Posted on 04/03/2016 4:14:54 PM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
No need to worry, it has been reported that the leader of N.Korea balooned to 300lbs.
He is not going to risk a nuclear anihilation of his regime.
Japan operated a long time under the US umbrella.
But, it does not necessarily have to do so forever and ever. We don’t have a Soviet Union to counterbalance now.
China would rather make nice with South Korea and figure out a nice solution to the “North Korea Problem”, that spares their country from getting overrun with Nork Refugees, and gets the US out of the peninsula.
Trump’s probably getting ahead of himself and displaying some ignorance of some realities in the world. But this should be a time of transition in some respects. For decades of the Cold War, the US actually went around the world and bargained and negotiated for rights to establish US bases to help isolate and stop the spread of Soviet communism. And we paid handsome prices for the right to establish and man many or most of those bases.
Now that the CW is over, some changes are due and the US should be compensated for part of the military protection it provides our allies, and our allies should begin providing more with larger military forces of their own.
A gradual transition, but one that does need to begin.
(Of course, we were more or less kicked out of the Philippines by Marcos, and now that China is looking more and more like a threat to many in that region, the Philippine government wants US bases back on their soil.)
I don’t know the full context of this statement, however, I hope he is aware of and has taken into consideration that we still have a large military contingent on the border between North and South Korea. I would hate to think that North Korea would get the wrong impression regarding our resolve.
He’s almost as fat as I am now... but without the height to show for it
I don’t know.
But we could sure use a strong voice who will call out everyone who does not understand the notion that if you don’t have a border, you don’t have a country.
Ash would love the open borders crap. I can imagine Don Morgan crusading against that.
I’d sure take smart and stable.
A rational China might decide to press the Norks to become at least as “free” as it is itself. Which would not get it to the level of South Korea but would still let South Korea breathe a lot more easily.
The Ash Alert made me nostalgic for the old days.
Either a border, or some kind of staunch allegiance to what defines what is supposed to be within that border. In our case, we are suffering on both fronts.
“I don’t think Trump would renege either, though he might strongly encourage a larger independence in the future, i.e. a renegotiation of things.”
I would not think so either, but what he said is a complete abrogation of our commitment.
That’s why I said he is getting more bizarre. It makes zero sense what he said.
If he wants to amend the Treaty, or drop it, or whatever why does he not say his plans in an understandable clear manner?
That’s why I have preserved the content, fonts, and source code for the Ash Alerts on my profile page. Feel free to take it and use it whenever you feel the need.
SK and Japan both have capable militaries. SK would kick the ever loving crap out of NK in a conventional war.
You prefer to not align with SK?
When I was a kid, I was a baseball player. A catcher. Every once in a while I would have to go to the mound and tell the pitcher to throw the goddam brush back I signaled for. Some didn’t want to because they were stupid. Some were afraid. Some just didn’t know how the game was played and why you sometimes do what you have to do to win.
One problem with news of this kind today is that it never furnishes us with a complete context. Everything has to be cast as a man biting a dog even if it isn’t. Any caveats? We simply aren’t told, and it’s not very good conduct on our part to fly off the handle without getting further information. What we might call a walk back might simply be a reiteration of something that had been said earlier but not reported well, if at all.
I agree with you completely.
Japan/US has been a GREAT allegiance.
Mostly the US has been reliable, though less so over the past 10 or so years, but there is a drawback to that:
Japan hasn’t really been aggressive about building asian military relationships as she could be.
A HUGE part of that of course are the properly historic reservations non-Japanese asian countries continue to harbor —Asia is not Europe and nothing like the national contemplation that happened in post WW2 Germany has happened in Japan.
But more and more I think there is going to have to be some non-PRC military collective that is credible and could function even with a very, very distracted America.
I can’t see that happening unless there were some perception of a real crisis, or the perception of one.
It needs to be broken to them much more politely, but, eh....the new structures needed ain’t gunna happen unless there is a crisis.
It seems to have just been thrown into their laps...?
SK would, but at great cost to its Seoul (pun intended).
Ok.
Who is a Trump brushing back?
Japan?
Or is he telling Japan to brush back N Korea?
http://www.recordchina.co.jp/a132453.html
Red China news source "Record China" (in Japanese), 1 April 2016 states the DPRK launch of several intermediate ranged missiles into the Sea of Japan from near Hamhung City (NK) were tied to the nuke summit in D.C. (a statement). But comment is also made about Trump's recent off the cuff commentary with respect to geomilitary balance and issues in the region (Korean peninsula).
Reporting that the impression being given by such policy commentary by Mr. Trump, by merit of him being a frontrunner, might necessarily have a geopolitical impact at this point.
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