous 13,000-mile wall. “It was nothing at all like we have in our imaginations,” Waldron told me. “I think that our friend Trump is dealing with the myth and not the reality.”

President Richard Nixon surveyed the wall in 1972: “This is a great wall.” AP

While there’s no doubt that the Great Wall was one of history’s most magnificent military installations, both its “greatness” and its “wallness” are exaggerated. It is really a series of fortifications and watchtowers (joined up around 220 B.C. and expanded upon over thousands of years under various leaders)—not an unbroken barrier."


"As the Washington Post‘s Ishaan Tharoor wrote in response to Trump’s comments, the Great Wall’s significance is best understood “not as a security barrier, but as a work of political propaganda.”"

jim quist Loc: Missouri

I think China of that time frame would say it did a great job
Are you suggesting that instead of building a wall we should build a series of fortifications connected by a wall and have armed soldiers in the fortifications?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Perhaps Hadrian's Wall, or the Antonine wall might serve as better examples.
--Bob

amyinsparta Loc: White county, TN

I think that if a 'wall' like that were suggested to trump, he would go for it in a New York minute. He could reassign the ISIS troops to man it! Yeah, that's the ticket!

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

As ineffective as the Wall of China was, it made more sense than what's proposed for the southern border. At least the Chinese understood that they needed to have situational awareness and be able to see what was on the other side of the wall. Trump's wall would just leave a giant blind spot where you'd have no idea what's going on.
The problems with the southern wall are so many that it would take a small book to cover them all.

EyeSawYou

Illinformed post and down outright a demonstration of your complete ignorance. The intent and purpose of the great wall of China was to stop or impead invading military forces. Trumps proposed wall intent is to impede illegal immigration of non combative (non military) foreign nationals you fool.


"Why was the Great Wall of China built?
The Great Wall of China was built as a military defensive line to defend the invasions from some northern nomadic nations. Apart from the function of defense, the wall also boosted the economy, as well as promoted the culture exchange and national integration of different nations at its two sides. "

jcboy3

There is little point in building a wall unless you can see it from space. And not because it has lights. If you can drive on it, then make it a toll road. Maybe that will help fund it. But be sure to charge double for Mexicans; so we can truthfully say they are paying for it.

Texcaster Loc: Queensland

"China made the Mongols pay for the wall. Not many people know that."

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

...or the wall around the Obama compound?

FrumCA

or the one Kerry wants to build around his estate in France??

AlMac Loc: Newcastle Upon Tyne - UK

Who says it won't work?

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Is there no lie y'all won't tell?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China

The wall worked from BCE until the 17th century AD a traitor opened the gates and let the Manchus through.

It protected China from numerous enemy armies, even though it was designed mainly to keep illegal migration down.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

It failed its first test read about the Mongol invasion! Worked as well as the Maginot Line!

A quick stock tip! If the wall gets money buy stock in ladder and shovel companies!

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Good Gawd I wish you would read a book ... about anything.

yhtomit Loc: Port Land. Oregon

I’m glad the Great Wall of China was a failure in the eyes of modern day democrats.
Please remove all security barriers from your dwellings if you stand by this thinking.
You are hypocrites if you don’t.