On 05/05/2011 01:12 AM, S. Dale Morrey wrote: > Folks, Japan has no standing military and thats because of us; it has > nothing to do with them feeling uncomfortable; furthermore we can't > pull out and they can't kick us out. Doing so would be a major treaty > violation.
Japan currently has a very sizable military with several branches, and has, in recent years, participated abroad in peace keeping missions. Japan's defense spending is currently the 7th highest in the world, as a percentage of GDP. They very much could take care of themselves if we left Japan. Don't kid yourself about the lack of a standing army. Because of threats like North Korea, we have granted Japan the ability to build an army. Treaties can and should be renegotiated if leaving Japan makes sense. A lot of Japanese citizens want us out. Our military tends to cause problems in the countries where they are. The high-profile rape cases in Japan a few years ago, for example. ><snipp> > America has it's enemies, but frankly none of them could really do > anything to us in the position we are in now and have been since WWII. > We are quite literally standing outside their door with very large > guns, reminding them to play nicely with one another. But the bases > aren't just there to put down tin pot dictators with big dreams, or > swat down incoming air assaults, they are there to send a big message. > Don't mess with us. They are for the most part a stabilizing > influence in the world where they are at, and they do provide direct > assistance to our strategic partners, who are also supposed to jump > into the fight (preferably on our side) should anyone decide to take > us on. > > Walk softly but carry a big stick. Dream on. A bunch of ragtag cave dwellers funded by drugs and kidnappers have shown that we're really not that powerful and that our stick is too big and blunt to be effective. We've been shown that the doctrine we've practiced since WWII is no longer effective in the 21st century. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
