Posted on 07/10/2006 3:01:30 PM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
"That would be difficult since Shintaro Abe has been dead for over fifteen years.
His son, Shinzo Abe, is the man who is likely to become the next Prime Minister."
Yeah, and so has Stonewall Jackson, since 1863 I believe.
Didn't you ever hear that the South will rise again?!?!
"Didn't you ever hear that the South will rise again?!?!"
I hope it does. I got all this Confederate money to cash in.
They may be just as surprised as we are that he's gone this far off the deep end.
Things must be really bad if he needs open warfare (or the threat thereof) to prevent his overthrow. Few things will distract an adult from realizing that s/he has no job, no hope, and no food for his/her starving children... but war will do it.
And besides, the Chinese Communist Party cannot afford for more of its citizens to realize that Communism is a direct path to failure.
They have missiles! And Japan is a small, easy to hit Island!!
Or are you one of those head-in-the-sanders who thinks China is no threat to anyone?
No, the piece makes no judgments on Japan's "trustworthiness" past that which might be expected of any nation. The point is that Japan is no longer acting the child under the USA's wings and will take to their own defense if they continue down this path.
Further, you seem to be assuming they WON'T be trustworthy. Why is your assumption any better than the writer's?
I suspect that their history might have some weight in making a determination of what their future actions might be. I make no assumptions at all however. I simply point out that based on the past there is at least as much reason to be wary of them as there is to have confidence in them. And just what are their "interests"? And why would their interests coincide with ours? Right now there is a perceived common enemy to counter. The threat will not remain forever and at that point interests can (almost certainly will) change. What might they change to? Japan has had an interest in Korea going far back in history. That interest has not been benign.
Right now I see Japan as an ally though not necessarily as a friend (though Lord knows they are more friendly than more than a few of our other allies). But things can change dramatically and often with startling quickness. One of the greatest failings of foreign relations in general is the amazing short-sightedness displayed. The tendency is to base everything on the immediate problem/threat with little or no thought to probable developments years or even decades down the road. I think that Macarthur's vision for Japan was far reaching and the fruit of this is the Japan of today. I see no Macarthurs in our current foreign relations establishment.
The problem with your entire last post is that it can be leveled against every single nation on the planet. Further, NO ONE is our "friend", only our ally!
Remember what Churchill said-- there are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.
My point is that we can only deal with what is NOW in foreign policy. Certainly we can be guided by the past, but we cannot be a slave to it. Otherwise we would still fear the "Romans" taking over the world! Are all Germans forever Nazis? All Irishmen drunk?
Anyway, Japan is not the same nation it was in the 1930's. Might they become so again? Perhaps. But, your crystal ball cannot say so for sure and in the mean time we need them as an ally against a greater threat in the Commie Chinese.
Your worries of the past would, however, paralyze us every time with each and every nation on earth.
Good post; the British have been at war with most of the industrialised nations over the past 200 years!
What about Gen. Franco? Does he have a shot?
We didn't have any MacArthurs in our foriegn relations establishment back then, either. :)
"What about Gen. Franco? Does he have a shot?"
If they could vote in Shintaro, why couldn't they vote in Francisco?
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